Develop A Perfect Grassy Field Before Beginning of the Sports Season!

Fertigation is the farming practice of infusing fertilizer solutions through irrigation water into the ground. It delivers nutrients to the plants, particularly to the roots, in the right amount at the right time and promotes proper growth. The practice enhances the availability and efficiency of fertilizers and reduces runoff and waste. 

Fertigation is extensively used in soccer, tennis, cricket, and other sports fields besides golf courses, as the players use them for some part of the year while leaving them unused for another period. The organizers can use fertigation to push grass growth on the field before the beginning of the season and continue it throughout the season. At the same time, horticulturists can use it to develop precise landscapes.

Fertigation System

The field developers use a fertigation system to inject fertilizers into an irrigation system which ultimately reaches the soil. The design of the fertigation system comprises a tank with a pump, diffusion pipes, capillaries, and a dripper pen, placed on a raised or sealed platform and fitted with chemical spill trays. Most fertigation systems have backflow prevention devices to minimize contamination. The advanced systems also contain growing systems having multiple injectors and monitoring and controlling mechanisms. 

Growing Systems

Different fertilizers have different solubility characteristics, which also get affected by temperature. They may also precipitate out of the solution if added in high concentrations to hard water or during low temperatures. Solubility and precipitation of fertilizers are critical in delivering them to the plants for the desired efficacy. The growing system helps dose multiple nutrients to the soil in the required amounts during the growing period while allowing monitoring and control of the nutrient ratio and parts per million (PPM). The developers can use the growing system with two, five, or eight injectors, depending on the size of the field and budget.

The golf course developers can practice fertigation and prevent the wastage of fertilizer and chemicals, saving more than $10k annually. Fertigation delivers fertilizers to grass up to 95% by light close interval feeding and foliar feeding.

Soil Test - A Prerequisite For Fertigation

Grass typically needs 16 essential nutrients to grow. A soil test helps the contractors know the health and nutrients available in the soil. The soil test identifies the deficient nutrients and their amount for healthy growth. Typically, the fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium delivered through fertigation help the grass grow thicker, faster, and more robust. But soil-test helps determine the correct quantity of each fertilizer to fulfill the deficiency of the identified nutrients.

The Bottom Line

The users should buy a fertigation system that suits the size of their sports fields, landscapes, and farm efficient and cost-effective use.