March 2019 - 17

PLANT NUTRITION
CHOOSING YOUR FERTILIZER
PROGRAM
Look at your water test for the
following items: pH, alkalinity, calcium,
magnesium, sodium and chloride. If
you have low alkalinity water with little
calcium and magnesium, a neutral or
basic fertilizer is a better option. You
will also need a fertilizer with some
calcium and magnesium. If you have
high alkalinity you will need an acidic
fertilizer. High alkalinity can cause a
gradual increase in media pH, and you
may need to consider acidification
with a mineral acid. The industry
standard is sulfuric acid; it is cost
effective, easy to source and adds
much needed sulfur.
To save some fertilizer dollars in the
tank, look for formulas with elevated
nitrogen. A great example is 20-10-20
Peat-Lite, it's an old favorite and gets
the job done. But, if you switch to
25-5-15, you can decrease you overall
usage by 20 percent, get all the same
nutrients, and less phosphorus to
boot. Instead of buying five bags of
20-10-20 PL you can purchase four of
25-5-15. The data in Figure 1 will get
you started in choosing your general
purpose or grower formulas. But if you
need more help reach out to make the
right choice.
GROUPING PLANTS BASED ON
EC AND PH REQUIREMENTS
Cultivar culture sheets hold
a wealth of knowledge - from
temperature requirements, diseases,
and nutrient needs, it's all there.
Using these sheets will help you
group your like crops together. For
the ease of fertilizing, it is best to
group plants with similar EC and pH
requirements together. Figure 2 shows
the groups that are helpful. Low and
FOUR TAKE-HOMES
1. Know your water quality.
2. Match your feed program
to your crops and water
quality.
3. Group your plants by
pH and EC.
4. Monitor in-house pH
and EC.
icl-sf.com
GREENHOUSE PRODUCT NEWS 17
moderate pH requirements can be
grouped together.
IN-HOUSE MONITORING OF
EC AND PH
By setting up a weekly testing
regimen of pour-throughs
in-house, you can make good
growing decisions. North Carolina
State University has an excellent
pour-through resource that many
growers use. Early detection of a
media pH or EC issue can prevent
costly deficiencies and toxicities
down the road. It may seem
daunting at first, but you know the
old adage, " An ounce of prevention
is worth a pound of cure. "
Krystal Snyder is the technical specialist
at JR Peters, Inc., and provides laboratory
interpretations and technical support for
the Jack's Professional product line. She
can be reached at ksnyder@jrpeters.com.
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http://www.icl-sf.com

March 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2019