Automation is the go-to option for the next generation of farmers looking to increase their greenhouse profits. To ensure you get the best out of your operation, you can start increasing your crop yields with the help of automated fertigation systems. Fertigation can help reduce farming costs and fertilizer waste. In simple words, fertigation can increase your bottom-line profits, while decreasing expenses.
Let’s find out more about fertigation, automated irrigation systems, and how they can increase profits for any commercial greenhouse.
What is Fertigation?
Fertigation is a process used for fertilizer and nutrient solution injection directly into the irrigation line. It helps to deliver a precise fertilizer amount that can address any deficiency of nutrients in crops. Fertigation has been used for decades, but it has become more popular now with automation. That’s because automated fertigation equipment brings a dramatic increase in crop yields within the controlled greenhouse environment.
How Automated Fertigation Leads to Improved Crop Yield
Commercial growers choose indoor growing over outdoor field crops to get round-the-year crop production. With complete control over irrigation schedules, soil conditions, amounts of water and environmental conditions, etc. A greenhouse grower has a clear advantage over conventional outdoor growers when they use automated fertigation systems. Their benefits include –
- Calculated fertilizer applications
- Measured energy usage
- Improved nutrient management
- Reduced hands-on labor
- Optimized resource use
- Lower water loss and fertilizer waste
- Less time to control crop feed
- Flexible fertilizer application for micro – irrigation
- Minimized water & fertilizer waste
- Precise control over E.C. and P.h. values
- Batch feed control up to 12 recipes
With complete control over irrigational and environmental processes, greenhouse growers can see an exponential increase in their agricultural production. Constant production of healthy, resilient crops means more profits for a farmer. You can control crop prices and manage crop rotation for increased profits year after year.
How Fertigation Reduces Costs of Production for Greenhouse Growers
In addition to improved crop production, automated fertigation systems help with the reduction in the costs of production. This further contributes to the profits of commercial greenhouses. Let’s look at how fertigation reduces greenhouse production costs.
a) Labor Costs
Labor cost is a significant area where you can save money when you start using automated fertigation systems. Since it’s an automation system that can be controlled with the help of a centralized computer, you neither need constant monitoring nor manual irrigation management like feeding and watering crops. You’ll need fewer people to handle the automated fertigation system and its maintenance.
b) Fertilizer Costs
Very often, farmers do not know precisely how much fertilizer they should use due to a lack of data. Thus, farmers often end up using too much fertilizer, thus wasting money, be it in synthetic fertilizers or organic fertilizers. For instance, farmers without correct information about nitrogen levels in the soil often apply more excess nitrogen fertilizers, feeling optimistic about the usage in the growth stage.
c) Water Costs
Fertigation is helpful with water recycling since it is a method of applying fertilizers directly through the irrigation water, which is then fed to crops through the drip system. The feed solution dissolved in the water is passed through the growing medium and then collected. Meanwhile, fresh water is only used to balance soil conditions, while the leftover water is drained and reused. This saves a lot of water costs.
d) Energy Costs
Fertigation is a method known to make the usage of energy inputs more efficient. Efficient energy use means less wastage. When you resort to an automated fertigation system, this advantage gets boosted even further. When you install an automated system, it will ensure that the energy utilization, along with the use of other resources, is optimized. Thus, you will notice a significant drop in your energy bills.
f) Soil Condition Costs
Fertigation addresses soil conditions and problems. By maintaining complete control over the fertilizers ingested into the soil, it boosts the absorption of nutrients by plants from the soil. It helps improve the nutrient levels in the soil and prevents soil erosion. It also prevents crops from contracting diseases from the soil. All these are based on complete data, keeping soil maintenance costs under control.
g) Waste Management Costs
Every mindful greenhouse grower wants to choose a sustainable agriculture method to cut down the effects of nitrogen fertilizer usage, potent greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide production and nitrous oxide emissions, water wastage, etc. Since fertigation systems maintain control over every aspect of irrigation, there will be less wastage, just reducing extra waste management costs.
Thus, an automated fertigation system will help a greenhouse grower save expenses in multiple areas, not only as a trusted irrigation system but also by using advanced technology. By doing so, an automated fertigation system is going to add to the profits of a commercial greenhouse grower.
Nebula Climate Control Systems: Fertigation Manager and Hydroponic Irrigation Controller
The Fertigation Manager is an advanced machine that boosts the irrigation of a greenhouse. It automates the entire system with the help of a computer. Growers use fertilizer programs for irrigating plants, and they largely depend on weather and soil conditions.
Our automated hydroponic irrigation systems implement modern technology to improve your greenhouse operations. These systems are connected by a single fertigation computer for centralized control over the irrigation feed. Thus, these systems save your time, energy, and more.
In addition, you can also use other greenhouse automation systems like the Climate Manager and Ozone Pro. Altogether, our automation systems will give you better crop growth at lower costs, improving your greenhouse profits. If you want to know about the right automation system for your greenhouse, contact us TODAY!