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Just ’Cuz It’s Blue, Doesn’t Mean It’s Clean
| Lela Kelly
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>> Published Date: 1/25/2012
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 How much fertilizer is your fertilizer injector putting out?
A fertilizer injector’s purpose is to produce consistent results over time. But if the injector is losing accuracy, will you know? By using a calibrated EC meter to check your fertilizer injector on a regular basis, you’ll be able to ensure your injectors are dosing the correct amount of fertilizer parts per million (PPMs).
Keep in mind that, while a calibrated EC meter will help you maintain your fertilizer injector’s accuracy, the EC meter itself will require maintenance to ensure it’s working properly. Many growers forget this step, and therefore, believe their mix is accurate based on faulty EC meter readings.
Both the end watering solution as well as the stock solution should be checked for accuracy. You cannot tell if your injector is working correctly by the color of the water coming out of your hose. Fertilizer dyes today vary widely, so color alone is a poor indicator of accuracy. Also, most growers are on a constant feed of fertilizer, which is a lower PPM. This smaller amount of fertilizer going into the water more often is much more diluted and it’s more important that your injector is as accurate as possible.
Finally, remember that if you find that your solution isn’t correct, it may be due to an error in the way the solution was mixed and not the fertilizer injector itself.
We recommend you start by cleaning your fertilizer injector
Over the years I’ve noticed that growers were doing maintenance on their fertilizer injectors, but they had no way of cleaning out the insides where all the rust and minerals build up. This leads to a reduction in the life and performance of their injectors. We have introduced a new cleaner called DosaKlean, which when your injector parts are soaked in this solution over night, will come out sparkling clean. This new cleaner magically removes calcium, rust and all minerals without any scrubbing. This will increase the life of your injector and help it run properly.
Maintenance matters
Would you not change the oil in your car?
Most injector systems need some type of maintenance in order for them to run properly and accurately. Maintenance can be as simple as replacing worn seal kits. Maintenance schedules can vary based on usage, but in general, a once-a-year seal kit change of worn parts is advisable.
In my travels around the country talking to growers, I hear the same questions about proper injector selection, use and maintenance from almost every grower I meet. Fertilizer injectors truly are one of the most versatile, simple and cost-effective solutions available to the horticulture industry. Armed with the knowledge in this article and the other great resources available to growers (such as extension agents, horticultural distributors, universities and product manufacturers), you’ll be able to put this wonderful technology to use more efficiently and with greater success than ever before. GT
Lela Kelly is vice president and owner of Dosatron International, Inc., headquartered in Clearwater, Florida. As Dosatron’s lead expert on horticulture, she travels the country advising growers of all sizes and experience levels on proper fertilizer injector selection, use and maintenance. She has been in the horticultural industry for more than 35 years, starting out as a grower in Long Island, New York.
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