We have already seen how some indoor functions can be automated, such as lighting, environmental control and irrigation. On this occasion, we will see how to do it with fertilization, which is undoubtedly the most complex aspect when it comes to automating it, especially for home crops.
When thinking about automating nutrition, we must not forget that, unless we work with monocultures of varieties (that is, using the same clone for the entire crop), it will be a very delicate task. This is because not all plants will eat evenly, depending on the microclimate and genetics, among other things.
Unless we work with monocultures of varieties, automating nutrition will be a delicate task, since otherwise not all plants will eat evenly.
By incorporating these systems, we seek to optimize our cultivation plans by calculating and mixing nutrients. They are usually composed of hardware (pneumatic injectors, positive displacement diaphragm pumps, drip irrigation equipment) and software where we can control the addition of fertilizer in detail.
Some systems even support ppm (parts per million) or ec (electroconductivity) settings. Many companies offer complete systems with professional installation, although these services are often expensive and not a good solution for small growers, as well as being difficult to access in Latin America.
Benefits and precautions
Having this type of management system saves a lot of energy and significantly reduces costs in medium to large scale installations. It is essential to choose fertilizers that are compatible with the systems we are using.
There are models designed to administer the nutrient solution continuously at the same time as irrigation. These systems are built with materials that tolerate high salinity and are suitable for periodic cleaning.
Automating fertilization saves a lot of energy and reduces costs significantly in medium to large scale crops. / Photo: @fgi_lighting
If these conditions are not guaranteed, problems such as nutritional deficiencies can occur. This happens due to the formation of salts that are deposited in the conduction system, communities of contaminating microbes that also prevail in the system and form complex structures, such as biofilm communities. This results in a variation in the pH of the water reaching the plants.
In models where nutrients are administered and mixed as the water recirculates through the crop, there are pumps that administer fertilizers as the parameters of the solution are modified. This ensures that nutrients are available at all times.
