Horti Country
(Continued from Pago 1)
that may damage your delivery
lines.
Third design your system
so that lateral lines are laid fol
lowing the contour lines of your
land. This will avoid pressure
variations in the lines caused by
changes in elevation along the
laterals. If you must have some
variation in your lateral-line
height, you may need to use
drip tape with pressure
compensating emitters.
Fourth the size of your
irrigation zone depends upon
the flow rate of your well. Be
sure to measure your pump’s
flow rate when pumping
against the pressure at which
your drip irrigation system will
operate. Flow rates will be
reduced when pumping against
pressure rather than free dis
charge. If you make an irriga
tion zone larger than your pump
can handle, you will again run
into the problem of uneven
water applications within the
system. In addition, irrigation
zones should be as close to the
same size as possible. Large
differences in size will reduce
the efficiency of your pump’s
operation. You will also have
the lowest system cost with
equal sized zones.
Fifth be sure to use pres
sure regulators if the pressure
from your pump is too large or
if your irrigation zones vary
greatly in size. Pumps used for
overhead irrigation systems
frequently operate at excessive
pressures for a drip system. By
having different-sized irriga
tion zones, you must size the
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pump for the largest zone,
which could then result in
excessive pressure for any
smaller zones. If the pressure is
too high in the system, you may
damage your drip lines.
Sixth be sure to use some
type of filtration system. The
actual type and size of filter you
will need depends upon your
water source and how many
impurities (algae, organic
debris, etc.) the water contains.
Consult a professional here
since improper filtration can
cause major problems in a drip
irrigation system.
Seventh be sure your sys
tem includes an injection port
to allow the addition of any
necessary chemicals and fertil
izers. Many systems require the
occasional injection of chemi
cals to prevent emitter clog
ging. In addition, fertigation, or
the application of fertilizers
through the drip system, is a
very effective method of supp
lying necessary nutrients just
when your crop needs the nutri
ents most. The injector should
be located as close as possible
to the irrigation zone. This will
again help with uniformity of
chemical application to the
crop or system.
Finally equip your system
with both backflow prevention
devices and monitoring gauges.
Backflow and antisiphon
devices in your system can pre
vent possible well contamina
tion by chemical concentrates.
Monitoring gauges in your sys
tem at several locations will
help you easily monitor the sys-
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tem to detect any problems.
This will enable you to correct
these problems quickly rather
than waiting for your crop
plants to tell you there are trou
bles in your drip system.
Reduced flow rates or
increased pressures may indi
cate plugged emitters while
increased flows or reduced
pressures may indicate broken
lines.
Flow meters will also help
you with system management
by helping to insure that you
apply enough water during
UNIVERSITY PARK
(Centre Co.) When it comes
to plant pots, growers praise
the feats of clay, but those clas
sic containers are heavy and
hard to handle.
Horticultural researchers in
Penn State’s College of Agri
cultural Sciences have found
that fiber pots, which have ad
vantages similar to those of
clay pots, can be improved by
adding minuscule amounts of
copper.
Copper has been used for
hundreds of years as a fungi
cide and more recently as a
root regulator. Manufacturers
or growers often apply a coat
of copper-laden latex paint to
the interior walls of plastic pots
to prevent root growth. Now,
copper has been added to a fib
er pot prototype created by re
searchers Robert Berghage, as
sistant professor of horticul
ture, David Beattie, professor
• J •
j"u*
55!
Grower and Marketer, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 11, 1999—Page
Researchers Test Mettle Of
Fiber Pots By Adding Copper
M °* row crops!”
~ Balduff farmer and yteenhousi \ i jnwtt
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each irrigation cycle. Changes
in pressure or flow rate will
result in changes in water flow
and variations in water applied
per unit of time. By having a
flow meter you can be sure to
apply the same amount of water
despite these possible varia
tions in the irrigation system.
Irrigation, in my opinion, has
become a necessary part of any
horticultural operation in the
Lancaster County area. This is
especially true for vegetable
and small fruit production. As a
grower you must be able to
of horticulture, and Virenda
Puri, professor of agricultural
engineering. The prototype
was developed in collaboration
with Henry Molded Products, a
Lebanon firm.
“Fiber pots are made form
recycled newspaper, which
makes them more ecologically
friendly than plastic pots,” said
Berghage. “But, in the past, un
treated fiber pots didn’t last
very long. Roots grow through
the pot, water weakens the fib
er, and various fungi cause mi
crobial degradation.”
Fiber pots like their clay
predecessors are porous,
which allows the plants to
breathe and prevents root-relat
ed diseases. But greenhouse
growers needed pots with con
sistent longevity. “Growers
didn’t know if the pots would
last a year or fall apart after six
weeks.”
Copper, a plant nutrient
found naturally in soil, also
acts as a fungicide to stop mi
crobial decay. Because copper
affects root growth, roots don’t
penetrate the paper-based pot
and weaken its structure.
“Copper also prevents root
tips from growing and moving
laterally at the edge of the pot,
which can cause plants to be
come rootbound,” Berghage
said. “Woody plants and trees
“I make more profit from
a 1/4 acre greenhouse...
than from 100 acres
deliver high quality produce to
your buyer. You must also have
maximum yields to make a
profit.
A drip irrigation system can
help you achieve these needs in
an economical and efficient
manner. If you plan to add a
drip irrigation system to your
farm next year, be sure to
design it properly. A poorly
designed system will just waste
time and money, and I don’t
know any growers who can
waste either of these!
are particularly susceptible to
this problem.”
Fiber pots’ ability to
“breathe” also protects con
tainer plants from injuries
caused by high root tempera
tures. Plants in plastic contain
ers, particularly those placed
on the outside edges of a group
of container plants, may devel
op lopsided roots or no roots at
all.
“High root temperatures
really affect some plants, such
as arbor vitae and hosta,” Berg
hage said. “It’s really a prob
lem for nursery growers in the
Southern states.”
Berghage says plants grow
ing in copper-treated pots often
are easier to remove because
copper causes plant roots to
turn away from the pot wall
and more freely explore the
growing medium. “When roots
are distributed uniformly,
plants use water more effi
ciently and absorb more nutri
ents,” he said.
The Penn State researchers
are currently exploring adding
other elements to fiber-molded
pots. They also are adding
other fungicides to improve
plant health, and growth regu
lators, which help plants stay
the proper size for retail sale.
CROPIT/Mr.coni
5050 Greenwich Road, #LF
Seville, OH 44273-9413
phone 330-769-2002
fax 330-769-2616
j http //www cropkmg com
' F,2M | e-mail cropkmg@cropkmg com
187