Water Quality Important For Plant COLUMBUS, Ohio Nursery and greenhouse growers developing a plant management plan should start by finding out what’s in their water. Hannah Mathers, an Ohio State University nursery and landscape specialist, said that water quality is a big factor limiting plant health and aes thetics, affecting sales and im pacting the industry. “The first question most growers have is what kind of fertilizer they should use. And I tell them that if they don’t know what’s in their water then they shouldn’t be making decisions on their fertilizer program,” said Mathers. “That’s how important water quality is. 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Perception is important espe cially during times of drought like we’ve recently experi enced.” Mathers discussed the rela tionship between water quan tity and water quality, how nursery growers can conserve water, and how they can test for and better man age water quali ty at the 74th annual Ohio State University MASTER MIX INC. 610-346-8723 We Water the Earth When Mother Nature Needs a Helping Hand Need Img.ition or \ V.isU' \ V.iter I hsposi/f' CHOOSE AMERICA'S PREMIER TRAVELER FROM TICO/FERBO • 52 Different Models * 5 Drive Systems • 15 Hose Lengths From 30-630 gallons per minute output and with hose lengths from 395 ft up to 1650 ft Standard features include Automatic Speed Compensation, galvanized cart and stabilizer legs, turntable, pto wind-up and optional hydraulic legs and cart lifting Economic Irrigation: With low input pressure requirements and constant speed irrigation, FERBO Travelers remain the leaders m low cost automatic irrigation There isn't another traveler available that is simpler to operate or less expensive to maintain. 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Water with a high pH level tends to make the soil more basic, causing nutrient defi ciencies that can lead to more disease susceptibility and an overall aesthetically displeas ing plant. “Iron and manganese defi ciencies tend to be the most common. Plants with these de ficiencies have leaf veins that stay green but the intervenal region will turn chlorotic,” said Mathers. “It’s a chronic condition. 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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 8, 2003, Grower & Marketer-El3 acidic conditions, like rhodo dendrons, will have more seri ous problems.” Water also contains salts, some of which may be toxic to plants. “Any ion in the water is considered a salt and some, like boron and chlorine, are bad for plants,” said Mathers. “If the water contains salts that are higher than what is required in the plant material, plants are unable to take up sufficient water for growth and other processes.” The alkaline level is proba bly the biggest water quality issue growers face. “Alkalinity and pH are not the same,” said Mathers. “The characteristic of water that will increase a potting medi um’s pH during production is not a water’s pH, but a water’s alkalinity.” Alkalinity is known as the “buffering capacity” of water. That is, it has the ability to re sist change in pH. The greater the alkalinity of the water, the tougher it is to acidify. A plant that is continuously irrigated with high alkaline water will become more basic and will eventually suffer from iron, manganese, and other nutri ent deficiencies. “High alkalinity in water may be a problem in Ohio be cause of the limestone base the state has,” said Mathers. “Al kalines are made of up car bonates and bicarbonates that complex to form deposits of lime. The lime does not leach away, and as more alkaline water is added, the higher the pH of the plant will become.” Mathers said water quality is a bigger problem in nursery and green- house settings, rather than in the landscape, / £ Health because most plants are potted using soilless mediums, which lack buffer capacity. Other water quality issues include high iron in water, which accumulates on plants over time, causing a brown casting that impacts the aes thetics of the plant; and hard water, which contains high amounts of calcium. Calcium deposits on the plant as white spots, also impacting the aes thetics of the product. Mathers encourages grow ers to follow a five step Water Quality Action Plan to pro vide the best water quality for their plants: •Test irrigation water at least once a year. Find out where your water is coming from and whom you are shar ing it with. Surface water sources, for example, may contain more pathogens and more pollutants. •Compare test results over several years to determine if water quality is changing. •Consider whether acid treatment is needed to im prove water quality and which acid is best for the situation. •Make necessary adjust ments to water and/or fertil izer practices. •Always use pH and electri cal conductivity (EC) meters to make well-informed deci sions. 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