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. It impacts fertiliza
tion, pest management and
Mist Sprayers
913-754-3513 or 1-800-864-4595
www.swihart-sales.com
"TiCO/FERBO
HOSE REELS"
Now, a new generation of automat
ic hard hose reels that feature
variable travel speed selection with
automatic constant compensation to
provide uniform irrigation over entire
length of pass, and operate at low input
pressure to easily, efficiently, economi
cally irrigate or spread liquid manure
TICO, a leader in irrigation systems for
over 30 years, also offers these other
types'
•WHEEL ROW
•GIANT SPRINKLER
•HAND MOVE'TRICKLE
•LIQUID MANURE AND
WASTE WATER DISPOSAL
Also virtually all makes of couplers, fit
tings and gaskets, plus pumps, pipe,
diesel, gas, and electric motors.
everything else about a plant
management program—but
most people are negligent
about their water.”
Growers also tend to over
use water, said Mathers, add
ing that as available water de
creases, water quality tends to
diminish.
“There’s only so much fresh
water in the world, and as we
deplete our supply, water
quality becomes more of an
issue,” said Mathers. “The
nursery industry is considered
to be a water waster. We have
to change that perception.
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.
Waste Water Disposal:
Our engine driven travel- A
ers are the simplest and
most accurate on the mar
ket. Our computer con
trolled speed regulation A
ensures 99% accuracy to w
meet Federal/Sfate design criteria while our
simple yet efficient engme/gearbox drive
ensures low maintenance
Plus: We manufacture and market a complete
line of Slurry pumps, pump fittings, irrigation
pumps, wheel row, giant sprinklers, hand
.move, trickle center pjyots. j-^
Nursery Short Course and
Central Environmental Nurs
ery Trade Show (CENTS).
The event, sponsored by Ohio
State’s Department of Horti
culture and Crop Science, the
Ohio State Extension Nursery,
Landscape and Turf Team
and the Ohio Nursery and
Landscape Association, was
conducted Jan. 20-22 at the
Greater Columbus Conven
tion Center in Columbus,
Ohio.
The top three water quality
problems nursery and green
house growers face are salt,
pH, and alkaline levels.
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. And plants that like
Quakertown, PA 18951
ROVATTI SLURRY
PTO DRIVE PUMPS
RovattiTL slurry pumps are
high-pressure slurry pumps with a
unique “bolt on” chopper system
The standard pump features a high efficiency
open-vane impeller with an interchangeable
wear ring ana fixed cutting blade to handle
all but the very toughest of straw, hay or other
difficult residuals For these conditions, the
chopper unit can be simply bolted to the
pump where it is driven by the existing pump
shaft, enabling it to handle virtually any
waste products requiring chopping
A number of additional features
make these the most versatile and
reliable units on the market:
• Special permanently lubricated
mechanical seal for longer life
• Over-sized bearings
• Lubricated chopper shaft bearings
• Chopper shaft shear-pin to reduce risk of
damage to the shaft and impeller
• A range of four tractor pto pumps and
four bare-shaft pumps with flows from
105-1000 gpm
• Replaceable wear ring
• 540 rpm or 1000 rpm
speeds
• Finest grade cast iron
for high efficiency «•
• Unique water
cooled gearbox for
extended gear life
The pump is mounted on a heavy-duty
wheeled cart with pto shaft,
6” quick-action suction fittings and
4” discharge fittings as standard.
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. Don’t guess.
“We are trying to sell our
selves as the green industry,”
said Mathers. “I think we
need to stop and ask ourselves
just how green we really are.”
Sliawheiiv Plants
Over 20 Leading Varieties - Fall Dug
State Inspected - Grown on Fumigated Sand
Aspaiaqus Clowns
6 Leading Varieties - New Male Hybrids
Superior Root Systems
All Available in Our Free Illustrated Price List
_ y jm Krohne Plant
/x Farms, Inc.
65295 CR 342 LF
/ XMfr »7 PVT Hartford, MI 49057
Plant Farms, Inc. 269-424-5423
Fax 269-424-3126
info@krohnefarms.com
J