Soaker Hose and Injecting Fertilizer

buniot · June 22, 2010

I did a quick search but was unable to find anything regarding using fertilizer such as Miracle Gro Tomato fertilizer and a soaker hose. I am not sure how the miracle gro applicator works, but it seems like you can't put it inline with a soaker hose due to the shower head on the outflow side. I am trying to use the fertilizer with a soaker hose in line so that I don't have to fertilize by just pouring it on in a separate watering session. It would seem to be desireable to just put it in during the soaker hose watering session instead. How about clogs? Will the fertilizer clog the hose?

Thanks in advance. I got great results so far but don't want to overwater and still want to fertilize. Tom

Red Dirt Farmer · June 22, 2010

Tom,
MG use to offer an applicator with a male/female hose end. I tried to use it with soaker hoses but unless I reduced the water pressure to almost nil, the water/fertilizer mixture would leak from the top because of the back-pressure caused by the soaker hoses. It would not provide the correct fertilizer to water ration with such low pressure. I finally switched to foliar spraying.
Ken

Red Dirt Farmer · June 22, 2010

MG use to offer an applicator with a male/female hose end. I tried to use it with soaker hoses but unless I reduced the water pressure to almost nil, the water/fertilizer mixture would leak from the top because of the back-pressure caused by the soaker hoses. It would not provide the correct fertilizer to water ratio with such low pressure. I finally switched to foliar spraying.

dice · June 23, 2010

You can get fertilizer injectors at a few different places, but
most reports seem to be that the fertilizers plug up soaker
hoses in a few weeks. Mostly they are used with drip
irrigation (which also plugs up, but there are solutions for
cleaning the drip emitters every so often). One vendor
recommended a 100-micron filter before adding fertilizer
to their injector tanks.

This seems to be the cheapest kind:
http://www.groworganic.com/item_WMX3..._Injector.html
The type with its own tank:
http://www.groworganic.com/item_WMX4...zation_Sy.html

Here is a Tomatoville thread on fertigation:
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...t=pvc+injector

Another:
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...t=pvc+injector

buniot · June 23, 2010

thanks for the info - very helpful all!

coloken · June 23, 2010

I am using a "green machine", "add-it" and really like it.
It claims to be proportional as it runs, but i don't believe it
Since I water all drippers (each 2 gal/hr.) at once, it does not matter if proportional. I just put so much fertilizer to so many plants.

bigbubbacain · June 23, 2010

I use the EZ-FLO tank injector seen here:
http://www.groworganic.com/item_WMX4...zation_Sy.html

It works just fine with "the blue stuff". If you use anything organic, you'll want to filter your material before you put it in the tank. I use a paper coffee filter in a sieve over a funnell.

June 22, 2010	#1
buniot Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Fremont, CA Posts: 9	Soaker Hose and Injecting Fertilizer I did a quick search but was unable to find anything regarding using fertilizer such as Miracle Gro Tomato fertilizer and a soaker hose. I am not sure how the miracle gro applicator works, but it seems like you can't put it inline with a soaker hose due to the shower head on the outflow side. I am trying to use the fertilizer with a soaker hose in line so that I don't have to fertilize by just pouring it on in a separate watering session. It would seem to be desireable to just put it in during the soaker hose watering session instead. How about clogs? Will the fertilizer clog the hose? Thanks in advance. I got great results so far but don't want to overwater and still want to fertilize. Tom

June 22, 2010	#2
Red Dirt Farmer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2010 Location: Oklahoma City, OK Posts: 42	Tom, MG use to offer an applicator with a male/female hose end. I tried to use it with soaker hoses but unless I reduced the water pressure to almost nil, the water/fertilizer mixture would leak from the top because of the back-pressure caused by the soaker hoses. It would not provide the correct fertilizer to water ration with such low pressure. I finally switched to foliar spraying. Ken Last edited by Red Dirt Farmer; June 22, 2010 at 12:56 PM. Reason: Change ration to ratio.

June 23, 2010	#4
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	You can get fertilizer injectors at a few different places, but most reports seem to be that the fertilizers plug up soaker hoses in a few weeks. Mostly they are used with drip irrigation (which also plugs up, but there are solutions for cleaning the drip emitters every so often). One vendor recommended a 100-micron filter before adding fertilizer to their injector tanks. This seems to be the cheapest kind: http://www.groworganic.com/item_WMX3..._Injector.html The type with its own tank: http://www.groworganic.com/item_WMX4...zation_Sy.html Here is a Tomatoville thread on fertigation: http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...t=pvc+injector Another: http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...t=pvc+injector __________________ -- alias Last edited by dice; June 24, 2010 at 02:50 AM. Reason: sp

June 23, 2010	#6
coloken Tomatovillian™ Honoree Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: NE Co Posts: 303	I am using a "green machine", "add-it" and really like it. It claims to be proportional as it runs, but i don't believe it Since I water all drippers (each 2 gal/hr.) at once, it does not matter if proportional. I just put so much fertilizer to so many plants.

June 23, 2010	#7
bigbubbacain Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Zone 9 Texas, Fort Bend County Posts: 436	I use the EZ-FLO tank injector seen here: http://www.groworganic.com/item_WMX4...zation_Sy.html It works just fine with "the blue stuff". If you use anything organic, you'll want to filter your material before you put it in the tank. I use a paper coffee filter in a sieve over a funnell.