Articles
MECHANIZATION IN WATERING POTPLANTS
Hand watering requires approximately 20% of the total labour costs.
This can be reduced considerably by mechanization and automatisation of the water sypply.
A review is given of several methods of watering used in the last ‘fifteen years.
Depending on the type of crop and the duration of the culture different methods are used.
For small pots and cultures of short duration mass-watering on capillary benches is widely used.
Sandbeds as well as fibre felts are available as medium for distributing and storage of water.
For crops with a prolonged culture period overhead-watering is preferable to prevent salination.
For this purpose systems of individual point watering (drip irrigation) are widely used.
For crops which may be wetted entirely, various sprinkling systems are applicated.
Redistribution of the water through a sandbed of fibre felts is usual in that case.
The general tendency with watering systems is towards a more equal distribution and a more efficient use of the water.
With the IMAG-potplant production system on transportable mesh pallets this tendency is demonstrated.
After some experiments with subirrigation of pots hanging over a basin of plastic sheet in which the water-level was raised at intervals, a concrete basin has been constructed.
Some recent results with this tidal system of watering will be presented.