Boom Systems: A Solution for Efficient Irrigation   Greenhouse Product News March 2008   Martin Schulz
Amid mounting water regulations and a persistent drought in parts of the country, some growers are exploring automatic irrigation, particularly in the form of the boom system.
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Grower 101: Quenching Your Thirst for Irrigation   Greenhouse Product News March 2007   By George Elliot
Last month, this 2-part series discussed principles of irrigation management and looked at irrigation management systems. This article discusses irrigation delivery systems in terms of functional characteristics and management potential.
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Grower 101: Understanding Irrigation Management   Greenhouse Product News February 2007   By George Elliot
Irrigation can be managed differently with different control and delivery systems. The first part of this 2-part series provides an overview of the different types of irrigation automation available for growers.
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Lessons Learned: New Irrigation Technique Saves More Than Water   Greenhouse Product News July 2006   Meghan Boyer
Your peers are often the best resources when it comes to tips and advice on growing: Hear what they have to say about irrigation methods and maximizing spacing.

#4M Growing Mix   Greenhouse Product News June 2006   By Meghan Boyer
This fine-textured mix contains pine bark, sphagnum peat moss and vermiculite, and growers seem to appreciate its textural consistency and water-retention capabilities.

Why Use Booms?   Greenhouse Product News April 2006   By Tim Hodson
Automating irrigation through the installation of boom irrigation can help lower operational costs and improve consistency.
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The Ins And Outs Of Irrigation   Greenhouse Product News February 2006   By Ellen C. Wells
Learn the basics of irrigation systems and how the right one may boost your bottom line.
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Subirrigating Poinsettia with Bonzi   Greenhouse Product News August 2005   By Douglas Cox
In the August 2003 issue of GPN I reported the results of a seed geranium study, demonstrating that Bonzi successfully controlled plant growth when applied by subirrigation once or in dilute amounts applied 11 times. In this experiment growth control with Bonzi was not affected by subirrigation stock tank dilution unless it was 60 percent or more.
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Pythium and Recycled Irrigation Water   Greenhouse Product News May 2004   By Ping Kong, Patricia A. Richardson and Chuan Hong
Reclaiming water may be cost efficient, but are you doing the right things to prevent a Pythium outbreak?
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ITS Boom Irrigation System   Greenhouse Product News December 2003   Neda Simeonova
The ITS Boom Irrigation System from Solaris, a division of McConkey Co., Sumner, Wash., offers the versatility growers need. This system is highly automated, has uniform application and a free maintenance track record.
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Subirrigating Seed Geraniums with Bonzi   Greenhouse Product News August 2003   Douglas Cox
The Bonzi (paclobutrazol) label has been expanded to include a number of "chemigation" methods including injection through overhead sprinklers, fog systems, spaghetti tube systems and watering in with dosing equipment or application by ebb and flow subirrigation systems or saucers. Application of PGRs by subirrigation has not been widely researched despite the existence of permissive labeling.
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Grower 101: Reverse Osmosis --The Pros and Cons   Greenhouse Product News June 2003   Jeff Roseman
By starting with water that is free from impurities and minerals, reverse osmosis water can help make growing more calculable, since the water quality is constant. Nutrients can be better controlled without having to worry about what is in the water source at the beginning of the irrigation process. Contaminants in the water source, such as iron, manganese, calcium, magnesium and chlorine, can react with the nutrients and cause problems with fertilizer mix.
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Overcoming Drought Part III: Saving Waste to Water   Greenhouse Product News September 2002   Brandi D. Thomas
If you live in an area prone to drought, where your water supply could be restricted, if you're looking for possible long-term cost savings on water, or if you just happen to be concerned about the future of our fresh water supply, you may want to start thinking about wastewater as an alternative irrigation source--the treated kind, that is.

Overcoming Drought, Part II: Trends in Greenhouse Irrigation   Greenhouse Product News August 2002   Beth Meneghini
The view of water as cheap and plentiful has slowly begun to change. To help reduce the demand on fresh water supplies, the idea of using reclaimed water is gaining momentum. Cities like Tucson, Ariz.; San Diego and Pasadena, Calif.; Austin, Texas; and Tampa and St. Petersburg, Fla., are using reclamation systems to conserve water and reduce heavy reliance on water sources from outside their regions.
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Tekleen Water Filter   Greenhouse Product News August 2002
Though seldom part of the original design, irrigation systems need filtration to rid contaminants from the lines. This ensures that plants are being watered properly and reduces the frequency of irrigation system maintenance by preventing small particles from progressing through the nozzles to plants. Tekleen Water Filters take the maintenance out of the process because they are self-cleaning.
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GROWER 101: Irrigation Practices   Greenhouse Product News July 2002   Carrie Burns
These three steps can help you utilize water properly with the minimum amount of waste. The first step should be implemented by all greenhouses wherever feasible. The second is better but more expensive, so it should be executed when financially possible. And the third is ideal.
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GROWER 101: Nutrient Disorders in Greenhouse Crops, Part II   Greenhouse Product News April 2002   Paul V. Nelson
The second of GPN’s two-part series on nutrient disorder shows you symptoms associated with additional deficiencies and toxicities of nutrients in greenhouse crops. When assessing nutritional status, remember the four sets of information: irrigation water quality, root substrate tests, foliar analysis and visual symptomology. The deficiencies below will help you with visual symptomology.
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Subirrigation vs. Overhead Watering: Nutritional Effects on Poinsettia   Greenhouse Product News August 2001   By Douglas Cox
In Part II of GPN’s three-part series on subirrigation, we move from comparing cost to comparing effectiveness in fertilizer delivery. Next month’s final article in the series will again focus on nutrition delivery, with emphasis on micronutrients.
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Comparing Investment and Return Risks for Subirrigation Systems   Greenhouse Product News July 2001   By Wen-fei L. Uva
Weighing returns, initial investment costs, material costs, indirect variable costs and overhead costs shows that zero runoff subirrigation (ZRS) systems can maximize production profitability.
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Grower 101: Water Quality– Understanding Your Problems   Greenhouse Product News January 2001   By Jim Barrett
Irrigation water can contain a variety of chemical elements you didn't intend to put on your plants, some of which may even cause serious problems for growers.

production technology: Applying Systemic Pesticides with Subirrigation Systems   Greenhouse Product News January 2001   By Ron Oetting and Marc van Iersel
Beyond conserving water, limiting worker exposure to pesticides and eliminating fertilizer run-off, subirrigation can be used as the delivery system for systemic pesticides that control whiteflies.
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Water Quality – Sources of Irrigation Water   Greenhouse Product News December 2000   By Jim Barrett
You might be a grower that doesn’t give much thought to the quality of your irrigation water or you might monitor it regularly. Whatever the case may be, this month’s Grower 101, the first in a three part series, will have you taking a closer

Irrigation   Greenhouse Product News November 2000   Bodie V. Pennisi and Marc van Iersel
A new study shows that subirrigating poinsettias may be one way to get your crop the nutrients it needs and spare the environment; all without the need for leaching.

A Research Update on Plug Substrated and Irrigation   Greenhouse Product News October 1998   William C. Fonteno and Douglas A. Bailey
Confronting the paradox of the plug tray: a root environment that by its very design restricts the air space that roots crave.