Controlling greenhouse runoff without affecting crop production requires close management of water and nutrient applications. This 110-page publication provides managers with guidelines for fulfilling crop nutrient needs while minimizing environmental risk. Water and Nutrient Management for Greenhouses begins with a discussion of general crop needs. The proper methods for collecting and submitting leaf samples for analysis are presented. Readers will learn how to interpret such analyses to balance nutrient applications with crop demand.
Subsequent chapters go into more detail about specific components of the root zone.
The water chapter covers water analyses, minimum standards for irrigation water quality, alternatives for managing water quality, and several types of irrigation systems. The fertilizer chapter discusses nutrient solution analyses, fertilizer properties, formulating fertilizer solutions and bagged fertilizers, calculating application rates, and delivering fertilizer to the crop. How to select, maintain, and use a fertilizer proportioner is also reviewed. Substrates are described at length. The physical, chemical, thermal, and biological characteristics of substrates are presented to provide readers with an understanding of how substrate affects the root zone environment.