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Information
> Water Savings/ Environmental
EZ-FLO belongs to a class of technology that helps save
landscape irrigation water. We work in a complementary way with other "Water Smart" technologies
like ET (evapo-transpirative) controllers, rain sensors
and moisture sensors, but in a different way.
Instead of delivering less water to the landscape, we make the water
better so that the landscape can absorb whatever water is delivered much more efficiently.
Read on to find out how EZ-FLO does this.
Save Water and Fertilize Responsibly™
At EZ-FLO we concern ourselves with the concept of saving water and fertilizing responsibly. We all face choices in how we live our lives. Twenty years ago, few people recycled their newspapers, cans or bottles. Now most do because we understand that this is the responsible thing to do. In the last decade, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published guidelines setting forth the requirements for clean drinking water and the need to reduce non-point source pollution (NPSP) to keep our waters sources clean.
In the next decade scientists tell us that clean water will
become more scarce and expensive to buy. Given the outlook, we need to learn
how to save water and how to reduce NPSP.
Despite this, we still want the enjoyment and quality of life that comes from owning a beautiful landscape. We don't want to sacrifice the look of our landscape even though we want to save water and reduce fertilizer runoff that is causing so much damage to our water supplies and waterways.
EZ-FLO and the products we produce embrace a new way of thinking about fertilizing. No longer is it necessary to use broadcast fertilizing techniques when you can get a better result for your landscape-for less money-while virtually eliminating negative environmental impacts. Fertigation (fertilizing through your irrigation system) is a process that is more responsible and a smart way to water and feed your entire landscape.
EZ-FLO has successfully adapted the key delivery aspects required for fertigation to the homeowner, commercial and municipal landscapes. We have incorporated fertigation's proven benefits into an easy to use, reliable and maintenance-free system for commercial and residential properties as well as for nurseries and growers.
With EZ-FLO fertigation you can:
• Reduce fertilizer needed by 70-90% which virtually eliminates fertilizer runoff.
• Save from 20-50% on your water usage
• Improve the health and vitality of your landscape, AUTOMATICALLY.
We published a whitepaper that documents these claims. Although we have known the findings to be true for years, we cited the variety of sources and claims written about fertigation and why fertigation is the proven way to Fertilize Responsibly™. Click on this link to read our whitepaper: Why is it Important to Fertilize Responsibly™?
How Does EZ-FLO Reduce Water Usage?
There are extensive research studies about the water savings that result when fertigation is used to feed plants. It all started in the agricultural sector some fifty years ago. Today farmers use fertigation extensively in growing all types of crops. You also see fertigation when you visit your local nursery. Virtually all plant materials at nurseries have been grown using fertigation.
There have been great advances in the technology for delivering water efficiently. Everything from weather based controllers, to rain gauges to micro-spray heads to drip emitters. All these advances improve the efficiency of water delivered to the landscape--making sure the landscape gets just the right amount of water from the irrigation system.
Unlike these technologies, we don’t deliver the water, we simply help the plants to require less water.
How?
Water is used in the plant’s growing process. The effects of
fertigation on the plant’s growth processes are twofold. If water is applied
above ground (i.e. through spray heads) , the process of foliar absorption
causes nutrient-rich water to reach the chlorophyll producing section of the
plant directly without going through the root structure. Extensive studies have
shown that foliar absorption is the most efficient way to apply the nutrients in
a form that is immediately available to the plant. This comes into play when
dealing with turf grass since sprinklers and spray irrigation are the predominant
means to water grass.
The second growth process enhanced by fertigation occurs by increasing systemic (root) absorption of fertilizers and nutrients. Root health and root mass are critical to the health of all plants. Increasing the root mass provides more surface area in the soil which in turn increases the plant’s ability to absorb water and nutrients. Larger, deeper roots result in less overall need for water. The result is increased plant health and drought tolerance.
With increased uptake efficiency by the plant, water usage can be reduced 20-50% using fertigation. Not only will an EZ-FLO system pay for itself, it will pay for the ongoing fertilizing costs funded through your water savings.
But water savings isn't automatic if you never adjust the watering times on your irrigation system. When implementing fertigation, you should cut back the watering time in each zone by 10%. After the second fill for the unit, cut back the water another 10%. Finally after the third fill, cut the watering time back another 5%. Further cuts can be made based on how fertile your soil becomes and if you use products that further help to trap water in the root zone.
Reduced Need for Fertilizer
The objective of fertilizing is to provide nutrients to the plant. Fertigation does that by proportioning low doses of fertilizer into the irrigation water stream. As noted previously, studies have shown that plants can much more efficiently absorb fertilizer nutrients when mixed with the water. Contrast this to bulk broadcast fertilization where excessive amounts of fertilizer are applied topically and only through rainfall or irrigation watering is the fertilizer dissolved into the soils.
Unfortunately plants can only absorb so much fertilizer in a
given period of time. The result--excess fertilizer usually leaches into the
surrounding environment and into our waterways when it simply runs off.
By dramatically reducing the concentration of fertilizers applied, there is a
significantly less opportunity that the fertilizers will find their way back into streams, lakes rivers and
bays. This is another reason to Fertilize Responsibly™ by reducing the
likelihood of NPSP. Have you ever wondered why plants look so good when they are
displayed at a nursery? They have been fed every day while grown from seed at
the grower before reaching the nursery. Now with EZ-FLO you can continue to
provide daily nutrition just like a grower did when he grew your plants.
Do we sit down at the beginning of the month to eat one single meal that is supposed to sustain us for that month? No, we don’t—we eat every day. Plants are living things, too! Why should your landscape be any different?
Because fertilizer is absorbed as needed, and in small doses, EZ-FLO uses far less fertilizer to achieve superior results. Fertigation typically reduces fertilizer usage by 70-90% dramatically helping our environment to remain free from fertilizer runoff and the effects NPSP has on our waterways.
Reduced Need for Herbicides and Pesticides
In addition to reducing water and fertilizer needs, the need
for herbicides and pesticides is reduced to the higher health level of the
entire landscape. Insects attack weak plants so a weak landscape becomes a
magnet to pests, increasing the need for pesticides. Thin turf has bare spots
that are the perfect home for weed seeds to settle and to germinate. A thick,
properly nourished turf fills in the bare spots and crowds out potential
homes for weeds.