EZ Flo fertilizer injector

[Ernest]

I have just installed three separate drip systems for my hibiscus in the ground. Each has an EZ Flo fertilzer injector system with a 3/4 gallon capacity. Each services about thirty mature plants in the ground and each plant has one adjustable emitter. I would welcome any advice I can get from people who have experience using this system. I live in Orange County in southern California.

[wirebender]

Earnest, I have a greenhouse in Texas. I have used the EZ Flow injector in my drip system for the last 2 years. I love the system because it is so easy. I mix HVH fertilizer, boost and Supernova in the tank...set the timer, and it does the rest. In my system I refill the tank about every 6-8 weeks in hot weather,and every 3-4 months in cold weather. You will learn to look at the color of the liquid in the tank and tell if it's time to re mix. I grow some other things too,and just feed them the same way. You will be impressed the way your plants grow.

[Ernest]

Wirebender, thanks for the help. I have put 1/2 lb HVH and 1/2 lb Booster in each EZ Flo vessel. But the blue color is gone from the outflow in just a day or two. I run each for about 30 minutes daily. Any thoughts about what I may be doing wrong?

[LJG]

I have 4 EZFlos on my property. I had to use them because a central system like a Dosatron would have sent fertilizer to my ice maker, pool auto-fill, etc, thanks to a bad landscape irrigation setup. Each system is set to 'fast' and last me about 6 weeks - guessing. I run growmore water soluble one cycle and the rest of the year various liquid organics like GreenGanic. I use to get worried about the outflow color being pretty clear after a few days. So I added "turf mark" into the mix and this has helped color it up a bit. After the first few runs, the system seems to correct itself and it is hard to see the fertilizer going out - but it is. Turf mark certainly helped. Growmore has a blue dye already in it. Remember, the 'fast' setting is 1:100 starting out, then moving towards still only 1:400, so it should not be solid blue all the time going out. If you are really concerned, you can get a ppm and pH reading using a water tester. This will help you decide if enough fertilizer is being released.

One thing with Ezflos I have found and that it is not the system for those needing exact outputs. A Dosatron is better for that. EZflos start hot and cool off, so there is no set standard in ppm. But the system is cheaper and works fine for most garden applications. My garden has changed a lot since I went to this system verses granular applications.

[Charlie]

Good feedback, Len. I think hibiscus, particularly those planted in the ground in soil, are quite tolerant of variations in the concentration of fertilizer. Definitely better to have variations of fertilizer than no fert at all. As you said, the machines that cost $300 and up - Dosatrons and Dosamatics - are more accurate and deliver the same dose throughout the watering cycle and over many cycles but the EZ Flo does get fertilizer to the plants and the price is more affordable.

You may be right in suggesting that the dye has faded in Ernest's system. It does fade in sunlight and heat but a day or two seems kind of fast for that to happen. Ernest, as Len suggested, there are gauges that measure the amount of soluble salts in water. To use one, you test the water from the tap and then the water coming out of your emitters. The difference will tell you how much fertilizer (which is mostly made of soluble salts) is in the water that is reaching the plants. One of the cheapest and easiest to use is the EC Stick. This actually measures the conductivity of the water which is a reliable way to determine how much mineral content the water has.

Charlie

[Ernest]

Many thanks to LGJ and Charlie for their help.