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COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • DECEMBER 2018


Irrigation protocols critical for greenhouses Illinois horticulturist encourages a “watering language” to train staff about watering


by MYRNA STARK LEADER


ABBOTSFORD – Watering can be the difference between an outstanding, mediocre or poor crop. “We have made watering the most confusing thing in the greenhouse industry. We lose employees in this industry because of finger-pointing … saying it’s too wet, it’s too dry and the employee goes, ‘Huh?’” says Will Healy, senior tech and research manager at Illinois-based Ball Horticulture Co. Healy develops production


programs and operational efficiencies that produce consistent, high-quality young plants (plugs and liners). He works with Ball companies and customers worldwide, training their staff in cutting-edge production practices.


involves weighing plants when wet and dry. Then, ask employees to water to weight, which shifts them from qualitative measurement to quantitative. He suggests having waterers graph what they do each day so they see cause and effect. Plants in BC lose about 100 grams of water per day. In summer, it increases to 250-300 grams.


Either method makes


instructions easier. “This weekend, when I’m away,


From saturated to bone dry: Watering language can be simplified to five levels of saturation producing more consistent practices and better results. MYRNA STARK LEADER PHOTO


When it comes to watering, Healy, who has a PhD from the University of Minnesota and has published more than 30 scientific publications on floriculture, recommends systematic and clear communications that include visual examples. He says most employees can be trained to water correctly within a week. “The normal ebb and flow of a plant is that it needs more and less water over its lifetime – but it’s hard to define ‘more or less,’” Healy says. “Fish grow in water. Roots grow in air. As soon as you see roots, less water.” People water too much 99% of the


time, causing soft plants which in turn attract insects. This results in pesticide sprays, which delivers more water to the plants. Healy says growers need a watering


language that keeps everyone on the same page. He teaches it with an uncomplicated, illustrated, five-level system. Level 5 is a plant that is saturated with water. The soil looks black. There’s lots of water; so much that water drips out. The consistency of the soil is like pudding and it’s shiny. At the other end of the spectrum,


level 1 soil looks white. It crumbles to dust when squeezed. The soil doesn’t stick together and it shrinks away from the container walls. There’s no water left. In the middle, at level 3, the soil appears brown and its difficult to squeeze any water out. Between 1 and 3, at level 2, the soil is light brown. There’s no free water. The soil is squeaky when squeezed and it crumbles. Roots look fuzzy.


Finally, at a level 4, the soil is dark


brown, not shiny. Water can be squeezed out but it’s not dripping. The earth sticks together like glue. With the five-level system, teaching


is easy. “You can train everyone in your


organization to make soil a level 2. Give them a visual and let them hear it and touch it. Then you can say, ‘Dry down to a level 2 and then water up to a level 5.’”


One training method involves separating employees into pairs. Each pair gets five bags full of soil. They make the first bag level 1 (dry soil). Then, they make bag five so wet that water comes through. Bag three is watered until only one drop can be squeezed out. Bags two and four can then be created. Healy says another method


don’t water until the plants get to this weight and then water them only to this weight,” he says as an example, adding that weekends add up to about 20% of a plant’s growing time so if they get messed up, it’s a big deal. “People say this method is too


much work. How much work is it to throw plants out? Or to try and get plants to be uniform sizes,” Healy asks. “Putting the effort in early to get good, two-week roots is critical … then you water up to wet and down to dry.” He says most successful watering


draws roots to the bottom of the container which is accomplished by saturating to a level 4 (bottom drip) and drying to a level 2. He says the right tools (nozzles), the speed of watering and watering to the next dry point are important. “Night-time is typically your longest


drying time. Ask how many grams of water have I lost today? This is the key question. It’s better to water in the morning since you want air in your plants at night for root growth,” he says concluding with this caution and a smile. “Let’s remember that growers who have nothing to do, water.”


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Built by BW GLOBAL Structures Inc. 29020 Fraser Highway Abbotsford, BC V4X 1G8 1-877-856-1303 or 1-604-856-1303 bw-global.com bwgreenhouse.com


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