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A well-designed fertigation strategy can help improve nutrient-use efficiency, reduce wastage and support more consistent crop quality. In contrast, an outdated, poorly matched programme can result in nutrient losses, uneven growth and unnecessary expense.
Why choose water-soluble fertilisers?
Applied directly through irrigation systems, quality water-soluble fertilisers (WSFs) provide growers with an efficient and precise method of delivering crop nutrition. Compared with traditional fertiliser straights, they simplify application while providing greater consistency and reliability.
ICL’s Universol® range and technically advanced Peters® ranges are trusted by professional growers because they combine excellent solubility, high purity and precise nutrient delivery. This helps maximise nutrient availability, improve crop uniformity and minimise the risk of leaching or waste.
Benefits of moving beyond straights
While straights may appear cost-effective, they require multiple products to be sourced, stored and mixed throughout the season. Variations in purity and solubility can also create challenges, impacting nutrient delivery and increasing irrigation system maintenance requirements.
Not all WSFs are created equal, though. Quality products are formulated to dissolve completely and perform consistently. Backed by ICL’s secure global supply chain and strict quality controls, Universol® and Peters® provide dependable performance, stable EC values and accurate nutrient delivery.
Nutrition tailored to crop requirements
ICL’s comprehensive WSF portfolio enables growers to tailor nutrition to specific crops and growth stages. For example, higher nitrogen levels support vegetative growth, while increased phosphorus encourages rooting and establishment. Matching nutrition to crop demand improves nutrient-use efficiency and helps optimise plant quality and profitability.
ICL’s colour-coded versatile Universol® range offers proven performance across a wide range of growing situations.
For growers seeking advanced technical solutions, Peters® Professional incorporates ICL’s exclusive M-77 chelation technology, helping nutrients and trace elements remain available, even under challenging growing conditions. Peters® Excel provides complete plant nutrition from a single stock tank while accounting for water quality.
Expertise that makes the difference
Selecting the right fertiliser is only part of the equation. Water quality, growing media, irrigation management and crop requirements all influence the success of a nutrition programme.
If this is starting to sound a little daunting, help is at hand. ICL’s FACTS-qualified technical team works closely with growers to ensure these factors are properly aligned. Their expertise is supported by AngelaWeb 3.0, ICL’s award-winning nutrition planning software. AngelaWeb can generate full crop plans, including settings for water-soluble feeds and information on tank mixes, as well as supplementary feeding programmes for use in combination with our Osmocote controlled-release fertilisers.
The nursery team must also play their part. Fertigation and irrigation systems need to be regularly calibrated to operate efficiently, minimise run-off and ensure even application across beds when using overhead systems.
And, for those keen to take it to the next level, we recommend regularly monitoring growing media conductivity (EC) and moisture levels to build a picture of the nutrient needs of different crops over the growing season – creating a blueprint for future feeding programmes.
Is it time for a nutrition review?
Even well-established feeding programmes can benefit from regular assessment. With increasing pressure on margins, small improvements can make a significant difference. A nutrition review can help identify ways to reduce waste, optimise inputs and improve returns across the nursery.
Plan with confidence
Come and find out more at Hort Science Live 2026 – HSL on Wednesday 1 July.
