Fertigation (fertiliser plus irrigation) means supplying nutrients in the water. It covers hand-watering with a nutrient solution and automated drip systems using a dosing pump or stock tanks. It is the default method in soilless media such as coco, rockwool and peat mixes, where the medium itself holds little nutrition.
In practice
The grower mixes or injects a solution to a target EC (for example 1.2-2.4 mS/cm depending on stage and cultivar) and pH (about 5.8-6.2 in coco), and applies it with each irrigation. Automated systems use one or more concentrated stock solutions and an injector or dosing pump at a set ratio. Fertigation gives precise, fast control of what the root zone sees, and enables crop steering and per-element dosing. GenetixBay's Jardin uses per-element dosing so nitrogen can be tapered in late flower without cutting P, K, Ca, Mg and the micros.
Don't confuse with
Drip irrigation delivers water or nutrient solution through tubing and emitters directly to each plant's medium, in measured amounts on a timer or controller.A stock solution is a concentrated nutrient mix, often 100x or 200x final strength, diluted into the reservoir; calcium and sulfate/phosphate stocks must stay separate.Coco coir is a growing medium made from processed coconut husk, prized for holding water and air at once; it binds calcium and magnesium unless buffered.EC (electrical conductivity) measures how well a solution conducts electricity, a proxy for total dissolved salts; growers read it in mS/cm to gauge nutrient strength.The root zone is the volume of medium or solution where a plant's roots live, including its water, air, temperature, pH, EC and microbes.Per-element dosing builds a feed from individual salts or single-element stocks so each nutrient can be set independently, such as cutting nitrogen without cutting potassium.Foliar feeding is spraying a dilute nutrient solution onto leaves for quick uptake through the leaf surface; it suits micronutrient fixes but cannot replace root feeding.Top dressing is spreading dry fertiliser or amendments on the soil surface, usually under mulch, so nutrients release into the root zone as the plant is watered.Drain-to-waste fertigation feeds each plant fresh nutrient solution and lets the runoff leave the system rather than returning it to the reservoir.High-frequency fertigation feeds small volumes of nutrient solution many times a day, keeping the root zone consistently moist and fed so small pots can produce large plants.Hydroponics is growing plants without soil, feeding roots a complete mineral nutrient solution either directly in water or through an inert medium.Crop steering adjusts irrigation timing, volume and dryback, along with climate, to push plants towards vegetative growth or generative (flowering) growth.
