Fertilizer use almost halved after installing more precise mixers

“What on Earth happened here?” the nursery DanRoses’ supplier of fertilizer asked after discovering a significant reduction of fertilizer bought and used. The answer is simple: the nursery’s new AMI Penta Irrigation and Fertilizer Mixers dose fertilizer with utmost precision, removing any undue fertilizer use – at the benefit of both DanRoses’ fixed expenses and plant quality.

In recent years, the nursery DanRoses has replaced seven old AMI 900 and AMI 90s with three new AMI Penta mixers from DGT by Senmatic. And the results are watertight. The nursery’s fertilizer use is reduced by more than a third and up to 99 % of all plants are shipped as A-quality.

Only 8 of 20,000 plants discarded in large delivery

“The new mixers dose with far more precision. Of course, we take note of the improvements financially, but we particularly see the effect directly reflected in the plants’ quality – our plant quality has absolutely benefited from getting the correct nourishment. We have barely experienced deviations in quality after installing our new mixers,” says Lars Olsen, Production & Sales Manager at DanRoses.

The improved plant quality became particularly distinct when the nursery was to supply plants from an entire house. Of the house’s 20,000 plants only 8 plants were discarded.

“Then we suddenly speak of permille instead of percent,” as Lars Olsen expresses it.

The correct dosages at the right time

To ensure optimal growth conditions, plants require the right amount of water and fertilizer at the right time. The AMI Penta Irrigation and Fertilizer Mizer, which is now installed at DanRoses, ensures that water is delivered to the plants at exactly the right time, in the right amounts, and with the correct nutrients in the correct proportion and with the correct concentration.

As water has been delivered to one group of valves, and the plants have absorbed the needed water and nutrition, the water runs back to a return water basin. The return water is then lead through the mixer again. Here, the mixer measures the remaining concentration of fertilizer in the return water, as the nutritional value changes depending on how much the plants absorbed at the preceding irrigation. Before starting irrigation to the next valve group, the mixer makes sure to supply the amount of extra fertilizer needed to once again reach the concentration that the grower has set as the desired value in the fertilizer recipe. Doing so, the concentration is continuously adjusted to always reach the correct nutritional values.

The mixer monitors and adjusts continually to reach the desired EC. It means that it always provides what you expect it to provide, making it easier to control your cultures. The impressive improvements at DanRoses are a combination of better control with increased irrigation capacity and a high level of professional competencies in the nursery.
Johnny Rasmussen Business Development Manager at DGT by Senmatic

AMI Penta: Control up to 100 groups and 20 different fertilizer recipes

AMI Penta is designed to set even greater focus on the plants’ need for precision fertilizing and accurate acidity in the irrigation water and at the right time.

AMI Penta can control up to 100 groups with individual start conditions. For each group, you can choose between 20 different recipes with information about EC, pH, and the fertilizer mix. Each group can control up to 30 valves, and these can be chosen freely between the 200 valves available today in the mixer. Up to 9 valves can irrigate at the same time which gives a maximal utilization of the capacity. Irrigation time and volume can be set individually for each valve.

Read more: AMI Penta fertilizer and irrigation mixer

Read why DanRoses chose to replace its 7 old mixers with 3 new ones - and how it gave better results and peace of mind.

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