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Thread: Simple Fertilizer Dispenser

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  1. #1
    Real Name
    Ray Barkalow
    My Grow Area
    Porch/Patio.
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Oak Island NC
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    Default Simple Fertilizer Dispenser

    When I still had my greenhouse, I used a metering pump to feed fertilizer concentrate into my irrigation water. Now that I have a much smaller collection and use a pump-up sprayer to water my plants, I have found that using powdered fertilizer is a hassle. Fortunately, my packaging supplier carries self-measuring "Bettix" bottles.




    A Bettix bottle has two chambers, a larger “holding tank” (to the left in the image above) and a smaller, graduated measuring or dispensing chamber on the right, connected to the holding tank by a molded-in tube going from the bottom of the larger chamber to the top of the smaller one. Operation is as follows:



    • Add fertilizer powder to the holding tank.
    • Add water to that tank and close both tops, shaking to dissolve the powder.
    • Loosen or remove the cap from the dispenser side and squeeze the holding tank until the dispenser is filled to the appropriate level.
    • Pour that concentrate into your fertilizer application jug, then replace the cap.


    For example, I want to apply 100 ppm N using K-Lite to my plants weekly. From the label, I know that 100 ppm N requires 2.9g or 3/4 teaspoon of that fertilizer powder per gallon.


    My Bettix bottle has a 67 ounce capacity – perfect to hold two quarts (64 ounces) of solution. I have decided to use 2 ounces of concentrate per gallon so that my concentrate doesn’t run into solubility issues, so I must add 2.9g to every 2 ounces of concentrate, or 2.9 x 32 = 92.8g (24 teaspoons) of powder to two quarts of water, giving me enough concentrate for 32 gallons of solution to be applied.


    So now, I just have to shake the bottle, dispense the two ounces/gallon into my pump up sprayer, fill that with water and I’m good to go.

  2. #2
    My Grow Area
    Outside 24/7
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    All of them
    Join Date
    Oct 2015
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    Female
    Location
    Port Orange, Florida
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    Very cool!

  3. #3
    Real Name
    Bruce Brown
    My Grow Area
    Greenhouse
    Favorite Orchid(s)
    Cattleyas & Slippers
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
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    Male
    Location
    Arkansas
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    35,133
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    Awesome, Ray. I finally got our pump system set up in the new greenhouse and am so glad to not carry around a backpack sprayer any longer. haha...That is a lot of work.

    cheers,
    BD

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