11
minutes (or hours) between each timer watering to calculate a VPD per minute (or
hour) figure. This method will help determine targets for other time periods being
used between waterings.
CROP AGE TARGETS (INCREASING or DECREASING):
If establishing Crop Age Targets for Mist or Irrigation, use the Manual Mode, Set System
Mode and the Set Aging Targets Mode exclusively. The Set Aging Targets Mode is where
the target is entered and adjusted. The Manual Mode is where the station is triggered to
zero out the VPD accumulation. The Set System Mode is where the accumulated VPD
information is displayed as it approaches the targets entered in the Set Aging Targets
Mode. When a station (zone) needs to be watered, read the accumulated VPD in Set
System for that station and that will be the correct watering target. After doing this a
couple of times, a perfect Increasing or Decreasing Crop Age Program will be established.
If the crop is presently being watered using time intervals, there is a shortcut to establish a
target.
During an interval when the timing method being used is delivering water to the
plants adequately, do the following:
1. Set up a station with a High Fixed Target (1000 for Mist and 50,000 for
Irrigation). The objective will be to NOT hit the target while in the process of
calculating what the target should actually be.
2. When the timer or other device waters the plants, go into the Manual Mode and
Trigger the Station with the high fixed target.
To do this:
a) Use the
RUN/SET
switch to go into the Manual Mode.
b) Use the
VALUE
switch to answer YES for the Mist Station or enter a
number of times for the Irrigation Station.
c) Push the
PRIOR/NEXT
switch toward the NEXT position to activate the
station. Leave the
ON/OFF/AUTO
Switch for this station in the OFF
position. The station will zero-out the current VPD Accumulation and start
accumulating toward the High Target.
3. The very next interval that the timer waters the plants, check the current VPD
Accumulation for the station. This is the target for that day of your crop age.
Divide this target by the number of minutes (or hours) between the time when the
VPD Accumulation was zeroed out and the current VPD Accumulation. This
should be the same as the time between timer waterings. This yields a VPD per
minute figure.
4. Multiply this figure by any number of minutes (or hours) currently used in crop
growing to obtain a Target for a specific day.
Establishing a crop age program for the first time will require hard work and diligence.
However, the ability to use Crop Age Targets for misting and irrigation will be well worth
the trouble, considering all of the propagation of one’s greenhouse. The effort put into this
now will pay off in the future. Especially for plants grown in the nursery that need more
water as they grow, a Decreasing Target Crop Age Program will satisfy those needs daily.
Содержание WATER PRO
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