How long does liquid fert. stay good in fertigation tank

Hi all, I'm quite new to fertigation and I can't seem to find the answer to this basic question:

I'd like to use an injector such as this: https://ezfloinjection.com/product/ez-flo-3-4-gallon/, to feed two raised bed gardens I have with a fert. like this https://www.planetnatural.com/product/tiger-bloom-fertilizer/ - But from what I've read, once a liquid fert. is mixed with water, it must be used within 24 hours, which seems to negate the value of a set-and-forget injection system. Can anyone help explain what I'm not getting? Thanks!

Didn't click the links, but if you're running a reservoir, then you're going to be continually aerating and keeping the reservoir cool and changing the reservoir every 7-10 days or so. That's the difference.

Thanks for replying - the system i'm talking about is much simpler than something with a reservoir, just a tank that pulls fert. fert into the hose line;

I mix up nutrient every 6/10 days I sometimes need to correct the ph other than that it's fine.

I have a small recirculating pump maintaining a steady boil on the surface of the reservoir.

Thanks, though for clarification, there is no reservoir in my system, just an irrigation grid fed directly from my garden hose line on a timer. It's a small backyard vegetable garden with tomatoes and such.

Zerojosh said:

Thanks for replying - the system i'm talking about is much simpler than something with a reservoir, just a tank that pulls fert. fert into the hose line;

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Where is it pulling the fert from if not from a reservoir?

Sorry I'm a total n00b here - that tank above is where it's pulling the fert. from. Operating instructions do not mention anything about aerating or doing anything to keep it cool, nor are there any components for that.

So are you saying that liquid fert., diluted in water, will be ok for 7-10 days unattended?

It seems like that is meant to inject nutrients directly into the hose water as it flows through the thingy thing. So will the nutes actually get mixed with water and sit for a while? Or do they stay at full concentration until they're mixed into the steam of the hose?

Either way, I think what people above are getting at is, if you have some container (known as a reservoir) where nutes are sitting pre-mixed in water for an extended period, you will want to aerate or somehow mix/stir that water with a pump constantly. I don't know the reasoning behind it, just that's what everyone says to do...

Thanks for breaking that down so clearly.

The way that sort of injector works is that every time the line is active, air pressure will pump fresh water into the reservoir inlet, and thus push the contents of the reservoir out and down the hose line. From what I've read the starting mixture would almost always be somewhat water-diluted.

Based on that, it sounds like perhaps it's getting the stir it needs? My garden gets watered every other day so I'm wondering how long a product like Tiger Bloom could cycle through there before going bad, sounds like perhaps quite a while?

Zerojosh said:

Thanks for breaking that down so clearly.

The way that sort of injector works is that every time the line is active, air pressure will pump fresh water into the reservoir inlet, and thus push the contents of the reservoir out and down the hose line. From what I've read the starting mixture would almost always be somewhat water-diluted.

Based on that, it sounds like perhaps it's getting the stir it needs? My garden gets watered every other day so I'm wondering how long a product like Tiger Bloom could cycle through there before going bad, sounds like perhaps quite a while?

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Undiluted, It should last as long as it does in the bottle it came with. I'm not sure Tiger Bloom is the best nutrient for the type of injector you are looking at since it has some organics in it like earth worm castings. Organics are generally not ideal in drip systems as they can cause biofilm's in your lines that lead to clogging.

You dont necessarily need to use nutrients within 24 hours of being diluted with water. Some nutrients are designed to remain stable in stock fertigation tanks that get injected into water lines....basically bigger, more sophisticated versions of the device you are considering.

Zerojosh said:

Thanks for breaking that down so clearly.

The way that sort of injector works is that every time the line is active, air pressure will pump fresh water into the reservoir inlet, and thus push the contents of the reservoir out and down the hose line. From what I've read the starting mixture would almost always be somewhat water-diluted.

Based on that, it sounds like perhaps it's getting the stir it needs? My garden gets watered every other day so I'm wondering how long a product like Tiger Bloom could cycle through there before going bad, sounds like perhaps quite a while?

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Dude if you are using the system the way it is intended to be used then there should be recommended ferts. But if you’re trying to reinvent the wheel you’ll need to do some experimenting to determine your answers .

I will offer this to you. Does the fertilizer say “ shake we’ll before using “ if so it’s not going to work like you want it to even in a dilution. Particles will separate and fall out of solution.

I didn’t bother to research the products so if I’m way off forgive me. But blue lab makes an injection fertilizer system that is quality and you really have to be paying attention or if any malfunctions occur it will kill your plants. So if you’re jerry rigging some shit …. at least test it before killing your stuff. Drip systems have worked for me when I had to be out of town and I’ve got a few tricks I do in my gorilla grows to prevent having to go there to often.

Like everyone above said about a week. After a week it's time to start fresh. You can top off with more mixed nutrients or just water thru the week. I like to just use water and dilute my ec thru the week, then feed strong on sunday