Correct nutrition, applied at the right stage of plant growth, is one of the most important factors in producing a quality crop. ICL’s Osmocote Control Release Fertilizers lead the way in offering the right level of nutrient release matched to plant needs. Combined use with Levington Advance Professional Growing Media as part of a tailored Levington Advance Solutions package, allows growers to maximise fertilizer efficiency and cut wastage while boosting plant quality, crop yield and productivity.

Managing a detailed fertilizer regime and manually calculating application rates and timings can be time consuming, not to mention a little daunting. Looking to take the challenge out of the process for growers, ICL products can now be easily managed with made-to-measure software.

Fig 1.1 Angelaweb recommnedation showing how Hi.End 8-9 month in UK conditions can be more effective than standard 12-14

ICL customers can now utilise web-based Angela Web 2.0 to create a tailored regime best suited to their particular crops. The software contains over 900 individual recommendations, tailored to specific ornamental as well as fruit and vegetable crops. It takes in to account the crop type, cultivar, growing media and growth phase and existing nutrient levels to identify the specific nutritional demands of a crop. By inputting information regarding your nursery’s water source (such as conductivity and hardness, as well as how it is applied), and selecting the fertilizer products of choice, AngelaWeb 2.0 calculates a regime tailored to the exact needs of the crop.

As water sources change through the season, new samples can be taken, and Angela Web will adjust recommended nutrient levels to suit the new water quality. This adaptability goes a long way to helping ICL customers meet the requirements of the water framework directive.

Figure 1.2 - Green means good. This shows Angelaweb recommendation for liquid feed providing optimum nutrition for plant

There are numerous benefits to using the free service. The software not only reduces wastage of NPK and water, but also saves valuable management time while, of course, optimising crop performance. The programme even recommends changes to the fertilizer regime at different growth stages. Taking the headache out of precision nutrition, it frees up time for the production team to focus on other important production challenges on the nursery.

In practice

Many ICL customers are already seeing the benefits of using Angela Web software on their nurseries. New Leaf Plants of Evesham, is a specialist clematis and climber nursery. They worked with ICL technical advisor Steve Hughes to see how Angela Web could improve plant quality and fertiliser efficiency on the nursery.

By taking in to account factors including potting and sales dates, water supply and growing media mix, Angela Web analysed the data and recommended a programme incorporating ICL’s fourth generation Osmocote Hi.End product. Benefitting from double coating technology (DCT), offering programmed release, a portion of the product begins its nutrient release at a later time, during the critical growth phase resulting in extremely efficient nutrient delivery.

Figure 2.1 - David Higginson of New Leaf Nursery with ICL's Steve Hughes

Almost immediately after switching the New Leaf team saw improvements in the speed of crop development, plant quality and ease of management. New Leaf’s managing director, David Higgison said: “Plants have been greener and healthier with good flower bud development. We’re also seeing significant improvements in root development – they are noticeably stronger and quicker to root round the pot.

 “Commercial growing today is all about driving efficiencies in the production cycle. By forming strategic relationships with suppliers, such as ICL, we are producing better quality plants while importantly reducing inputs and improving efficiencies. With ongoing monitoring, Angela Web and the development of new ICL products we are confident of making further improvements in efficiency in the future, while continuing to produce top quality plants.

 “Angelaweb has opened our eyes and minds to the science behind the relationship between growing media, fertilizer, pest control and plant growth. We are now employing a much more scientific approach as we strive to produce the best plants for our customers. ICL is a partner whom we trust and continues to deliver a quality service to us.”

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