I mixed two water soluble fertilisers in my fertigation tank and it turned cloudy with a white sludge at the bottom, and then my emitters started blocking. Which fertilisers should not be mixed?
3 Answers
The cloudiness and white sludge mean the two fertilisers reacted and formed an insoluble precipitate, which then settled out and clogged your emitters. The classic culprit is mixing a calcium-containing fertiliser (like calcium nitrate) together in the same concentrated tank with a phosphate or sulphate source, which forms insoluble calcium compounds. The general rules to avoid this: do not combine calcium sources with phosphates or sulphates in the same concentrated stock tank; keep them in separate tanks if you must use both. Always check compatibility before mixing, dissolve each product fully in enough water, and do a small jar test first by mixing a little of each in a glass and watching for cloudiness or settling before you put them in the main tank. After fertigation, flush the lines with clean water. For your case, separate the incompatible products into different tanks or apply them at different times, and clean out the clogged emitters. Follow the product labels for compatibility, take your KVK or drip agronomist's advice on your fertiliser plan, and keep total doses in line with your soil test without over-applying.
Jar test saved me after this. Now I mix a small sample in a glass first, if it goes milky I keep them separate.
Calcium nitrate and the phosphate one in one tank was my mistake exactly. Two tanks solved it.