The Grower fertigation machine
Fertigation equipment with everything it needs in one cabinet: the controller, the injection head, the pumps, the valves and the probes. It is installed next to the water source of your greenhouse or plot and irrigates by zones.
What is inside
- Controller. The machine's computer. It runs recipes and strategies, arbitrates every command and records everything in its log. It works with or without internet.
- Injection head. Nutrient and acid injectors, each with its tank. An adaptive control loop keeps pH and EC on the target of each irrigation step.
- Pumps. The main and booster pumps, with a flow cap the platform respects when deciding how many valves may open at once.
- Valves per zone. Each irrigation zone has its solenoid valve with a known flow; they can also open as a group.
- Probes. pH, conductivity (EC), flow meter and temperature; optionally soil moisture, a pyranometer and a drainage tray.
- Touch screen (the kiosk). To operate the machine on site, with a PIN and without depending on the internet.
The path of the water
- The pump takes the water and pushes it to the injection head.
- The head doses acid and nutrients until the target pH and EC are reached.
- The valves open the zone whose turn it is, without exceeding the pump's cap.
- The flow meter measures what was delivered; the valve closes on time or volume.
- Every reading and every command is kept in the machine's log.
The machine's screen
The kiosk is the cabinet's touch screen. You enter with a PIN, and from there you water a zone by hand, inspect the injection head, handle safe mode and calibrate the probes. It works without internet and also with a USB keyboard.
The dashboard shows pH and EC with their trend, a card per zone with its valve, the booster pump, running recipes, the next irrigation, active alarms and the local weather.
The injection head, in plain sight
From the kiosk you see each injector with its flow, the main line's flow and the state of the pumps. Dosing is only enabled when there is real flow: if the flow meter detects no water, the machine does not inject.
Designed to fail well
- The real safety stop is the cabinet's physical mushroom button, which cuts the power; the screen adds a remote stop button.
- Every irrigation step carries a mandatory maximum safety timeout: if a sensor does not respond, the machine cuts there.
- On a risk condition the machine enters safe mode and stops irrigating until someone restores it on site.
- A machine with real valves does not irrigate on its own until its zone network is published from the Console.
- Every command is kept in the audit log: who sent it, from where and what the machine decided.
No internet? It keeps irrigating
The controller lives in the machine, not in the cloud. Schedules fire and strategies irrigate even without a connection; the kiosk keeps operating; and when the internet returns the machine syncs its telemetry and its log with the server.
What it measures and what it controls
| Measures | Controls |
|---|---|
| pH and conductivity (EC) of the irrigation water | Nutrient and acid injectors |
| Main line flow | Solenoid valves per zone and in groups |
| Water temperature | Main and booster pumps |
| Local weather and forecast; radiation with a pyranometer | Auxiliary outputs from manual control |
| Optional: soil moisture and drainage tray | Safe mode and remote stop |
Frequently asked questions
What is a fertigation machine?
It is the equipment that irrigates and fertilizes in a single operation: it takes the water, injects the nutrients in the proportion the crop needs and delivers it by zones. The Grower machine brings together the controller, the injection head, the pumps, the valves and the probes in one cabinet.
Does it work with organic fertilizers and inputs with suspended solids?
Yes; that is exactly the problem it was designed for. Organic inputs such as worm castings carry suspended solids that clog conventional equipment. The Grower injection head doses them without clogging.
What does it measure and control?
It measures the pH and electrical conductivity (EC) of the irrigation water, the main line flow and the water temperature; optionally soil moisture, radiation and drainage. With those readings it controls the nutrient and acid injectors, each zone's solenoid valves and the pumps. Irrigation closes on measured volume, not on an estimate.
What happens if the internet goes down?
The machine keeps irrigating. The controller lives in the equipment itself, so schedules fire and strategies run without a connection, and the touch screen lets you keep working on site. When the internet returns, the machine syncs its telemetry and its log with the server.
How is it operated?
From three screens: the Android and iPhone app, the web console and the cabinet's own touch screen, which opens with a PIN. You configure it once in the console and operate it from any of the three. The detail is in how fertigation is controlled.
How much does it cost?
It is quoted according to the number of zones and the crop, because those determine the valves, injection channels and probes the equipment carries. Write to contacto@tlachia.org or visit the support page to request a quote.