Across almonds, avocados, macadamias, citrus and other high-value crops, the pressure to maximise yield is increasing while skilled labour becomes harder to secure and WHS expectations continue to rise.
For many operations, traditional fertigation methods built around water-soluble fertilisers are no longer keeping pace with the operational, regulatory and economic demands of modern horticulture.
Conventional water-soluble-based systems have long been regarded as cost-effective nutrition, however there are considerable practical limitations.
Water-soluble fertilisers must be dissolved on-farm using pallets of product, forklifts, manual cutting, handling, mixing in open tanks, and extended agitation in bulk tanks.
To obtain adequate fertiliser dissolution under these conditions, operators must engage in a cycle of heavy lifting, dust exposure, and other WHS risks, as well as regular monitoring.
As labour tightens and compliance expectations increase, these processes introduce downtime, inconsistency and safety risks orchards can no longer absorb.
In response, NuEdge has spent more than 15 years developing a structural alternative which combines the economy of soluble nutrition with the consistency of automated liquid delivery.
The result is the integrated NuFlow and FertiFlow system, an integrated fertigation model designed to remove the most labour-intensive and variable aspects of on-farm handling and mixing of water-soluble fertilisers.
NuFlow forms the foundation of this system.
Developed using patented formulation technology, it suspends nutrients in a stable liquid concentrate, including high-analysis NPKs and challenging inputs such as potassium sulphate.
Unlike water-solubles, which cool the water and require long agitation time to reach full solubility, NuFlow maintains its stability.
With the integrated system, physical handling, WHS concerns, and the ability to fertigate without prolonged delays, it provides growers with various benefits, including a regular automatic delivery of consistent nutrition.
FertiFlow builds on this by automating the entire batching and delivery process.
The system blends NuFlow concentrate with on-farm water to the correct solubility ratio for varying water temperatures, producing fully solubilised nutrients ready for application as irrigation begins.
No recirculation or dissolving time is required, and calibrated flow control ensures each block receives the prescribed nutrient dose.
This automation replaces operator judgement with system-driven accuracy, improving consistency across the orchard, irrigation zones and seasonal nutrition programs.
For orchard managers, the benefits go beyond convenience.
Automated batching eliminates the need for labour, health and safety problems, equipment wear, and additional water to force out hard-to-solubilise fertilisers.
Cleaner tanks, clean injection lines, and less residue minimise maintenance burdens and increase system reliability.
Every fertigation event is automatically recorded, resulting in a credible digital trail for audits, water-use efficiency programmes, and sustainability reporting, an increasingly crucial requirement for processors and certifying organisations.
The impact of the integrated system is already visible in commercial orchards. NuEdge recently completed a first-of-its-kind FertiFlow installation on a corporate almond orchard in the Riverina, commissioning two units to automate and significantly improve the farm's existing nutrient program.
In a recent application, 25,000 litres of NuFlow EmSize concentrate (a 34.5 per cent potassium concentrate) were offloaded into a holding tank and fully batched with irrigation water, yielding ±200,000 litres of ready-to-use fertigation solution in under three hours.
Achieving the same result with conventional water-soluble fertilisers would normally require days of manual labour, equipment use, and monitoring.
The process was performed remotely, with no manual handling or supervision.
The orchard manager reported the investment delivered value from the outset, stating: “The system paid for itself in the first season, and we are very happy with the FertiFlow performance”.
Beyond efficiency, the greatest advantage lies in uniformity and control.
Reliable solubility and precise metering improve the consistency of nutrient distribution, supporting robust tree performance, more consistent canopy development and more predictable yield potential. With automation providing accurate, repeatable delivery, agronomists can adjust nutrition throughout the season based on crop demand, climatic and soil conditions.
As Australian orchards navigate rising labour costs, stricter safety standards and growing demands for traceability, the shift towards automated fertigation is increasing.
By replacing variable mixing conditions with a pure, concentrated solution and automated batching, the NuFlow and FertiFlow system offers a fertigation model built for modern horticulture: simple, safe and consistently effective.
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