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A crop-zone and evidence-based planning workbook for greenhouse water, treatment, hydraulics, dosing, controls and acceptance.
CFGET original buyer tool
Greenhouse Irrigation and Fertigation Planning Workbook
Free editable Excel workbook with 7 working sheets. No email is required. Save a controlled project copy before the team begins entering evidence.
An irrigation design can have the right pump and still give the crop the wrong result. The first zone may receive more pressure than the last. A small crop zone may fall below the injector’s stable range. Water may test well in the rainy season and change during peak demand.
Planning starts with crop zones and source evidence, not a pump catalogue.
Build the demand case by zone
Separate crops, stages, substrates, elevations and irrigation methods where their operating needs differ. The Crop Zones sheet supports an area-depth basis and a per-plant basis. It converts the entered case to daily volume and average flow within the available irrigation window.
The calculated number is a planning aid. A grower or agronomist must approve the peak crop demand, drain or leaching strategy, pulse method and seasonal case. Add cooling, cleaning and process water separately so they do not disappear inside the crop figure.
Interpret the water, do not grade it by pH alone
The Water Quality sheet records 20 parameters, including EC, alkalinity, bicarbonate, sodium, chloride, hardness, iron, manganese and suspended solids. Enter the laboratory result, sample point, date and crop or system target. The workbook deliberately avoids one global pass or fail threshold.
UMass Extension’s greenhouse water guidance recommends laboratory testing and interpretation for the intended crop and system. Treatment decisions also need recovery, reject water, cleaning chemicals and a lawful discharge route.
Design for the operating case
| Check | Evidence to request | Failure seen in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Simultaneous flow | Zone schedule and hydraulic calculation | Pump selected for an average that never occurs |
| Pressure loss | Clean and dirty filters, elevation, valves, injectors and pipe loss | Last outlets fall outside their operating range |
| Uniformity | Agreed sample locations and acceptance method | One pressure reading is treated as crop-level proof |
| Dosing range | Recipes, stock strength, minimum flow and injector curve | Small zones cannot hold stable EC or pH control |
| Resilience | Manual watering, backup power, reserve water and critical spares | A short utility fault becomes crop loss |
Use acceptance tests to close the design loop
The workbook includes 15 tests covering source flow, storage, treatment, filters, pumps, zone flow, pressure, uniformity, flushing, injectors, EC and pH, safeguards, alarms, restart and drainage. Define the criterion, method, instrument, sample points and retained evidence before testing.
A passed factory test does not prove site hydraulics. A controller recipe does not prove the concentration at the crop. Keep factory evidence, installation inspection and operating tests separate.
Work through the seven sheets
Start with Project Basis, then build Crop Zones and enter the Water Quality report. Use Design Review during supplier meetings. Prepare Acceptance Plan before installation ends. The Start Here dashboard and Sources sheet help the buyer track the remaining evidence.
Keep the completed workbook with the project’s controlled documents. You can also review the CFGET download library, greenhouse climate control options, irrigation and fertilization systems, and the commissioning and handover guide.
A CFGET project view to use with the workbook
Automatic Irrigation Cart for Greenhouses gives the project team a visual reference. Watch for interfaces, access, equipment position and work sequence, then record project-specific findings in the workbook rather than treating the clip as a design specification.
Who prepared this workbook?
Frequently asked questions
Can the workbook tell me the correct irrigation frequency?
No. Frequency depends on crop, stage, substrate, container, climate, drainage and root-zone observations. Record the approved strategy and monitor the crop response.
Why is alkalinity important if pH is acceptable?
Alkalinity affects acid demand and root-zone pH behavior. Two sources with the same pH can behave differently during fertigation.
Should cooling water be included in irrigation demand?
Include it in the total project water balance, but keep cooling, cleaning and process demand separate from crop irrigation so peak cases and treatment needs remain visible.
