The Hozon is a “secret weapon” for home gardeners. With it, a few instructions here and a bit of caution, you can create amazing growth in your garden. And not only your vegetable garden but everything else as well that wants regular feeding.
The Hozon works as a siphon. Water from the tap flows through the narrowing part (venturi) creating a vacuum in the rubber tube. When you put that tube into a pail of liquid, the liquid is drawn up and into the venturi and out the hose.
Here’s What You Need To Know About Operating It
It doesn’t work well on drip irrigation. There’s not enough volume of water going through the hose to create a suction. 🙁 This means you irrigate with your drip and haul a hose around (regularly) to add food. This is particularly useful for giving crops a boost.
Steady water pressure is critical so you have to put it as close to the tap as possible (right on the tap or a t-valve at the tap). You can’t run it at the hose end because a) the pressure is variable as you turn and turn off the hose and b) lugging a pail of fertilizer around the garden is an invitation to a sores shoulder and a fishy smelling pair of pants from the sloshing bucket.
Have a top on your bucket or container
Crap falls into open containers. Even with a lid, you’re going to find stuff finds a way in there. So clean the small spring-filter regularly
Length of Hose
With a standard 40 psi water pressure, a 50-foot hose is fine. I run mine a bit further but I’m using 3/4 inch hose and not the standard 5/8 household hose. (Mine is old nursery hose and is over 20-years old. Paid $1.00/foot for it then and it lasts forever)
If you have to go to 100 feet, then put the hozon at the end of the first 50-foot hose (in the middle) Longer runs really don’t work. If you have to go longer – use a 3/4 or 1″ plastic pipe to put a tap right at the garden area.
Longer hoses lose too much pressure and don’t work.
How Do You Know It’s Working?
Run your hose and go to the Hozon itself. If you hear a “sucking” noise from the Hozon, it’s working. If not, it’s either plugged up or you don’t have enough water pressure to run it (shorten the length of hose or get a larger diameter hose)
Siphoning
It’s not supposed to do this BUT they all do. If your hose is allowed to empty out, the hose will act as a siphon and it will pull all the pail contents out and into the hose. Getting the full strength fertilizer can be a bit of a shock for a tender plant so pull the rubber tube out of the pail after you’re done.
The Details
The Hozon employs a 16:1 ratio under normal watering. This means the concentration in the bucket should be 16 times the label. So if the label says 1 tablespoon per gallon, use 16 tablespoons per gallon of concentrate.
A 5-gallon bucket would then take 16×5 or 80 tablespoons. Hint: measure this out with water first in an old measuring cup and then you know how much to use – to make life easier.
This unit pulls one gallon of concentrate every five minutes of watering. (Fast!) It’s not completely accurate, so the output is variable.
The Watering Regime:
The easiest system is to soak the garden on Day 1 (say Sunday) then water lightly with Hozon. Repeat watering on Day 3 (Wed) or 4 (Thursday) and feed with the hozon after you’ve watered.
Do not use one of the fancy hose end pistol-style breakers as they tend to restrict water flow too much – the Hozon requires full water flow.
What Doug Does
I push this a bit further than many folks. I usually cut the amount of fertilizer I add in the bucket by 4. So if I’m supposed to put 16 tablespoons, I put 4.
And then when I water, I use the hozon and not clear water. (note: I do have to watch the bucket level because it will empty out pretty fast. On a regular watering, I may fill that 20-gallon reservoir up several times.)
In other words, I’m putting a great deal of “weak fertilizer water” onto the plants rather than watering normally and then feeding.
I feed every time I water.
That means instead of 16 tablespoons of fertilizer, I use 4 but I use this for every watering.
Every time I water, I use the Hozon and fertilizer.
This does not include spot watering when something looks dry and I dump some water on it.
But I’m not a beginner so I can “fudge” a bit here and there. If this is your first time with a Hozon and regular feeding, stay with the 16:1 ratio. Feed weekly only. You’ll be amazed at the results.
What Fertilizer Do I Use?
I use fish emulsion out in the garden. There are other organic liquid fertilizers on the market (link to Amazon and there are multiple options there) as well that don’t stink so much.
But I’ve used the fish emulsion for much of my gardening life and find it works for me. I have used some of the other products on test and they too work nicely.
But you’re really going to have to experiment to discover the one that works both for your plants and your budget.
Overfeeding Concerns
Overfeeding can cause some problems as well. Lush, nitrogen rich vegetables are sweet candy to sucking insects.
If you see your plants stretching out and growing very fast, you’re likely overfeeding. Cut it back and water deeply to drive the nitrogen out of the root zone.
Too high feeding can cause tomatoes to abort blossoms.
Caution
You will have to learn to jump back quickly in your garden. Every time you feed your plants, they go on a growth spurt and if you’re not careful where you walk, they may be growing so fast they’ll break your ankle.
Do not use this on carnivorous plants if you value your life.
🙂