Lower-7

Lower-7 is a revolutionary drip-irrigation cleaner and water acidifier, with built in fertilizer that delivers both Nitrogen and Sulphur as a side benefit. It has a strong acidic character with a pH of approximately 1. Generally, acids at this pH would damage human skin. However, the unique formulation in Lower-7 provides a solution that is not harmful to the skin.

Lower 7 can be used for the following purposes:

As an effective soil and water conditioner, as the sulphate ion released in solution reacts with sodium to form sodium sulphate, which is readily leached from upper layers of the soil;
Lower the pH of irrigation water, avoiding the precipitation of insoluble salts and irrigation blockages;
Removes blockages in drip irrigation systems;
Lower 7 is acidic and helps to remove carbonate and algal build up; and
Supplies both Nitrogen and Sulphur to the soil for root uptake. The nitrogen is non-volatile and non-leaching. The nitrogen source is slow releasing so is available for root uptake over an extended period of time. This is dependent on growth rate and stage.

What is the dose rate of LOWER-7?

Lower-7 can be applied to irrigation systems with heavy precipitate blockages as a shock treatment. This shock treatment, uses Lower-7 to reduce the pH of the water to 3-4 (in the sprinkler or dripper) keeping the length of irrigation duration to a minimum of 3 hours. This would require the use of 20-25 L/ha of Lower-7 with an initial water ph of 7-7.5. We recommend the application with an injector.

Alternatively, flush with a higher dose for a shorter time period. For example, if the water pH is 8.0, to reduce it to 1.8, 7L/ha of Lower-7 will be required. This would be for a flushing period of 15 minutes. This equates to 1ml in 200ml water or 500ml in 100L water.

Once the blockage has been eliminated, apply a maintenance dose of 1-2L/ha.

What is the nutrient value of Lower-7?

Lower-7 contains 22.6% w/v Urea nitrogen and 24% w/v Sulphur.

In 100 L of Lower-7, there is 22.6 Kg of N, and 24.1 Kg of S.

How does Lower-7 compare to other drip irrigation products?

Attribute	Lower-7	Hydrochloric Acid	Sodium Hypochlorite
pH	<1	<1	13.2
Dangerous Good Class	8 (corrosive)	8 (corrosive)	NO
Poison Schedule	NO	S6	S5
Corrosive to skin	NO	YES	YES
Odour (volatility from gas release)	NO	YES	YES
Corrosive to clothing	YES	YES	NO
Corrosive to stainless steel	NO	YES	NO
Adds chlorine to soil	NO	YES	YES
Provides Nitrogen and Sulphur	YES	NO	NO
Removes algae	YES	NO	YES
Removes Calcium and Iron deposits	YES	YES	NO
Low OHS&E profile	YES	NO	NO
Soil conditioning properties	YES	NO	NO
Removes Sodium from profile	YES	NO	NO
Label claim for use in drip irrigation	YES	NO	NO

WHAT are the common problems associated with blockages in drip irrigation?

The common water-formed deposits include biological or organic deposits (usually algae), iron oxide (rust) or other metal oxides, carbonates (white or grey deposit from Ca and Mg), or combinations of the above.

Other resources (coming soon)