Chinampas are the most intensive form of irrigation (Berdan 2005).
Chinampas require a lot of work to be successful. Chinampas had to be regularly covered in mud from the lake bottom to keep them fertile. A zoquimaitl, a canvas bag attached to a long pole, was used to scoop up mud from the lake bottom (Nichols 2005). This served to keep the chinampas fertilized with nutrient rich soil and to keep the canals open. Chinampas were never left fallow (Werner 1992), and this is one of the main reasons why chinampas were so productive. They could be cultivated up to four times a year (Hassig 1985).
The planting process often started in the nursery. Chinamperos (chinampa farmers) created nurseries that were sometimes put on floating rafts until the seedlings could be transplanted (Nichols 2005). Maize was the only crop that could skip the germination in seedbeds (Berdan 2005). A digging stick, uictli, was used to till the soil, then the best seedlings from the nurseries were transplanted to the chinampas (Nichols 2005). This ensured that most, if not all of the seedlings planted in the chinampas would grow successfully.
Even though the soil from the bottom of the canal was extremely fertile, extra fertilization was also used. Bat dung, human excrement, household refuse, and vegetation from the canals were used as fertilization (Berdan 2005).