Transition to HydraFiber is Seamless: Cultural Practices
Several of North America's most progressive growers share results of their trialing and how they have changed very little to nothing in their watering, fertility and overall growing regimes.
Several of North America's most progressive growers share results of their trialing and how they have changed very little to nothing in their watering, fertility and overall growing regimes.
"After 30-plus years in the greenhouse industry, I’ve made the biggest changes in my substrate mixers with HydraFiber. After lots of trialing and tweaking, we’re at 55% peat, 25% coir, 25% HydraFiber and it’s working very well. We’re really getting a great, great root system that is going through that substrate, all the way down to the bottom of the pot. In all the years that I’ve mixed soil, I’ve never seen the root systems just permeate the soil ball like they are now. Get a good root system and the plant will come."
“When we switched to HydraFiber, we shaved 5 hours of labor off every zone each week due to plants needing less water. That’s a 5 to 10% labor savings for us. And on some crops, we have been seeing faster rooting, with white roots all the way to the bottom in 9 days on crops that typically take longer.”
"We are using the 365WB HydraFiber material in our mix. The moisture content is about 55%, and the mix holds together like a loose snowball to give us the best 'loft' during filling. It rolls through the mixing line well and fill the pots nicely. Handling the new mix is a little different…but it's working!"
"HydraFiber does definitely wet easier than our other mixes…it has helped us get plants wetter right after transplant. We have not changed anything in our fertilization program, which has been an easy transition. Everything we have done so far with HydraFiber, we have not seen any issues with any plant having any adverse conditions at all."
“You’re getting the same thing you’re getting from perlite or vermiculite, but you’re also getting more air porosity, more water-holding capacity, and better plant performance, so it really makes sense to switch to a HydraFiber blend.”
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