The biggest nursery propagator and fruit supplier in Poland is making the move to table top growing in coir, due to the yield benefits it delivers and to tackle labour shortages.
Commercial director and business development manager of Agronom, Krzysztof Sak, says that after trialling one hectare of strawberries in coir six years ago on a table-top system, he is looking to convert more growing to this method. “We now have four hectares of strawberries in table-top production and next year we plan to convert 10 hectares. We’ve also converted 40 hectares of raspberries over to coir substrate.”
Agronom has been in business for over 30 years and has 700 hectares of land, half of which produces soft fruit for the European market and the other half is home to the biggest propagation nursery in the country, with a recently launched breeding programme to develop new fruit varieties. Last year the company invested in a new Spanish farm to help to extend its own growing season, without having to buy in fruit in the winter months.
“We supply fresh fruit all year round to our customers, and the plan is to have soft fruit grown in Spain so that we can supply more of our own fruit,” says Krzysztof.
“Future proofing is important. We are always innovating to streamline our operations and table tops are the way forward. We have a labour issue and Polish people generally don’t want to work in agriculture. Growing fruit on table tops in coir substrate attracts more seasonal workers because it’s easier for the pickers and the picking is faster.
“This year we are employing Ukrainian seasonal workers, and when they call us to enquire about work, they always ask whether we grow on table tops, as, picking from the ground is off-putting, and very labour intensive” explains Krzysztof.
“Labour is a big challenge, and this is why we are looking to change our production systems.”
Growing media
As well as converting to table top growing, Agronom is also using more coir for a number of reasons.
“Coir substrate is easier to manage than soil,” says Krzysztof. “In coir, our yields are bigger and the quality of the fruit is better. We also have more control of crops, less foliar and root disease and it’s easier to manage the soil.
“The coir also helps with propagation. Before we were limited to using bare root stock, but with coir we can develop the full potential of our nursery operation, from tray plants to plugs and cuttings, thanks to the coir,” he says.
Krzysztof was so impressed with Botanicoir products, that he has become a supplier of coco coir in Poland through his business, 4berrries.
“I was impressed with the way Botanicoir dealt with us as a customer, the process was fast, clear, and well managed. We like the product very much, and I’ve seen more and more growers moving away from soil to substrate, so I decided to become an agent here in Poland.
“Botanicoir products are premium and are not the cheapest on the market, but it makes economic sense to spend more on a high quality product to be sure it’s consistent and doesn’t have quality issues which are more costly down the line,” says Krzysztof.
