With multiple issues putting our fruit growers under pressure, we’re doing our utmost to ensure that your growing media isn’t one of them.
We speak to Mark Davies, head of fruit at Agrovista, for top tips on getting the most from your Botanicoir Precision Plus Ultra (PPU) grow bags.
“If you buy the right coir and treat it correctly, it will serve you well,” says Mark.
He explains that the benefit of Botanicoir PPU grow bags is that they have a consistent high quality, which gives growers more flexibility and longevity.
“At a time where growers are really hit with higher costs, re-use may be an option and the higher the quality of the coir purchased, the less yield penalty experienced on re-use.
“When you buy a fresh graded coir bag, most growers will plant it with 6-8 plants. To re-use bags, growers can simply remove the plants and replace them with varieties that require the same plant spacing, and there are ways you can help the coir retain its original quality through the growing cycle,” says Mark.
“If you start with a better graded coir it degrades less, but it still helps to source bare rooted material to plant into the bag, where possible, as there’s a high chance that pot or tray grown plants will have been grown in a peat mix, so immediately you have contributed to the degradation of the bag as these fine peat particles will move through it and this reduces the air-filled porosity,” he says.
In terms of chemical properties, you can get a build-up of salt and Electrical Conductivity (EC) during the growth cycle. “We recommend using DeSaltus 2.0 from OMEX, a water conditioner which can help to increase particle size, creating more pore space, and encouraging greater salt and nutrient movement through the growing media, improving nutrient use efficiency and overall plant productivity,” explains Mark.
“Re-using bags is a way farmers can make cost-savings, but we do recommend that two plantings is probably enough. This could be a two-year crop, followed by a single year crop for example. Then after the two plantings the polythene wrapping can be removed to expose coir material that could be re-used.”
“There is also a renewed interest in trough planting again, where pre-made slabs fit directly into troughs. There is generally more of a weed burden with troughs than with grow bags, but this system does afford a greater degree of flexibility in terms of planting density, and in a year like this, it might be an option,” he says.
“Then the product can be recycled. If growers can adopt a system on the farm to re-use half and bring in half fresh material, for example, then that’s progress,” says Mark.
Mark explains that all these options rely on the high quality of the product in the first place. “If the product is full of fines or not well buffered and inconsistent, you won’t have the flexibility that Botanicoir PPU provides. Of course, it’s important to check that you have not imported any pest or disease with the plants that may compromise the options to reuse or recycle that material.”
Essentially there are three options for growers with Botanicoir PPU grow bags:
1. Re-using the bags
2. Re-using the good quality coir in a trough
3. Composting/recycling on farm
“Whichever of the above might be interest, it is imperative to start with the highest quality material you can – Botanicoir Precision Plus Ultra,” adds Mark.
Botanicoir grow bags are popular among strawberry growers as they give a controlled environment for precision growing. The homogenous distribution of different particle sizes within the bags means that growers will see even and fast root development, leading to healthier plants and increased crop yields.
Designed to give young strawberry crops the best start, we have two different strawberry coir mixes offering different water contents to suit grower preference and local climate. This means the bags can be rapidly hydrated and maintain a stable structure, optimising the chance for re-use while aiding easy uptake of nutrients from the feed. The washing and buffering process gives a very clean product with elevated levels of calcium to aid rooting and promote healthy root growth and high-yielding plants.
