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Fruit farmers are facing rising costs on all levels this year, from energy to labour and inputs, so one growing media manufacturer is promoting the re-use of grow bags to assist them.<\/p>\n
Industry-leading supplier of coir grow bags, Botanicoir, says reusing bags is a way farmers can make significant cost-savings.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we developed Precision Plus Ultra for the market, it was to give growers more flexibility and longevity,\u201d explains Kalum Balasuriya, Botanicoir managing director.<\/p>\n
Kalum says that growers have the option to replace the bags each year, keep the bags in situ and replant them, or add the used bags to a composting facility. <\/p>\n
Mark Davies, Agrovista head of fruit, works with UK growers and says flexibility is important in a challenging climate. <\/p>\n
Mark says, \u201cIn a year where growers are really hit with higher costs, re-use may be an option.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere there are eight holes in each bag, for example, growers can simply remove the plants and replace them with similar varieties. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere 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 in a year like this, it might be an option,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n
Mark explains that the bags can be mixed with compost. \u201cIf you open a strawberry bag at the end of the season,\u201d he says, \u201c there is an awful lot of good material in there that could potentially be rescued and used to mix in with other materials<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of 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\u2019t have the flexibility that Botanicoir PPU provides. Of course, it is 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.\u201d<\/p>\n