HydraFiber Inclusion Rates
Having higher inclusion rates of HydraFiber is helping ornamental growers by eliminating perlite and improving air space for better rooting. This video compares blend percentages at 30, 40 and 50 percent HydraFiber.
Having higher inclusion rates of HydraFiber is helping ornamental growers by eliminating perlite and improving air space for better rooting. This video compares blend percentages at 30, 40 and 50 percent HydraFiber.
"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."
"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!"
“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.”
"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."
“From what we’ve seen, the pH of poinsettias stays more stable because of the length of the crop. Also the shelf life is better because the HydraFiber retains the moisture and when it’s sitting on the shelf longer at the store, it’s pulling that moisture out of that wood. We’re seeing several more days at retail which is a huge benefit.”
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