April 2023 - 29

PRODUCTION
acclimated - it's not to grow a crop, and I think most
growers know that. Knowing what those nutrients are is
helpful to growers because some, like germination media,
obviously have a lower EC, a lower nutrient content, than
general transplant media, where you're taking larger
plants and putting them into a container, so it's important
to know all that.
Growers need to consider the crop type, stage of plant
Premier Tech's Pro-Mix growing media provide a well-balanced
growing environment so plants are uniform and consistent in
greenhouse production.
The growing experience and knowledge they gain
this year could be applied to future crops and can be
fine-tuned. That's why it's important to choose the
right growing medium to start because it's the basis for
starting your crops for years to come.
GPN: What makes a great growing medium for
greenhouse growers?
Bloodnick: It's another hard question to answer
because each grower has unique growing practices,
media, crops are different, the type of container makes a
difference; all of those have an impact.
If you look at growing media overall, it provides the
four basic needs to grow plants: it's the anchorage
for the plant, the water-holding reservoir, the nutrient
exchange environment and a gas exchange site for
plant roots.
Plant roots have to give off CO2
and take up oxygen in
the root zone, so if it holds too much water, that could
inhibit growth. The main characteristics growers should
look for are physical characteristics like bulk density or
weight, water-holding capacity and air porosity, which
is the inverse of water-holding. If the air porosity is very
low, you can have some asphyxiation of root systems
and plants grow slower. If it's too high, you may have to
water all the time and possibly increase workload for
growers. What's great for one person may not be great
for another grower.
Chemical characteristics need to be looked at, too: the
pH, electrical conductivity (EC) and the actual nutrient
content itself. The majority of commercial growing media
have a starter nutrient package in it to help plants get
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development, container type and crop duration. The same
growing medium in different size pots will change the
amount of water it holds. Short, wide pots hold more water
because they have a bigger saturation zone, while taller
pots will dry out faster because gravity allows the water to
drain faster. If you have very tall containers and you want
to stay wet, you need a growing medium that has a higher
water-holding capacity. If you're using a shallow, wider
container, you need something that has higher air porosity
or lower water-holding capacity.
A great growing medium provides uniformity,
consistency and predictability - but it's only part of
the growing equation. The grower needs to consider
water quality, fertilizer type and growing environment.
It's important to realize that the growing medium
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GREENHOUSE PRODUCT NEWS 29
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April 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2023
