April 2024 - 8

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AN IMPORTANT CHOICE
W
When it comes to greenhouse production and substrate,
there are fewer choices that a grower must make that
are more important than choosing the most appropriate
growing media to use for successful results. The choice
of the growing mix is primordial because it's what the
operation is based on. As we know, the media is the
physical support of the plants, but even more important,
it's also the water and nutrients reservoir. And as
each plant has different requirements, searching for a
new growing media mix that will perform is extremely
important but much more complicated than one might
think because what a grower should look for heavily
depends on their operation's needs. That's the reason why
many things are involved and need to be considered when
looking for a growing mix to make sure you're making the
right and best choice available.
So, what goes into choosing growing media? To be able
to make the best choice, you should know the plants'
requirements as it's how the plants will be able to thrive
and be sold as a premium grade product. That information
concerns the physical characteristics of the mix like the
particle sizes, porosity and the ratio of water retention
and drainage required. On the chemical side, it will be
about the pH growing range and EC level, depending on
if it's a standard range or a specific one.
Of course, there are other important aspects that
growers often neglect in the decision, like the sizes of
the containers and trays, the equipment on site to prepare
the growing mix, irrigation system, etc. Just because a
growing mix can work in different sized containers and
trays, doesn't mean it's the best option for each. In fact,
it's quite the opposite. In addition to crop health, the
plants' container sizes will also have an impact on the
difficulty when filling it. For example, for the germination
step, even if it is similar, the ideal particle sizes of the
mix for a 50- or 72-cell tray will be different than that for
a 288 or an Ellepot system. With the right mix, you will
avoid the harassment of some clogging episodes of your
equipment and your team will appreciate how easily
and evenly the tiny cells will be filled with
no headache.
Lambert always emphasizes its ability to meet
every grower's needs. Customized offerings are
one key way the company provides support
to growers. If the mixes selection end process
doesn't meet all the grower's requirements to
correct a particular situation, then we will go
to the next step and work on a customization of
the closest match. We always take time to gather
the most information and details possible to select
what will be the best choice, but some specific cases
require some fine-tuning of the recipe by modifying
certain characteristics. Communication and discussion
are very important to make the perfect blend for our
customers, and we always find a solution.
VISIT US AT WWW.LAMBERTPEATMOSS.COM
8 FEBRUARY 2024 GPNMAG.COM
http://WWW.LAMBERTPEATMOSS.COM
April 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2024
