Transcript From coconut to end user

Optimising use of coir
Arjan van Leest
Product Manager Hydroponics
Coconuts...
Coir...?
Quality Coir!
Spain
Preforma
Jiffy International AS
Head office Norway
The Netherlands
Substrates
Preforma
Sweden
Substrates
GLOBAL PARTNER
Sri Lanka
Jiffy-7C
Growblock
Growbag
Coco disk
Coir substrates
Norway
Jiffy-7
The Jiffy Group has manufacturing plants
worldwide as well as JIFFY sales offices,
distributors and importers located
throughout the world.
Canada
Jiffy-7, Jiffy-7
Forestry, JiffyPots, Peat
Production
USA
Preforma
Substrates
Denmark
Jiffypot
Japan
Preforma
Estonia
Substrates
Germany
Peat
production
From coconut...
...to...
...end user
Product Qualities Coir
• Easy resaturated with water
• Stable substrate if thoroughly composted / high Lignin
• High air-content, even when fine structured
• Fibres and/or husk chips further increase airiness
Microscopic view coir fibre
Product Qualities Coir
• Easy to (re)saturate with water
• Stable substrate if thoroughly composted / high Lignin
• High air-content, even when fine structured
• Fibres and/or husk chips further increase airiness
• Water-air-content perfect for root development
• Organic origin. Recyclable after use
Difference organic coir
inert media
Aspect
Coir
Stonewool/perlite
EAW
33% of volume
>67% of volume
Buffer
Water, EC, pH
None
Disposal
Reusable
Contaminated
organic matter
Irrigation
High(er) frequency,
small(er) amounts
Standard
Consistency
Good if production
chain controlled
Good
Quality
Good if produced
RHP or OMRI
Good
Availability
Renewable resource
Plenty of raw
material available
LCA
1/3 bags, 2/3 blocks Standard = 1
Physical Aspects Jiffy Growbags (pF1)
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
Coir
50%
Air
40%
Water
30%
Buffer
20%
10%
0%
5050
HY
HC
Rockwool
Where to take note of
• Irrigation
• Fertilizers at start
• Organic!
It’s all about roots
It’s all about roots...
It’s all about roots!
Jiffy Hydroponics Trials
• CVETMO, France, cucumber
Jiffy Hydroponics Trials
• CVETMO, France, cucumber
#fruits/m2
Jiffy
Exxelent
Grotop
1st crop
36.7
36.6
35.1
2nd crop
68.2
65.8
66.5
3rd crop
39.5
39.8
39.5
2011 total
144.4
142.2
141.1
Jiffy Growblock
•
Worldwide trend to use organic media (i.e. coir) and logical demand
for coir growblocks
•
Compressed and dry block made of 100% coir
•
Matches with automatic propagation lines
•
100% biodegradable with PLA netting
•
Trials in both the Americas and Europe showed a stronger plant and
faster rooting in coir compared to rockwool cubes
Growblocks (L) and plugs (R) in Coir growbags
Plugs (L) and Growblocks (R) in soil
Growblock and plug just after transplanting
PreGro concept: Preforma in a Growblock
Cucumbers + Coir
Cucumbers + Coir
Cucumbers + Coir
Cucumbers + Coir
Vegetables
Vegetables
Thank you for your
attention!
THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION