Growing out of the soil and checking your substrates: 10 stories from August

From August, we selected 10 stories for you about soil. Growers stepping away from open field production, growers opting for different substrates, growers using new sensors for their soil - enough to be talked about!

Canadian lettuce giant Vegpro builds first greenhouse

Canadian company Vegpro International announced a $55 million investment for the construction of its first greenhouse complex, as well as packing lines within the complex, in…

Papaya propagation in India with Jiffy-7C

"Showing the germination rates convinced growers to use our pallets"

Papaya cultivation is big business in India: the country grows 120 million papaya plants a year, more than any other. Many are propagated in Jiffy-7C Pellets. Rajendra Kumar…

Toby Wright, Les Serres des Grands Lac:

"It is important that we maintain a logic in our growing approach"

The first greenhouse Toby Wright grew tomatoes in, had a 3.5m gutter height. Ever since then, he's been following the developments in the industry very closely and has reaped…

Large investment for automatic soil moisture sensor system developers SoilSense

"Every grower in the world should have access to insights about their irrigation"

SoilSense, a Scandinavian startup helping farmers with sensor-based precision insights, has just raised $230k in a seed round from leading Danish investors. SoilSense provides…

US: Achievements in researching soilless substrates

Brian Schulker’s research in soilless culture plant growing systems has yielded some noteworthy achievements through his master’s degree and now into his Ph.D. program with…

New partner JB Hydroponics helps Atrium Agri grow

"Now that our customers are getting bigger, we want to be closer to the source"

It was time for Atrium Agri’s growth strategy to take the next step. JB Hydroponics, a specialist in cultivation systems and substrates, is now the seventh partner in the…

Taylor Farms announces investment with Pure Green Farms

Another major North American open field grower enters the CEA industry

One of the biggest open field growers in North America, Taylor Farms, enters the greenhouse growing market with an investment in greenhouse company Pure Green Farms. "This…

More sustainable substrates are now equal to peat and rock wool

Is it possible to grow strawberries and tomatoes on a substrate with renewable raw materials without yield differences compared to growing them on peat and rock wool? Yes,…

 Video: Growing crops without soil in Burkina Faso

Farming using hydroponics is becoming increasingly popular throughout Africa. The method saves on water and soil by instead using organic materials like coconut fiber or clay…

Scaling in horticulture enables custom products increasingly often

Twenty years ago, growers asked Bato Plastics for custom requests for 20,000 pots, but nowadays we’re talking much larger numbers. An order for 200,000 pots, clips or other…