Substrate is an essential element for a plant. It is not only the fixed place where its life cycle will develop, but also a strictly necessary nutritional source that, depending on its characteristics, will determine its growth. For this reason, the use of a suitable substrate is fundamental in agriculture, and solutions such as coconut fiber substrate, which offers optimum capacity to control the plant development conditions, are increasingly used, as explained by Sustratos del Sureste.
"Our raw material comes from India and Sri Lanka, the world's leading producers of coconut fiber. For their purchase, we require the highest quality from our suppliers, and this is analyzed in our laboratory upon arrival for verification. Our company is ISO 9001 certified, so quality control is paramount."
"After checking the raw material, we proceed to grind and rehydrate the coir (as it comes compressed in blocks) to ensure the correct expansion of the product, and, depending on the type of final substrate, we will mix it with other components (such as peat, perlite, vermiculite, fertilizers...) and bag it appropriately. All these stages are extremely important, and require supervision that we at Sustratos del Sureste consider essential."
"Coconut substrate is a material that retains water and, at the same time, drains the excess, which entails significant water saving. In addition, it increases the amount of water in the soil that is freely available to the plant, which not only saves water but also maximizes the use of this element. In addition, coconut substrate is a chemically inert material, so it maintains the pH, which is ideal for sensitive plants, and since it is not produced with decomposing material, it does not attract insects or diseases."
"Coconut substrate is produced in a sustainable way, it is recyclable and lacks the limitations that the soil itself can have (pollution, low productivity, exhaustion...). It improves the aeration of the soil and is an excellent mulch for the roots. All these advantages make it a very important ally of agriculture and have led to this material being recognized as a superior cultivation substrate.
In fact, it has become strongly implanted in today's agriculture. "Because of its characteristics, it is particularly suitable for the first stages of growth of any crop, so a sector that is growing along with us is that of seedbeds and nurseries, which use coco substrate to ensure a healthy and strong initial growth of their plants."
"It has also been shown that the production of tomatoes, peppers and other common greenhouse crops in the Levant also increases when coconut fiber substrate is used. Moreover, it is ideal for demanding crops, such as fruit trees/plants; hence why the strawberry sector has been benefiting from this technique for the longest time. Other crops have recently been gaining traction, including pistachios, avocados, mangoes or raspberries. Their growers are very strongly committed to using coconut substrate," says the Murcian company.
Hydroponic bags and coconut fiber for organic farming
Sustratos del Sureste has a wide range of solutions and coconut substrate formats to meet the needs of its customers, from professional producers to retailers.
"Among them, it is worth mentioning our hydroponic bag, one of our company's innovations. The inspiration for this bag came from the shortcomings that the managers of our company saw that producers had with compressed sheets, mostly coming from India. Our company saw that this product had several disadvantages, such as high EC, lack of hydration, low quality plastic, no pre-cuts or drainage, or lack of product homogeneity. All this leads to the producer wasting time and money. For this reason, our hydroponic bag is made 100% in our facilities with a quality raw material under controlled parameters. The coconut fiber is already hydrated (we can add other raw materials such as perlite, peat, fertilizer...); it is packed in national plastic with a 3 year guarantee, and pre-cuts for the planting holes and drainage can be offered to meet the customer's needs. We are the only substrate company in Spain that manufactures this kind of bag."
"We also have coconut fiber certified by Intereco for use in organic farming (seed production in nurseries and seedbeds). We are talking about SDS coconut fiber, with which producers can improve the soil, ensuring more rooting, better use of the nutrients provided to the crop and, therefore, an optimal vegetative development, while complying at all times with the organic production regulations."
New 12,000 m² facilities
Sustratos del Sureste is a young company founded in mid-2013 by great professionals who already had 20 years of experience. "Thanks to this, we can say that today we are a leader in the coconut substrate sector."
"Due to the growing demand for coconut fiber substrates by professionals in the agricultural-ornamental field and their higher demands in terms of quality and phytosanitary control, we decided to differentiate ourselves with the quality of our product and our personalized service."
"That is why recently, in order to continue to meet our quality standards and to offer the best service, we have expanded our facilities, lines and machinery, moving to a location with more than 12,000 m² of floor space. Soon, we will have this new work location ready, and of course, everyone is invited to visit it."
For more information:
Sustratos del Sureste
Tel.: +34 868082081
[email protected]
www.sustratosdelsureste.es