Article taken from The Fruit Grower, July 2017.
At Fruit Focus Botanicoir is launching a ground-breaking new product that's set to be a game-changer in the soft fruit industry.
Taking the use of coir substrates to the next level, it's capable of rapid hydration, has optimum air-filled porosity, a superior structure, and offers excellent drainage capacity and ease of steering. Fruit Focus attendees are invited by Botanicoir to visit stand number 302 at 12:00 noon on 19 July for an exclusive unveiling of the new innovative product. Bubbly, cakes, and coconut ice cream will be served, and guests will hear a short presentation from Kalum Balasuriya, managing director of Botanicoir.
Also speaking at the launch will be Paul Bennett, technical head of the Agrovista UK fruit team, and Sandy Booth, managing director of the New Forest Fruit Company, who has been trialling the product, will report on the success he's had with it. Sandy produces 3,000 tonnes of strawberries annually, and now grows 100% of his strawberry crop in the new coir substrate product being launched at Fruit Focus. Initially, Sandy trialled 1 ha of the growbags on crops in the field, glasshouses and polytunnels. He was so pleased with the results that he decided to convert the whole operation over to the new product. ""The new growbags generate a higher fruit quality and we have seen yields increase," says Sandy. ""They have better drainage, higher air-filled porosity, due to the particles in the substrate, which are consistent, and this encourages uniform rooting and produces healthier plants.""