Dutch Plantin develops products with excellent growing results. That’s the main reason why we don’t recommend the use of growbags that contain a filling of 100% crushed husk for vegetable crops. A mixture of both chips and coir pith, also referred to as ‘Optima cocopeat’, has many advantages. First of all, it gives the growbag a higher water-holding capacity, which is a key feature for hydroponically grown vegetables
Effects of radiation
Growbags that contain both coir pith and cocochips have excellent draining and air-holding capacities. The most important factor here is the radiation during the crop. In countries where the planting of vegetables starts with a lack of sunshine, there will not be too much assimilation, so little irrigation is needed. However, this will result in an EC increase in the growbag and a relatively wet substrate, which is not favourable to plant growth. What you need here is drainage. A coarser material in the growbag would suit this purpose, since it will not remain too wet and it helps to maintain a good vegetative-generative balance.
Optima for every climate
For these months one might think that a lot of cocochips or crushed husk will be excellent. But this advantage will turn against the crop during the summertime, when high radiation and temperatures are present. In these circumstances, the crop needs more water. Therefore, finer material is also needed, because it holds water more easily. To unite these two features, the use of Dutch Plantin Optima, a mixture of cocochips and coir pith, has proven to be an excellent solution. With Optima cocopeat the growbag can be treated almost exactly the same way as rockwool slabs. This is a great advantage, since the grower does not have to learn a completely new technology. These growbags are therefore a perfect choice for any climate. The exact mixture can vary depending on type of crop and climate. And Dutch Plantin certainly has the knowledge and experience to provide you with the best possible mixtures. So for any climatic condition, don’t worry, go for Optima.
