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New AeroMax Growing Media From OASIS Grower Solutions Increases Hydroponic Crop Growth by Up to 30%
Engineered with a unique open matrix, the increased porosity of the new Horticubes® AeroMax growing media leads to greater airflow and maximizes the opportunity for oxygen to get to a plant’s root zone
(Kent, OH) – OASIS Grower Solutions, a worldwide leader in propagation and division of Smithers-Oasis Company, understands the importance of propagation. Not only helping plants grow but generating big ideas as well. The most recent of which is the revolutionary new substrate engineered for precision hydroponic farming called Horticubes® AeroMax.
New Horticubes® AeroMax growing media introduces a higher level of porosity for faster, healthier hydroponic crop root growth.
Before creating a new media to support the production of leafy greens, herbs, and other crops for hydroponic farming, Vijay Rapaka Ph.D., Global Research Manager set a rather lofty goal: “To create a smart substrate designed for today’s precision growing systems. Through extensive research over the last 24 months, we’ve achieved an ultra-low density that allows unrestricted root growth of young plants, so they can express their full growth potential of up to 30%. This innovative purpose is precisely why we named it AeroMax.”
Engineered with a unique open matrix, the increased porosity of the new Horticubes® AeroMax growing media leads to greater airflow and maximizes the opportunity for oxygen to get to a plant’s root zone. This helps crops grow faster and stronger, allowing young plants to prosper in the maximum air-filled substrate. Due to its enhanced porosity, air and nutrients constantly replenish a plant’s root zone, promoting stronger and healthier roots through each watering cycle.
The maximum airflow created with new Horticubes® AeroMax substrate helps get this young lettuce off to a great start.
Created with support from John Bonner of Great Lakes Growers, AeroMax has already delivered some impressive results. “The more porosity, the greater opportunity for air to contact the root zone,” begins Bonner. “And that happens more often with AeroMax, so we get fuzzy, almost hairy-looking roots. And when you get that type of growth, the plants simply grow faster. Since we started using AeroMax, we’ve seen faster crop growth upwards of 15%,” grins Bonner.
In addition to delivering greater oxygen to the crop’s root zone, AeroMax’s increased porosity and airflow enables it to drain more easily. This improved drainage keeps the top of the AeroMax growing media drier, dramatically reducing algae blooms and subsequent disease – creating a wonderfully clean and pathogen-free environment for young plants to grow.
Dr. Vijay Rapaka of OASIS® Grower Solutions and John Bonner of Great Lakes Growers review the incredible success of the new Horticubes® AeroMax.
AeroMax has a multitude of other functional benefits that support improved propagation. Its rich black color was strategically selected to increase the surface temperature and synergize well with photosynthetic light spectrum to produce more well-toned young plants. Plus, the less dense, almost spongy nature of AeroMax minimizes dust generation throughout the production process, making it easy to work with.
AeroMax has also been designed to separate easily at transplant through a unique etching around each cube, which also supports uniformity and precision growing. AeroMax growing media works well in NFT, Deepwater, and Vertical hydroponic systems, and is available in single-seed and multi-seed dibbled sheets of 50ct, 104ct, 162ct, and 276ct. The 50ct, 104ct, and 162ct sheets are top-grooved for easier separation.
For more information on Horticubes® AeroMax, contact Shannon Enoch, at Senoch@smithersoasis.com, customer service at 855.585.4769, or visit us online at www.oasisgrowersolutions.com/aeromax.
The Best Growing Mediums For Microgreens
Growing microgreens is an easy and sustainable process that you can do from the comfort of your home. You can grow all kinds of nutritious microgreens that will enhance the flavor of your foods
Growing microgreens is an easy and sustainable process that you can do from the comfort of your home. You can grow all kinds of nutritious microgreens that will enhance the flavor of your foods. These special vegetable-like plants grow from 1-3 inches and are vibrant additions to your foods. They are also jam-packed with vitamins and antioxidants. We're going to discuss the different growing mediums you can use for your microgreens.
Soil
Using soil as your growing medium is a popular and effective choice. Soil will provide you with the best yields over any other medium. We believe the Sunshine #4 by Sunshine Aggregate is the best, and the Black Gold Potting Mix is a close second. Each of these soils are extremely sterile, which is ideal for indoor growing. While these soils can cost more (about $1 per 10x20 tray), they provide the best results. But, don't worry. You can compost and sterilize your soil to re-use it for future grows.
Burlap
Burlap is another popular growing medium because it's cheap. For .25 cents a tray, you can't beat the price. It is made from the jute plant, which is used to make nets and ropes. But burlap is an incredibly difficult growing medium to use. The perfect growing conditions for burlap include 72 degrees Fahrenheit, 65% humidity, and a good micro-dose fertigation plan (fertilizer + irrigation). If you can populate these results, then you can achieve yields and results that match soil mixes.
But be mindful that this takes a lot of practice and time, which is why using burlap is better for expert growers. If you don't get the growing conditions right, then your yields will suffer. We recommend using larger seeds like Pea Shoots and Wheatgrass when using burlap. These seeds will thrive with a burlap growing medium, and you will get bountiful results.
Coco Coir
This growing medium comes from coconut fiber. It's perfect for holding in moisture and is difficult to over-water. It is cheaper than soil (about .60 cents a tray), but it's just as messy. Coco coir has a better yield average than burlap, about a 25% to 30% better average. You will find this growing medium in dehydrated blocks. When you add water, they will expand way past their original size. You can use coco coir with an ebb and flow hydroponic method.
Jute Pads
This growing medium is derived from jute fiber. It's able to transport water evenly through your microgreens and maintain a near-perfect water/air ratio. It holds in water very well, which means you'll have to feed your microgreens less. Kale and broccoli grow especially well in jute pads.
What's the Best Growing Medium?
This entirely depends on your growing intentions. What are you planning to grow and how much effort are you willing to put in? We're going to cover the main questions you should ask yourself that will help you make this decision.
Feeding Your Plants: If you want to water your plants by hand, then we recommend soil and coco coir. But if you're able to feed your plants on a timer, then go for burlap or jute pads. It can be a better option because it's cost-effective and can still get the job done.
Choosing Your Seeds: What kind of microgreens do you plan to grow? If you're growing broccoli or kale, then we recommend buying jute pads. Do you want to grow a wide variety of seeds? Then choose soil or coco coir as your growing medium.
Messy Vs. Clean: Do you hate cleaning up messes? Then it's best to steer clear of soil and coco coir. Go with jute pads since they're easy to handle and clean.
Choosing your growing medium ultimately boils down to what you're planning on growing and how much effort you want to exert. We hope this list helped you understand what kinds of growing mediums there are and how they can help you yield the best results.
We are the microgreen growing experts. We're even working with NASA to help figure out how to get microgreens safely into space for astronauts to use! We meet once a month to discuss a variety of topics about microgreens. So, keep reading our blogs and watching our informative YouTube videos. There will always be exciting news coming your way.
#growing #medium #growingmedium #growingmedia #microgreeneducation #microgreensfarmer #microgreens #microgreen #bestmediatogrow #SmartNaturals #growmedia #growmedium #growingmicrogreens
Best Media For Your Hydroponics Setup?
Does it puzzle you to select the right media for hydroponics setup growing vegetables using the hydroponic method? different Hydroponic formats and hence require different kinds of media
Does it puzzle you to select the right media for hydroponics setup growing vegetables using the hydroponic method? different Hydroponic formats and hence require different kinds of media.
Hydroton
Hydroton or clay balls is expanded round clay pellets and is one of the more widely used media in India. It can be used on its own in hydroponics, aeroponics or deep water culture (DWC) or combined with other media esp. in drip systems (Grow bags, Trough system or Dutch Buckets). It allows maximum drainage and aeration. Hydroton can also be re-used if cleaned and sanitized properly with hydrogen peroxide.
Perlite
Perlite is a medium that is commonly found in soilless mixes. It is made from amorphous volcanic glass that has relatively high water content, typically formed by the hydration of obsidian. Be careful using this media by itself, as it will float.
Cocopeat
Coconut Coir is the most popular medium in India. It is Ph neutral and can be used for multiple months without sterilizing again. It works best when combined with another medium such as hydroton. Coir has excellent nutrient and water holding capacity. It should be cleaned and sterilized after around 6-8 months.
Oasis Cube
Oasis Cubes are manufactured from water-absorbent foam, Phenolic foam, also known as Floral Foam. They act as good starting plug for seedlings and plant cuttings, and not so much as a full growing medium. They are very cheap but have to be changed after every crop.
Jiffy Bags
fine cloth netting is filled with high-quality cocopeat and then compressed to form a “tikky” like coin pellet. It grows to approximately 7 times in height as soon the water is added. Cocopeat is held together by cloth netting and ensures optimum air/water exchange. Available in 1.25 Inch size. It is slightly costlier than the oasis cube but offers better seedling. Like oasis cube, it should also be changed after every crop
Conclusion:
Media plays a very important role in Hydroponic, hence selecting the right and Best Media for your Hydroponics setup is very critical for the optimum growth of vegetables.
It’s Fine If You Litter This Container, Because It Just Turns Into A Plant
This concept egg carton shows that, with a little ingenuity, packaging can be regenerative instead of wasteful
07.09.19
This concept egg carton shows that, with a little ingenuity, packaging can be regenerative instead of wasteful.
When you’re ready to throw out this new type of packaging, it shouldn’t go in the recycling bin. Instead, the carton is designed to be planted in your backyard, where legume seeds embedded in the material can start to grow, improving soil health and helping the dirt sequester more carbon from the air.
“Recycling is important but costs money, time, and electricity,” says George Bosnas, the Greece-based designer who developed the concept for the Biopack. There are other problems in broken recycling systems: Occasionally, items that are picked up from recycling bins aren’t actually recycled, as in cities that struggled to adapt when China stopped importing low-quality recyclables. When they are recycled, they might be “downcycled” to a lower-grade material. While some startups work on trying to solve those problems, Bosnas saw an opportunity to bypass the recycling system completely.
[Photo: courtesy George Bosnas]
The package, conceived for a circular economy design competition, is a simple egg carton. Bosnas wanted to focus on a common item that often ends up in the trash. (In Greece, egg cartons are usually made from plastic; in the U.S., where cartons are often made from paper, someone with access to composting could compost a carton if they wanted to circumvent recycling.) The package is made from paper pulp, flour, starch, and legume seeds. After use, it’s meant to be planted in the ground and watered, and then the seeds will sprout.
[Photo: courtesy George Bosnas]
“I chose legumes because they are used as nitrogen fertilizers in nature,” says Bosnas. The plants make the soil healthier. Though Bosnas wasn’t specifically focused on climate change, his product can have an additional benefit: boosting the amount of carbon that is stored 30% more carbon in the ground. Studies suggest that legumes can store soil than other plants. On farms, proponents of “regenerative agriculture”—who plant legumes among other methods to improve soil health—argue that these techniques are an important tool in fighting climate change. Most of that work has happened on farms, but it could also happen in backyards.
It’s not clear how much this type of packaging could replace traditional alternatives, or what happens when someone doesn’t have a yard or runs out of room to plant new containers. But something like this might work for some applications, just as others, such as architect William McDonough, have talked about the concept of wrappers that could be safely littered by the side of the road to decompose. Bosnas says that he’s already in talks with potential producers. He points out that it could also be a better experience than just recycling. “Besides [being] ‘more than biodegradable,’ it’s actually fun watching plants grow from packaging,” he says.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adele Peters is a staff writer at Fast Company who focuses on solutions to some of the world's largest problems, from climate change to homelessness. Previously, she worked with GOOD, BioLite, and the Sustainable Products and Solutions program at UC Berkeley.
Lead Photo: courtesy George Bosnas]
OASIS®Grower Solutions Horticubes® Retail Pack Offers Growers Foam Media for Fast, Clean and Consistent Growing for Hydroponics
Smithers-Oasis Company offers a new retail pack of its Oasis® Grower Solutions Horticubes® growing media, a lower density and higher drainage foam that is specially engineered for hydroponic seed germination of vegetables and herbs.
Oasis® Horticubes retail packs ideal for smaller and hobby growers, as well as larger growers to use for trials..
KENT, Ohio – August 2018 – Smithers-Oasis Company offers a new retail pack of its Oasis® Grower Solutions Horticubes® growing media, a lower density and higher drainage foam that is specially engineered for hydroponic seed germination of vegetables and herbs.
Horticubes higher drainage design helps to maintain an ideal air-to-water balance, even under heavy watering conditions. The enhanced drainage keeps the top of the media drier, helping to minimize algae growth and the lower density of the foam media enables superior root growth.
Manufactured in sheet style, Oasis Horticubes fit easily into the industry’s standard 1020 trays. Each Horticubes sheet is pre-scored for easy separation of single cubes, blocks of cubes or strips of cubes. Pre-dibbled seed holes, available in single-seed dibbles or multi-seed dibbles, are uniform in depth and spacing, making it ideal for automated seeding processes.
The new retail pack is available in three sizes, 276-, 104- and 50-count sheets, containing two sheets of the foam media per box. Designed with smaller or hobby growers in mind, the Horticubes retail packs are also ideal for larger growers to use for trials before purchasing in bulk quantities, which are also available.
“The success of our Rootcubes® retail packs inspired us to offer our Horticubes in packs perfectly sized for smaller or hobby growers and ideal for larger growers to use for trials prior to purchasing in bulk,” said Jeff Naymik, global marketing manager, Oasis Grower Solutions. “This initiative reflects the Smithers-Oasis continued commitment to a scientific approach to providing solutions for optimal growing and solving growers’ needs.”
The foam media is sterile and pathogen-free to help reduce disease and insect issues. Horticubes are ideal for lettuce, herbs and other vegetable crops.
With a solution for the entire plant journey, Oasis® Grower Solutions products include foam medium for tissue culture, plant propagation Rootcubes®, Terra Plug, Fertiss®, PlantPaper, Horticubes®, Oasis® Easy System, hydroponic fertilizer, Soax® wetting agent, disease control, and greenhouse cleaners. It also offers an ecologically sustainable (eS) line of products.
Oasis Grower Solutions provides for the strong, healthy, clean start and post-harvest care and handling of plants and flowers throughout their lifecycle to ensure the best consumer experience. The entire plant journey includes the breeder, propagator, growers, retailers, distributors and finally, the end consumer.
About Smithers-Oasis
Smithers-Oasis’ global expertise of the plant and flower business stretches from propagation to presentation. With locations in 20 countries and resources around the world, Smithers-Oasis manufactures floral foam products, postharvest products, growing media and flower arranging supplies for the floriculture industry. OASIS® and Floralife® are two of the company’s most recognized brands founded in 1954 and 1938, respectively. With more than 60 years of experience with foaming technology, Smithers-Oasis also develops specialty foams for a wide variety of applications including packaging, impression, absorption and molding. The company’s driving purpose is “to help people express and experience emotion by adding value to flowers and plants.” Smithers-Oasis, a privately owned company, is headquartered in Kent, Ohio, USA.
For more information on Oasis Grower Solutions Horticubes retail packs, contact Global Marketing Manager, Jeffrey Naymik at jnaymik@smithersoasis.com or visit www.oasisgrowersolutions.com.
Media Contact:
Rosemarie Ascherl Rosemarie@NMVStrategies.com 216.970.4329
Photo caption: Oasis® Grower Solutions Horticubes® retail packs are ideal for smaller, hobby growers or for trial runs with larger growers.