Growing substrates

The highest quality substrates for growing plants Plagron, Canna, Biobizz, Atami. Soil, clay, coconut substrates, Grodan rockwool, inert growing media. Effective soil supplements and enrichers.

The primary function of growing media is to keep the plant in a stable position and ensure optimal conditions for root development, quality growth and harvest. We distinguish three basic types of substrates for growing plants – soil mixes, coconut fibers and inert substrates. Soil mixes contain different amounts of nutrients, while coconut and inert substrates are absolutely nutrient-free. Manufacturers in the growshop.cz offer mostly soil substrates with nutrients for the first few weeks, but also substrates with minimal pre-fertilization.

Each growing medium has different properties and is suitable for different growing techniques. With growing media, plants can be cultivated using open “run to waste” (e.g. Autopot) or recirculating systems (e.g. NFT, Wilma). In open systems, the water flows around the roots only once and then drains out of the system. In recirculating systems, the water is reused. Open irrigation systems can be used with substrates that are reactive or non-reactive with water.

Coconut fiber growing media

Coconut substrates are free of nutrients, bacteria, diseases. This growing medium is universal, reusable and easily biodegradable in nature. High-quality coconut substrates Plagron, Canna, Biobizz are improved with the friendly fungus Trichoderma. It protects the plant from root system fungi, while supporting its massive development. Trichoderma covers the plant's roots, increases their surface area and helps to process and absorb many more nutrients.

Pressed desiccated coconut is an alternative that saves space in storage and effort in moving. A small piece of pressed coconut turns into a full-fledged coconut substrate after adding water.

Why is rockwool or expanded clay best for hydroponics?

Rockwool (basalt wool, stone wool) is the most widely used inert substrate in professional agriculture and hobby cultivation. The main advantage is that rockwool can retain about 80% of water, at the same time it retains 15% of air and the stone wool itself makes up only 5%. Rockwool cannot be too soft, because then it retains too much water. On the contrary, hard rockwool is unsuitable because it is less permeable and the plant has to spend a lot of energy that may be lacking elsewhere.

For growing plants, it is definitely recommended to use rockwool with a horizontal structure. This will give the plants enough space to grow, and the humidity value will be constant throughout the medium. Here too, the better the conditions for root development you provide, the happier the plant will be and the higher the growing success will be.

In the growshop offer you will find high-quality rockwool from the Grodan brand.

Expanded clay is a type of clay that is fired in various sizes and shapes. It has been used in agriculture since the mid-1930s. If it is cleaned regularly and properly, it can last for several years. The disadvantage is that it does not absorb or retain moisture, and is therefore not suitable for open systems. However, it is very popular in recirculating systems (Wilma, NFT). In automatic irrigation systems such as Autopot, where the water drains away, it is recommended to use expanded clay as part of the growing mixture. It can also be used as a drainage layer at the bottom of growing containers when growing in coconut or clay.

Other inert plant growing media

Perlite is a volcanic glass with inert properties. Unlike expanded clay, however, it does not provide sufficient support for plants, so it is not used as a separate substrate. However, it works great as an admixture of traditional soil mixtures, as it contributes to their optimal airiness. Mapito is a mixture of polyurethane, rockwool and, for example, coconut fibers or perlite. It is a very light growing medium with limited water retention, the biggest disadvantage of which is a higher EC value and lower pH. Branded soil substrates contain just the right amount of perlite.

Improving the substrate with soil amendments and enrichers

Soil supplements cannot be used as a stand-alone fertilizer or substrate. These specialized products are used to revitalize or improve poor or older substrates. They usually contain beneficial soil organisms and bacteria.

The most popular soil supplements include Trichoderma, Phosphoderma, Plagron Mega Wormi or Atami Worm Delight.