Using the perlite substrate PERLIGRAN® in closed systems guarantees profitable cultivation. Thanks to screening of fine grains, the product reaches a nearly dust-free substrate quality, which ensures optimal drainage, structural stability and soil ventilation. The RHP-certified material has received the approbation as an additive for organic farming and therefore can be found on the FibL list.
Essential for soft fruit farming: Dry, airy root environment
Coldness and wetness leads to reduced growth and in a worse case among other things infestation with fungus, too. Brilliant permeability of the substrates on the other hand can be achieved with PERLIGRAN® Extra and Premium – a high-quality, RHP-certified perlite by Knauf Performance Materials. The coarse material ensures good substrate stability, i.e. less sagging within the substrate, and also a long-term optimized air-water-balance as well as very good drainage characteristics.
Valuable mineral additive
For professional soft fruits cultivation, PERLIGRAN® is the perfect mineral additive to organic plant substrates that are in use for several years. Since it does not decompose like organic substrates, it has been proven to provide better ventilation and drainage thanks to its stable structure. PERLIGRAN® permanently ensures a loose and drainage-able substrate over many years.
Longer harvest, faster and easier picking performance
Blueberries grow in the same substrate for eight up to ten years. With strawberries, the substrate still ensures a safe and high-yield harvest for two or three years – without the usual fungus infestation or pests. The fruits grow in channels, racks or the Dutch “bakken”. Those racks of 120–150 cm height make fruit picking significantly faster as in conventional cultivation in the open. This is important, as the wage factor is an essential influencer of the sales price of strawberries.
Harvest seasons from spring to autumn make cultivation even more profitable – this applies to all types of soft fruits.