"Growers often underestimate the effect of placing growbags directly on the ground or on a wet gutter," explained Vahid Bagheri of Hydroponic Systems. "Since good root health is of vital importance to a plant, its important that the media they are placed on is not exposed to humidity and free of fungicides. Placing growbags in a clean environment means that fungi and diseases don't stand a chance and weeds can't influence the growth by stealing nutrients from the bags."
Sometimes hanging gutters can be a solution to this. For excising greenhouses or situations where hanging gutters are not an option due to the design of the structure, type of crop or economical aspects, plastic ground gutters can be a solution. "We have developed a new type of gutter system with a spacer system that keeps the bags cool and dry and away from harmful diseases and fungi. "The key point of this system is that the substrate bags are not in direct contact with leachates and that water spills are directly drained via the drain channel underneath the slabs. Drainage water is transported in a safe way, allowing proper recirculation. We are familiar with this resulting in huge savings in fertilizer expenses of 25-30%. Also less labour is needed to clean and inspect the crops for rotting and wet spots."
Because the spacer lifts the gutter 6 cm from the drain channel, roots that have a chance to exit the slabs via drain openings see no possibility of reaching the drain channel. "This keeps the slabs and the roots clean and everything remains tidy, with a stronger and healthier crop as a result," concluded Bagheri.
For more information:
Hydroponic Systems
Vahid Bagheri
bagheri@hydroponicsystems.es
www.hydroponicsystems.es