Cucumber propagation pellets change game for nursery

When Happy Propagation Farm needed a solution for their grafted cucumber nursery, Jiffy set to work. They developed a tailored version of their cucumber propagation pellets and finetuned the operation’s equipment to achieve the best results.

Cucumber propagation pellets – a biobased solution
Happy Propagation Farm is one of a growing number of state-of-the-art nurseries popping up all over South Korea. They help grow fresh and healthy produce in a country where arable land is scarce. To stand out in this competitive market, Happy Propagation Farm’s President, Sungcheol Kim, knew he had to boost both quality and yield. He also wanted a biobased, sustainable solution – because an inert material like stone wool would be incompatible with the Koppert biological additionals the cucumber nursery was already using.

Koppert represents Jiffy in Korea, and they put Happy Propagation Farm in touch with Sandeeptha Gamalath, Jiffy Sales Manager Asia Pacific, about trialing J-7C Pellets. Koppert’s people knew J-7Cs contained the right fertilizer mix and water-to-air ratio to make sure the cucumbers’ roots would grow fast and strong from their very first days in the nursery.

How the Jiffy-Koppert partnership adds value
“Working with Koppert has proved very valuable,” says Sandeeptha. “This way, growers benefit from our joint expertise in finding the most effective, sustainable solutions for their unique situation.”

Koppert Korea and Sandeeptha worked together to support Happy Farm throughout the J-7C trials. They even adapted Jiffy’s technology concepts for the cucumber nursery’s automated tray filling and expansion equipment to provide streamlined performance. Happy Farm’s time to market is significantly faster these days thanks to:

• Increased germination rates
• Faster growth
• Uniform seedlings

Quality up and footprint down
Happy Farm soon discovered that the benefits of Jiffy’s cucumber propagation pellets don’t end there. Trays of pellets can now be filled and expanded automatically, reducing their labor costs significantly. And disposability issues are a thing of the past. The pellets are eco-friendly and RHP-Certified, so Happy Farm’s waste now goes for industrial composting. And the trays are recycled by Koppert/Jiffy, further reducing the operation’s carbon footprint. Best of all, the cucumber nursery sends out millions of robust seedlings throughout the season in the knowledge that their customers are more than satisfied.

“Happy Propagation Farm is now one of Korea’s leading cucumber suppliers thanks to the quality of the product,” says Sandeeptha. “It’s the kind of success we love to help achieve.”