What is a soilless substrate you might ask? Despite working in this space for quite some time, I had the same question for Dr. Brian Jackson, substrate expert at NC State, just last week as the terminology is really confusing. His response:
“A soilless substrate is just any substrate (material) that is not mineral soil. Basically, anything and everything being used today by any grower who is not digging dirt out of the ground and filling pots with it. “
A lot of growers rely on peat, which is getting more difficult to obtain, so an alternative soilless substrate is anything that is NOT peat. Our Soilless Substrate Science team (or S3 team) is coming up with alternatives to peat which include wood fiber mixes of all kinds. But what do growers think about all this? Is it going to be easy to replace peat? What do they want as an alternative? How is changing one thing going to alter the entire growing system? Will it impact how much they need to water, fertilize, plant growth and timing? And how much is changing all this going to cost? In essence, what is it going to take to try something new? Scientific teams need to think about all of these things because growers certainly do!
Last week Dr. Kevan Lamm and I had the opportunity to visit Los Arroyos Nursery in Watsonville, California and sit down with Manuel Morales, the owner, who has been working with researchers to come up with highly efficient, sustainable production methods which save water and reduce inputs like pesticides and fertilizers for years. I first met him in 2014 when he sat on the advisory board for the Clean WateR3 team and have been impressed by his insights, fortitude, and positive attitude ever since. When asked about new regulations, reductions in peat availability and the idea of new substrates, Manuel replied “change will come and we will overcome, we always have.”
Manuel manages multiple sites in Northern California, sells all over the state, and produces some of the most gorgeous plants on the planet. He shared with us his thoughts on an ever changing industry, why he partners with scientists to advance production methods on his farms, how he works hand in hand with scientists to advance the industry, when he believes there will be a need for alternative soilless substrates, and how he has been able to enjoy growing plants for over 35 years with no intent on stopping any time soon despite the need to change and innovate. He shared about his substrate mixes, why he still uses peat in some of them and not in others, and how they are still hand potting at his nursery. Tune in to our AgriCurious podcast where you can hear from Manuel in his own words sharing why he believes science is so necessary, why he trials new scientific advancements on his own farm, and his thoughts on alternative substrates and the importance of interdisciplinary teams and science communication.
