In today’s blog post, we will be discussing pros and cons of various growing methods and media types, as they apply to commercial production of high value horticultural crops. Although there are nearly infinite ways to grow plants, we will only focus on the more popular methods that are often employed by large scale operations and methods that are popular in today’s production environments....

As an essential nutrient vital for plant growth and development, phosphorus plays a pivotal role in numerous physiological processes, ranging from energy transfer to DNA synthesis. Growing hydroponically with soluble nutrients, coco coir is a versatile and efficient substrate, offering an ideal environment for nutrient uptake and utilization. However, coco, much like other hydroponic substrates, has the potential to store too much phosphorus, and when...

Coconut coir is a byproduct of the coconut industry, being used for the production of coconut oil, juice, and flesh (or “meat”). These are produced from coconut palm trees. As with most fruits, coconuts contain large amounts of potassium. The coconut husk is essentially a lignin compound, similar to wood, but evolved to be more resilient as it protects the reproductive part of the...