"What a grower looks for is to economize, and metal gutters are more expensive and don't provide the same functionality or the added benefits you need during production", claims Arturo Gonzalez, Business Development at Cravo in Mexico. As an example, he talks about avoiding sodium issues, keeping your plants healthy and at a good height, and making everything more efficient. "I've seen the improvements with the Hi-Grow system."
On June 13th, a field day, organized by Cravo, Plantlogic, and Organia México, took place at Cravo's facilities in Irapuato Mexico. This event, attended by the strawberry growers in the region, served as the platform to present Plantlogic's new Hi-Grow system, installed in Cravo's test plot, which has completed its first production cycle. The Hi-Grow System is available for tabletops and for slabs.
New system
During the event, Engineer Carlos Ruiz Mapula, Director of Business Development for LATAM and Spain at Cravo, and Engineer Arturo Gonzalez, Business Development for Berries in Mexico, were interviewed and shared their impressions of the new system.
According to Ruiz Mapula, this research and demonstration greenhouse for berries is used to conduct tests with different production systems to determine the ideal configuration and the one that offers the best results in terms of initial capital investment, system installation, maintenance, and quality and quantity of yields.
"When a grower decides to install Cravo, we have to recommend the things we have tested and that have worked for us," says the Director of Business Development for LATAM and Spain.
Easy installation and labor savings
One of the benefits observed with the Hi-Grow system is that its installation is quicker and easier, they add. "It is possible to install 50-meter lines (with drainage collection gutter) with just three people in approximately 4 hours per line, allowing for significant labor savings. Additionally, since the drainage is separate from the planting system, it is easier to maintain compared to traditional metal gutters, which need to be disinfected and painted after each cycle."
"In terms of the different Hi-Grow system configurations, either for pots or slabs, we've seen the benefit of the pot version, as bulk substrate is cheaper than slabs, and the pots also have a much longer lifespan than the bags," said Arturo Gonzalez.
Healthier plants and higher yields
According to Gonzalez, one of the benefits of the Hi-Grow system for strawberry production is that it maintains the same height throughout the entire line, unlike metal gutters that start high and end lower, which can negatively impact the health of the plants at the back of the lines.
"Something we've liked is that the plants look the same from the beginning to the end of each line, unlike other systems with metal gutters, where the plants at the end of the lines look less healthy and produce fewer fruits," says the Business Developer for Cravo in Mexico.
According to Carlos Ruiz, one of the key aspects of hydroponic production is protecting the plants from humidity and diseases, and as producers, they have confirmed that the entire plant maintains the same quality throughout the 50 meters of the line. This is because the system doesn't create an unevenness at the top; instead, the slope is provided by its narrow gutter placed centrally.
Another point worth highlighting is that, since the drainage is separate from the plant, the fruit doesn't get contaminated, he adds. "In contrast, with metal gutters, the fruit often hangs down and falls into the gutter, where it becomes contaminated and rots, leading to losses"
More economical than other hydroponic systems
According to Gonzalez, the primary advantage of the Hi-Grow system lies in its price and performance. "Whether in its hanging or tabletop version, the main benefit of Plantlogic's Hi-Grow system is its value for money, as the price per linear meter is significantly lower than that of the leading competitors on the market."
"What a producer looks for is to economize, and metal gutters are more expensive and don't provide the same functionality or the added benefits you need during production, such as avoiding sodium issues, keeping your plants healthy and at a good height, and making everything more efficient; and I've seen this with the Hi-Grow system," says Arturo Gonzalez.
Cravo's upcoming plans include installing all the Hi-Grow system lines in one of their greenhouses, in both pot and slab versions, and continuing to conduct tests to gather solid data that will allow them to recommend the best system configuration to hydroponic strawberry producers in Mexico.
For more information:
Plantlogic
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www.getplantlogic.com