Achieving success with the right substrate right on time

There are two main issues growers face when seeking substrate success. The first is making sure they have the right substrate for the right plant. The second is making sure the best substrate is available to them when they need it. But that can be tricky when dealing with substrate ingredients like peat that may be affected by changes in weather patterns year to year.

“If you have a lot of rain in the spring, summer and autumn, you’re going to have a poor harvest,” explains Berger Director of Technical Services Pierre-Marc de Champlain. “The way Berger mitigates that is by having peat bogs in different areas of Canada which can compensate for a bad season elsewhere.”

While having a partner that alleviates supply issues with diversified bog locations is an excellent strategy, some growers may still want to seek out peat alternatives. But finding and adding a peat alternative to growing processes places an additional burden on the grower. How do you ensure the alternative works for what you grow?

“Berger set a target as a company to reduce dependency on peat moss and develop products that integrate alternative components,” de Champlain says. “We were the first in North America to integrate wood fiber in growing media in 2012, and our R&D team is always on the lookout for new materials.”

Trialing and working with a substrate company that has the experience to help guide the process is the key for growers looking to change or expand their growing media into peat alternatives, de Champlain explains. “You can have two growers producing the same thing in the same area with similar infrastructure, and they’ll use different products based on the way they do things,” he says. “You wouldn’t want to recommend the same product to a ‘wet’ grower as you would a ‘dry’ grower.”

De Champlain notes that Berger has excellent standard mixes that meet a variety of needs but can easily customize mixes as well to help address issues like pH balance. And to help growers pinpoint the best product for their crops and methods, Berger has a network of grower advisers that can help with running trials, troubleshooting and adjusting grower practices. These advisers help determine the best products to start with and then help growers set up delivery time and trialing processes. They can offer tips for new and unfamiliar substrates and optimize parameters and practices.

“Our grower advisers are former growers that have experience in greenhouses and through their years have seen a lot of greenhouses,” de Champlain notes. And in concert with sales representatives dedicated to one-on-one relationships, they are always available to help find grower solutions. “They are accessible and look at everything, not just the soil. We cater to the customer and their needs.”

Grower advisers are an important part of success, de Champlain says, but so is Berger’s constant quality control ensuring the substrate is right, even before it’s shipped. And all of it combined, he notes, is the key to making sure growers get the right substrate for the right plant at the right time. “From the beginning of the relationship, Berger remains connected. We solve problems rapidly. And that’s how we keep our customers.”