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Quality recipes for the perfect substrate

2. 2. 2013

AGRO CS has the most advanced facilities among the producers of substrate mixes, featuring many unique technological solutions. The company uses thoroughly tested and practically tried recipes to produce quality and reliable substrates for the most demanding customers from the Czech Republic as well as from abroad.

Cutting-edge production line

The production hall houses the full manufacturing technology for substrate mixing by Dutch company Slootweg, one of the leaders in the industry. All transportation routes and silo containers are designed and produced by the company’s own engineering division. The capacity of the line is up to 250 m3 per hour.

The core of this hi-tech Dutch technology is a permanent control over the production process, especially accurate electronic dosage of all components. The system is set to switch off the entire line if any, even the slightest, deviation occurs. It restarts only after all the parameters meet the pre-set values. This ensures an accurate composition of all the substrate mixes. The moisture content of all components is permanently monitored and adjusted to maintain equal pre-defined values during the production of one batch.

The first in the Czech Republic

The most interesting part of the technology is the big bale press, which is the only one of its kind in the Czech Republic. It was designed and built by AGRO CS including the operating software, and meets all the requirements of our production.

The maximum performance of the press is 15 big bales per hour. Their volume ranges up to 4 m3 by type of substrate. The sturdy polyethylene packaging ensures perfect hygiene of both storage and use. Compared with other technologies, it uses welded seams that make the bales absolutely waterproof. Each big bale is labelled while still on the production line to avoid any errors. The advantage of this finish is its compliance with the standard size of 80 x 120 palettes (euro-palette). The bales on the palettes can be easily transported along with other goods sold by AGRO CS and do not add yet another size format to the packaging portfolio. The circulation is ensured by simple replacement upon delivery.

Tested raw materials

Besides technology, raw materials are the key condition of quality product. All raw materials that are used for our professional products meet the strictest criteria of RAL and RHP standards. The basic component of all our substrates is natural peat. Professional products are made with different types of peat: black and white and transient peat. Different particle gauges are used for different end-use purposes. Peat is extracted by blocking and gentle loosening, and is collected by vacuum extractors.

Other materials include: perlite, liadrain, coconut fibres, coconut chips, clay, pumice, vermiculite, dolomitic limestone, hydrogel (to hold moisture), soaking agents, bark humus, which is highly valued but also very expensive. Other components of our substrates include a wide range of fertilizers: NPK, PGmix, cote type slow-release fertilizers, Micromax Premium (micro-element complex), as well as fully organic Organica fertilizer.

Our laboratory

AGRO CS has its own accredited testing laboratory, which provides a competitive advantage. Our lab performs comprehensive analyses of irrigation and drinking water, substrates, foodstuffs, etc. Logically, it also tests all the raw materials used to make substrates, as well as our finished products. The laboratory determines pH, conductivity, salt content, specific gravity, nutrient content, presence of dangerous elements, weed content, as well as other biological parameters. The entire system is set to make sure every single batch of raw materials is checked, as well as every batch of produced substrate mixes.

New products in our unique range of substrates

The full range of AGRO CS covers 28 types of standard types of professional substrate mixes with brand new recipes. As the only of all the production companies in our field we have most of them in stock and ready to be delivered from our flexible stock. We can also design, make and deliver special substrates according to our clients’ specific requirements – our standard delivery time is three working days from order placement.

Our most successful products are substrates with controlled-release fertilizers such as Osmocote Exact, Nutricote or Multicote, which are popular for their high quality and special traits. Some types of customers, e.g. breeding companies, buy more than 45 % of substrates with these fertilizers for their purposes. A similar development can be seen in floricultural enterprises. A thing totally unimaginable in the past.

AGRO CS is fully aware that technological development in substrate production progresses steadily, and therefore we always focus on our customers’ maximum satisfaction with the products we make. There will be changes in many recipes in the forthcoming season, all of them based on our customers’ feedback and proper testing. It is you who can test whether these changes were a success. Do not hesitate to ask for an expert consultation or order samples.

Ing. Jiří Valtera, AGRO CS