Development of sustainable recycled growing media

NIAB

Project objectives

Soft fruit growers are heavily reliant upon virgin coir for their production but the material and transport costs have been increasing recently and are becoming unaffordable. Overland Ltd has worked with NIAB to develop a way to recycle coir that offers better crop yields and quality than directly re-using or composting the coir. In this project they will further optimise their recycling processes to reduce the risk of pests, pathogens and weeds and decrease the energy input. They will investigate potential microbiome imbalances in recycled media and the scope for further reducing disease risks using biocontrol microbes.