Engineer Susel Andrea Martínez from the University of Cundinamarca in Fusagasugá, Colombia, is currently working at the San Bernardo farm, a farm nestled between Ráquira and Tinjacá. The greenhouse operation sits at 2,400 meters above sea level and primarily cultivates tomatoes, including the classic San Marzano variety often used for sauces, pastas, and creams.
A Helpful Remedy in a Challenging Grow Environment
After experiencing issues like pathogens and harmful microorganisms with previous crops, Martínez turned to Jiffy’s growing solutions to support the San Bernand farm operations over the past two seasons.
“Here, we had very clay-ey soils with high electrical conductivity (EC), saline soils, and, in addition, hydrophobic soils,” Martínez says. Jiffy’s hydroponic Growbags, which arrive dry and compressed , disinfected, and free of weeds, plant pathogens and insects, seemed like the perfect solution.
“By switching to Jiffy technology, we have noticed an improvement in the quality of the product, as it is much easier to manage,” she says. Using a drip irrigation system with compensated emitters along with the Growbags, Martínez adds that the team now has better control with fertilization and nutrition.
Martínez found other benefits, too, including improvement in labor management,” she says. “It helps us significantly, for example, with weed control.”
She adds that the spacing of the Jiffy Growbags allow the plants to be more exposed, and workers can more easily navigate around the foliage to conduct weeding and pruning activities.
Measuring the Results of Growbags
So far, Martínez has recognized marked improvement in crops grown with Growbags compared to the previous soil-grown crops.
“In the first cycle, we achieved a production rate of 9.1 kilos per plant, above the current average in the area,” she says. Not only were the tomatoes getting higher yields, but they also saw a significant increase in quality. The team no longer has to use herbicides, and they have significantly reduced their reliance on pesticides to keep pests and diseases at bay. Plus, the Growbags have been reused in subsequent crop cycles, layering on another benefit.
Overall this has made the switch to Jiffy consistently economically profitable for the team, Martínez says.
“This technology is worth using, implementing, and learning,” Martínez says. “We do not regret our investment.”
Editor’s note: Quotes by Susel Andrea Martínez have been translated to English from Spanish.
A Deeper Dive Into Jiffy’s Growbag Solutions
The Jiffy Growbag is the most powerful multipurpose growing medium available on the market today. With a vast range of options in terms of drainage, porosity, and format, you are sure to find the perfect Growbag for your needs.
All Jiffy Growbags are available in Finesse – our famed premium quality, and Essence – our budget choice.
They are available in a standard grow bag format as well as a typical container format (EFBags), with different substrate recipe options – High Yield, Husk Chip, 50-50, and Peat-Free.
All Jiffy Growbags contain 100% coco substrate, an eco-friendly substrate with no disposability issues. They are supplied from our own plant in Sri Lanka.
The Growbags are available in a wide range of configurations, with or without pre-cut planting and drainage holes, to suit your greenhouse or horticulture practices. Compressed and light, they are easy to transport and store.
Once put into use, Jiffy Growbags can last multiple cultivation cycles and are great for clean plant production.
To learn more about Jiffy Growbags, visit our Growbags product page and download our Growbags brochure.
Jiffy Growblocks, The Perfect Pairing to Jiffy Growbags
Jiffy’s Growblocks complement Jiffy Growbags nicely in horticultural production.
The all-in-one medium and container: the Jiffy Growblock is the number one choice for all cut-flower and vegetable growers using hydroponic systems, greenhouses or other nursery applications.
And thanks to air-pruning, better temperature control, and versatility, Jiffy Growblocks create healthier, stronger plants in many greenhouses around the world.
For the manufacturing of all Jiffy Growblocks, we use polylactic acid (PLA) netting, which is a corn starch alternative to plastic. PLA netting is a lightweight, fine-fibre web which is biodegradable and compostable under controlled industrial conditions.
Jiffy Growblocks are also RFP Certified for Horticulture for security and safety, meaning they have been tested for contamination prevention, chemical and physical properties, as well as phytosanitary processes to reduce risks of weeds, pests, and diseases.
Visit our products page to learn more about Jiffy Growblocks.
Let’s work together
Jiffy is a leading global supplier of premium growing media and solution thinking. We aim to serve you, our customers in plant propagation and cultivation, to achieve better results with fewer worries. We do this by continually improving, innovating, and working toward our common goals, based on scientific research, teamwork, and decades of experience. Let’s develop sustainable plant growing solutions together: Let’s start today!
