If you’re curious about how Jiffy’s products and services give growers consistency and calmness, just ask Jared Lucht.
“I’m a lot less worried and a lot less stressed because I don’t need to worry about one thing, and that’s to find the thing for the next year that will make it better than it was the year before,” says Jared, Production Manager at Malmborg’s Garden Center & Greenhouse in Minnesota.
Our Preforma plug system is a strong example of a solution that assists Malmborg’s and other operations around the globe.
Preforma is comprised of a custom blend of coir or peat, a binder, and your tray of choice that combine to support your crop through automated processes. Whether you are growing from cuttings, seeds, or tissue culture, Preforma helps you save on labor and experience fewer losses.
Jiffy strives to make sure Preforma represents a true solution in horticulture, agriculture, nursery, and forestry. For example, we developed Preforma so that it would facilitate propagate tissue culture and difficult-to-root plants such as orchids. And we always follow methodical quality tests in material sourcing and production.
Preforma serves as foundation for even hard-to-root crops
Jiffy designed Preforma to support the propagation of multiple crops, from lettuce to lilacs.
One way this is achieved is through the binder, which stabilizes roots in tissue culture and other starting material to eliminate the risk of transplant shock. We also offer Preforma plugs with varying pH levels to accommodate specific crop demands.
Our Preforma orchid plugs are specially designed for growing orchids, such as those in the common Phalaenopsis genus. These orchid plugs provide optimal pH and EC levels for orchid growth. Designed with an open structure that keeps the top of the plugs dry, they receive the right amount of air, even directly after irrigation.
The value of in-depth quality testing
At Jiffy, we follow stringent standards for quality testing our Preforma products, both in terms of the material inputs we use and the end products and solutions we produce and send out to our valued customers.
With material inputs, we test each substrate batch to verify correct pH and EC levels. While Preforma is available in several pH offerings, we always ensure that pH is consistent within each selection.
We also pride ourselves on our traceability protocols. That extends to material inputs for Preforma and also the QC-checks during production. These records are always available and in accordance with the strict rules of our food safety quality system (ISO 22000).
As we produce our Preforma plant plugs, our quality control technicians and production employees regularly perform tests to confirm that finished plant plugs are strong, as well as properly filled with the correct dibble specifications.
Traceability is also key in finished plant plug testing. Jiffy retains the QC information of each production run date, time, and specific production line.
The sampling program of Jiffy is based on risk analyses. For that reason, we have a sampling program for chemicals, physical attributes, nematodes, weeds, and several food safety risks, etc.
Jiffy’s new Preforma factory
Because Preforma has proven to provide value to an array of growers producing various crops, we continue to grow and are excited to expand with a new Jiffy Preforma factory in Oregon, scheduled to open in summer 2024. The facility marks a significant expansion in Jiffy’s operational capacity, enabling us to more efficiently serve the West Coast and Latin America.
Growers can rest assured knowing that our new factory will include all of the same rigorous production processes and quality testing that have come to define Preforma.
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!
