Jiffy’s Preforma Plant Plug System: Frequently Asked Questions

If you are looking for a high-quality substrate with optimal drainage, aeration, and water-holding capacity, look no further than the Jiffy Preforma plant plug system.

With Jiffy Preforma, pre-filled plug trays are ready to go, right off the delivery pallet. The plugs create strong, uniform roots, even with hard-to-root cutting material.

Below, we answer growers’ most frequently asked questions about the Jiffy Preforma propagation solution.

What exactly is preforma?

Jiffy Preforma is a combination of specific substrates, a binder, and a tray of choice. With a porosity of 30% or more, preforma plugs do not experience compaction, even under heavy misting.

Preforma is a bonded media that ensures:

  • The cell doesn’t fall apart
  • Plants can be pulled much quicker and more easily
  • Lightly rooted plants can be handled without damage

What makes preforma unique?

Uniformity. A high-quality plug crafted from a custom blend of coir or peat, preforma caters to the specific needs of growers. Preforma components are thoroughly tested to ensure a consistent product, every time.

What advantages does preforma offer over other growing media options?

  • 20% faster sticking: Speed up your planting process
  • More usable and uniform plants per tray
  • Labor savings: The product comes ready-to-use, eliminating prep time and allowing you to solely focus on sticking.
  • Fewer losses, especially on difficult-to-root items

Does the preforma plug absorb and release water easily?

Given their inherent porosity and volume, preforma plugs absorb and release moisture in a controlled manner. It’s essential that you manage watering as required by the specific blend option and plant requirements.

Do you have unique substrates for individual crops?

Yes, we offer preforma solutions to best accommodate your needs. These include unique blend options based on a combination of specific proven substrates designed from our years of experience working with horticulture, agriculture, nursery, and forestry growers around the world.

Contact our professional team to help you understand the best media and growing options for your system, climate, automation, timing demands, and plant products.

Can you make a custom preforma plug for our crop?

Our coir and pleat blends are developed to address individual customer needs and specific production requirements. We also offer a wide selection of dibbles.

Can I only use preforma plant plugs for cutting propagation?

Preforma is not limited to cutting propagation. It is also ideal for germinating seeds, and transplanting tissue cultures.

Which types of growing operations can preforma be used in?

Preforma is used for a wide range of different crops and production environments. These include ornamentals, soft fruits and vegetables, forestry crops, nursery stock, and more.

Is the quality of preforma certified by any third parties?

Yes, Jiffy produces preforma in our own certified locations, and we control the entire supply chain, from raw materials through tray production and delivery.

All of Jiffy’s production plants have achieved multiple third-party certifications, including ISO 9001 quality management system, ISO 14001 environmental management system, and ISO 22000 food safety management system.

Preforma is also certified with the quality mark from RHP, the nonprofit European knowledge center for growing media since 1963.

Do you have any success stories of customers benefiting from preforma?

We’re glad you asked. Some of our valued customers who have experienced positive results from using preforma include Wagners Garden Center and Malmborg’s Garden Center in Minneapolis, Serres Yargeau, in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, and Dr. Green in Naaldwijk, Netherlands.

Can you fill all types of trays?

We can fill most any size cell tray in the market, including many strip trays, true trays, or customer-specific trays in both standard and injection-molded formats.

Is preforma suitable for automation?

Preforma plugs are very uniform and consistent which is critical for automation. This consistency and the well bonded media make Preforma the ideal product for automation.

What customer service is available for preforma?

Jiffy prides itself on its customer service, as we exist to serve the horticulture and agriculture industries. Visit the contact pageon our website to get in touch with our technical experts.

What preforma developments are in the works?

We will be opening a new Preforma factory on the United States’ West Coast to enhance our ability to serve our expanding customer base.

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!

Versatile solutions

Jiffy Preforma is the tailor-made plug solution of high-quality substrates. It is bound together and well-suited to both hard-to-root cutting material or demanding mechanized handling. The binder ensures easy automation and no transplant shock.