Preforma plugs from Jiffy Group have proven to streamline propagation of multiple crops around the world, including ornamentals, nursery and forestry crops, and soft fruits.
We have designed these customizable solutions to ensure our customers achieve optimal results in young plant production for the following methods: seed, cuttings, or tissue culture.
Let’s dig into why Preforma represents an optimal propagation solution for growers.
Intricately designed for efficiency
Jiffy Preforma is a bonded media that ensures cells don’t fall apart while allowing plants to be pulled apart much more quickly and easily. Lightly rooted plants can be handled without damaged.
Using Preforma enables you to reduce your use of water and nutrients, achieving cost savings as your production efficiency and sustainability increase.
Preforma plugs stand out in part because of their excellent drainage and water-holding capacity. Moreover, their porosity of 30+% results in no compaction, even under heavy misting. Together, these conditions encourage plants to quickly develop strong, uniform roots and high yields without running the risk of root rot or drying out.
When using Preforma you can ship or transport plugs more quickly, freeing up valuable bench space and allowing for more turns in the greenhouse.
Third-party certification ensures quality production and performance
Jiffy controls the entire Preforma supply chain, from raw materials through tray production and delivery. Each component is produced and checked for quality in our certified production locations.
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.
Jiffy Preforma is certified with the quality mark from RHP, the nonprofit European knowledge center for growing media since 1963.
Customizable, yet consistent
Preforma has a wide range of substrate, tray, and dibble options to find the optimal combination for your crop and production process.
Preforma is available in several pH offerings. By dialing in your propagation with the pH level that your crop requires, you can avoid the need to create a fertilization program to resolve nutrient deficiencies.
No matter which Preforma solution you select, the plugs throughout each tray provide uniform and consistent rooting and production.
Providing labor savings
Jiffy Preforma trays are pre-filled and ready to use allowing you to save on upfront expenses of media, trays, labor, and storage.
Preforma plugs are designed to hold their shape, purposely designed for mechanized handling and hard to root cuttings. The binder allows for greater root stability which eliminates the risk of transplant shock.
In both manual and automated processes, Preforma provides faster turnaround times and maximizes bench space efficiency while minimizing losses.
Around the world, Preforma provides growers peace of mind
Jiffy Preforma gives proven, repeatable results to gives growers peace of mind and allows for the best possible propagation results.
Preforma increases rooting speed at Serres Yargeau
Greenhouse grower Serres Yargeau, in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, produces annuals, vegetable plants, and poinsettias for retail customers in Quebec and the United States.
Preforma’s optimal aeration generates fast and efficient rooting at Serres Yargeau, resulting in reduced production times.
Additionally, Preforma reduces the greenhouse’s phytosanitary issues, such as moss and fungus gnats.
With Preforma, Serres Yargeau also experiences positive results on the sustainability front. These include lessened pesticide use alongside a transition to more biological control measures. Meanwhile, Jiffy Preforma’s hermetic packaging makes shipment of the product easier and allows it to be stored for longer.
“Don’t hesitate to try Jiffy Preforma for your productions,” says Serres Yargeau Owner Bruno Ménard. “With the results you’ll get, you’ll quickly be convinced to adopt the product, and you'll find your life as a plant producer greatly facilitated.”
Malmborg’s Garden Center & Greenhouse achieves consistent results with Preforma
Jared Lucht, Production Manager at Malmborg’s Garden Center & Greenhouse, represents the third generation of the Minneapolis-area family business. Open year-round, the greenhouse grows about 1,100 different plant varieties and produces roughly 5 million plugs per year.
The team at Malmborg’s has found that they get the most out of their rainwater system by watering consistency with Jiffy Preforma. Jared has been impressed by how evenly Jiffy Preforma stays hydrated. The media doesn’t dry out at the bottom or the top: If it’s dry, it’s dry throughout.
“The big thing for us with Jiffy is we get consistency,” Jared says. “We’re usually working together to find the solution that works best for us. We base a plan a year out, and we have timelines for how things grow. And Jiffy allows us to have the most amount of plants in the smallest amount of space, with the most consistent results.”
Dr. Green improves efficiencies using Preforma
Freek says the dibbles included in Preforma plugs simplify seedling placement.
“It’s much easier for the planters to make sure the seedlings end up right in the middle,” Freek says. “When you push the seedling in, it will immediately stick to the plug. I call it a little sponge.”
In addition, the grower sees Preforma’s excellent water absorption as a major advantage for the operation.
“It takes water up so quickly after it has been dry for a long time, and holds it well,” Freek says. “That makes it easy to play with my watering strategy.”
New Preforma factory in the works
Jiffy is proud to announce that we will be opening a new Preforma factory on the United States’ West Coast. This new facility will enhance our ability to serve our customer base in North America and Latin America. Our capacity increases while our freight factor will decrease, providing better service to growers located in the Western half of the continent.
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!
