{"id":5404,"date":"2023-07-28T13:00:26","date_gmt":"2023-07-28T11:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jiffygroup.com\/news\/leading-avocado-and-macadamia-nursery-uses-j-7cs\/"},"modified":"2023-07-28T13:00:26","modified_gmt":"2023-07-28T11:00:26","slug":"leading-avocado-and-macadamia-nursery-uses-j-7cs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jiffygroup.com\/pt\/solucoes\/leading-avocado-and-macadamia-nursery-uses-j-7cs\/","title":{"rendered":"Leading Avocado and Macadamia Nursery uses J-7Cs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe use medical-grade monitoring devices to ensure the health and performance of our micro trees,\u201d says Mark Hassenkamp, CEO of RedSun Hortitech. \u201cEven after they\u2019ve been planted in our customers\u2019 fields.\u201d<\/p>\n

RedSun<\/a> exports half a million avocado and macadamia trees a year from its HQ in the tropical northeast of South Africa. Here, we talk exclusively to Mark about the groundbreaking agritech methods and customer support levels that have transformed the SGASA-accredited operation into a global top-10 avocado and macadamia nursery.<\/p>\n

Jiffy-7Cs make the process affordable and predictable<\/h3>\n

\u201cQuality is the start and end point because it allows us to establish a price,\u201d says Mark. \u201cCustomers know we\u2019ve done all the hard work in terms of genetics, nutrition, and treatment. And our \u2018perfect plants \u2013 on time\u2019 promise drives us to meet our customers\u2019 expectations. Jiffy has played a crucial role in helping us meet that promise. It\u2019s helped us de-risk our growing and export processes by making them affordable, repeatable, and predictable.\u201d<\/p>\n

RedSun has been a Jiffy customer for five years. Prior to that, it found that the complexity of other growing systems brought unpredictable challenges. Such as the need for specialized bagging equipment, input variables that had to be calibrated to perform, and substrates that required blending and buffering.<\/p>\n

For both clonal cuttings and seeds<\/h3>\n

The nursery now propagates everything \u2013 clonal cuttings and seeds \u2013 in Jiffy-7C Pellets. With the trees being sent all over the world, phytosanitary compliance is a critical success factor. RedSun operates a closed system and it\u2019s crucial that no pathogens are sent out to customers. Anything coming in \u2013 including the Jiffy-7Cs<\/a> \u2013 is tested heavily for chemical, pest, and disease profiles.<\/p>\n

RedSun has never had any issues with the pellets, which are always manufactured in Jiffy\u2019s own ISO-certified production plants. To prevent the roots from growing into one another, his team puts the pellets into reusable plastic sleeves. RedSun also opens the tops of the pellets to create space for the larger seeds and covers the seeds with some cocopeat after planting.<\/p>\n

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Working with Jiffy Group and distributor Camel Thorn<\/h3>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve worked with Jiffy over the years to optimize results,\u201d Mark confirms. \u201cJiffy\u2019s global team and local distributor Camel Thorn Horticulture<\/a> have always been innovative, and open to feedback and alternatives. At one point, we wanted to include slow-release fertilizers in the pellets, but it proved impractical in the end. We've now developed incredibly good techniques to bring liquid- and leaf-based nutrition into the Jiffies and plant growth cycles.\u201d<\/p>\n

When RedSun\u2019s micro trees are hardened off at 30cm to 80cm, they have a very healthy 50:50 root-canopy weight ratio for optimal balance, root uptake, canopy dispersal, and light interception. They are exported with the pellet attached. The 60mm x 120mm size enables the nursery to pack 50 units in each climate-controlled sterilized box. The pellets are lightweight but RedSun has found that they hold enough moisture and nutrients for up to 14 days in a closed container. And that they minimize transplant issues at the other end.<\/p>\n

Monitoring trees at the customer<\/h3>\n

To help ensure their customers\u2019 success wherever they are located, RedSun is committed to the quick evolution and rollout of data visualization. That\u2019s why it sends them data monitoring tools to be applied to the nursery or field growing stages. The tools can monitor exported trees during shipping, transplantation, and for the first six to 12 months of the growing period.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you can see it, you can manage it! Our genetics are our most valuable intellectual property and we've invested heavily in them. So we take a real interest in keeping the trees healthy, even if they\u2019re planted in extreme climates. We use probes and electronics pioneered in medicine for fully accurate real-time data monitoring on rootzone water-holding capacity, air-filled porosity, electroconductivity, and pH. Being informed and proactive means that we can reduce losses by making fast decisions regarding inputs and water.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bringing in botanicals<\/h3>\n

A lot of people have jumped out of the macadamia sector because crop prices have dropped, but Mark sees this as the ideal time to consolidate, grow market share, and cement RedSun\u2019s position in this global industry. He\u2019s also about to expand its product range. \u201cOutside of macadamia and avocado, we see growing global demand for botanicals and medicinal plants. We have the advantage of lower unit cost production and bioclimatic diversity in southern Africa. We\u2019re taking what we've learned and bringing botanicals in as a third area for value-add customers in Asia and Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever our product, we strive to be in the top 10% of nurseries globally through our promise of perfect trees arriving on time. Likewise, our relationship with Jiffy and Camel Thorn is built on the consistent high quality of the pellets and the service. Consistency brings comfort to our growers and to ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s work together<\/h3>\n

Jiffy is a\u202fleading global supplier\u202fof premium growing media\u202fand solution thinking. We aim to\u202fserve\u202fyou,\u202four customers\u202fin plant propagation and cultivation, to\u202fachieve better results with fewer worries. We do this\u202fby continually\u202fimproving,\u202finnovating,\u202fand\u202fworking toward our common goals,\u202fbased on scientific research,\u202fteamwork, and\u202fdecades of experience.\u202fLet\u2019s develop sustainable plant growing solutions together: Let\u2019s start today!<\/p>\n