Dear customers and business partners,

Commercial horticulture is undergoing profound changes. Digitisation, sustainability, profitability concerns and globalisation call for new, integrated overall approaches that modern growers can adopt. We are actively moving forward here, providing forward-looking solutions. With digital solutions, modern growing systems and new substrate constituents, we have more to offer your business, and many further innovations are being vigorously pursued. Our aspiration is that each new development will represent a tangible advancement, simplify your day-to-day operations, make your crop management more reliable and boost the success of your business. In order that our product launches go smoothly everywhere – especially in this time of coronavirus – we will also use digital training formats such as online seminars in the future.

And there is another good reason to stay innovative: to put it plainly, commercial horticulture needs more options. Demand for growing media and cultivation systems will see a strong increase in the years ahead due to global population growth and a rising demand for healthy foodstuffs. Given the limited resources, available options will need to be fully exploited if the required substrates and systems are to be produced. In the light of this, we have set ourselves the target of increasing the share of alternative constituents of our total production to 30% by volume by 2025. The era of purely peat-based growing media is over; the future path will involve an ever-increasing range of alternative raw materials and new cultivation methods.

This objective is in line with the latest developments in the European Union. The agenda is clear: conserving resources, securing supply, minimising waste, doing business sustainably and attaining climate neutrality by 2050. With the variety of our substrates and their tremendous benefits for people all over the world, we will help to achieve this – at all times prioritising our quality standards and the reliability of supply to our customers.

We wish you, your families and your company all the best. Stay healthy and safe!

Best wishes,

Moritz Böcking, Bernd Wehming
Managing Directors of the Klasmann-Deilmann Group

Plant diseases must be effectively suppressed. Adding biological stimulants can give a substrate just such a suppressive effect, and we have investigated how strong this action is. Our green-compost product TerrAktiv PLUS was among those tested, and proved the most effective.

Growers rely on effective suppression of plant diseases. However, legal requirements allow increasingly little scope for fungicide use. This means that plant diseases such as Pythium, Phytophthora and Fusarium may occur again in greater numbers. The addition of biostimulants can have a suppressive effect in substrates and prevent crop diseases. And now a dependable alternative is available from Klasmann-Deilmann.

In a series of scientific trials jointly conducted with independent institutes, we have investigated how effective various fungal strains and bacteria are in suppressing crop diseases. The performance of our new green-compost product was also tested in comparison with commonly used biostimulants. The outcomes of all trials confirm that TerrAktiv PLUS provides the strongest suppressive effect. A proportion of 5-10% by volume in standard substrate blends is sufficient to achieve outstanding results.

TerrAktiv PLUS …

• is based on TerrAktiv green compost made from 100% plant-based constituents;
• is additionally enriched with a microbial preparation that optimises the suppressive effect;
• is rich in natural amino acids and enzymes;
• contains high levels of trace elements;
• yields highly positive effects, especially in terms of the quality of sensitive crops;
• is the superior alternative to all commonly used biostimulants for growing media.

TerrAktiv PLUS ensures …

• strong microbial vitalisation of substrates;
• greater resistance to soil-borne fungal pathogens;
• enhanced conversion of organic fertilisers into plant-available nutrients;
• suppression of mould formation;
• healthier, more robust crops;
• improved root growth.

TerrAktiv PLUS – ideal for container-grown crops

Just one example of many:
Container substrate 2 coarse + 10% TerrAktiv PLUS

The Growcoon lasts only as long as it needs to, breaking down during nursery cultivation. Commercial growers now have two different versions to choose between. The tried-and-tested Growcoon Regular takes longer to biodegrade, whereas the new Growcoon Progressive decomposes far more rapidly, making it even more sustainable.

The Growcoon gradually breaks down during crop cultivation. Naturally occurring microbes cause the propagation system to progressively decompose until it becomes invisible, leaving behind no residues that could affect subsequent growing-on or be unpleasant for the final consumer. “Alongside straightforward handling and the stable root ball, its biodegradability is among the Growcoon’s key benefits,” says Franziska Watermann, Project Manager at Klasmann-Deilmann.

However, the length of growth cycles differs depending on the crop and the cultivation method. “For a considerable number of nurseries, the Growcoon still takes too long to break down,” Watermann says. “And so our partner company Maan BioBased has developed the Growcoon further to improve this aspect.”

“The aim was to make the Growcoon more flexible in terms of adaptation to local on-site conditions,” Watermann adds. “Growers can now decide whether the more rapidly or more slowly biodegradable product is a better fit for their cultivation methods.”

The new, more rapidly degradable Growcoon is available under the ‘Growcoon Progressive’ label. In this context, another video clip was uploaded to our YouTube CHANNEL. Digitally animated, the clip explains and shows how the decomposition process works. The long-established original Growcoon with a longer decomposition period is now called ‘Growcoon Regular’.

Do not hesitate to contact Franziska Watermann with questions, suggestions or requirement notifications: .

Coir products form an ideal foundation for the healthy growth of many different crops. They have long been a proven constituent of numerous substrate blends. Our customers in various horticultural segments are now benefiting even more from coir in the form of fibre, chips, etc.

Wood fibre, green compost, coir and many other ingredients: alongside peat, many high-quality raw materials are available that can tailor a substrate’s properties to specific needs. “From now on, we will be using coir products on an even greater scale,” reports Ted Vollebregt, Managing Director of Klasmann-Deilmann Benelux. “To this end, we have acquired exclusive international distribution rights for the entire product range of Shakti Cocos, the leading producer.”

Shakti Cocos stands out from other coir suppliers in several ways: unparalleled quality characteristics, certification to RHP standards, efficiently organised production involving local partners, and scope for delivering bespoke product solutions. The company also has SA8000 status, certifying jobs that meet social-accountability criteria in production facilities. Environmentally sound wastewater management is also a high priority. “In this way, Shakti Cocos and Klasmann-Deilmann are supporting sustainable development in commercial horticulture,” Vollebregt emphasises..

The patented coir product called Shakti Amla® is widely known; it is distinguished by its consistently low pH level and provides growers with unique additional benefits. “The process employed in making Shakti Amla stabilises fluctuating pH values, thus simplifying the application of the substrate and the subsequent fertilisation of the crops,” Vollebregt says.

Klasmann-Deilmann has already developed a range of substrate blends containing coir that are proven in different segments. “We use coir pith and coir fibre in our growing media for strawberries, blueberries and other soft fruits,” Vollebregt explains. These crops benefit from the substrate’s outstanding drainage and from the long-term structural stability it confers, especially in perennial cultivation. “In seedling substrates, coir pith results in enhanced water flow properties and in excellent water uptake performance. And the substrate surface dries more quickly.” Where ebb-and-flow irrigation systems are used with pot-grown crops, coir fibre improves water distribution within the substrate. “Last but not least, coir fibre enhances air capacity,” adds Ted Vollebregt. “Top-grade coir fibre adds value to many substrates and even more crops. We are delighted that we will be able to use it on a large scale from now on.”

For more information:
https://klasmann-deilmann.com/en/competencies/raw-materials/coir-products/

European Union guidelines on the permitted use of designations such as ‘organic’ and the German equivalent Bio are being tightened. France has a one-year head start in its response to this development. We will soon no longer be allowed to universally use the term Bio for our products in this segment. Klasmann-Deilmann is taking the necessary steps to be fully prepared for these changes.

We can already announce that our organic substrates will be marketed under the name ‘ProLine’ from 1 January 2021. We chose the prefix ‘pro’ since, with its positive associations, it is synonymous with the way these organic growing media embody all that is good, sustainable and forward-looking. And ‘line’ is not only a synonym for ‘product range’ but expresses rigour, continuity and the aims we are jointly pursuing with our customers in this segment.

You can find out more about this at the International Plant Fair (IPM) in January 2021.

K-Newsery* is the digital newsletter published by Klasmann-Deilmann. If you would like to hear more about a certain topic or share a valuable experience of your own, please send an e-mail to or tell your contact at Klasmann-Deilmann about it.

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* K-Newsery is, of course, a made-up word. The ‘K’ stands for our logo. ‘Newsery’ is a mixture of ‘news’ and ‘nursery’.