HydraFiber gives growers a high-quality, cost-effective alternative to perlite with cleaner mixing areas and seamless transitions in existing operations. Factory-manufactured year-round in Conover, North Carolina, HydraFiber Ultra and EZ Blend bales and towers provide reliable supply, consistent physical and chemical properties, and easy blending with peat and other components. Compressed, low-bulk-density materials improve storage, freight and pallet efficiencies, while trial work shows HydraFiber blends can deliver equal or better plant performance than comparable perlite mixes. Highly porous, Thermally Refined® fibers increase total porosity, air space and available water, supporting strong root development. HydraFiber also eliminates silica-related dust, reduces mess and labor, and is OMRI-listed in the U.S. and Canada.
Key Points
- Year-round, factory-manufactured HydraFiber in Ultra and EZ Blend formats offers strong availability, consistent physical and chemical properties, and blends easily with other mix components.
- Compressed, low-bulk-density HydraFiber improves storage and freight efficiency, with examples such as 3 to 4 HydraFiber Ultra semis replacing 30 to 40 perlite semis and about 5% more units per TL in an 85% peat:15% HydraFiber mix vs. perlite.
- Highly singulated HydraFiber fibers provide almost twice the total porosity of horticultural perlite, increasing both water-holding and air space by over 70% and delivering up to 10% more available water in peat blends.
- HydraFiber blends support equal or better plant performance and root development than perlite blends, while offering a cleaner, safer, OMRI-listed option that eliminates respiratory and eye-irritating silica and reduces waste and clean-up labor.
