HydraFiber towers provide a cost-effective way for growers and blenders to replace perlite and other raw materials using standard equipment and simple calculations. Each 95-cu. ft. (3.5-cu. yd.) tower is highly compressed and available in HydraFiber T365 and EZ Blend formulations, with expansion rates of 6:1 for Ultra and 4:1 for EZ Blend. Users calculate how many inches of tower to cut based on mixer size and desired HydraFiber inclusion rate, then cut, break apart and blend the material with other substrates, lime and amendments following clearly defined steps.
Key Points
- HydraFiber towers are available in 95-cu. ft. (3.5-cu. yd.) Ultra (T160, T365) and EZ Blend formulations for growers and blenders replacing perlite and other raw materials.
- Ultra towers expand at a 6:1 rate and EZ Blend at 4:1, with typical 95-in. towers containing 1,200 lb. (Ultra) or 1,600 lb. (EZ Blend) and yielding 6 cu. ft. and 4.2 cu. ft. per tower inch respectively.
- A step-by-step calculation example shows how to determine tower inches for a target inclusion rate (e.g., 18.9 in. of Ultra for a 35% rate in a 12-yard batch mixer).
- Mixing guidance covers cutting and removing compressed material, breaking it into smaller chunks, adding it after other substrates (with coir hydrated first), mixing at least 10 minutes, and then adding lime and amendments.
