For more than 50 years, Bob’s Market & Greenhouses in Mason, WV has grown from a local produce grower into a three-generation family business with 25 acres of greenhouses, five acres of outdoor space, and at least 700,000 finished plants per year. By partnering with Profile Growing Solutions, the operation adopted HydraFiber® engineered substrate in 2019 and committed to using it in most crops by 2021. Incorporating HydraFiber and Florikan® controlled-release fertilizers has improved crop consistency and performance, enabled less frequent irrigation, and reduced labor associated with tank mixing, liquid feeding, and frequent nutrition monitoring.
Key Points
- Three-generation family business with 25 acres of greenhouses, five acres of outside growing space, and at least 700,000 finished plants per year, now among the ten largest wholesale seedling producers in the United States.
- HydraFiber® trials began in 2019, leading to blends with peat moss at 30 – 35% inclusion to replace perlite, with significant cost savings, more efficient shipping and storage, and improved consistency and performance across crops.
- By 2021, HydraFiber was used in most crops, including ferns, mums, poinsettias, and hanging baskets; Florikan® controlled-release fertilizers were incorporated into fern production in 2022 and later into mums and hanging baskets.
- Growers report better crop recovery and management, mums that stay green with less supplemental liquid feed, fewer pH and EC checks, and greater flexibility when irrigation cycles are missed—key advantages amid industry-wide labor constraints.
