Every Tower Farm produces its own seedlings from seeds. We advise buying organic seeds.
Although every Tower Farm owner is responsible for outsourcing their own seeds, we provide our customers with the contact information of our seed providers. Furthermore, we consult with our clients on seed selection, seedling rotations, and planting strategy.
Tower Farms use either coco coir or rockwool as a medium to plant the seeds.
Selecting organic coco coir is a must since coco coir is made from coco husks. Unless organic, most coco husks are soaked in hazardous pesticides.
Contrary to coco coir, although rockwool is recyclable, it is not compostable. From our perspective, and based on years of comparative testing, although both materials are natural and rockwool is not compostable, we highly recommend rockwool over opting for coco coir for the following reasons:
- Aeration: Rockwool provides superior aeration compared to coco coir. The fibrous structure of rockwool allows air to circulate around the roots, ensuring that plants receive adequate oxygen. This can lead to faster growth and healthier root systems.
- Sterility: One of the main advantages of rockwool is its sterility. It is manufactured at high temperatures, which eliminates any seeds, pests, or pathogens that might be present. This reduces the risk of disease in the growing environment. Coco coir, while generally clean, can sometimes contain salts or pathogens if not properly processed.
- pH Stability: Rockwool is known for its pH stability. Once conditioned, it does not fluctuate much in pH, offering a consistent environment for plant roots. Coco coir, on the other hand, can have variability in pH and might require more frequent adjustments to maintain optimal levels for plant growth.
- Consistency and Uniformity: Rockwool products are manufactured in a controlled environment, which results in a highly consistent and uniform product. This consistency can lead to more predictable growth patterns and makes it easier to manage large-scale or commercial growing operations. Coco coir can vary in quality and consistency depending on the source and processing methods.
- Control over Nutrient Delivery: Given rockwool’s inert nature, growers have complete control over the nutrient regime. This precise control over nutrient and pH levels can lead to optimal plant growth conditions. With coco coir, nutrients can sometimes bind to the medium, requiring feeding schedules and concentration adjustments.
- Performance with aeroponic towers: Although coco coir is widely used in conventional hydroponics, when it comes to vertical farming with aeroponic towers, using coco coir for seedlings usually yields smaller crops featuring a tinier root development.
- Price: Rockwool costs less than half the price of coco coir.
Although at Agrotonomy we prefer to use rockwool rather than coco coir, every Tower Farm owner can choose either option, and this is why we recommend that everyone run comparative tests to draw their own conclusion.
