Medicoir Launches Biodegradable Plastic for Container Growing

Medicoir, the global producer of coir substrate for cannabis crops, has launched its biodegradable plastic containers.

There are many options available when it comes to substrate choice for cannabis plants, from the size of growing container and whether to repot later in the crop to the shape of the

container and of course which type of growing media to use.

In recent years, many growers have started to move over to 100% coir substrates for their cannabis crops, which would generally be a mix of coir pith, short cut fibre and 3-5 mm particles. The nature of coir means that during the production process it can be sieved to remove all of the fine dust particles (<1 mm) and therefore encouraging better root development and a free draining environment. And in a more practical sense, coir can be dried and compressed, offering big savings in transport, storage and handling.

“The most popular product we produce for the medicinal cannabis industry are 10 L Open Top Containers.” says Kalum Balasuriya, Managing Director at Medicoir. “These blocks are compressed at our facilities and come ready packed in their own poly-pot which can be unfolded before hydrating the coir block inside.”

“Due to the short crop cycle, we were concerned about the amount of plastic that was being used for these products. Although we have always used recyclable plastic, we felt that we needed to take one step further,” explained Balasuriya.

Medicoir is using EcoPure, which is an organic additive that causes plastic to biodegrade through a series of chemical and biological processes when disposed of in a microbe-rich environment. Microbes send out chemical signals attracting other microbes and collectively they feast on the polymer chains breaking down the chemical bonds. The byproducts of the biodegradation process depend on the disposal environment but are nontoxic and some are even economically valuable for energy, such as methane. Other byproducts include humus (which can be used to make soil richer) and carbon dioxide.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer this alternative to growers who are looking for more environmentally friendly growing choices,” continued Balasuriya. “It is very important to us that we work in a way that looks after our planet and I feel this is a very positive step to take.”

Medicoir Ltd
info@medicoir.com
www.medicoir.com