Grow Guide

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USER GUIDES

Starting with UGro Plug. Short-term, seasonal plants growth, germination and cloning.


UGro Plug is a peat-free, eco, sustainable coconut substrate compressed into a small disc wrapped in a paper sleeve. It is one of our best sellers as it gives your seeds the best start in life.

  • You will need: a small seedling plug container, clean water and your plant seeds.
  • To aid plant root growth and development you can add a fast-acting bio-stimulant such as, UGro BENEFITS Rhiza1200 (rooting powder) or UGro BENEFITS BACKmagic (root care formula).
  • Place each UGro Plug into the plant container one by one
  • Introduce the UGro Plug into clean water and within seconds the coir substrates begin to hydrate and increase in volume.
  • Wait 4-5 minutes, while the UGro Plug fully hydrates (ready for use)
  • Place your seeds (to germinate / germinated) or clones one-by-one, in the Plugs.

Starting with UGro XL and UGro Small


UGro Small and UGro XL are two different volumes of the same peat-free, eco, sustainable coconut substrate compressed and dehydrated. You can get started using different methods. This is the easiest way to use UGro Small and UGro XL, which are the same with different volumes.

UGRO SMALL

  • What you will need: a bowl with clean water for hydration.
  • Prepare 2.8-3.2 litres of clean water and add it to UGro Small to produce 11 litres of coconut substrates.
  • Do not put too much water because it will reduce the volume.
  • Hydratate the brick in an open space so that sufficient space will be there to expand the material.
  • Wait 2-3 minutes until the substrate is fully hydrated.
  • Watch it gain volume then it is ready to use.

UGRO XL

  • What you will need: a larger container with clean water for hydration.
  • Prepare 18 litres of clean water and add it to UGro XL to produce 70 litres of coconut substrates.
  • Do not put too much water because it will reduce the volume.
  • Hydratate the brick in an open space so that sufficient space will be there to expand the material.
  • Wait 2-3 minutes until the substrate is fully hydrated.
  • Watch it gain volume then it is ready to use.

Starting with UGro Cube Rhiza


UGro Cube Rhiza is a peat-free, eco, sustainable coconut substrate enriched with endomiccorhizae in a ready-to-use grow pouch. UGro Cube Rhiza is easy to use prior to using UGro Slab.

  • What you will need: UGro Cube Rhiza, water, optional root stimulator and liquid fertiliser. We recommend: fully formed plants, not for germinating or cloning.
  • Open the top of the UGro Cube Rhiza pouch.
  • Optional: add a root stimulator and a liquid fertiliser to the water prior to use. This will add extra nutrients required to build a robust plant structure so the plant can flower and produce fruit.
  • If you use UGro Cube4 Rhiza hydrate it with 160 ml of water to obtain 800 ml of high-quality coco substrate. And in case of UGro Cube6 Rhiza hydrate it with 1350 ml of water to obtain 3L of coco subtrate.
  • Within seconds the coir substrates begin to hydrate and increase in volume.
  • The high capillarity of the coco coir in UGro Cube Rhiza will slowly distribute water for your plants successful growth.
  • Wait 4-5 minutes, while the UGro Cube Rhiza fully hydrates and it will be ready for use.

Starting with UGro Slab Professional


UGro Slab is a peat-free, eco, sustainable coconut substrate with low EC levels and minimum nutrients. It is packed into a large slab in plastic wrapping which is easy to use and easy to reposition. The bag has been treated for excellent UV stability.

  • What you will need: UGro Slab, x4 UGro Cube Rhiza, scissors, clean water, root stimulator and fertiliser.
  • There are four cubes marked for cutting on the top of the Slab and drainage holes underneath the Slab.
  • Few hours prior to planting cut one of the cubes and proceed to hydrate the slab.
  • Saturate the slab with 6.5 litres of clean water through the cut hole. Do not exceed this amount of water as this is can affect root development.
  • We highly recommend adding root stimulator and fertiliser (only add half of the manufacturer’s recommended dose).
  • To avoid planting and nutrient issues you must check that the pH of the solution is adjusted to 6.
  • When the coconut substrate is fully rehydrated you may notice one side of the Slab is more hydrated than the other. This is normal.
  • Allow the Slab to rest so the high capillarity of coconut will distribute the humidity evenly.
  • Once the Slab is hydrated you are ready to introduce your plants.
  • Cut the remaining drainage holes in the base of the Slab, prior to cutting the top cubes.
  • On the top of the Slab, cut out the remaining hole for UGro Cube Rhiza to sit on.
  • Now place your plants (or Cubes) on top of the planting holes, on the top the Slab.
  • The roots will now spread across, allowing the plants to absorb the nutrients.

Starting with UGro Pot Professional


UGro Pot is an ecological, peat-free compressed coconut substrate designed to be used as a flowering plant pot.

Pot is available in three sizes Pot4 (7 rows x 7 bags), Pot9 (5 rows x 5 bags) and Pot60 (3×3) with holes pierced in the base to facilitate the correct drainage.

  • What you will need: UGro Pot4 Professional, UGro Pot9 Professional, Pot60 Professional and clean water.
  • Designed to achieve maximum profit, optimal quantity per square metre with UV stability. Pot4 = 49 units, Pot9 = 25 units and Pot60 = 9 units (per 1m2).
  • Open the top of the Pot
  • Hydrate with 2-3L of clean water for Pot4, 5-6 L for Pot9 and 18 L for Pot60.
  • Place your plant inside.

Starting with UGro Pure


UGro Pure is a peat-free, ecological, sustainable coconut substrate available in seven loose coco peat ready-to-use bags. Excellent water retention, ideal for rooting plant development.

This product range is delivered ready to use, you just pour it out and use it.

  • UGro Pure Professional Air – true buffered, coarse structure coco peat.
  • UGro Pure Professional Max Air – true buffered, coarse structure coco peat.
  • UGro Pure Professional Organic – non-buffered, coarse structure coco peat.
  • UGro Pure Basic – buffered-charged, medium structure coco peat.
  • UGro Pure Perlite – buffered-charged, medium structure coco peat enriched with perlite.
  • UGro Pure Superior Light Mix – buffered-charged, medium structure coco peat enriched with endomycorrhizae, perlite, bat guano and worm humus.
Basic Air Max Air Organic Perlite Superior Light Mix
Medium structure coco peat 100% 70% 95%
Coarse structure coco peat 100% 70% 100%
 Endomycorrhizae 0.5 g/L
Perlite 30% 30% 5%
Bat guano 0.5 g/L
Worm humus 0.5 g/L

Using theUGro Pure Plug Tray

UGro Pure Plug Tray is characterized by a high aeration capacity that guarantees exceptionally good drainage, considerably reduces the proliferation of fungi and ensures that rooting occurs faster than in other propagation trays.

  • Take the UGro Pure Plug Tray and place a cutting or seed in each of these sockets. Then irrigate the alveoli with plain water or a nutrient water solution.
  • The size of the plugs, slightly smaller than the diameter of the alveoli, allows transplanting quickly and comfortably, taking maximum care of the well-being of the new plant and its root system.

Use of UGro Rhiza1200


The active ingredient in Rhiza1200, Rhizophagus irregularis (1200 cfu/g) generates an increase in root architecture and enhances biomass. It is a product that activates in 24 hours.

  • Add 1 gram per 5 liters of water, or add 1 gram per plant to the substrate when transplanting.
  • It is recommended to use mycorrhizae alone, without adding anything else to irrigation.


USE WITH PLUG / PLUGINS

Seeds

  • Once the seed has germinated and before planting, immerse the plug/plugin in a solution of 0.5 g of UGro Rhiza per liter of water for 1 minute.
  • Then apply UGro Rhiza via irrigation 15 days after.

Cuttings

  • Make a cross cut to the cutting.
  • Dip the cut in rooting hormones.
  • Dip the cut in UGro Rhiza powder.
  • One week later apply on the plugs/plugins a UGro Rhiza solution of 0.5 gr per liter of water.

USE IN TRANSPLANTING

Peat application

  • Apply 0.5 g of UGro Rhiza underneath the root of the plant.
  • Apply via irrigation at intervals of 4-6 weeks.

Coconut substrate application

  • Apply 0.5 g of UGro Rhiza1200 underneath the root of the plant.
  • Apply via irrigation at intervals of 4-6 weeks.

Use of UGro BACKmagic

UGRO BACKmagic is a root care formula in Endospore without pathogenic that can be used in two different ways:

  • In crop cycle: the recommended dosage in this case would be 0.5 ml per liter of irrigation solution. It provides extensive benefits to plants due to its action on the substrate and on the plant itself and its roots.
  •  At the end of cultivation: the dosage in this case would be 2 ml of product per liter of water. If the intention is to start a crop or reuse a substrate, BACKmagic will help condition the soil or substrate before sowing, eliminating organic matter and helping the release of nutrients.

BUFFERING

WHAT IS BUFFERING OF COCONUT FIBRE?

Buffering is the chemical process of mixing coco substrate with calcium nitrate to neutralize potassium and sodium salts inherently present in the coco coir, making UGro COCO a high-quality peat-free, earth-friendly growing medium. We offer product for all types of growing requirements, whether buffered (True Buffered or Buffered Charged) or Non-Buffered, being the following variations. So let’s talk about, why buffering is necessary? What buffering achieves? Why growers favour it? and Why some agriculture consultants do not?
COIR SUBSTRATE
Coconut substrate became popular in the late ’90s, when growers and farmers required a more eco-friendly, raw substrate with better water retention and aeration properties. The demand for coir and alternatives to peat compost is strongly supported by environmentalists and eco organisations that preserve and protect peatlands worldwide. Coir substrate is one of the highest- quality, renewable substrates by popular demand for greenhouse vegetable production, flowering herb production and container crop production globally.

UGro COCO substrates are produced in Southern India, in coconut plantations away from the ocean so they do not hold as much sodium, potassium and chloride, however, we use coir from different coconut plantations so for consistency we tightly control substrates to ensure quality, no quantity. Even when the EC (electrical conductivity) level is below 1.0mS/cm, we still flush the coir and sieve it before using it in our Non-Buffered UGro COCO range. Coconut palms are normally cultivated in hot and wet tropical climates. They need year-round warmth and moisture to grow well and fruit.
BUFFERED VS. NON-BUFFERED
Our bespoke, made-to-measure UGro LAB clients generally ask us to buffer the coir for their substrate, however, some agriculture consultants believe coir does not necessarily need to be buffered with calcium nitrate. Well, as we mentioned earlier, if the EC (electrical conductivity) level is below 1.0mS/cm, however, these salts are relatively soluble and are not bound by the coir, therefore, they are very easily leached so we still flush these substrates with fresh water and sieve the coir to remove excess waste before we use it in our Non-Buffered coir range, UGro XL Organic and UGro Pure Professional Organic and then they are stamped and certified Organic by OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institution).
TRUE-BUFFERED

  • Step 1: We wash the coir in fresh (filtered when required) water to flush out the natural inherent salts in coconut husks.
  • Step 2: We chemically buffer the coir, which means, we soak the coir in calcium nitrate.
  • Step 3: We give the coir a second wash in fresh water by leaching part of the salts from the chemical buffering process.This achieves an EC of 0.4mS/cm in a measurement of 1 volume of the substrate in 1.5 volume of water.

BUFFERED-CHARGED

  • Step 1: We wash the coir in fresh water to flush out the natural inherent salts in coconut husks.
  • Step 2: We chemically buffer the coir, as mentioned above, to soak the coir in calcium nitrate. This achieves an EC around 0.8-1mS/cm in a measurement of 1 volume of coir substrate in 1.5 volumes of water. This is higher than our True-Buffered substrates because we omit the second wash. This means in your first couple of irrigations you are required to hydrate your crop with an EC level of 0.8mS/cm, before returning to the normal level.

If you already use UGro COCO True-Buffered or Buffered-charged and you are wondering whether buffering it in calcium nitrate is an organic chemical process, well, some scientists say it is an organic source and some say it is inorganic. Calcium nitrate is a hygroscopic, colourless salt that holds water molecules from its surrounding environment, so you can make up your own mind.

We manufacture, certify and supply coco peat products, being buffered and non buffered, peat-free, coir substrates, which are available in the shop in grow bags, plugs, slabs, cubes and mixed with other growing aids, such as perlite.

FAQS

WHAT IS THE BEST AND EASIEST GROWING METHOD FOR BEGINNERS?


We design, manufacture and supply the widest range on high-quality peat-free, earth-friendly, sustainable coconut substrates and plant-based products available on the market. We make different UGro coconut structures: UGro STANDARD, UGro MIX2, UGro MIX3 and UGro LAB (made-to-measure). Each structure is eco and has low EC levels to achieve optimal absorption of nutrients while keeping the pH level stable to yield with minimum attention required. UGroCoco products are user friendly, you can refer to our user guide for a step-by-step instruction for usage of our UGroCoco products.

WHAT IS A UGRO COCO SUBSTRATE?


UGro COCO substrate is an ecological by-product of coconut. It is a peat-free substrate that is 100% natural coconut fibres which is a renewable, biodegradable material with four quality functions:

  • UGro COCO holds the plant in place for optimal growing.
  • UGro COCO holds the nutrients that are ready to use through a natural chemical process.
  • UGro COCO provides excellent aeration properties with excellent water retention and optimal absorption.
  • UGro COCO is a peat-free, coco peat substrate that is 100% natural, renewable, biodegradable to protect iconic wetland peatlands.

Other substrates, such as clay balls, rockwool or sand do not have the same capability to hold the plant, thus, these substrates need to be kept moist and do not have good water retention, thus, they require more labour intensive care.

WHAT UGRO PRODUCT SHOULD I BUY FOR SHORT-TERM AND SEASONAL CROPS?


Our UGro product range is great for short-term and seasonal crops. To discover how to get started with UGro products click here.

WHAT IS BUFFERING OF COCONUT SUBSTRATE?


Buffering is the chemical process of mixing coco substrate with calcium nitrate to neutralize potassium and sodium salts inherently present in the coco coir, making UGro COCO a high-quality peat-free, earth-friendly growing medium.

We at Simply Organic S.L., have 2 types of buffering methods for the range of UGro COCO substrates.

MY PRODUCT HAS ARRIVED WITHOUT GROW GUIDELINES


Do not worry, we have a digital User Guide which is designed to guide you.

WHAT MEANS BY ORGANIC?


Organic describes things that are natural or related to nature. In common usage, organic is used to mean “healthful” or “close to nature”. It can also describe foods grown without artificial pesticides or fertilizers. In other uses, organic refers to living things or material that comes from living things.

HOW CAN I GROW ORGANIC PLANTS?


UGro Pure Superior Light Mix is designed to allow you to plant your crops in an organic enriched coir substrate, with five renewable natural resources.

While our entire UGro COCO range is peat-free and earth-friendly, UGro Pure Superior Light Mix is enriched with the following five renewable nutrients; trichoderma harzianum (naturally present), perlite (volcanic glass), endomycorrhizae (fungus), bat guano and worm humus, all of which, act as natural organic nutrients to help enrich your plants and accelerate their growth, while renewing nature to nature.

ORGANIC GROWING


UGro Pure Superior Light Mix is enriched with trichoderma harzianum, perlite, endomycorrhizae, bat guano and worm humus, all of which are natural, organic stimulates.

Trichoderma Harzianum is an organic microorganism that fights root rot and stimulates the rapid growth of your crop. Trichoderma harzianum is a fungus which protects your plant root from bacteria and pathogenic fungi which are really harmful to plants. Trichoderma Harzianum colonizes your plants before fungi have a look in, then it cleverly feeds off your plants waste and fights off any other fungi completely naturally, so you do not have to worry about it. This allows your plant roots to focus its energy on becoming stronger so we enhance UGro Pure Superior Light Mix with these natural properties.

Perlite is a volcanic glass which is heated until the perlite pops, which minimises the air bubbles on its surface making it super light with a neutral pH balance. These microscopic organic molecules extract any excess moisture from your plant roots and perlite is porous enough to perfectly drain water away naturally from UGro Pure Superior Light Mix.

Endomycorrhizae is an organic fungus, much like Trichoderma Harianum which colonises your plant root and protects your plant from other fungi. The fungus Endomycorrhizae protects the roots, as well as feeding the valuable nutrients from its surroundings to the plant. Endomycorrhizae is particularly relevant as it is claimed to reshape the earth’s landscape.
Bat Guano is bat excrement which works as an excellent organic fertiliser in UGro Pure Superior Light Mix. It is 100% naturally rich in nitrogen, potassium and phosphate. Bird and Bat guano continues to be highly prized amongst agricultural farmers, so if you are looking for a super-charged earth-friendly substrate that is enriched with bat guano, perlite, trichoderma harzianum, worm humus and endomycorrhizae UGro Pure Superior Light Mix contains all of these natural resources, so you do not have to add a fertiliser for the first 2-3 weeks.

Worm Humus, also known as worm castings is an organic stimulate proven to enrich and condition coconut substrates and it is scientifically proven that it lowers the risk of contaminants in coir (coco) products. Worm Humus improves the nutrient levels in coir substrates, making UGro Pure Superior Light Mix an all-round quality substrate.

If you are growing fruit, flowering herbs and vegetables and you require an super- charged organic coir substrate whereby, you do not have to feed additional nutrients in the first 2-3 weeks of your crop or plant growth then UGro Pure Superior Light Mix is the best substrate or you.

WHAT IS DIFFERENCE BETWEEN UGRO PURE BASIC, PURE PROFESSIONAL AIR AND PURE PROFESSIONAL ORGANIC?


The differences between UGro Pure Basic, UGro Pure Professional Air and UGro Pure Professional Organic are; Pure Basic is a loose, medium structure, buffered-charged coconut substrate, Pure Professional Air is a loose, coarse and true-buffered and Pure Professional Organic is a loose coarse coconut substrate that has not been buffered and it is OMRI certified.

Basic Air Organic
Medium structure coco peat 100%
Coarse structure coco peat 100% 100%
Buffered-charged
True-buffered
Non-buffered
Organic certified

WHAT IS THE SHELF LIFE OF UGRO COCO?


If you store UGro COCO in a cool dry place, it will last a long time. However, the long you leave it, the longer it will take to hydrate.

VIDEOS