What is the effect of FIBA-ZORB PLUS
on the water absorption capacity?

The main reason to use a wetting agent is to improve the speed of water absorption.
Peat (main component of potting soil) is extremely hydrophobic (water repellant) when
it is dry.

 

During the past decade transportation costs have risen very sharply, and consequently peat exporters have exported the peat to the potting soil manufacturers as dry as possible.

 

In practice this often makes it more difficult to manufacture potting soil with the correct moisture content for a uniform growing media. This has the effect of significantly varying the speed of the water absorption of the growing media, which is one area where the potting soil should be very uniform and meet a regular standard for the germination and crop production to be successful.

 

To research the effect of FIBA-ZORB PLUS, the RHP set up a,so called, WOK test, in which the water absorption is measured after capillary irrigation.

 

In the graph alongside you see the difference between a Baltic white peat without wetting agent (Control) and the same Baltic white peat with FIBA-ZORB PLUS over 1 full day.

It is crucial to growers that the growing media will reach uniform humidity in the first few minutes. This is what is known as rapid initial wetting, as can be seen in the graph below.