Application of rock wool in agriculture

Application of rock wool in agriculture

Agricultural rock wool is made by adding some special ingredients during the production process of rock wool, which makes it have very good water absorption and water retention functions. Agricultural supplies made of mineral rock wool have good chemical stability and can detect toxin contamination at the same time. , is an important planting base material for modern agricultural production, especially suitable for the factory production of vegetables, fruits, and flowers. Coupled with modern technologies such as drip irrigation, the growth rate of crops can be greatly increased, production efficiency and crop quality can be improved, and production costs can be reduced.

Rock wool used for soilless cultivation needs to be added with a hydrophilic agent during the production process to enhance its hydrophilicity. Soilless cultivation using rockwool as a substrate is called rockwool culture. It is a new soilless culture technology. The vegetables and flowers grown in rockwool not only have good yields, good product quality, less pollution, but also have simple equipment and installation. Easy to install and disassemble, convenient for three-dimensional cultivation.

The efficacy of rockwool culture

01. Rockwool cultivation can well solve the supply of water, nutrients and oxygen. Hydroponics and NFT cultivation mainly rely on methods such as configuring oxygen waterfall devices, water spraying on the water surface, installing bubblers, nutrient solution circulation, thin-layer intermittent liquid supply, and exposing part of the root system to the air to supplement oxygen to the roots. Rockwool cultivation The water retention and ventilation properties of rock wool are used to coordinate the relationship between fertilizer, water and gas, without adding other devices.

02. Rockwool culture has a variety of buffering functions. By using its functions of water absorption, water retention, fertilizer retention, ventilation, and root fixation, it can create a stable growth environment for the roots of crops and is less affected by the outside world. At the same time, due to the uniform texture of rockwool, the supply of nutrient solution and oxygen at different locations in the cultivation bed is similar, which will not cause too much difference between plants and is conducive to a balanced increase in production.

03. Rockwool cultivation is simple to install, easy to install and use, and is not restricted by the ground level. Its cultivation bed only requires rock wool felt, black plastic film, non-woven fabric, and is equipped with a drip irrigation device. If you use thin cotton felt as a cultivation bed or rock wool squares instead of rock wool felt, you can save materials. Because rock wool cultivation uses drip irrigation to supply liquid, the requirements for ground slope are not as strict as NFT. The supply frequency of nutrient solution can be greatly reduced, and it is not subject to power and water outages, thus saving water and electricity.

04. Rockwool itself does not spread diseases, insects, and weeds. During the cultivation and management process, soil-borne diseases rarely occur. If serious diseases do not occur, rockwool can be used continuously for 1 to 2 years, or after specific Reuse after actual use.

05. Because rock wool is light in texture and does not soften after being soaked in water, it can be used for three-dimensional cultivation or balcony cultivation. It can also be used to raise seedlings to facilitate standardized cultivation.