Cannabis News

Making progress with substrate slabs and jute plugs

Published

5 months ago

August 28, 2025

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This summer, some greenhouses in the Netherlands are trying to grow tomatoes, peppers and eggplant: the sheets of organic substrates made with jute. The Holand is an important step for bioproducts, which is a traditional greenhouse. So far, the company has had the greatest success with Jute-based substrates in hydroponics and vertical agriculture.

At Greentech Amsterdam, the Holland Bioproducts presented its range of products, for greenhouse crops, jute pads as well as microgreens and jute plugs. “Right now, our main focus is hydroponics and vertical agriculture,” says sales director Sales de Haan, talking from the company’s office at the World Horti Center.

Holland Bioproducts were founded in 2017, but it brings more than fifteen years of experience to process jute. With this experience, the company develops a high quality compostable alternatives, with traditional substrates like peats and rockwools. Their products are made from a specific part of the jute plant fibers, asian (combined with other European raw materials).

© thijmen tiersma | Mmjdaily.comReinout Broorkers, Rob Teep and Arjen de Haan (Holland bioproducts) Grandech Amsterdam in 2025

Elastic crop
Jute plugs have a unique conical form and sowing sowing, because they are designed to sow and disseminate hydroponic systems. Sometimes, while they need small adjustments, accessing existing configurations, large international customers are widely used, Arjen explained. Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, Middle East, and Australia are successfully growing in the substrates of Holland bioproducts.

For microphen farms, the Holland bioproducts provides a completely organic blue line series, adapted to the pads, crop types and harvesting method, with or without roots.

The current movement of the more elastic crop is playing in the hands of the company. Piper production, increasingly increasingly changing alternatives from traditional substrates. For this market, Holland Bioproducts has developed a substrate sheet made with jute, mixed with miscthus and other herbs.

“It’s a really mix of organic fibers,” Arjen explained. “Jute gives strength, miscanthus adds aimena and the grass gives the volume. All components are sterilized to ensure safe crop.” Parts are more suitable than peppers, tomatoes and eggplants can also grow in them.

In collaboration with the manufacturers of the system
Holland Bioproducts entered worldwide as a recently participant and became a member of the Dutch Greenhouse Delta, a network that contains many technical suppliers. “It’s very valuable for us,” Arjen says. “We explore how to adapt the system manufacturers together to make sure the systems can operate successfully with our substrates.”

Within the Dutch Delta Greenhouse, it has become an active company in the Middle East module. “We see strong growth there, like the use of peat in the pressure under pressure, is another important region of Scandinavia, where the Middle East is a key sustainability driver.”

Footprint
To measure sustainability, Holand Bioproducts had its substrates evaluated by the universities and research of Wagening. “The results showed that our substrates are very well compared. Our footprint is significantly lower,” Arjen confirmed.

The numbers are very promising, especially for sheets used in fruit vegetables. “These slabs combine the grass and miscanthus. About 70% and 80% of raw materials help maintain a low footprint.”

Scaling with a slab
Holland bioproduces are making continuous progress with its plugs and microgreen substratum, following new tests on the vegetable substrate slab. Soon, they will meet the farms to review the results of the season. “So far, the crops are growing well. Lately in heat containers, the breeders did not need to add more irrigation,” Arjen says. Looking up to 2026, the Netherlands expects to test four growers, that the slabs will be expanded to use a larger scale, and other breeders will begin with smaller rehearsals.

Arjen explained that the initial phase of the farming requires special attention. The growers cannot use the same methods applied with old substrates. However, as they are testing more crops, the growers are beginning to see the benefits of changing alternative materials. An example of jute, after use is completely composting. “This saves money to throw money costs,” Arjen says. Jute has a lower environmental impact, requiring less water than coca, and is certified according to the regulation of fertility products (FPR).

Pre-cultivated slab
To fulfill the growing request and improve local availability, the Holland bioproducts is opening a new facility in the Middle East. Here, Jute will be sterilized and processed from India and Bangladesh, improving logistics and efficiency. In the future, the company also grows the opportunity to produce plugs on the site, helping to reduce costs even more.

“But first, our priority is to know more breeders to grow jute options,” Arjen says. It is an attractive product that can help you, the Holland bioprons has just added to its range. These slabs are aimed at other garden centers and other consumer vendors, but it is the surprise of Arjen, as well as interest in professional producers. “It really wasn’t something I expected,” he admits with a smile.

For more information:
Holland bioproducts
(Protected by email)
https://hollandbioproducts.com/

Related Topics:jute Making plugs progress slabs substrate

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Study finds food waste compost less effective than potting mix alone

Published

22 minutes ago

January 13, 2026

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With an estimated 30-40 percent of the U.S. food supply ending up as waste, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, food science and horticulture experts teamed up to examine whether it could lay the groundwork for growing the next batch of crops.

“It’s capturing food waste that would otherwise go to the landfill and produce greenhouse gases and cause some damage to the environment,” said Matt Bertucci, assistant professor of sustainable fruit and vegetable production in the University of Arkansas Farming System’s Division of Agriculture.

“Rather, we’re using it to create an organic substrate, to create an organic compost, which can then be used to propagate the seedlings,” he said.

Bertucci is part of the horticulture research and extension division of the Division of Agriculture – Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service – and the Dale Bumpers College of Agriculture, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas.

The study “Assessing Food Waste Compost as a Substrate Amendment for Tomato and Watermelon Seedlings” was published in HortTechnology last year.

The researchers grew tomato and watermelon plants in pure food waste substrate, pure peat moss-based commercial potting mix, and mixtures of the two in varying proportions to compare seedling germination, growth, and nutrient uptake. The pure food waste substrate consisted of food scraps from a commercial partner and wood chips from a tree service company.

The study found that food waste compost could be viable as a stand-alone alternative to commercial potting mixes, and could be suitable as part of a substrate mix.

The results showed that mixtures containing less than 50 percent food waste compost produced better plant emergence and growth and had better biomass accumulation than pure food waste, a key indicator of plant health and yield potential.

Still, Bertucci stressed the value of composting food waste, saying it prevents waste from going to landfill and provides a useful byproduct.

“Compost is the sweet spot of sustainability,” he said.

Source: University of Arkansas System

Cannabis News

3 In 5 Indiana Residents Support Marijuana Legalization, New Poll Finds As State Lawmakers File Reform Bills

Published

29 minutes ago

January 13, 2026

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As Indiana lawmakers look to reform the state’s marijuana policy in the 2026 session, a new poll finds that nearly three in five residents support legalizing cannabis for medical and recreational use.

Ball State University’s (BSU) Bowen Center’s annual Hoosier Poll asked 600 Native Americans about policy issues ranging from congressional redistricting to marijuana legalization.

It found that 59 percent of residents are in favor of legalizing cannabis, both for purposes and recreational purposes. An additional 25 percent return allowing patients to access medical marijuana, bringing total support for that reform to 84 percent.

“In the last year or two, you’ve seen almost exponential growth in support, and then non-traditional support, and by that I mean employers (and) parents, not your typical college-age kid or high school person,” Andrew Bauman, executive director of The Bowen Center. say Inside the Indiana business.

The poll was released just days after Indiana Rep. Mitch Gore (D) effectively introduced the legislation legalize the possession and cultivation of limited amounts of marijuana. It is one of several reform options that have been tabled in the legislature so far for this year’s session.

Whether lawmakers ultimately take up any of the pending measures remains to be seen, but cannabis reform advocates generally he struggled to get ahead in the conservative legislature in recent years

That said, the state’s GOP governor recently called out President Donald Trump’s move to federally deregulate marijuana. He could add “some fire” to the local push to legalize cannabis in his state. A month later, Trump signed an executive order directing the attorney general to remove cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

So did Gov. Mike Braun (R). Last year he said it was “appropriate” to legalize medical cannabis.

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Meanwhile, a member of the state’s congressional delegation, Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN), opposed statewide reform even as he anticipated Trump’s decision to reorganize in earlier comments.

“President Trump has been honest, when it comes to marijuana, he’s made it very clear that we shouldn’t be sniffing it on the street. You have a lot of states that have legalized it. It’s caused even more crime and problems,” Banks said. “I hope Indiana never becomes a state that legalizes marijuana, by the way.”

The senator admitted, however, that there is likely to be “more dialogue” on the matter.

Braun, for his part, He previously said it is “probably time” to introduce therapeutic cannabis among state patients. The comments came alongside a separate poll showing that nearly 9 in 10 Indiana adults (87 percent) support the legalization of marijuana.

The main Republicans in the Legislature, however, They have openly opposed marijuana reform.

“It’s no secret that I’m not,” Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray (R) said at the end of 2024. “I don’t have people coming to me with really compelling medical cases to find out why it’s so beneficial. And any situation I’ve seen, it’s passing medical marijuana, it’s basically passing recreational marijuana.”

House Speaker Todd Huston (R) questioned any medical benefits associated with marijuana, calling the substance a “mental health deterrent.” He and others suggested that lawmakers in favor of reform simply want to increase state revenue.

Some Marijuana reform bills have been introduced for the 2025 session of the Indiana legislatureincluding by Reps. Jim Lucas (R) and Shane Lindauer (R), which would legalize medical marijuana for people with “severe medical conditions determined by a physician.”

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Cannabis News

Sunderstorm expands in California with pre-roll company acquisition

Published

1 day ago

January 12, 2026

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Sunderstorm has acquired California-based pre-roll company Lime. Founded in 2019, Lime has hundreds of licensed dispensaries. Known for its craftsmanship, fast retail speed and affordable prices, Lime has built a strong following in the California cannabis culture and has a strong repeat purchase among everyday consumers.

This transaction marks Sunderstorm’s second purchase after purchasing the vape© Thunderstorm Bounty brand in 2023. With the addition of Lime, Sunderstorm expands into a third product category, strengthening its house of brands and expanding access to the total cannabis market.

Lime will continue to operate as a distinct brand leveraging Sunderstorm’s sophisticated manufacturing, scaled supply chain, rigorous quality systems and data-driven operational discipline, positioning the brand for rapid expansion in the California and state markets.

“With this acquisition, we are strengthening our strategy built to win in 2026,” said Cameron Clarke, Sunderstorm’s founder and CEO. “The next chapter of cannabis will be defined by execution, not hype. We’ve built the infrastructure to scale efficiently, and the growth potential with Lime is significant. We’ll continue to look for additional opportunities.”