Substrates & Fertilizers

Sustainabloom Guide for Substrates

In flower production systems, substrates can offer several advantages over soil, including lower pest and pathogen pressure, fewer weed seeds, reduced risk of heavy metal contamination, and lighter weight. They also provide greater flexibility in production location and scale, improved management of water and air pore space, expanded opportunities for year-round production, and increased water use efficiency. Substrates are core components for plant health and vitality, as well as an element of environmental impact and sustainability outcomes. A well-structured substrate can lead to a healthier return on investment, as plant development is heartier and there can be less financial burden on the business owner for things like fertilizers and pesticides. All the while, the optimal substrate takes a gentler toll…

Apr 17, 2026

Progress Powered by Partnerships

Since its launch, Sustainabloom has become the go-to sustainability education resource for the floral community, uniting industry members and businesses to advance environmental, social, and economic progress. Together, in collaboration with researchers at North Carolina State University, Sustainabloom has created a foundation of knowledge, tools, and inspiration that’s transforming how floriculture businesses think about sustainability. With the help from industry experts, researchers, and industry partners, Sustainabloom has grown into a thriving hub for sustainability education. Our Founding Supporters helped pave the way for this work, and now we are calling on all floral businesses to help support future Sustainabloom efforts. Every dollar contributed to Sustainabloom goes directly toward creating free, high-quality, research-backed resources accessible to everyone, and we’ve already made…

Nov 13, 2025

Jiffy Growing Solutions: Working Towards a Greener Future for All

Every year, millions of tons of sugarcane are harvested around the world. After harvest and processing, the material often left behind is bagasse – a fibrous material that has often been treated as waste, burned for energy, or left to decompose. At Jiffy, they saw something different. They saw potential. Jiffy Bagasse is not a new product on its own, but a sustainable, peat-free raw material designed to be part of your substrate mixes. Blended with other components, it helps create growing media that perform well for a wide range of crops – from bedding plants and houseplants to nursery stock. With sugarcane being the largest crop by mass globally, bagasse offers a consistent, renewable, and widely available resource. It…

Aug 14, 2025

Sustainability at Neal Mast Greenhouses (from the Substrate Sustainability Guide)

The sustainability team within Neal Mast Greenhouses actively ensures that the company remains accountable for its environmental impact and helps align the company’s goals with sustainability practices. Part of their overall efforts focuses on green waste reduction. “We have a responsibility to be mindful of our shrink and keep waste out of the landfill,” says Brooke Wiig, the human resources manager and sustainability officer at Neal Mast. Wiig acknowledges this is especially important given the company’s large scale. In response to this challenge, Neal Mast has maintained a seven-year partnership with a local landscaping company. The collaboration involves repurposing growing media, where the landscaping company incorporates Neal Mast’s substrate into their landscaping projects alongside other planting materials. Wiig emphasizes the…

May 15, 2025

Sustainabloom Releases Four New Guides for Floriculture Sustainability

Sustainabloom, a leading resource for sustainability in the floriculture industry, has released four new industry guides to help businesses support their sustainability journey. These comprehensive guides offer insights and practical advice on Energy Efficiency, Carbon Accounting, and Inventory Management.Developed by Sustainabloom program researchers at NC State University, these guides provide industry members with the tools and knowledge they need to reduce their environmental impact and improve their business operations. The new guides released include: Carbon Accounting: The Carbon Accounting guide offers a comprehensive overview of this essential practice and helps businesses understand the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their operations, measure their carbon footprint, and begin to think about strategies for reduction and offsetting. By implementing carbon accounting, florists and growers can make informed…

Oct 10, 2024

Growing Greener Together

AFE Connects the Floriculture Industry with Sustainability Through Comprehensive Research Guides, Expert Resources For over six decades, the American Floral Endowment (AFE) has represented the entire floral community, providing and sharing free resources to everyone, thanks to the generosity of donors. As the industry’s leading charitable organization, AFE receives and collects donations to invest them, generating funding that advances floriculture through research, education, and special programming. Recently, the Endowment began a new project that aims to further that growth, this time focusing on helping industry members approach and become more actionable with sustainability. Sustainabloom is a research-driven program created to provide in-depth guides and resources about sustainability developed by top researchers in the field. The information is housed efficiently within our…

May 30, 2024