Our Wood Fiber, being a renewable raw material, is produced out of circular, European, PEFC certified wood. It is available throughout the year, and its quality is not influenced by weather conditions. Thanks to its low bulk density environmental impact of transportation is relatively low.
How we treat our Wood Fiber for growing media
The first thing that makes BVB Wood Fiber different from commonly used Wood Fiber is the type of wood that is used to create the fibers. We only use 100% pure hard wood logs from European spruce trees. This specific type of tree is used, because it provides wood with a strong fiber structure ensuring stability throughout the entire growing period. No branches, needles or left over wood is used in this raw material, because this can cause impurities in the end product.
In addition to the quality of the wood that is used to create BVB Wood Fiber, the production process of the fibers has specific steps that guarantee top quality as well. The Wood Fiber we use in our BVB Substrates products goes through four main steps which makes it different from commonly used Wood Fiber.
Step 1 – Steam treatment
By steam treating the Wood Fibers we not only make the material clean and safe to use, we also loosen the fiber cells to make sure we get the desired texture in the next steps of the process.
Step 2 – Grinding
By grinding the Wood Fiber we create a “woolly” texture exposing more surface area. This brings beneficial properties to the growing media.
Step 3 – Fluffing
After the fibers have been created we use machines to fluff the Wood Fiber. This way the fibers are loosened to improve uniform blending in the next step.
Step 4 – Mixing
The final step of using BVB Wood Fiber in our growing media is ensuring it is optimally mixed in with the other raw materials. We use modern mixing lines to ensure uniform blending of the different raw materials. If Wood Fiber is not adequately mixed in, it can form lumps with other raw materials, which can cause issues when used. The fiber lumps can heat up during the growing period, disturbing hydro dynamics and impeding root growth.
Did you enjoy this article? Also read our next Wood Fiber article to learn what makes our Wood Fiber special.
