Sonoco, Hartsville, S.C., USA, reports the launch of its new ReadyGrow planter, developed in conjunction with the Environmental Horticulture department at Clemson University, Clemson, S.C. Made from 100% recycled paperboard, the ReadyGrow planter is both biodegradable and sustainable in a greenhouse environment.
Dependency on plastics is a serious issue for the horticultural industry, Sonoco notes, adding that the majority of recyclers do not accept plastic nursery products, resulting in more than 300 million lb of nursery pots, trays, and cell packs sent to landfills each year. To create a more sustainable alternative to plastic planters for growers, Sonoco partnered with the Environmental Horticulture department at Clemson University.
Clemson helped Sonoco optimize the planter's technology, ensuring that the pot would remain robust in a commercial growing environment and biodegrade once it reached customers' yards. The Horticulture department assisted Sonoco with the development of the planter through trials, testing each iteration of the planter as the technology evolved to ensure mold resistance and commercial greenhouse conveyability.
ReadyGrow pots are porous, allowing oxygen to pass through the container to the roots. Sonoco's RootGuard technology is a proprietary coating added to ensure the pot withstands greenhouse watering and maintains good water absorption while in the soil. Once planted, the coating breaks down, allowing the plant's roots to penetrate through the pot and branch out into the soil bed to absorb water and nutrients, minimizing transplant shock.
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