As plant nurseries scale up their operations, so does the desire to become more productive and automate manual tasks.

As plant nurseries scale up their operations, so does the desire to become more productive and automate manual tasks. PrimeHort customers have been expressing interest in suitable machines for breaking apart bales of peat and other compressed substrates.

For blueberry growing operation, South Pacific Berries in Northland, the use of a Bale Breaker has provided several benefits, including uniform distribution of their tailored blueberry substrate peat. The company recently purchased PrimeHort’s Da Ros CT2 Bale Breaker to fast-track the laborious task of breaking down large, compressed peat bales.

The Da Ros CT2 Bale Breaker is suitable for bales up to 2.65m high and is very easy and safe to use. The plastic wrap is pre-cut and pulled off once the bale has been loaded into the machine. The door is closed, and it’s simply press play for action. A sensor on the Bale Breaker controls the speed at which a potting machine is filled, and a watering bar and fertiliser doser can be added if the operator wishes.

Breaking down compressed bales is one thing – another merit is getting an even distribution of the substrate. This uniformity is crucial for plant growth, providing a consistent environment for roots to develop.

Faster processing has also led to time and labour cost savings for South Pacific Berries. Using a Bale Breaker to break down and distribute the peat has significantly sped up the process of preparing growing media.

Breaking down the bales avoids compaction, and better aeration and water drainage are achieved. This creates a superior growing environment with healthy root development and faster overall plant growth.

South Pacific Berries in this case study video easily fill 1500 pots daily (35L pots) with a two-person team. No stress or strain on the team is a further tick in the box for investing in automation. Staff no longer feel fatigued at the end of a day’s work.

For South Pacific Berries, a good productivity hack they have discovered is to fill the pots and stack them on pallets, then lay out in the nursery when ready to plant.

<<Watch the Video by clicking on the image above>>

Da Ros has included some excellent features in the CT2 Bale Breaker, with production of up to five cycles per hour. Bales can be loaded with a manual lifter or forklift. The bunker is equipped with electronic control for the automatic supply of the growing media directly onto receiving hoppers (such as Da Ros Seeding and Transplanting Lines, Da Ros Potting Machines and so on.)

Efficiently breaking down bales can help minimise waste and ensure nurseries use their growing media more effectively – again, all leading to long-term cost savings.

If you are considering a Bale Breaker for your operation, talk to PrimeHort about your specific needs, the types of plants you are growing, and your production requirements.

Contact the team today.