US: The story behind RocketLiners trays

For years, Van Belle were known in North America for our jumbo-sized ornamental young plants. Their true four inch liner was the engine of growth for finished grower partners over the last decade. Now, that engine got a serious upgrade.

This guy standing on a RocketLiner tray to show off its durability is Diego Martinez. He’s Head Grower at Van Belle, and the person responsible for the innovation. He knew that with the right scientific research, more could be achieved with the classic product. In 2014 Diego set out on his mission.

Better drainage
Van Belle Nursery gets a lot of rain. Plants love the natural irrigation, but it can become too much for young plant root systems. Better drainage became the nursery's first priority for a new rooting container.

Trained roots
Diego discovered that root training could improve with deeper vertical channels inside the rooting container. Called breathing channels, they train the roots to go down instead of circling to root-bound issues. Sufficient root training channels became another priority on this quest.

The advantage
Years of results show that the size of the classic liners provided unique advantages for Van Belle's customers. They allowed for potting straight into a 2 or 3 gallon pot, effectively removing the extra step to first grow a small pot before stepping up to a larger container. This saves a grower production costs as well as turnover speed. Therefore, they knew that the new product needed to be at least the volume as before.

The solution
No pot or tray on the market gave the company every improvement they wanted. So, they did what they normally do in this situation; they designed the solution ourselves.

The patented RocketLiner trays feature improved drainage, root training and 9% more volume than the classic liner. The results are greater fresh root mass, stronger, more adaptable roots, and plants that finish with great quality.

The launch
Van Belle witnessed the benefits in their own finished container business and knew that if it worked for them, it would work for their partners.

Some growers are reporting that RocketLiners are finishing weeks earlier than they’ve previously experienced.

For more information:
Van Belle Nursery
34825 Hallert Road
Abbotsford, BC V3G 1R3
Toll Free: 1-888-826-2355
Tel: 604-853-3415
Fax: 604-853-6282
www.vanbelle.com