The substratepot is produced by machinery from Ellegaard a Danish Company located in Esberg on the West Coast. The company specialises in the manufacture of a wide range of machines accomodating all production requirements. A machine is available to suit all sizes of nursery. The easiest way to understand the process of making a substratepot is to image a 'sausage making machine!" Instead of sausage skin we use a special biodegradable non - woven paper and as the peat we use grower endorsed formulations of media from standard recipes comprising of Kekkila peat from Finland and Australian Perlite.

Growers who use Ellepots are used to a repeatable and reliable propagation medium in which plants can be struck from seed, cutting material and tissue culture, micro-propagation techniques. The benefits of growing using Ellepots are far reaching and 9 out of 10 growers who try the product as samples will come back to order in commercial quantities.

Transplant Systems specialise in the supply of Ellegaard machinery and the Ellepot Product which is produced under strict policies which guarentee consistancy of product and quality. That way your results are predictable and repeatable every single time you order.

Since begining producing Ellepots in Australia in 2003 the company has supplied in the region of 12,000,000 Ellepots to growers for commercial production and trials. In addition the many machines we have supplied means that it is likely nearly 100,000,000 plants will have been produced and distributed somewere around the country.

The advantages of using the Ellepot are numerous, some of the common statements we hear from growers using them are :-

• It's possible to grade the plants very easily in the trays. This is very difficult when plants are grown solely in the tray.
• I am able to transplant the plant earlier than I was ever able to before. This is because I can lift the Ellepot from the tray without concern for the root development, as the roots are not disturbed when transplanting takes place.
• My plants establish quicker after transplanting than tubestock because there is no transplant shock.
• I can mis-out a whole stage of production. Previously I had to initially strike in community trays - then tube up. Now I can strike directly into the Ellepots, results are terrific. I save heaps of time and labour and my turnaround time for the crop as result is much quicker.
• Crops are more uniform after transplanting because roots are not getting damaged when being potted on.
• Staff working on the potting machine love the Ellepots because the work is so much easier. Productivity is up, the staff are happier and less tired at the end of day and retention is improved.
• I am able to use less skilled staff and employ my higher skilled and usually "higher paid" staff now on more meaningful and productive work.
• I have been able to work with the Company to develop a blend that is tailored specifically to my growing needs.
• I am now able to easily grade my trays prior to running my automatic transplanting robot. Because I know, I now have 100% cell population I can run my transplanter on the potting machine to transplant the ellepots automatically in the pots. Roots are not disturbed and everything is uniform and consistent. I just stand at the end of the line put my plants on the trailer......................and smile ...............alot !

We are sure that the Ellepot will deliver excellent and repeatable results. Please note with all new growers we normally like to discuss with you your growing requirements first. Before deciding to use Ellepots you should also consider how you will run your propagation environment as this is normally different to the environment you would use for propagating in tubes. Our media blend is consisting of peat and perlite only. We add the perlite to open up the structure and add additional drainage. The management of the crop is important and trials should be embarked upon with careful attention to watering regimes in particular. typically Ellepots require less water overall than say tubestock. Watering however is done more frequently but far less is required.

We can validate our claims by testimonials and customer endorsements, numerous references can be supplied if required. We find that 99% of growers are happy to talk about the benefits and assist other growers with some initial advise on working with Ellepots. There is no substitute for learning how to grow with the product yourself and we are happy to give guidance and support as you go.

In summary of the products available from our Melbourne depot this is 16mm, 25mm and 40mm diameter and normally 50mm long ellepots although longer upon request. Media mix is determined by you in consultation with ourselves. We can add fertilizers upon request Nutricote (microfine) and or Osmocote (Mini Exact) if needed. You choose whether you want base fertilizer or not. (it's not a starter fertilizer, more just trace elements). You choose what pH you require.

• 16mm x 50mm long is supplied in a 200 cell tray.
• 25mm x 50mm long is supplied in a 105 cell tray.
• 40mm x 50mm long is supplied in a 50 cell tray.
• We only sell by- pallet quantities which is typically 300-320 trays per pallet.
• Trial batches can be supplied however in smaller quantities - minimum is one mix which is normally between 70 and 120 trays depending on the mix.
• Customers may receive upto a maximum of 4 trial mixes only then pallet quanties. A grower can request a mixed pallet comprising 2 different mixes. Trial mixes or chargeable as is freight -help and advice is free.

We would be pleased if you to could join the family of growers in Australia and New Zealand.. Why not pick up the phone now and speak to one of our staff members. Ask for Mike, Rob.W, or Theo.