In tomato production at Mære Agricultural School, we have switched from using perlite to using wood fiber as a growing medium. We started testing Fibergrow® in one tomato row in the fall of 2023, planted half the tomato section in Fibergrow® in 2024, and at the last planting in the fall of 2025, all tomatoes are in Fibergrow®. Our experience is that the mats are well suited for our production. For us, it is also an advantage that we can use the wood fiber in the compost or in the biochar plant after the tomato crop is finished.
Fibergrow® is a growing medium based on wood fiber from Norwegian spruce. Fibergrow® has a low climate footprint, and with small changes in the cultivation strategy can be used in the same way as known substrates. Fibergrow is supplied as loose fiber or mats, and is produced by Hunton Fiber AS in Gjøvik.
«"Fibergrow is Norwegian, pure, defibered wood fiber from spruce. The product is sterile and stable, and the experiences from both research and Norwegian gardeners are very positive. Fibergrow can be used pure by producers, for example of tomatoes, such as in Mære's nurseries, or mixed with other substrates for both consumers and nurseries. At Mære, trials are taking place with Fibergrow mats in tomato production. It is exemplary that Mære's gardeners choose to be at the forefront and gain experiences that both the professional staff at the school, the students and the vegetable industry can benefit from."»
– Tove Ladstein, responsible for green professional development at Fibergrow.
