| For a limited time, Renaldo Sales will send qualified growers and greenhouse operators one, or up to 500 Air-Prune trays at absolutely no cost to you. Right now, there are less than 1000 trays available. Orders will be taken on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Our goal is to place this new technology in the hands of people that will benefit most. The grower! Try it and make up your own mind. We're hoping you see the difference, and you'll be back to talk about expanding your program.
Suggested List PricE.: Air-Pruning Tray: $7.50 (ea.) plus freight charges.
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Mature plug grown in Air-Prune Tray.
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200 count tray with screen. Screen attaches with four metal clips (not shown).
 
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Fact or Fiction?
We believe in Air-Pruning. So much so, that we have staked our reputation and the future of our transplanter on it! However, it's important to note that you don't need our transplanter to receive the benefits. They function just like normal trays, even though they are anything but normal. Under actual greenhouse conditions, in side-by-side comparisons there is no doubt that the Air-Prune® tray yields a superior, more robust transplant.
The Air-Prune® trays, by themselves, are reason enough to seriously consider becoming an early adopter of this technology. Add to the equation our automatic transplanter which utilizes this tray and we have arrived at the beginning of a new era in transplanting vegetable row crops. The cutting edge in agriculture.
How Does It Work?
To explain the concept you need to first understand how a root system matures. Root growth can be illustrated using an "S" curve. In the graph to your left, notice the three stages of root development;
- early growth
- fast growth, and
- slow growth.
During the slow growth period the Air-Prune® tray suspends root elongation and promotes branching. More root branching, or expansion results in better stands with a higher quality and quantity of fruit.
(Figure 1.) As the tips of the roots reach the tray screen they are exposed to air. Hence, the term AIR-PRUNING. This action encourages more roots to sprout. In a conventional tray the roots tend to keep on growing and spiraling in the cell, thereby discouraging root expansion. Below is a cross-section of the air-pruning tray system which illustrates the shape of an individual cell, air-pruning and root branching.
(Figure 2.) This illustration compares root formation and growth media utilization in air-pruning and conventional non air-pruning tray cell. With the screen removed, plants can be removed through the bottom of the tray, which is not only ideal for our RTMA Automatic Transplanter, but also for automatic greenhouse transplanters with computer controlled indexing and impulse vacuum systems.
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Air-Prune® is a Registered Trade Name and a patented concept in engineering invented by Professor Barney K. Huang, Branden University. Air-Prune® Trays are manufactured, marketed and distributed in the U.S. under agreement with Renaldo Sales & Service, Inc.
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Figure 1.
Figure 2.