Grodan is supporting a new field research project led by Vineland Research and Innovation Centre that will evaluate the reuse of greenhouse stone wool as a soil amendment on water-stressed farms across Ontario.
The nine-month project, Feeding Ontario Sustainably: Enhancing Soil Health and Increasing Crop Yield in the Greenbelt with Beneficial Reuse of Greenhouse Waste on Water-stressed Farms, has received a $60,000 grant from the Greenbelt Foundation. Grodan is contributing as both an industry collaborator and project funder.
The project builds on laboratory research completed by Grodan and Vineland in 2025, which examined the physical and chemical properties of used stone wool and its potential application in Canadian agricultural soils. That work found that used stone wool showed promise as a structural soil amendment, particularly for improving water-holding capacity, and identified field-scale testing as an important next step.
“This project will provide important foundational research to validate the use of this material on commercial farms as a soil amendment and with the support of this grant we can take this research from the lab and into the real world,” said Yianni Monahan, Product Manager, Lifecycle North America at Grodan.
The current field trial will compare an untreated control with manure, used stone wool, and a combination of manure and stone wool. Sweet corn and broccoli will be grown to evaluate differences in crop health, nutrient uptake and marketable yield. Researchers will also monitor soil health, aggregate stability, microbial activity, water movement and nutrient leaching throughout the growing season.
By moving the research into the field, the project will help determine how used greenhouse stone wool can be incorporated using standard farm equipment and whether it can improve water availability and nutrient-holding capacity under real agricultural conditions.
“We are grateful to the Greenbelt Foundation for its support of this important work,” added Jason Henry, Research Scientist at Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. “This project will help advance practical, science-based solutions that support farmers, protect natural resources and strengthen Ontario’s agri-food sector.”
The project also aims to identify a practical pathway for diverting used greenhouse substrate from Ontario landfills. If successfully adopted more broadly, the project team estimates that beneficial reuse could divert between 2,000 and 3,000 tons of greenhouse substrate waste annually within the Greenbelt while reducing disposal costs for growers. These figures are anticipated project outcomes that will be evaluated through the research.
Through its involvement, Grodan brings commercial greenhouse industry knowledge to the project while supporting independent, science-based research led by Vineland. The collaboration reflects Grodan’s continued focus on developing practical and more circular pathways for used stone wool in North America.
The project officially began on April 1, 2026. Findings will help inform practical recommendations for Greenbelt growers and a review of the regulatory framework for applying used stone wool on farms.
As the research progresses, Grodan will join Vineland at its Industry Demo Day on October 5, 2026, to share project updates and early insights with Ontario’s greenhouse and agricultural sectors.
