Charleston, S.C.-X-Calibur Plant Health Co. – formed solely for producing, under license from a German company, a controlled-release nitrogen for commercial growers – is opening headquarters and manufacturing facilities right away in the Charleston region, according to company officials. Technical Services Director Chuck Elstrodt told Green Markets that all equipment, including the coater, is in place and checked out for producing Plantacote CRT, which has been marketed in the U.S. since 1999 by the German developer Aglukon. Elstrodt didn’t have any production estimates, but said the Plantacote will be sold by distributors throughout the U.S., primarily in the southern states. Container nurseries and greenhouses are expected to be the primary users. Elstrodt said X-Calibur will be providing a product using state-of-the-art coating technology, developed in Germany, which produces a tougher membrane with a high degree of elasticity that resists damage by mechanical abrasion or under extreme cold conditions. He said X-Calibur will be obtaining its supplies of a special nitrogen prill for coating from Belgium and Germany since the product can’t be made in the U.S. Plantacote will be available in 50-pound bags and 1,000 and 2,000 bulk quantities. X-Calibur officials also looked at locations in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Georgia before settling on the Charleston area, where the plant will employ 25 local residents.
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