Powering precision and compliance in South Africa’s medical cannabis market

South Africa's medical cannabis sector is expanding, with cultivation facilities increasingly focused on meeting export quality standards and regulatory requirements. Substrate selection is a key factor in achieving compliance with GACP standards, with four primary substrate strategies currently in use.

Brett Young, managing director of Hydrobiz, a supplier of horticultural equipment to cannabis cultivators in South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and Malawi, provided an overview of substrate trends. "Supplying and studying the market for the past seven years, we've determined the following trends in South Africa," he says. "About 5% use aeroponic systems, 10% Grodan, 15% peat blends, and 70% coir or coir/perlite blends."

Market context
The number of licensed medical cannabis operations is rising. By mid-2025, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) had approved 122 licences. Key export markets include Australia, which dominated export sales during 2023 and 2024, and more recently Europe, particularly Germany, where compliance with EU-GMP standards is necessary for facilities to convert bulk cannabis into finished medical products. The UK market also shows potential for growth.© Hydrobiz

"Commercial success is more likely when growers are able to produce enough consistent, high-quality, clean, and stable flower," Brett notes. "The growers that focus on compliance and hygiene protocols, and those that have invested in higher spec greenhouses or indoor growing rooms are ahead of the pack."

He adds, "Quality input equals quality output. Many cannabis farmers invest millions in reliable and efficient equipment, such as dehumidifiers and rolling benches. It makes no sense to save a penny on substrate. Partnering with a top-quality brand, such as Medicoir or Grodan, is logical and necessary to maintain standards."

Medicoir pop-ups and substrate trends
Brett has been importing peat and coir products for over 20 years. "2025 has been a horrible year for the peat harvest and this is placing increased global demand on coir to make up the shortfall," he says. "The result is coir prices are up as there's extra pressure on coir producers to supply the market. In these times, it's more important than ever, to ensure that quality doesn't suffer."

At Hydrobiz, Brett says that they partnered with Botanicoir, a company that's always been quality driven. With 20 years' experience in the coir business, Botanicoir has an industry-wide reputation in the global agri-business, to supply only the best. This philosophy extends to their Medicoir brand, a product that was developed specifically for the medical cannabis market.© Hydrobiz

"Medicoir is a buffered low EC blend of ultra particles – small husk chips – and pith. It's a blend that's mixed on a mixing line, which ensures that each batch is consistent and uniform. This is important to growers that need to apply repeated actions to get stable results from one crop to the next. The ultra particles have great structure and high air-filled porosity, so cultivation in Medicoir presents the grower with a substrate that has excellent drainage and suits growers who want to crop steer with precision irrigations and uniform dry backs". Additionally, he says, "Each Medicoir OTC (Open Top Container) - often referred to as a popup bag - is individually numbered for full track and traceability. Every delivery has a complete COA, with microbial and heavy metal analysis - this is vital to meet exacting international standards."

Grower feedback
A growing number of medical facilities have converted to Medicoir. Brett Young from Hydrobiz, says that they now have 20 facilities in South Africa using Medicoir with 2 of the biggest facilities in Lesotho also onboard. Several growers provided feedback:

"We absolutely love Medicoir! Consistency is great, and the coir is clean and predictable. Storage is compact, and it is easy to work with. Labour costs have decreased. My plants respond well. It's my first choice", says Dane Herbst at CannaBudGrow. Adrian Anderson at Medcan adds: "Medicoir allows us to eliminate cleaning, sterilising, and pot filling. It's pre-buffered, supports consistent dry back, and helps with crop steering. Cuts go directly into 4L containers, saving time and effort."

According to Highlands Herbal, transporting Medicoir to Lesotho is practical. "Loose substrate would double transport costs and require more storage. Coir expansion is quick and clean, and no extra buffering is needed. Structure is well-drained, similar to a high perlite blend, but with full CEC from 100% coir."

According to Nick Velthuysen at Montagu Cannabis Company: "Consistency and uniform growth are the main reasons we use Medicoir. Efficiency has improved, and labour requirements are reduced." And Matt Brummer at Bored Farms: "Uniform and reliable substrate helps produce consistent medicine. Pop-ups reduce time spent on cleaning and pot filling, which is valuable for our small team."

"As licensed facilities compete for access to Europe's tightly regulated markets, substrates that improve sanitation, uniformity, and traceability will be key enablers of growth", concludes Brett. "Hydrobiz is helping South Africa cultivators cement their place on the global medical cannabis map."