Growing medium and mulch fiber opening apparatus

A method of lowering density of a compressed growing medium or mulch fiber comprising:

• supplying compressed or partially opened growing medium or mulch fiber to a fiber opener including at least one set of adjacent rotating members, each rotating member having a surface including at least one wire wound around at least a portion of the surface and ridges on the surface, the at least one wire secured on the surface of the rotating members by being set within the ridges, the at least one wire including a plurality of projections having a base portion gradually tapered to a top end on each side of the projection, the projections configured to open and expand compressed or partially opened growing medium or mulch fiber comprising wood and/or bark fiber;
• and
• the adjacent rotating members being positioned relative to each other to provide at least one pinch point between the adjacent rotating members, the adjacent rotating members capable of separating fibers as input fiber passes through the at least one pinch point so that a density of passing fiber is lowered by at least 85%, relative to a density of the input fiber;
• engaging the compressed or partially opened growing medium or mulch fiber with at least some of the plurality of projections;
• expanding and opening the growing medium or mulch fiber by passing the compressed or partially opened growing medium or mulch fiber through the at least one pinch point;
• separating the compressed or partially opened growing medium or mulch fiber into a plurality of strings of fiber in the at least one pinch point;
• lowering the density of the growing medium or mulch fiber by at least 50-95%;
• and
• discharging opened fiber.