"Propagation Day Grodan: "Precision Growing a necessity"

Last week, Grodan held its biennial Propagation Day for the Dutch plant propagators. The presentations were kicked off by Edwin den Breejen. Edwin discussed a number of trends:

- Global: demand for food will increase because of the growing population

- Consumer: opting increasingly for convenience, health, price / quality

- Horticulture: globalization, local-for-local, attention to cost, differentiation, scaling and power play in the chain.

 

To face these trends, Edwin stated, sustainable cultivation will come into play. Gert-Jan Goes, technical cultivation specialist for Grodan, continued discussing the issue with Precision Growing.

 

"Precision Growing, said the latter, is a necessity: energy is expensive, emission standards (KRW) are tightened and better crop results are required. The interior of the greenhouse went through many technical developments. This means more and more vegetative conditions for the plant. This requires a generative plant type."

 

Hans van Herk explained how Precision Growing is made concrete. He emphasized:

- Drier cultivation, lower WG, higher EC. This creates a better health for a more compact plant with more roots

- Precise timing of irrigation

- More recycling

- Less pesticide needed

Mario Helderman, Business Manager Propagation at Grodan, reviewed some research results. It appears that the growers are increasingly aware of the impact of the block during cultivation, and increasingly consult with the propagator on the choice of the block type.

 

The afternoon ended with a dinner.