Gebroeders Koot, a member of the Prominent Group, is a hydroponic tomato grower located in Poeldijk in the Westland that grows the Brioso variety. It is a 5-hectare glass greenhouse with 2 hectares under lighting. Owner Geert Koot is a passionate grower who grew up in the greenhouse industry and has built up his knowledge through decades of growing. To this day, he continues to be passionate about his greenhouse and producing the best quality crops. To that end, he continues to seek out new and innovative technology to grow the best crops possible and found Moleaer’s innovative nanobubble generator solution.
According to Geert Koot, “Consistently growing good quality tomatoes means playing a top sporting match every day. Like great athletes, the plants must be in excellent condition in order to deliver the best possible quality tomatoes with the highest possible yields. We already know many of the ingredients required for optimal growing. I have always considered oxygen to be a key ingredient for success. Good oxygen levels in the substrate leads to healthy roots which leads to healthy plants and strong yields. When Moleaer explained to me the unique properties of oxygen nanobubbles and showed me what they had achieved in many different crops, I was very enthusiastic to start a pilot. Royal Brinkman easily installed two Moleaer Bloom nanobubble generators. One of the units is recirculating the water in my clean water tank and the other unit is installed on my drain tank. The nanobubble generators enrich the water from the tank with billions of oxygen nanobubbles. The moment the units were switched on, I saw the dissolved oxygen level of both tanks climb rapidly. They achieved levels I have never seen in my life, really bizarre.”
Water from a tank and oxygen
Michiel de Jong from Moleaer states, “Installing the nanobubble generators next to the water tanks at Gebr. Koot is a perfect example of how best to install our technology for almost any hydroponic greenhouse. Our nanobubble generators recirculate water from a tank and inject oxygen nanobubbles based on the oxygen requirements of the crop. The true value of this technology lies within these tiny bubbles. Through 3rd party testing, we have measured up to 1 billion nanobubbles per millilitre of water, so imagine how many nanobubbles can be present in your average water tank. The unique method in which our technology produces these bubbles allows us to harness the light oxidizing properties of nanobubbles, allowing them to provide some of the same effects as hydrogen peroxide. The system not only oxygenates the irrigation water but also improves water quality and keeps the surfaces the water touches clean. Nanobubbles are also neutrally buoyant, which means that they remain present in the water for long periods of time and can maintain a high dissolved oxygen level without keeping the water under pressure. This means that we can use less oxygen to rapidly increase the dissolved oxygen in the irrigation water and achieve far superior root zone oxygenation. The total effect is that oxygen nanobubbles are proving to be an effective, natural defence against outbreaks of pathogens and algae. This was evident just by looking at the drain tank where Koot observed that the water became clearer week after week.”
No more hydrogen peroxide
Geert adds, “The moment the nanobubble generators were switched on, I stopped adding hydrogen peroxide. My EC values have been very stable throughout the entire summer which hasn’t always been possible. That stability and consistency is very important. Peaks and valleys in your EC can lead to growth losses which can reduce your yield by a few percentage points. For the last couple of years, I have also been adding beneficial bacteria and fungi to improve the biology inside the substrate and treat against crazy roots. However, since adding the Moleaer systems, I have also stopped applying the bacteria and fungi since the higher oxygen levels inside the substrate is naturally promoting that biology by itself. My crop has stayed healthy through the summer and has been developing very well, I am very happy with the results so far. Before the pilot, the dissolved oxygen levels in my water varied anywhere between 20% and 75% saturation. With Moleaer’s nanobubble generators, the dissolved oxygen is always at least 200% saturation. That is assuring because it means healthy roots and a vital, resilient crop. The reduction in hydrogen peroxide usage alone will pay for the nanobubble generators. At the end of the day, any positive effect on yield means an extra profit.”
For more information:
Michiel de Jong (e-mail) 
Moleaer
2441 W 205th St,
Suite C105
Torrance CA 90501
+1 (424) 558-3567
[email protected]
moleaer.com