Last year Wim Meyers from Meyers Soft Fruit in Riemst (Belgium) asked Metazet / FormFlex to jointly devise a cultivation system for the cultivation of red berries, blackberries and raspberries.
The problem turned out to be the different spacing of the gutters. Red berries and blackberries are grown on c.t.c. 1.60 meters and raspberries on c.t.c. 2 meters.
Also the weight of about 30 kg per running meter is an above-average load. The most obvious would be a system with suspended system with between the suspension points a so-called in-between suspension. This is often used in strawberry production. But changing the gutters for cultivation alteration would require too much labor.
A pleased Wim Meyers checks out the final results with Fred Odenkirchen of Metazet / FormFlex.
The most important issue for Wim was that the greenhouse was left empty as short as possible. Therefore a sliding system on long layers is developed. This means that the low to the ground standing cultivation system is placed on adjustable supports. These can then be moved along the long layers. In order to sufficiently mitigate the high weight, the gutter is supported every 2.5 meters.
Fitting holes mark the different mutual c.t.c. sizes so the gutters stay always straight in line. The 6 cross beams that are needed to support the crop are carried out hanging at the lattice and fixed to the bottom side on the support. Nets to support the crop are attached to these beams.
By moving the hanging area and sliding the entire cultivation gutter, Wim with 6 men can change the cultivation in his greenhouse in just a few hours.
Wim Meyers: "Another advantage is that I can not only easily move the gutters, but that the system is so arranged that the double heating tube, drip hose and CO2 hose will be moved as well at the same time."
For more information
FormFlex / Metazet
Susan de Haas
T: +31 (0)174 22 58 22
F: +31 (0)174 22 58 20
C: +31 (0)638 50 60 08