Rosa Natura is a rose nursery located in Honselersdijk, the Netherlands. The company grows RedNaomi! roses in a 9ha sized greenhouse. During a visit at Rosa Natura, Aad Roodenburg showed the HortiDaily team around in the greenhouse. Roodenburg stated that their variety of roses are very sensitive and during the growing process, they consume a lot of light, energy and attention. “We harvest twice a day for 365 days a year. Therefore it is very important to use the right tools and products at the right moment. All the climate aspects needed for a stable growth are being continuously monitored, such as temperature level, percentage of humidity, light intensity, irrigation volume, etcetera”.
Smart energy grid
Two large gas engines are producing enough electricity to lighten the greenhouses. When the electricity from the grid is cheaper or more sustainable from solar or wind, Rosa Natura can switch immediately onto the grid. The nursery has a straight connection to the main power station of Tennet.The CO2 from the engines can be used, but is mainly sold to the neighbouring growers. Rosa Natura also buys a lot of pure waste CO2 from Shell and Abengoa based at the Rotterdam harbour and pumped to the nursery. “Our roses adore the pure CO2. In this way we upcycle waste products. Everyone is happy!”: says Roodenburg.
The heat is used to heat up the greenhouses, but the remaining part is sold to the neighbouring growers.
Irrigation and fertilization
Due to the high sensitivity of the rose, correct irrigation and fertilization is crucial. The water used to irrigate the roses is treated intensively, so nothing will be discharged. The wastewater is purified and fertilizers are added to the water afterwards.
Due to the cascade, the water fumigates and becomes richer in oxygen.
Afterwards, the exact amount of fertilizers are added to the water.
Finally, the roses are irrigated by a mechanism that injects the 'treated' water into the Rockwool.
Growing process
Another aspect that makes a rose challenging to grow is the continuous need for attention. The roses need to be maintained constantly and can be harvested all year round. Cutting at the right moment at the right spot is vital. If our people should make the wrong decision we miss the future flower or the future quality. Removing the old leaves and stems are important to let the roses grow high and making the stems grow thick. Besides that Rosa Natura constantly trains its people to prevent or minimize the occurrence of pests and diseases.
Well trained people nurse the roses with care.
At the same time, roses are being harvested.
Post harvest process
As well, during the preharvest, as with the postharvest procedures, Rosa Natura works according to very high hygiene standards in order to guarantee a long vase life.After harvesting the roses, they are transported to an area in which the roses are being checked on quality, sealed and prepared for transport.
The roses are manually hung onto an machine and checked for quality.
After quality control, the roses of same the quality are selected and bunched, sealed and placed in a bucket with treated water that keeps the flower fresh during transport.
Then, the filled buckets are placed on carts, which are in turn placed in a cooled area of 2°C. Now, the roses are ready for transportation and can be brought to FloraHolland to be sold.
For more information
Rosa Natura
Aad Roodenburg
Email: [email protected]
www.rosanatura.nl
