Where the ErfGoedFloor has, up to now, primarily been used for pot plants and border plants, in the past few years the benefits of this cultivation floor have also increasingly been acknowledged in terms of breeding and plant production. According to Hugo Paans, managing director of Dutch company ErfGoed, uniform irrigation is the key to the process. 'It seems that nearly all plants fare better on the ErfGoedFloor than on other substrates, such as asphalt or concrete. They develop a perfect root system, grow slightly quicker and are particularly resilient.'
Until recently the cultivation floor was primarily linked to pot plant growing. However, ErfGoed has since also laid cultivation floors for plant breeding companies in the vegetable cultivation and arable farming sectors. But the ErfGoedFloor is increasingly being used in the young plant production sector, too. As Paans says, “Uniform irrigation and the fact that you can manage the climate to a greater extent are the decisive factors. The result is a uniform, resilient crop that has great production capacity."
Labour saving
The idea that you can save yourself extra labour plays an important role in the choice of an ErfGoed cultivation floor. As Paans says, 'In a drip irrigation system, for instance, a dripper must be inserted into each pot. That is a precise and labour-intensive chore. And it also carries the risk of blockage and, consequently, failure of the system. With our cultivation floor plants can be planted out without hesitation regardless of the pot size. The ebb-and-flow system allows the grower to relax where irrigation is concerned, as this is the same for each plant. And we can see that plants fed by a dripper only develop roots on the side of the pot with the dripper. On the ErfGoedFloor, the roots are spread evenly through the pot. That soon results in 25% greater root development. And that ensures an exceptionally resilient and strong crop.'
Research and innovation
ErfGoed has grown at home and abroad in the past few decades into the leader in the laying of cultivation floors. Since our establishment in 1958, the company has grown into the world leader in cultivation floors. Research and continuous innovation have given ErfGoed its leading position. Growers value this expertise and view ErfGoed's cultivation floor technology as an important instrument in their growing targets.
Raising the bar
ErfGoed is continually trying to improve its products. 'Given our goal of raising the bar for yields, we will continue developing our floors. That means that we continually engage in practical research. In this respect we have a highly practical approach and are not inhibited by 'yes, but...' arguments.' As we are in close contact with the growers, we hear from them what problems they run into. Together we seek the best solution. It has always been our passion to help growers attain their goals, getting better crop yields,' Paans adds.
For more information, see www.erfgoed.com