Australia: PCA Greenhouse Growers’ Workshop report

Sixty five PCA members enjoyed an afternoon last April at Trandos Hydroponic Growers (THG), the high-tech propagation facility supplying grafted and ungrafted tomato and watermelon seedlings across Australia. Additionally, THG grows and ships several tomato varieties to Australia’s largest supermarket chains. They are also a certified strawberry plug supplier.

Participants split into three groups and were given very courteous and informative tours of the in-house laboratory, packing and machinery shed and enjoyed hearing the THG family business life story from Harry Trandos, who passed around photos of the family and farm from the early days.

For over 75 years, the Trandos family has been a primary produce pioneer focused on developing and improving growing techniques to meet market demand and quality requirements. The business has always evolved in keeping up with technological advancements and today THG is considered to be one of Australia’s premier hydroponic growers.

The PCA guests were impressed to hear how Dutch greenhouse growers have been asking how does THG manage to cover the great distances across Australia, with such an excellent success rate with young plants.

Each different batch and variety is checked and rechecked, hardened off and sometimes wrapped in foil to survive cold air cargo temperatures.

The THG growing facility is fully climate controlled to ensure a perfect combination of humidity, temperature and light level is maintained – providing ideal growing conditions regardless of the season or the weather.

Hygiene
Maintaining the highest levels of hygiene is key to THG’s quality assurance program. They employ world’s best bio-security practices to ensure that the greenhouse facility remains free of contaminants at all times.

Hygiene practices include:

Live materials are prohibited in the greenhouse facility.
All propagation materials are methodically sterilised.
All staff and guests are required to wear protective clothing and shoe covers and they must pass through a dedicated “hygiene street” foot bath and sterilisation zone before entering the facility.

Lab services

Through the ongoing testing of plants and irrigation water, THG’s on-site laboratory provides a safeguard against contamination and disease.

Quality
THG is a quality assured company (ISO 9001) and meticulously adheres to all required procedures and record keeping obligations.

Prior to being shipped, each seedling has followed a stringent series of processes to ensure that it performs to its best potential. What this means for growers is that the highest possible standards of quality and consistency have been applied to each seedling – making them the safest in the marketplace.

For more information:
Protected Cropping Australia
0414 333 996
admin@protectedcroppingaustralia.com
www.protectedcroppingaustralia.com