The world of substrate pots and trays innovates constantly. Besides the addition of pots for blueberry cultivation, the pots and trays are constantly being improved to optimize the cultivation of soft fruit. Aart Jan Bos, general sales manager at Beekenkamp Verpakkingen, brings us up to date.
Strawberries
Aart Jan Bos: "The newest trays have higher legs, resulting in more space below the cup. This way the roots stay better in the cup and cannot just 'cross over' to the ground below. The risk of diseases is thereby reduced and it results in an improvement of the microclimate. The air flow below the cup makes the growing conditions somewhat drier and provides you with better control. Even with an uneven tray field, which is more common in other countries than in the Netherlands, the cups do not touch the ground."
Blueberries
Blueberries are increasingly cultivated and eaten all over the world, but not everywhere is it possible to grow them in the ground. The crop requires a low pH value, which is not always available in the producing areas in South America, South Africa and Australia. Therefore many blueberries are nowadays grown in substrate pots. Also the return water is collected so that the water with nutrients can be reused.
Last year, Beekenkamp Verpakkingen added several substrate pots for blueberry to the assortment. The 25 liter and 35 liter pots are now for sale and a 45 liter model will be on the market in May. Aart Jan: "6 to 10 years (and sometimes even longer) is the period that blueberries can be harvested from a bush and the pot that is made of polypropylene lasts just as long. The pots are deeply stackable, so we can pack almost a double amount of pots on a pallet."
Efficient stacking
Transport is a current theme, says Aart Jan. "Pots are relatively cheap products, but we are going to export increasingly more further away. Our customers want to pay as little transport costs as possible, and we try to accommodate them."
That is why Beekenkamp is currently working on a new line of pots with holes in the bottom. "The legs of the pot protrude through the holes in the bottom of the underlying pot, making stacking even more efficient," he explains. "More pots per pallet means lower transport cost."
In addition to the growing demand for soft fruit, optimization of the cultivation, and efficient stacking, also sustainability is a trend that needs to be mentioned. At Didak in Grobbendonk in Belgium, where the products for Beekenkamp Verpakkingen are produced, often recycled plastic is used. "We can make new pots from used plastic. Our products already consist of 87% recycled material."
For more information: 
Beekenkamp Verpakkingen
www.beekenkamp.nl
Aart Jan Bos
+31 (0)6 1398 1160
ajbos@beekenkamp.nl