Problems with wilting and crop loss in pepper cultivation are causing plenty of headaches for growers in the Netherlands and North America, among other countries. Van der Knaap presents a fully organic cultivation concept for pepper growing: from plug to propagation to mature plant. This offers growers a solution to produce healthy and productive crops in a sustainable way.
Obturo®
Obturo® plugs are an organic alternative to stone wool plugs. They are also very versatile. They have a high germination rate and contain the right nutrients for a good start for the plants. Obturo plugs can be processed by hand, but they are also extremely suitable for automatic handling systems.
© Van der Knaap Diensten BV
Propagation Cubes
Forteco® Propagation Cubes are 100% coco substrate blocks suitable to grow all varieties of vegetable plants. The outstanding cultivation properties, such as the air-water ratio, create a perfect growing medium for young plants. A number of recently introduced improvements have made the propagation cubes even more uniform in shape and easier to process in automated systems.
Coco substrate growbags
Forteco coco substrate growbags are ideal for growing various types of fruiting vegetables. Coco has good cultivation properties: it has an airy structure and is easy to steer. Because Van der Knaap Group has its own production sites, they can guarantee consistent quality and delivery reliability.
Experiences in practice
It is still early in the season, but the experiences with the cultivation concept in practice so far are good. Despite the lack of light in January, the plants developed well. The Obturo plugs ensured a high germination rate, resulting in more successfully propagated plants. The Forteco Propagation Cubes produced plants with a similar quality to plants grown conventionally on stone wool cubes. The Forteco substrate growbags are easy to use. They were fully statured quickly and the plants rooted well.
Something that requires attention in the beginning is that the differences in structure between the substrate growbag and the propagation cube mean the cubes are held less firmly in the growbag. This required some extra caution during initial crop handling, but did not cause any further problems.
Van der Knaap advises growers throughout the cultivation process. Van der Knaap have extensive knowledge and experience with growing vegetables on coco substrate, gained through trials performed at their own innovation centre.
Research & soil life
Van der Knaap Group's R&D team regularly runs trials with fruiting vegetables, such as peppers, in 'de Kas'. As well as studying the substrate, they also research fertilisation and irrigation strategies and soil life. During trials with peppers, the Soil Life Monitor and Next Generation Sequencing (carried out by Eurofins) demonstrated that richer and more diverse micro-organism activity is created when coco substrate is used than with an inert substrate such as stone wool. An active soil life contributes to resilient, stress-resistant plants with better resistance to all kinds of pests and diseases.
For more information:
Van der Knaap
www.vanderknaap.info
