Strong, robust plants convince Vink Sion of the benefits of coir substrates

Pepper grower Vink Sion is taking a significant step towards making its cultivation more sustainable and optimising its operations. The company operates 111,000 m² of glasshouses, producing around 250,000 plants per crop and over 20 million peppers per year. Last season, they grew their crops on the Growbag COCO from Klasmann-Deilmann for the first time. The experience has been so positive that the company will also switch a second greenhouse to this coir slab next season.

Cultivation manager Albert van der Ziel explains that the relationship with Klasmann-Deilmann is still relatively new. “We originally grew on rockwool. Last year, with a high plant density, we noticed that cultivation was becoming somewhat more difficult. That is why we decided to use the coir slab in one of our three greenhouses, each covering an area of four hectares”. The choice fell on Klasmann-Deilmann’s Growbag COCO. “The mat has good volume and sufficient height. Root establishment went well. At first, the plants were still a bit wobbly compared to the rockwool mats, but the roots simply needed a little more time to establish themselves properly.”

Enormous crop growth and plant resilience

The first few months of the season immediately showed a clear difference compared to rockwool. “The crop developed very vigorously,” says Van der Ziel. That strong vigour resulted in somewhat slower fruit set, prompting an adjustment to the cultivation strategy. “You realise then that you really have to take a different approach. We switched to a more generative cultivation approach, with cooler nights and warmer days. The close coordination with our crop advisor was very helpful in this regard.” Vink Sion has now observed that the plants grown on the organic coir substrate are stronger and more robust, with consistently good fruit set and uniform growth. The production figures are also encouraging. “At present, the yield of peppers per square metre on coir slabs is ahead of that of rockwool cultivation. It is still too early for definitive conclusions, but the outlook is promising.”

Vink Sion also observes differences in nutrition and plant resilience. Vink Sion opted to use the mats without pre-made drainage holes and to cut these themselves later. “That was a bit more involved, but in hindsight we’re glad we did it that way.” According to Van der Ziel, coir also requires a different fertilisation strategy than rockwool. ”At the start, we saw clearly different values through leaf samples and drain water analyses, and we see that reflected in good plant resilience.”

Making the right decisions faster

In addition to the substrate, data also plays an important role in the cultivation strategy. That is why Vink Sion works with Log & Solve’s sensors. ‘We already had moisture meters ourselves, but Log & Solve’s sensors give us a much more complete picture,’ explains Van der Ziel. “This allows you to monitor what is happening in the root zone much more accurately. The sensors are easy to use, and in practice we make quite a few adjustments based on the measurement data. That data gives us confidence and helps us make the right decisions faster.”

“I love growth. I think that’s one of the most important characteristics of a strong crop,” says Van der Ziel. “If you have a vigorous crop, it’s easier to produce peppers. On coir substrates, the crop continues to grow well, the roots develop excellently and we see no signs of stress. Moreover, the fruit set remains well balanced. We’re very pleased with that.” That is why Vink Sion has decided to set up a second greenhouse using Growbag COCO from Klasmann-Deilmann next season. It’s a choice that underlines their confidence in the performance of this organic grow bag.

Author: Anita Bassie