Johan Hindryckx (Sales at Klasmann-Deilmann Belgium) pays regular visits to his customers. This time, he wants to ask a commercial grower about how he has fared with Greenfibre, as both supplier and user are only beginning to acquire experience of this alternative raw material for growing bedding plants. Jan Vanoverschelde (Sales & Marketing at Klasmann-Deilmann Belgium) accompanied his colleague and gave us his report. <\/strong><\/p>\n By Jan Vanoverschelde<\/p>\n Hendrik and Els greet us in the greenhouse. Warmly. Together, the couple runs De Roose Etienne and Hendrik bvba, a wholesale nursery specialising in seasonal crops. We are here just after spring, so Hendrik apologises for the greenhouses being as good as empty. \u201cIn May we really do not have time, but then it looks nicer here. Now there is a lot of space…\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you come back in August, the chrysanthemums on stems are in bloom and the pyramids are looking good.\u201d Everything the gardener tells you in the next hour speaks of his love for the profession. Care, attention and accuracy. Hendrik De Roose has a clear vision and keeps it in his sights. \u201cWe differentiate, focus on niche products and make a choice, which we try to turn into a strength. We distinguish ourselves from the rest. We are not big enough to play it the way the mass growers do. So our aim is to stand out in other respects. Form, quality, service and product range, these are our trump cards. And it\u2019s this that gives us our seasons. First hydrangeas, geraniums, fuchsias and begonias, chrysanthemums in the summer and then the poinsettia. And within these specialisations the emphasis is on decorative plants. Not the traditional pot \u2018mums\u2019 for example, but the cascades and pyramids.\u201d<\/p>\n 100% of the substrate used here is from Klasmann-Deilmann. \u201cWe\u2019ve had a lot of positive experiences with Klasmann-Deilmann. For me the quality of the substrate is paramount. Of course I sometimes get cheaper geranium soil offered. I always turn that down, because it\u2019s product quality that counts. And I can tell you: using cheaper substrate and then having plants that don\u2019t want to root? Those few pennies you saved turn \u2013 as fast as lightning \u2013 into loss on all fronts. No, I’m doing well with Klasmann-Deilmann. I use specific compositions, in consultation with Johan. We adapt based on typical characteristics present at my company, that way a relationship of trust grows.\u201d<\/p>\n We visit the customer at the right moment, because Hendrik and Johan did some fine-tuning with GreenFibre the past year. \u201cIn the previous year, the geranium potting soil took too much water. That way the plant takes up all the water, starts to shoot and, for me, growth inhibition was not possible. I wanted to see a closer dry\/wet ratio, so I tested a first order with GreenFibre. I\u2019ve been using it all spring and the plants are keeping the moisture longer. There is a better water distribution.\u201d Johan adds: \u201cWe replaced 10% of the white peat with GreenFibre. The rest of the composition has remained the same, because it was not intended to make the substrate much lighter. Hendrik provides water through a sub-irrigation system … These are all factors that you need to keep an eye on when you create a substrate. Hendrik further explains: \u201cIt\u2019s a matter of optimising. Asking the right questions and keeping on searching until the result is there. A good bedding plant substrate which is a good sub-irrigation substrate at the same time, it\u2019s not always that simple. As soon as you add GreenFibre, certain things change. It is the experience of the grower that makes the difference at that moment.\u201d Johan concludes: \u201cSearching for compositions, negotiating and \u2013 as far as I am concerned \u2013 listening well, that\u2019s what it\u2019s all about. That\u2019s how you achieve improvement.\u201d<\/p>\n