This article originally appeared in Bloemen Planten in 2023, by Harry Stijger. Read the original here.
Beekenkamp Plants in Maasdijk (Netherlands) first heard of AQUA4D® water treatment from Hilversum-based advisor Raymond Lescrauwaet. Beekenkamp specialize in young plants and ornamental flowers. At their production site in Central France, the water is harder and therefore has a higher EC than back in the Netherlands. This was the initial reason the nursery started looked to AQUA4D® to solve their issues. “This system makes the lime so fine in the water that it goes along with the pouring water, and we have much less limescale deposits in the pipes,” says Henny van Lierop, Press and Seed Quality Coordinator.
At first, Van Lierop was skeptical. But by conducting side-by-side trials with and without the water treatment, he the difference was clear as day. “When the AQUA4D® system is on, you feel it when you grab the potting soil. You can make a ball from this soil with water. The water stays in it when you squeeze it. If you turn the system off, it’s like squeezing the water out of a sponge.”
Nice firm press pots
The press pot machine at Beekenkamp, which presses soil with a fixed stroke, responds to soil quality. In a wide 60 cm container, the press pots compress from 8 to 4 cm. That is 50% less.
Van Lierop: “When the water is not well absorbed into the potting soil, it also evaporates faster because of the sun in the greenhouse. If the water is not well drawn into the fibers, the result is an unstable root ball. Without the AQUA4D® water treatment, the connection between the soil parts is not as good. With this treatment, we get nice firm root balls of good composition.”
Less transport weight
The potting soil for the French site comes from Bruges, Belgium, and is transported by truck over a distance of 400 kilometers. 1% drier soil saves about 20 l/m3 of potting soil – less weight means more soil can be transported. “We want potting soil as dry as possible but not too dry. The weight of a cubic meter of compost has gone from 425 kg and to now 355 kg. The soil can be this dry only because it is made very moist again with treated water before pressing into pots.”
Dealing with variations in water quality
Generally speaking, the softer the water is, the better it is absorbed by the soil. In the Netherlands where the water is softer, there is slightly less difference between treated and untreated water compared with the harder water in France. But because soil and water are never the same, water treatment helps adapt to any variability. “This is a further advantage of the AQUA4D® system,” reports Van Lierop. “We run into less problems delivering good press pots – the margin of error is smaller.”
Due to the successes, Beekenkamp are now treating water for the press plugs as well as their press pots. “For the plugs, the moisture content is even more important than for press pots,” he says. Van Lierop is extremely satisfied with AQUA4D® water treatment and wouldn’t want to be without it. “We work with it in an industrial hall with a lot of dust and moisture due to the potting soil. It is hot in summer and cold in winter because we hardly heat the hall.” Importantly, the system treats the water in a more or less plug-and-play way, requiring no maintenance, no consumables, and minimal electricity.
The successes at this grower are just the latest in a line of projects in the Benelux region overseen by Raymond Lescrauwaet, including Linflowers Chrysanten BV, Floralis Lisianthuskwekerij, and football clubs such as AZ Alkmaar.
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For more information:
AQUA4D-Lescrauwaet BV
Graaf Florislaan 40
1217KM, Hilversum
Tel.: 035-8872683
Mob.: +31 (0) 6-51608350
info@aqua4d-lescrauwaet.nl
Netherlands
Water-Smart Agriculture
Precision Irrigation
“When the AQUA4D® system is on, you feel it when you grab the potting soil. You can make a ball from this soil with water; the water stays when you squeeze it. If you turn the system off, it’s like squeezing the water out of a sponge.”
– Henny van Lierop, Press and Seed Quality Coordinator, Beekenkamp