Wr Substrates Developments Febr 2008

Developments in substrates in the UK

Soft Fruit Industry February 12th 2008

Wim Roosen

DLV Plant BV

● © DLV Plant

DLV Plant UK 2008

Thanks to the sponsors of today:

● © DLV Plant

DLV Plant UK 2008

Soil or substrate? Does it matter?

● © DLV Plant

DLV Plant UK 2008

Growing softfruit on substrates:

• Less risks to diseases

• More good plants/m2

• Flexibility - weather

• More yield

• Fast picking TT

• More investments

• Less costs per kg:– Now, 2010, 2015?

• More risks to control

• Dripping = most difficult part of growing

• Feeding EC/pH

• Daily control / balance!

• Good equipment

• Good staff/managers

• Training & support!

● © DLV Plant

DLV Plant UK 2008

WHY do you want go to substrate crops?

• Bigger & more fruit – Yes, with staggered

trusses on the headcrown / special trayplants:

• Only 1-2 side crowns + more plants/mtr

• Bad structure of soil, stones, diseases

• Small area – high yield (2 crops/year

• Supermarkets – methylbromide and others

• For the pickers – increase productivity (kg/hr)

• For enough pickers !!

● © DLV Plant

DLV Plant UK 2008

So: when you do not go to substrates:

• Very good soil, high yields of good quality

• No problem to have enough & good pickers

Future:

• Increase of environmental and labor issues

• More and more substrates…

• WORLDWIDE !!

● © DLV Plant

DLV Plant UK 2008

Hectares of strawberries NL + Belgium:

• In NL/B: 1980, pots in GH – few growers

Strong increase from 1990 – 2000-4000 m2

Strong increase since 1997 – over 1ha GH

• Soon 10 ha GH companies: 1200 ton/yr

• Today approx. 550 ha NL/B substrate

• Raspberries increase since 2005

50 ha: ++

Outdoor TT

150 ha: ++100 ha: +250 ha: +

tunnels/rainc. trayfieldsglasshouses

● © DLV Plant

DLV Plant UK 2008

ha substrates in UK/Eire

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025

Year

hectares

peat mix

100% coir

● © DLV Plant

DLV Plant UK 2008

Raspberries &

blackberries:

90% on pure coir

Strawberries:

65% on pure coir

● © DLV Plant

DLV Plant UK 2008

Why coir?

• Fine material to fill pots/troughs; easy to cover

roots well

• Very uniform & airy product

• Stable structure for > 4 years:

– Long crops as Autumn raspberries

– More years use of coirbags

But every year a bit more moist (old roots) � less drips

• Only when treated well to safe use in softfruit

• Special recipes & dripping strategies

● © DLV Plant

DLV Plant UK 2008

When is coir to use?

- Propagation – trayplants: mixes peat & coir

- Depends on the quality of the basic water:

- EC (Sodium < 30 mg/l, Chloride < 60 mg/l).

- Silicon in relation to albinism in Elsanta (< 6 mg/l)

Autumn crop GH: much fruit, vigour-NH4, unbalance

(these you can control!) + high Si, cloudy: albinism

Less limitation to Spring & Summer crops (< 10 mg/l)

“No limitation” to other crops & varieties (< 15 mg/l)

- Use of coirbags for 3-4 years = less costs

- Higher subtrates (e.g. pots) – more % run off =

less sensitive to albinsm

● © DLV Plant

DLV Plant UK 2008

Points of attention:

• Peat = fertilized & Coir = not fertilized

• Peat basic EC < 0,1: space to add feed

– Start with low EC to root in

• Coir basic EC is 0,3-0,6: no space to add feed

– Start with feed from wetting up the coir

• Fill pots/troughs/bags uniform

– Equal pressure while planting/covering roots

– Rooting period: just moist, do not drip too much!

– Balance in moist = drip what is transpirated + % RO

● © DLV Plant

DLV Plant UK 2008

N-feed: nitrate and ammonium:

• In UK: less NO3 used compared to NL/B - ??

Potassiumsulphate is used a lot = OK for soil....

Soil differs to substrate: volume & nitrification

• NH4 (ammonium) in the feed makes plants (too)

vigour and increases the sensitivity to albinsm

in the Autumn Elsanta in GH.

• 1% NH4 in solid Caliumnitrate; good for start,

but on river water too much in fruitingstage

• Use liquid Calciumnitrate from flowering stage

● © DLV Plant

DLV Plant UK 2008

Balance:

• EC in the compost:

start/rooting period, fast growing (EC up), fruiting

• pH: stable 5,5 all crops, except blueberries 4,5

• Moist: 50-60% on WET probe; feel as well!

• Run off: 0 – 5 – 10 – 20 – 30%, depends on

– System: bags – troughs – pots

– Outdoor, tunnels (vent enough!!) or GH

– Period of year, temperature, sun, transpiration (RH)

● © DLV Plant

DLV Plant UK 2008

Substrates: easier to steer than soil

• Small volume of water gives easy adjustments

to feed: quick reaction

• DLV developed special recipes for each crop

on coir or peat

• Important to coir is a stable source and very

well process control to quality:

• Special treatment – EC, pH, buffering Ca/Mg

• The right age, structure and sievings: > 1mm

• RHP-certificate in Holland; it took > 10 years to

develop the right coir for strawberries!

● © DLV Plant

DLV Plant UK 2008

Where does the coir come from?

• from coconuts

• from nice & sunny places

• around the equator

● © DLV Plant

DLV Plant UK 2008

Where does the coir come from?

• Palmae of Arecaceae

• Cocos nucifera

• 30 mtr high, - 6 mtr leaves

• Big industry: oil-shampoo,

milk-pina colada, jewelery,

bounty, fibres (drainpipes,

door-mats, carpets)

• “dust” was left….. till some

Dutchmen saw it in 1990.

● © DLV Plant

DLV Plant UK 2008

How many coconuts you need for 1 m3?

• Approx. 60 grams dry coir

dust per coconut

• 1 m3 dry weight = 95 kg

• So 1600 coconuts to

collect, transport, open,

seave, treat, wash to

have 1 m3 product

• Only few % is used so far

● © DLV Plant

DLV Plant UK 2008

Developments in Soft Fruit:

• New crops to substrates: blueberries (long term)

• New varieties & planttypes needs 3-4 yrs tests

• New propagation techniques – uniform plants

• SQMS®: monitoring & guide system for

Strawberries in glasshouses and prop. trayplants

• Developing into tunnels to improve fruit quality

• To develop a planning system to 60 day crops

based on growing degree hours & test plantings

• Klaas Walraven and Bert Meurs will tell you more

● © DLV Plant

DLV Plant UK 2008

Substrate or soil? Does it matter? Yes it does!

Elsanta: 25-35 ton

Everbearer: 30-50 ton

Tulameen: 15-22 ton

Blueberries: 10-20 ton

● © DLV Plant

DLV Plant UK 2008

Strawberries in Europe 2004:

Country Total surface

in ha

Protected

cropping in ha

*

Substrate

culture in ha

**

Tendency substrate

culture in the near future

United Kingdom

Ireland

Germany

Switzerland

France

Italy

Spain

Portugal

Greece

Austria

Norway

Sweden

Denmark

Finland

3200

200

11.000

410

4500

3900

7000

600

365

1200

1790

1900

1060

4500

680

66

80

50

1930

3025

1900

300

320

10

10

15

5

8

155

35

20

15

265

150

61

45

1

2

0.5

3

1

4

(strong) increase

Small increase

Small increase

Small increase

Strong increase

Small increase

Strong increase

Increase

Stable

Stable

Stable

Stable

Stable

Stable/small increase

*greenhouses and large tunnels ** including outdoor soilless productionsystems

Wr Substrates Developments Febr 2008

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