In the world of orchid cultivation, Satter Orchids is a name known for its commitment to innovation. They recently replaced 3 out of 5 hectares of greenhouse space with new climate screens. The majority of this 3 hectares is equipped with three Svensson screens, with PARperfect as an important part of the screen installation. The installation was carried out by Huisman Screen Systems.
Andre Satter talks about the project: “We went all out. We have invited three possible suppliers for screens. Replacing all our screens is a significant investment and ultimately, we chose Svensson’s PARperfect system for the diffused light benefits.”
The climate screens that have recently been installed at Satter Orchids include:
- Obscura 10070 FR WB+B (blackout)
- Harmony PARperfect (diffuse light)
- Luxous 1147 FR (energy saving)
The installation of these modern climate screens took place in 2023. Andre continues: “Everything has been ready for about two months now. The first part was ready in in early June and the screens were installed department by department by Huisman.”
“It takes some getting used to, but I like it”
Regarding the results seen during the first few weeks with the new screens, Andre says: “It's great! It takes some getting used to. We first had open canvases and now closed canvases. That brings some challenges. But we are very happy with it.” What are those challenges? “Moisture is a challenge but we dehumidify with a tube. We may switch to a dehumidifier in the future, but first we want to gain some more experience with these screens. Everything is different, not necessarily harder, just different. Much more light now comes in, because we replaced the bottom screen with Luxous 1147 FR.”
When asked why he wanted new climate screens in the greenhouse, Andre answers: “The old screens had been in the greenhouse for 15 years and needed to be replaced. Normally, we don't like replacing things quickly, but now we see that it was a good decision. Another reason to choose these screens is the LED lighting that we want to install. We want to switch from SON-T to LED. This requires different screens, because LED emits less heat.”
Results from PARperfect are already visible
Currently, the triple screen solution is utilizing the Harmony PARperfect screen for light diffusion in the middle. We asked Andre for feedback on how this solution is working for him and his crops. Andre: “We grow our orchids for 80 weeks before we can harvest them. We will only see the full effect later, but we have already noticed that the plants are growing faster. We can also gradually control the light with these screens. The blackout screen works like a dimmer. I also expect that we will save more energy with these new screens because we retain the heat in the greenhouse and bring in more light through the transparent screen at the bottom. So now, we can maintain both the temperature and the light.”
Smooth collaboration with Huisman Screen Systems
The installation was carried out by Huisman Screen Systems , a trusted partner of Satter Orchids. Andre is very satisfied with the collaboration and new installations. As well as Jack Vlottes, owner of the screen installer from De Lier. “It is quite a challenge to carry out such a project, while there is a lot of cultivation and automated table systems. But it is certainly not the first time we have faced such a challenge. Thanks to the cooperation of Andre and his team, we were able to do our work well.”
New type of pulling wire: Dynamic
For this project, Huisman used the new pulling wire 'Dynamic' for the first time, developed by Huisman himself. “A new type of stainless steel cable with a long lifespan under intensive control. We have adjusted the structure of the wire, but the wire is otherwise just as thin. We have been developing this new type of wire for some time. Satter Orchids is the first greenhouse where we installed the Dynamic, after extensive testing, of course. Orchid cultivation is ideal for this, because the screens are intensively controlled for this type of cultivation.” When Jack suggested the new thread, Andre was immediately enthusiastic, Jack explains. “We have been doing business with each other for years, the trust is there. This is important."
