Grower Profile:
Mart van der Voort
Owner and manager
Company: Mart van der Voort & Zn
Crops: Zamioculcas potted plants
Location: 's-Gravenzande, The Netherlands
Greenhouse: Venlo
HARMONY 7247 FR
In Van Der Voort & Zn's new greenhouse at the Zamioculcas nursery, the HARMONY 7247 FR diffuse screen was installed last winter. Mart initially opted for an aluminium screen cloth, but was informed about the Harmony screen cloth by his installer 'Peter Dekker Installaties'. Under the motto 'it doesn't hurt to try' Mart had the diffuse Harmony screen fabric installed.
After a few months of use, the grower is very satisfied with his decision: "The climate in the Harmony section feels cooler and more pleasant on warm days." Graphs on the climate computer confirm this: On sunny days, the temperature under Harmony is on average 1°C lower compared to the reference department with an aluminium screen cloth. This fact takes on even more significance as more light is visibly allowed in the Harmony area compared to the reference area: 70% screening compared to 80-85% screening. This high screening of 80% to 85% is achieved with a PH77 screen plus a layer of chalk on the greenhouse cover, which was applied in April. Due to the light scattering properties of Harmony, it was not necessary to chalk this greenhouse. Another comparison result: the Zamioculcas pot plants under Harmony clearly have more shoots, which also grow faster and more uniformly. By way of illustration: the 10-week-old Zamioculcas plants in the Harmony section are almost as tall as the 15-week-old plants in the comparable section with PH77.
The Zamioculcas is a specialized and rather slow crop. On average, the cultivation takes 26 weeks. Keeping the screen cloth closed is not linked to any specific value of the solar radiation, but is done purely based on the experience and craftsmanship of the grower. Mart: "I close the screen cloth after I have felt the climate in the greenhouse and have seen the plants."
On a second wire bed, the LUXOUS 1547 D FR energy screen cloth has been installed. This cloth runs in the opposite direction to the Harmony screen cloth above. In the summer, the energy screen is closed for 1 meter to shield the Harmony's ventilation duct. In winter the energy screen is closed a lot, with 24 hours a day being no exception. The aim is to save energy and to create a humid climate through lower pipe temperatures. At night, the Harmony cloth is also closed in order to save as much energy as possible.
At the end of the conversation Mart summarises: "The climate feels so good under the Harmony screen cloth and the plants are particularly comfortable in it. If I had to choose again at this moment, I would definitely choose another Harmony cloth".
