Growing healthier with insect netting

The worldwide trend of healthier growing does not only apply to food, but to plants as well. Sustainable and responsible cultivation is what matters at the Forever Plants Group. Forever Plants, an innovative family company from the Persoon family, grows plants that make the world more beautiful, greener and healthier. They do this with almost entirely organic production methods. To keep harmful insects out, insect netting is often indispensable. Forever Plants Group chose the Accordeon System by Holland Gaas. This system, with its form-retaining folding properties, is foldable and perfectly closable. It ensures optimal ventilation and protects against rain. Incidentally, it is not just all sorts of insects that enter undesirably, but dust, branches and birds can also cause a nuisance; this is now being prevented. Little to no pesticides are needed anymore. Due to the benefits of the Holland Gaas Accordeon System, the crops become cleaner and stronger. The use of insect netting results in a considerable yield advantage in the long term.

A professional installation team from Holland Gaas installed the systems at the Forever Plants Group this past June.

Questions for Forever Plants:

Why did Forever Plants choose the Holland Gaas Accordeon System?
“The Accordion system is very compact when the windows are closed due to the blinds. This minimizes light loss. In addition, the durable materials ensure that the system has a long service life. The system is also available in all types of mesh sizes, which means the system could be manufactured entirely to our wishes.”

What are the advantages of the use of insect netting for Forever Plants?
“The insect netting allows us to keep external pests from entering the greenhouse. Virtually all crop protection is done with organic agents at Forever Plants; by keeping the infection pressure out, it is easier to ultimately realize fully organic cultivation. At Forever Plants, we have an increasing focus on resilient cultivation; and the less external pressure, the easier this is to realize. In addition to the crop protection, the netting also ensures that we can ventilate a bit earlier in certain situations if desirable.”

What are the most important insects that the insect netting keeps out at Forever Plants?

“Aphids, white flies and moths are most important to keep out. This is also the easiest to achieve with the installed ‘Aphids netting’. However, this netting also keeps out larger swarms of thrips and spider mites.”

What are the disadvantages of the use of insect netting for Forever Plants?
“There are very few disadvantages for us. Of course, there is reduced ventilation to deal with, but this disadvantage is limited because we grow tropical plants, and in the right climate conditions, it is fine if the temperatures rise a bit. Insect netting also results in slight light reduction due to the system blocking some light. This effect, too, is so insignificant that we can hardly consider it a disadvantage.”

What does Forever Plants do to combat the ventilation reduction resulting from the use of insect netting?
“The use of insect netting ultimately causes ventilation reduction. This means we need to apply a different ventilation strategy compared to the old situation. The windows will be opened a bit further and earlier in order to compensate for this effect. Fortunately, we have plenty of experience with this, because the other part of our company has been equipped with insect netting for years.”

Are you satisfied with the installation/the result?
“The installation in a greenhouse that is filled to the brim with plants is quite a challenge. This all had to be done from the outside. That makes it a time-consuming job, but the result is fantastic.”

For more information:
Forever Plants Group
Thom Persoon
Zwethlaan 40
2675 LB Honselersdijk
T: +31 174 622 668
E: Thom@foreverplants.nl
www.foreverplants.nl

Holland Gaas BV
Honderdland 30
2676 LS Maasdijk
T: +31 (0)174 - 516 180
E: s.muijres@hollandgaas.nl
www.hollandgaas.nl