We are not the only ones to get a tour in the greenhouse. At the moment we enter, owner Lianne Vlasman starts to talk to a group of American tourists that have booked a guided tour. Like us they are curious about the breeding process of their Saintpaulias. Dog Max also walks along with him and asks everyone for a pet on the head.
Years of experience
Owners Anton and Lianne Vlasman have a passion for the profession and that results in high quality Saintpaulias. The origin of the nursery is in De Kwakel. An uncle and aunt of Anton Vlasman had a nursery for cut flowers. Antons' father took over the company in the late 1960s and switched to the cultivation of exclusively roses. In the seventies, Anton Vlasman himself stepped into the nursery and in 1982 the switch to the cultivation of green potted plants was made. Ten years later the focus was on flowering potted plants including Saintpaulia. Because of growth they opened a new location in Mijdrecht in the year 2000. In 2005 this location was expanded considerably and the garden in De Kwakel was closed.
Top product
With the 5 million Saintpaulias leaving the nursery every year, Vlasman is the largest nursery of the cheerful plant in the Netherlands. The biggest peak is in the spring around the holidays, but the plants are grown all year round.
The assortment of Vlasman consists of 6 types each with its own mono colour and 4 types that are multi-coloured.
The plant material is imported from Indonesia and rooted by the grower, after 5 to 6 weeks the cuttings are potted. After another 5 weeks the beautiful rosettes are formed and again, after another 5 weeks the Saintpaulias are ready for departure. On average, 100,000 plants leave the nursery weekly, an impressive amount!
Sales manager Luuk (photo) indicates that the strength of Vlasman is in how they think:
"We think beyond the production process. We immerse ourselves in the consumer and think in concepts. Quality is top priority and customization is self-evident. This time requires good cooperation with all partners and in consultation almost everything is possible".
By thinking beyond just the production process and delving into the consumer and concepts, Vlasman continues to operate at the highest level.
Smart systems
Thanks to smart systems, the nursery supplies top quality continuously and thinks of the environment.
Due to the closed water system, no drop of water is wasted with the watering of the plants. Furthermore, very little use is made of chemical pesticides. In the cutting process, even a 100% biological pesticide is used.
The smart camera system sorts the plants by diameter, color and number of flowers.
source: OZ Planten