Landgard Gartenbaubedarf organised the first "Horticulture and Technology Innovation Day" in Lüllingen on 11 July. The horticultural supplies store has thus presented itself as an innovative service partner for its member companies. The thematic focus lay on the areas of "ecological plant protection/plant strengthening", "water optimisation" and "sustainable products in horticulture". The programme included numerous lectures and demonstrations on horticultural topics and new innovative techniques. In addition, selected suppliers of horticultural supplies used the Innovation Day to present themselves and their products at information stands. The topic of sustainability was a central theme throughout the entire event.
"The premiere was a complete success. With more than 80 participants, the Innovation Day was very well attended, and we received very positive feedback from both gardeners and suppliers," says Uwe Bedenbecker, Head of Floristry & Horticultural Supplies at Landgard. The participants commuted back and forth between the lecture room and the exhibition area on the Landgard site in Lüllingen all day long. Parallel to the respective lectures, they had the opportunity to talk to the speakers in the exhibition area and discuss in-depth questions in a direct exchange.
The first presentation by Gerd Steverding from Modiform on "Paper pots and trays as well as recyclable pots" showed that the Landgard team did a good job selecting topics and speakers. Directly after the lecture a lively discussion with the gardeners took place, which was repeated after the following lectures. This was also the case after the lecture by Hermann-Josef Belke from Bega-Plan, who gave a lecture on the subject of biological plant protection and strengthening and also the diverse application possibilities of acids, plant extracts and microorganisms in horticulture. "The resonance shows that the topics of the Innovation Day directly and currently concern the gardeners. After my presentation I was able to answer many questions about my products and made many interesting new contacts", says Hermann-Josef Belke. Other presentations dealt with topics such as positive bacterial cultures, foil houses, chemical-free weed control with hot water and carbon-rich biochar to promote plant health and soil improvement.
Ludger Honnen, owner of the horticultural business of the same name in Veert, was completely satisfied at the end of the day. "Today I have got to know suppliers of horticultural supplies with whom I have had no direct contact up to now. This has resulted in many interesting approaches and ideas for our own business. I found the demonstration of the fogging system particularly interesting. The selection of topics for the Innovation Day was varied and noticeably geared to the needs of us gardeners". Landgard Gartenbaubedarf works closely with all exhibitors and supplies gardeners with the products of these suppliers.
Plant passport, packaging regulations and “Deutsche Gärtnerware”
Dr. Jens Wittmann, head of the Landgard Grower Management, informed the participants of the Innovation Day on the new EU plant health system, which will be created as soon as the plant health regulation and the control regulation take effect on 14 December 2019. With it come content requirements for the plant passport, which must be implemented by the gardeners. Dr. Wittmann also addressed Landgards packaging regulation and the new reusable Floritray pallet, which will be introduced next year by Floritray GmbH in the form of a reusable system. In another short lecture, Uli Heufs from Landgard Grower Management presented the "Deutsche Gärtnerware" programme, in which 28 pot-flower gardeners and 15 cut-flower gardeners in Germany now participate with their products. In addition to the conditions of participation, aspects such as current marketing campaigns at Landgard and the attention-grabbing presentation of the "Deutsche-Gärtnerware" products in the cash & carry markets were the focus of the presentation.
"All in all a very successful premiere event which encourages us to continue this format in the future, a heartfelt thank you to all visitors and participants", is how Uwe Bedenbecker sums up the feedback of the 1st Horticulture and Technology Innovation Day.
For more information:
Landgard
www.landgard.de