Poinsettia is one of the most important potted flowers for the end year holidays, but also one of the most delicate flowers for growing. Success in cultivation does not depend only on plant characteristic, but also is influenced by growing practice.
"The biggest productive difficulties we meet during summer days is that we need to control light intensity (our requirement is about 32,000 lux) and at same time to cool the greenhouse environment. In the past, to reduce the light intensity we used whitewash and we were forced to make several whitewash passes on the greenhouses. Now, with Arrigoni's Robuxta screen, we solved all our problems and reduce labour costs,” says Giuseppe Iuele, owner of the homonymous garden company in San Marco Argentano, in the province of Cosenza, Italy, who annually produces about 20 million garden plants, 100 thousand poinsettias and 400 thousand other potted flowers.
The agronomists of Arrigoni recommended application of screen Robuxta®, thermo reflective fabric with light diffusion additive to support production of Poinsettia. This screen cool greenhouse during warm days and manage the light conditions, making them more favourable for plant development and flowering. Furthermore, the screen is characterized with high resistance and can be installed in automated system.
The advantage of Iuele’s greenhouse is automation: a computer controls the opening and closing of Robuxta screens according to the weather conditions and plants need for light.
Vincenzo Mercuri of the Lamezia Serre company in Lamezia Terme in Calabria, who built the shielding structure, adds: "Arrigoni's Robuxta screen is heavier and more rigid than those we have previously installed. The result was really excellent, after we felt the fabric under own hand and recognized the quality of this material. Now we can confirm that it’s suitable for this kind of installation".
Arrigoni's Robuxta screens are specifically designed for use on tensile structures. Chains and wefts are made with monofilament, while the second weft is in tape. This additional monofilament protects the weft tape and prevents the latter from coming into contact with the cables of the structures, avoiding damage. The white colour reflects some of the infrared light, which is responsible for high temperatures. Due to the reflection, the temperature below the screen is significantly reduced. Nonetheless, temperature management increases water saving efficiency by 20-30% and the LD - Light Diffusion additive used in the tape provides more PAR light (photosynthetically active radiation), useful for plant photosynthesis.
