A striking result at LG Flowers: over the past year and a half, the company has taken a major step toward growing completely without pesticides, shared Joyce Lansbergen on LinkedIn. In a pilot project, guided by cultivation specialist Martin de Bruijn, the choice was not to simply reduce pesticide use, but to eliminate insecticide spraying altogether.
© LinkedIn | Joyce Lansbergen
And the results speak for themselves. One variety was grown for 18 months entirely free of both insecticides and herbicides. It was only cleared this summer due to a crop rotation, not pest pressure. The other three varieties were treated just once during the same period.
According to Joyce, this proves that pesticide-free cultivation is no longer just a dream, but a realistic scenario. She points out that besides organic production, there is another sustainable cultivation method that can ultimately be completely pesticide-free.
These results were achieved through a clever mix of measures, including insect screens on the windows, the use of banker plants and biological control agents, extra feeding for those beneficials, and intensive scouting. "It was a nail-biting adventure," says Martin de Bruijn. "But if nobody dares to try, nothing will ever change."
