Author Harry Stijger
Beekenkamp Plant in Maasdijk uses an AQUA4D® water system after being advised and supplied by Aqua4D-Lescrauwaet. At first only for the treatment of water for making baling clods for vegetable crops. Shortly thereafter also for the manufacture of baling plugs. At the site in France, Aqua4D® has been applied for years.
The water in France is harder and therefore has a higher EC than in the Netherlands. That is the reason why the propagation company there started with an Aqua4D system. “This system makes the lime so fine in the water that it goes with the pouring water and we have much less lime deposits in the pipes,” says Henny van Lierop, Press and Seed Quality Coordinator.
At first, he was skeptical. By doing tests with and without the water system, he saw the difference. “When the Aqua4D system is on, you feel it when you grab the potting soil. You can make a ball out of this soil with water. The water stays in it when you squeeze it. If you turn the system off, it’s like squeezing the water out. It’s like a sponge where the water runs out.”
Nice solid press clods
The press clod machine, which presses the soil with a fixed stroke, responds to soil quality. In a wide 60 cm container, the press pots are compressed from 8 to 4 cm. That’s 50% less.
Van Lierop: “The moment the water is not well drawn into the potting soil, it also evaporates faster because of the sun’s radiation when it’s in the greenhouse. Because of the heat, you get more evaporation. If the water is not properly drawn into the fibers, the result is an unstable root ball. Without the Aqua4D water treatment, the connection between the soil parts is not as good. With this treatment, we get nice firm root balls of good composition.”
Less transport weight
The potting soil for the French site comes from Bruges, Belgium, transported by truck over a distance of 400 kilometers. By adding less moisture, the soil is drier. 1% drier saves about 20 l/m3 of potting soil. That means less weight, which means more soil can be transported. “We want potting soil as dry as possible, but not too dry. The EN weight of a cubic meter of potting soil was 425 kilograms and is now 355 kilograms. We can do the drying of the soil because we can make the soil well moist again with treated water before pressing.”
