The challenge: a heavy crop load on a tight substrate

Last year, the team at Vink Sion noticed that a heavy fruit load made the crop harder to manage. Much fruit on the plant means less growth for roots and leaves. The plant turns more generative and more vulnerable.

On stone wool, that is a risky combination. The substrate has a limited buffer, and water content and EC swing sharply. Margins become tight. Every deviation in the root zone hits harder, and there is less time to act before the plant responds.

The approach: a new substrate, monitored closely

Vink Sion decided to test a different substrate in one of its three greenhouses: the Growbag Coco from Klasmann-Deilmann, which offers more volume and more buffer.

But a new substrate also behaves differently. You are growing on a slab you don’t know yet, under a load that leaves little room. So the team needed a sharp, up-to-date view of the root zone. Vink Sion monitors water content and temperature in the slab with Tentacles sensors. All data comes together in the 30MHz platform, where the team follows the root zone continuously.

That data proved useful early on. In the first months, the crop grew strongly vegetative and fruit set was slow to start. The team spotted this in time, adjusted, and grew more generatively with cooler nights and warmer days.

“We already had our own water content meters, but 30MHz gives us a much more complete picture of what happens in the root zone. In practice, we steer a lot on the measurements. Especially during the switch to coco, that gave us confidence. It helped us make the right decisions faster.” – Albert van der Ziel, crop manager at Vink Sion

The results: a stronger, more balanced crop

Today, the plants on coco are stronger and more robust. Fruit set is stable and growth is even. Kilos per square metre are currently ahead of the stone wool crop.

“On coco, the crop keeps growing nicely. The roots develop very well and we see no stress. Fruit set stays well balanced.” – Albert van der Ziel

It is too early for final conclusions. But the picture is promising, and reason enough for Vink Sion to put a second greenhouse on coco next season.

Working together on renewable substrates

Klasmann-Deilmann and 30MHz work together to help growers move to renewable substrates. Live data from the root zone makes that transition easier to steer, especially in the first season, when growers are still learning how the new substrate behaves.