Bicajoux® Gecko and Cobra Pink.
Bicajoux® range
What's special about the Bicajoux® range of Denis-Plants is the fact that the plants flower. They are calatheas and these plants usually do not flower, they are known for their decorative leaves. However, after years of intense breeding, Denis-Plants succeeded in introducing their very first flowering calathea in 2008. "Every plant has 4 to 6 flowers that bloom for five months and it re-flowers every spring. Now it is a plant with a double ornamental value; when it is done flowering, you can still enjoy the beautiful leaves," says Sambaer. Over the years, their breeding evolved and improved and currently, the Bicajoux® range consists of the Gecko (introduced in 2013), a bright pink variety and the Cobra Pink, a paler pink variety, the Mamba and the Anaconda. "We decided to give the plants in this range snake names as there are similarities between the skin of the snake and the color of the leaves of the plant," Sambaer adds. All young plants are available in different sizes and more colors will come soon.
The Bicajoux® Gecko at the Floralies 2016 in a creation of Mr. Daniël Ost. This project can be seen in the 'Kapittelzaal' of the 'Sint-Pietersabdij'. The plants in the picture have a pot size of 17 cm and a height of 80 cm.
Awards
The Bicajoux® range is not only valued by the breeder itself, but also won some awards. At the Floralies 2016, that is being held from 22 April through 1 May 2016 in Ghent, Belgium, the Bicajoux® Gecko won the first prize in the category: 'Most beautiful flowering indoorplant'. Also at the TPIE in Fort Lauderdale (USA) that took place last January, this plant won an award; the first prize for 'most unusual plant".
Denis-Plants.
Cultivation
The cultivation of the Bicajoux® slightly differs from that of the calathea. "It is a long day plant, so it needs more light. If growers want to cultivate this plant year round in the Netherlands, Germany or Belgium, for example, supplemental lightning is needed from November till May (as it flowers spontaneously from May till October). In Australia, for example, this is not necessary as the days are longer over there," explains Sambaer. "Currently, the majority of the Bicajoux® are being cultivated in the Netherlands, but we see the numbers increasing to the USA and Australia.
Denis-Plants.
Advantages
According to Sambaer, the major advantage for the growers is the price they receive for this plant. "Of course, some growers need to equip their greenhouse with supplemental lightning, when cultivating this variety year round, but the prices seem to be very attractive. For a 17cm pot size Bicajoux®, for example, growers often receive twice as much as a similar sized traditional calathea," he says.
Limited numbers
In order to keep the prices interesting for the growers, Denis-Plants does not want to flood the market with the plants. "The number of plants available is still limited. We want to remain under the demand. The plant is not very well known by the end consumers. This might take 6 to 7 years. So, if the demand increases, our numbers will increase too. We are keeping a close eye on the market developments," he says.
Take a look inside the greenhouse of Denis-Plants.
Denis-Plants
Denis-Plants is a family-run company specialized in weaning young plants from tissue culture, ranging from the most diverse indoor plants to perennials. Denis-Plants delivers on order young plants that were acclimatized and cultivated in their greenhouse and among them, exclusive patented varieties. Together with producing their own tissue culture for their greenhouse, they also sell them directly at that stage to countries like the USA, Australia and New Zealand, due to the phytosanitary regulations. In Western countries, they only supply weaned young plants. The main markets of Denis-Plants are Western Europe (in particular the Netherlands), USA, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
For more information
Den
is-PlantsBart Sambaer
Email: [email protected]
www.denis-plants.com