Asters emerge again after the harvest. The new shoots are fragile and must therefore be protected. Kwekerij Zijdezicht has chosen ReduFuse IR as the best coating.
Kwekerij Zijdezicht with three locations in De Lier and 's-Gravenzande combines the cultivation of asters with chrysanthemums. “This fits well together. It is much the same planting schedule, even if the aster cultivation takes a little longer. Plant four sections and harvest four sections every week,” says co-owner John Krijger.
The asters in the colors white, lavender and pink sprout again after cutting and then give a new harvest after a while. The young shoots need protection for a smooth and strong growth. “In the past we used chalk, but that caught too much pf the light. At the time, we switched to ReduFuse. This gave a better light distribution and took the sharpness off the radiation. We did lose a few percent of light, but that is very acceptable,” he says.
Cooler and more pleasant
However, it could be even better: ReduFuse IR. “Since we started using ReduFuse IR it has been even cooler in the greenhouse and the young shoots are sprouting even better. Moreover, it is also more pleasant for you to work. You are much less bothered by direct heat radiation,” he says.
ReduFuse IR also has a positive effect on flower color; it gets darker. “The lavender-blue variety becomes significantly more beautiful under ReduFuse IR in hot weather,” says Krijger. He has also had positive experiences with the diffuse coating in the past with red chrysanthemums.
“You never know in advance what the weather will do in the spring, but a diffuse coating is a safe choice. You remove the sharpest radiation and in bad weather the light loss is limited. The ratio between heat and light becomes more favourable, especially if you opt for heat protection, such as with ReduFuse IR,” he says.
Double layer
In 2020 the Santinis (small-flowered chrysanthemums) will also be protected with ReduFuse IR for the first time. The grower has some mixed feelings about this. The crop was certainly less stressed and coloured better. However, there was some spray damage when treated with a organic insecticide. “That was probably due to a combination of causes. We pooled resources when perhaps we should not have. We had the impression that the crop under the coating had hardened less because the conditions had been a bit too easy. We got that impression because we saw no damage at all under an uncoated piece. We need to coordinate this better next year. ”
However, there is no doubt about the asters: recoat with ReduFuse IR. “We are thinking about coating in two steps. A thin layer at the beginning of April and another layer on top two months later. We expect them to come back even better after cutting.”
For more information:
Mardenkro 
Geerstraat 8
5111 PS Baarle-Nassau
T: +31 (0)13 507 70 69
[email protected]
www.redusystems.com