Sander Vermeer, a former Plant Empowerment consultant and Van Iperen’s product manager – biostimulants, and technical specialist – fertilizers, acknowledges that today is an interesting and transitional time for the horticulture sector as its approach to crop protection is changing.
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Sander Vermeer
Published: August 13, 2025
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Crop production in a different daylight
This change, explains Vermeer, is seeing growers focus less on treating pests and diseases with crop protection chemicals and more on producing resilient crops with the right nutrition and the optimum growing environment.
Partly a response to the world’s dwindling crop protection armory, this change is seeing growers adopt new practices whereby they’re introducing biostimulants, fertilisers, biopesticides, and beneficial insects to their plants earlier on in the crop cycle.
A shifting mindset
“I think crop protection is one of the biggest challenges facing the horticulture industry,” he states. “We have less and less choice, so we really have to protect our crops in a ‘green’ way. And that’s not always easy. But a lot of growers are already mindful that they have to take a course of action, such as the application of biostimulants or biopesticides, earlier in the crop cycle – and before they see something wrong with their crop. Because, by that stage, they’re already a little bit late.”
This shift in mindset is also due to an increasing understanding that the glasshouse environment is one system. “Everything in the greenhouse has to work together. The climate has to be right, but so, too, does the substrate, the fertilisers … everything. And that’s why, at Plant Empowerment, our focus includes all aspects of the growing environment.”
To that end, the Plant Empowerment implementation partners and members represent all parts of the glasshouse growing environment, including fertilisers and biostimulants.
Vermeer explains: “I help growers expand their knowledge of fertilisers and biostimulants. That can include an explanation of the mode of action or how and when to apply these products and the dosage etc. I also help growers to look at their fertilising schedule and make adjustments, or a new fertiliser programme, for them. Furthermore, I help them to collect – and look at – the right data of the fertiliser data. We do that with a program that can make different, easy-to-read graphs off all the data. This way, you can find trends easily.”
He adds: “As an organisation, we’re utilising data more than we were five years ago. There’s a lot of data coming from new state-of-the-art climate computers, for example, and so it’s really good when each of the Plant Empowerment companies is able to share these data with one another. It’s an opportunity to translate them into a practical story. How can we do something with them?”
Indeed, Plant Empowerment is a data-driven growing philosophy – helping producers to raise their crops more sustainably and profitably by keeping the plants’ three plant balances – water, energy, and assimilates (sugars) – in equilibrium. Continuously collecting data during the cultivation process provides insights into how the greenhouse and plants function. And, as new insights are gained, the Plant Empowerment consultants enjoy exchanging data and knowledge with one another – and then imparting their knowledge onto growers.
A unique exchange of knowledge
This knowledge exchange, such as when best to fertigate the plants and at which dose, often takes place during the Foundation’s annual Empowerment Days, notes Vermeer.
“You can really see how great it is when all the different companies unite to become one during the Empowerment Days. In fact, what sets the Foundation apart from other organisations in the horticulture industry is that all of the companies in our sector work together and come out as one organisation.”
“We held an Empowerment day at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands last year, for example, where Van Iperen International did a presentation. So, for me, that was a really memorable event.”
Bringing the Plant Empowerment story home
Vermeer adds that it’s particularly special when the Plant Empowerment team holds events in the Netherlands, which is where the Foundation originated some five years ago. “The Foundation has really grown a lot during that time and it’s reaching a lot of people – especially growers in other countries. In fact, they’re arguably more well-known abroad than they are in the Netherlands. But it’s really important to tell the Plant Empowerment story here, and to do so in person – because a lot of the growers here are from an older generation who prefer learning in person to tapping into online resources. But this is one of the reasons why the Plant Empowerment Foundation is so successful – we ensure that we reach out to growers all over the world in a multitude of ways so that we’re accessible to everyone.”
In future, Vermeer would like the spotlight to further shine on fertilisers and biostimulants – with new connections, and insights, made between Van Iperen and Plant Empowerment’s other Implementation partners and members.
He adds that a good starting point for growers who are new to the Plant Empowerment philosophy would be the Foundation’s online resources – some of which they can access for free to get a feel for the approach.