Plant Health in practice

Plant Health is one of the most talked-about topics in horticulture today. But what does it actually mean? And how do you translate theory into daily greenhouse practice? To explore this question, Plant Empowerment has launched a new Plant Health podcast series. In this series, we dive deeper into the fundamentals of plant health and discuss why it’s much more than pest or disease control alone.

Published: January 12, 2026

Why Plant Health, and why now?

Growers are facing increasing pressure: fewer crop protection options, changing climate conditions, rising energy costs and higher demands for quality and resilience. At the same time, scientific knowledge about plant physiology and resilience has grown rapidly, but hasn’t always found its way into practical horticulture.

Plant Health brings all these elements together. It looks at the plant as a living system, where climate, irrigation, nutrition, microbes and pest & disease pressure are closely connected. A healthier plant is not only more resilient, but also more productive and stable in the long term.

From theory to practice

In the podcast series, Plant Health specialist Mark van der Werf and Plant Empowerment manager Stijn Jochems discuss:

why plant health is never about one single factor
how pests and diseases are often symptoms, not the root cause
how growing conditions influence plant resilience
and how growers can start thinking in systems instead of quick fixes

The podcast series is part of the Plant Health Circle, the framework behind our new year-long program Mastering the dynamics of your plants.

Listen on Spotify About the program

Episode 1 – Understanding the dynamics of plant health

In this first episode, Plant Health Specialist Mark van der Werf introduces the Plant Health Circle and explains why plant health is never determined by one factor alone. You’ll learn how the interaction between the plant, its environment, pests and diseases influences overall plant health, why plants show signals when they are out of balance, and why plant resilience is an essential part of growing healthier, more resilient crops. The episode provides a foundation for understanding the Plant Health Circle and the Plant Empowerment approach to plant health.

Episode 2 – Pests & diseases

In this second episode, Plant Health Specialist Mark van der Werf takes a closer look at pests and diseases and why their presence alone is rarely the real problem. Pests and pathogens are always present, but growing conditions and plant health determine whether they become a threat to the crop. Discover how plant balance influences pest pressure, why prevention and reaction require different approaches, and why exclusion and control strategies work best when combined with a resilient plant. This episode helps growers move from reacting to symptoms to understanding plant vulnerability.

Episode 3 – Growing conditions

In this episode, we explore how growing conditions and climate strategies influence plant health and the development of pests and diseases. Rather than treating climate as a set of numbers or targets, the Plant Empowerment approach starts with the plant and its needs. Discover how changes in irrigation, nutrition and climate can influence plant balance and pest pressure, how biostimulants differ from chemical solutions, and how maintaining plant resilience can help protect crops from pests and diseases.

Episode 4 – Plant resilience

In this episode, we focus on plant resilience, the plant’s ability to cope with stress, recover from disturbances and remain productive over time. You’ll discover what plant resilience really means, how sugars, nutrition and energy distribution contribute to a plant’s ability to cope with stress, and how plant signals can reveal when a crop is under pressure. As the connecting factor within the Plant Health Circle, plant resilience is essential for understanding how growers can build healthier and more resilient crops through the way they manage plant growth and its environment.