Robin de Zeeuw is keenly aware of how data insights can help growers make the right decisions to improve crop performance. Since becoming Crop Specialist at Forever Plants, he has introduced a more data-driven approach to cultivating the company’s tropical plants. “Thanks to our crop model, which incorporates the Plant Empowerment principles, we’ve maintained a consistently high standard of quality while improving the speed and energy-efficiency of our production activities.”
User story
Forever Plants
A shift towards data-driven cultivation
Forever Plants is an extensive year-round operation in the Westland region of the Netherlands. Robin de Zeeuw is Crop Specialist at one of the company’s two facilities, where around a dozen different types of tropical plants in over a hundred different pot sizes are produced on 3.5 hectares. “When I started at Forever Plants in 2022, the use of data was relatively limited,” he says.
“Each cycle started with a plant profile and an estimate of when the plant would be ready. Then the progress was monitored weekly, mainly based on measuring the height and assessing them visually, until they were of the right quality to be harvested and sold. In other words, most decisions were made on gut instinct or based on historical data.”
Bespoke cultivation model
For help with implementing data-driven growing at Forever Plants, Robin turned to crop consultant Leo van Uffelen, an expert in ornamentals. He is also well-versed in the Plant Empowerment principles, having participated in multiple courses run by Hoogendoorn Growth Management and studied the Plant Empowerment book. “To give Robin more control, I developed a crop model to gather the key crop values and parameters. I used the LetsGrow.com data platform for this, because it offers the possibility of building a dashboard that not only displays the data, but also monitors whether that data stays within the set bandwidths,” he says.
“I’ve been in contact with LetsGrow.com for several years, including for other growers I work with, and I’ve always received very good support from their team. Using the LetsGrow.com platform, I was able to develop a simplified model to monitor and display the average temperature, humidity, light and more – all the important data to enable the crop specialist to stay in the lead,” explains Leo.
“An additional advantage is the easy integration with Forever Plants’ Hoogendoorn iSii climate computer. This means that all the relevant data is automatically fed into the model in real time. Using the Plant Empowerment book for extra guidance, we set the parameters in the model, and these are now continuously monitored in LetsGrow.com,” he continues.
RTR module
Robin is particularly happy with the model’s Ratio Temperature to Radiation (RTR) module. “In the past, we used to grow a lot of our crops in the shade because we thought that’s what the plants needed. But since working with the RTR, I’ve been pushing the boundaries with light!” he states. “Providing that you get the other climate settings right, light is a valuable source of energy that enables you to speed up growth.”
Better plant health and shorter crop cycles
“The model now helps us steer based on the RTR, so that we can maintain the right balance between temperature and light level. We use a combination of screens, heating and – in the summer, when the sun is strong – a dehumidification unit so that we can make the most of the higher light level and temperature,” continues Robin.
“This prevents the plants from getting too hot, so that they can maintain the right balance between sources and sinks, and continue to direct their energy not only towards the leaves but also towards the roots. This is key for plant health and resilience,” he adds. “Thanks to increasing the light sum and adjusting the RTR accordingly, we’ve sped up the crop cycles by 15 to 20% on average over the past 18 months. And for some shaded crops, we’ve reduced the cycle from 28 weeks to 21 weeks, which is almost 30% faster.”
Decision-making support
“The model is weather-sensitive and uses the weather data and forecasts from the iSii. When the light sum is low on a cloudy day, for example, it suggests opening the screens to lower the temperature and prevent the plants from stretching,” comments Leo. “And whenever there is a deviation from any of the setpoints, we receive an automatic notification. Then I can log onto the system remotely, analyse the graphs and identify the cause of the issue. I then discuss with Robin whether any corrective action is necessary and, if so, which adjustments to make.”
Energy savings
“We often decide to take corrective action,” says Robin. “But sometimes we choose to just accept that the values are different from our setpoints. For example, if the temperature is 1 degree below our desired average on a cold or windy day and the daily energy price is high, it might not be profitable to turn up the heating – especially if the weather forecast shows that the next day will be sunny again. This approach enables us to save energy without losing quality.”
Staying a step ahead
“It always takes a few days for the effects of any problems to become visible in a plant, but by that time you’re often too late. Thanks to using this model to accurately monitor and control the climate on a daily and even hourly basis, Robin can stay one step ahead of any issues and steer for better plant quality. And that’s of primary importance for Forever Plants,” states Leo.
“In the 18 months that we’ve been using the model, we’ve maintained a consistently high standard of quality while improving the speed and energy-efficiency of our production activities,” adds Robin. “And I’m sure that we will make even more gains as we continue to be fine-tune the model based on new insights from the real-life data, supported by the Plant Empowerment principles,” he concludes.