With good piece production rates, high product quality, and excellent varieties, Amazone Plants are at the top end of the market. Biological plant protection is an additional pillar that supports this position. ‘This type of plant protection is a godsend for us.’
Amazone Plants was established in 2010. During the initial few years, the anthurium company owned by Lex Scheffers and Fred van Zijl did not immediately have the wind at its back but the business started to take off in 2015. In 2019, the tomato nursery also owned by Van Zijl was converted, before being added to the anthurium nursery in 2020.
A remarkable move
‘Well, we had ten good weeks, Fred and I said to each other when the coronavirus crisis erupted and exports came to a standstill,’ Lex Scheffers recounts. The two partners made a remarkable move – they rented additional greenhouses. These were used to temporarily store a proportion of the growing plants. In the end, everything more or less turned out fine – the plants in 12 cm pots were sold in 14 cm pots in the summer, and the plants in 14 cm pots went to the buyers in 17 cm pots.
The company has focused on biological plant protection since it was founded. However, its highly automated production system makes this type of plant protection complex. The plants in the propagation phase enter the processing hall every nine weeks. During the nine week period that the plants are in the greenhouse, it is not easy for the employees to access the plants, for example to scout them. Infestations may therefore occur in the greenhouse that only become noticeable once the plants are in the hall.
Fantastic results with Swirski-LD
The main pests are the Western flower thrips, aphids (predominantly peach potato aphids and glasshouse potato aphids), and Duponchelia moths. Amazone Plants uses a variety of beneficials to keep these pests under control. Consultant Wim van der Meer names them for us.
Amazone Plants uses Macro-Mite to combat the pupae of the Western flower thrips and Swirski-Mite LD to combat the larvae. ‘At this company, Swirski-Mite LD produces fantastic results,’ Wim tell us. ‘The predatory mites continue to emerge from the insect netting at a good rate over a longer period. This means that there is always a strong population in the greenhouse crop and control of the thrips is maintained at the right level. The method works fine in this automated production system, which is, of course, very reassuring.’
The company still needs to take action against Echinotrips and anthurium thrips as the current thrips predators are not sufficiently effective against these pests. The company therefore sprays a product of natural origin, such as Mycotal, twice a year, in the spring and in the autumn. Wim van der Meer explains, ‘Koppert is involved in a trial in which we are investigating whether Chrysopa eggs are effective at tackling the two thrips varieties. Hopefully, it will be a success.’