How Koppert’s NatuGro Program has helped Equinox Horticulture to Extend Crop Life, Improve Yields, and Transform Soil Health
Founded in 2008, Equinox Horticulture Ltd. nestled in the heart of Nanyuki town - Kenya, has grown into a leading producer of premium cut roses for the European market. With 25.5 hectares under greenhouse production and a team of over 450 employees, most of them women, the farm has built a strong reputation for consistency, quality, and innovation.
At the heart of this farm’s progress is Harrison Ndegwa Kirimi, the Crop Technical Manager, who joined Equinox over 8 years ago. With over 14 years of agronomy and crop protection experience, Harrison’s mission has been to strengthen the farm’s production systems and unlock the full potential of their perennial rose crops.
By 2018, Equinox was facing a strategic challenge. Despite roses being perennial crops with an expected productive life of 15 years, Equinox noticed their plants showing signs of premature aging, some as early as 8 to 9 years. The implications were major including:
• Declining yields
• Compromised stem lengths and bud size
• Higher disease susceptibility
• Costly replanting cycles
• Increased pressure to consider a shift toward hydroponic or soilless systems
But Equinox farm believed that the solution lay beneath their feet, in the soil itself. “Soil health became a strategic objective, not only for the agronomy team, but for the entire management,” Harrison explains, and this was where the partnership with Koppert deepened.
Introducing NatuGro: A Holistic, Soil-First Solution
Equinox had already been working with Koppert for years on IPM and biological crop protection and when the NatuGro program was introduced, the timing was perfect. The farm needed:
• A way to rejuvenate aging crops
• A solution to restore soil balance (biological, physical, and chemical aspects)
• A program backed by data, trials, and technical support
So, in 2018, they began trials with Koppert’s NatuGro program , a combination of plant-based bio stimulants (Vidi Parva, Vid Terrum and Vidi Fortum) and synergistic product such as Vidi Funda, Trianum-P and others. The evaluation of this program was meticulous following a cautious and scientific approach with two years of data collection, careful monitoring and season-by-season evaluation.
During the trial, Harrison and his team tracked clear, quantifiable parameters, both in the crop and the soil, with crop performance indicators such as stem length, bud size, yield.
Their findings were transformative! There was sustained yield increase and stronger crop resilience farm wide with continued use of NatuGro. Additionally, the trials showed positive changes in stem length profile in all length categories, which is a positive improvement in yield quality. Qualitatively, the rose crop under showed stronger crop resilience with fewer fungal infections and improved recovery from stress.
This resilience allowed the crop to maintain optimal performance even in older age brackets. The NatuGro system was rolled out on the entire farm and has been protecting and rejuvenating the soils at Equinox, allowing for optimum production season after season.
Why NatuGro Worked for Equinox
According to Harrison, the NatuGro system aligned perfectly with the farm’s philosophy: “NatuGro rejuvenates the soil so that the soil can rejuvenate the crop. It’s a holistic system where each product depends on the other”. Rather than treating symptoms, Natugro addressed the root cause: Soil fatigue.
NatuGro stands for Natural Growing and is a system approach that enables you to cultivate your crop in a more natural manner. As a result, the input of chemical pesticides and fertilizers can be kept to a minimum. Part of the NatuGro system is a series of products that can be used on their own or in combination with other products. These products are micro-organisms and natural agents. The result is a healthy crop with a superior performance.
Together, these products ensure a strong and resilient crop that grows well. This is either achieved directly, with help from disease suppressing substances, or indirectly, by strengthening the plant both above ground and underground. A stronger crop will, after all, be more resistant to diseases and pests above ground as well.
Looking Ahead
Today, Equinox Farm stands as a great example of how strategic soil health management can transform productivity in perennial crops. Their partnership with Koppert has not only extended crop life but strengthened resilience, stabilized yields, and improved long-term sustainability.
For Koppert, Equinox’s success reinforces a simple rationale, that Healthy soil is the foundation of sustainable farming, and when growers invest in their soil, the results speak for themselves!
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