THE UK’S YOUNG PEOPLE IN HORTICULTURE ASSOCIATION

Chrysal and ag-tech company Syngenta have joined forces to launch Largo, a new post-harvest treatment product which uses Gibberellic acid. In Pelargoniums, it reduces leaf yellowing, bud abortion and petal shatter. As a result, Largo-treated Pelargoniums have a longer retail shelf life. Gevers stresses that Largo is a PGR and should, therefore, not be applied in the greenhouse but in the final shipping stage when plants are loaded on a trolley. Some Dutch retailers have made Pelargoniums treated with Largo, or a comparable product, mandatory to reduce waste. Largo or not, there’s virtually no escape from shipping Pelargoniums in a dark truck. Gevers says growers can use potassium-rich fertilisers for growing a more resilient, tougher crop to withstand better shipping. Gevers also discussed the fungus Thielaviopsis basicola — the causal agent of black root rot. The fungus infects a wide range of hosts and should not be underestimated — the sources of how T. basicola may help spread diseases include untreated soil or peat moss. To avoid an outbreak of black root, Gevers advises that implementing basic sanitation practices can mean the difference between a small, contained problem or, if ignored, a recurring problem. Now that Topsin, a broad-spectrum, systemic fungicide that provides reliable control of white mold, leaf spot, powdery mildew, various rot diseases and other diseases in a broad range of crops, is no longer admitted in the Netherlands, growers look for other options.

GREENHOUSE ENERGY-SAVINGS TIPS

Saving energy in greenhouse production has become a hotly debated topic in a country where by October 2022, growers paid 1,40 euros per cu m for natural gas, ten times more than 18 months ago. Guest speaker at the event, Ronald-Jan Post, has for 26 years worked as an energy expert at DLVge. He presented methods and resources for energy savings in line with the Trias Energetica. This energy-saving strategy, developed by Delft Tech University, comprises three steps; minimise energy use, use renewable energy such as solar panels and geothermal heat, and use fossil fuels efficiently. Growers should take a holistic look at energy-saving opportunities, asking themselves how much energy they need to grow a decent crop, thus not only considering minimum but also maximum levels. To get the bigger picture, Post suggests comparing your energy bills with previous bills and sharing usage history with greenhouse neighbours to get better insights into the use of heat, electricity, and CO2. Judging from what he has seen in greenhouse horticulture, Post thinks there is much to win, citing the example of the Dutch cucumber industry, whose natural gas consumption dropped from 25 cubic meters to 16. Among the quick wins are leaving some greenhouse compartments empty, lowering light use and pipe temperature, and leaving energy screens closed more frequently. Moreover, preventive maintenance of the entire installation, a boiler cascade system, and proper peak load management are also methods to reduce energy use. The good news is that greenhouse horticulture is one of the few sectors of the economy that is wellplaced to deal with volatile energy markets. Think heat storage or combined heat and power (CHP). In commenting on the long-term energy outlook, Post anticipates that by 2032 heat demand in greenhouses will have dropped by 50 per cent compared to 2022. By then, growers will still be connected to the natural gas grid, but they will use it much more efficiently while other sustainable energy sources will take over. In ten years, the conventional boiler will have disappeared from the horticultural scene, with more than half of the heat sources being geothermal, solar, or residual. He adds that growers continuing to only use conventional boilers will find themselves with their backs against the wall.

YPHA: THE UK’S ‘YOUNG PEOPLE IN HORTICULTURE ASSOCIATION’

Natalie Porter is the business development manager at Porters Fuchsias (established 1985), a family-run wholesale bedding plant grower in Formby, just outside Southport, on England’s Northwest Coast. The company owns the Happy Plants garden centre brand, including 99 per cent homegrown plants.

“Earlier this year, horticulturist, writer and ‘plant influencer’ Michael Perry, aka Mr Plant Geek, aired concern that UK horticulture spends so much time talking about how our industry isn’t considered an appealing career option that we dissuade many from even considering it. Our negative narrative perpetuates our fragility. But how do we dismantle the preconceptions at play?

Three years ago, my friends Mollie Higginson, Liam Cleary and I started to piece together a group of younger people who had found their way into horticulture regardless. Each of us knew a few, who knew a few, who knew a few more, and suddenly we realised that not only were there more of us than anticipated, but together we could make a tangible difference.

YPHA was formed in January 2020 and has flourished to a hivemind of 350, representing all corners of UK horticulture. We engage, educate, and empower members through networking, online seminars, and face-to-face events. Lessons are learned, ideas are sounded out, and work events become infinitely more enjoyable, thanks to friendships and business contacts quickly becoming the same.

We are immensely proud of how much stronger our industry is for YPHA’s existence. But - having had our (very vague) initial game plan derailed by 2020 - how can we retrospectively channel this energy into a positive force for the future of horticulture?

We start by rewriting the narrative of what it’s like to be a young person in horticulture. By offering ourselves as a central point through which opportunities can be amplified, we have started to match members up with new job roles, contacts, bursaries and even the odd TV appearance. If a younger person isn’t appreciated where they are, we can point them towards somewhere that they will be. If they have ideas but not resources, we can help find them a launchpad.

As soon as people start to feel valued and nurtured, they begin to thrive in their respective roles- the benefits of which shine through in themselves, their businesses, and the wider industry.