When the market picked up again quickly, we dared to go ahead,” Marco explains. “The reason we chose Luxous climate screens is clear: the light transmission. In summer, we have light but not too much.
Aphrodite Orchidee completes greenhouse project with Luxous climate screens
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- Greenhouse:
- Aphrodite Orchidee
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- Location:
- Amstelveen, Netherlands
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- Crop:
- Phaleanopsis orchids
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- Challenge:
- Light diffusion, shading, energy
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- Solution:
- Luxous
DECEMBER 2020
Aphrodite Orchidee is a long-established family orchid business that has been operating for more than 80 years. The company is run by the Weerdenburg family, with Marco as operations manager working alongside his two brothers and two nephews. The family recently decided to replace the existing climate screens in their greenhouse to improve light conditions and plant development after postponing earlier plans due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When the market picked up again quickly, we dared to go ahead,” Marco explains. “The reason we chose Luxous climate screens is clear: the light transmission. In summer, we have light but not too much. Then we chalk the greenhouse in two phases. We leave the lower screen in place as an energy screen, which we mainly use for screening at night.”
A light-transmitting screen had long been on Marco’s wish list. “Now that we had the space to replace the screens, we tackled it immediately,” he says. The goal of the new screens is to produce even better, stronger, and more beautiful Phalaenopsis. “The plant simply grows better on it. And I’m mainly talking about the final phase, when the buds appear.”
Installation method
Screen installation was carried out by Horconex in a phased approach so that daily greenhouse operations could continue uninterrupted. “We have continuously had two to three people working to replace all the screens. Section by section, with crop trolleys. That way, the work in the greenhouse can just continue. What we removed in the morning was fixed again at the end of the day,” says Ruben Voois, head of screening at Horconex.
Ruben adds that Luxous screens are familiar to his team. “One of the best-sellers that we install a lot. In greenhouses in the Netherlands that we do, but also in France where we are very active.” Horconex and the family business have worked together for many years. “We do not only screening but complete horticultural solutions. The total package. So when something is needed in the greenhouse, we stand ready. That’s why we have been working at Aphrodite Orchidee for everything for years.”
Grower ambition
Marco emphasizes that investing in quality screens is part of a wider ambition to raise cultivation standards. “Last year we increased our quality standard. We consciously choose to invest in the quality of our plants.” The new Luxous screens are expected to deliver improved light diffusion while maintaining energy efficiency in the greenhouse.