PhormiTex Bright & Crystal - Vitensa

Vitensa is based in Vierpolders and grows cucumbers and tomatoes. They have made the switch to organic cultivation. The necessary technical cultivation adjustments have been made. One of these is the screen installation. They installed their second energy screen in December last year. They had the first PhormiTex Bright hung and added a second one: PhormiTex Crystal.

As growers, how do you judge screen cloth?
After all, the specifications are close. Dennis van der Knaap of Vitensa: "Well, that's a good question. I think you hit the nail on the head. As far as we are concerned, it's not in the last percent of light transmission. That difference occurs quickly anyway due to pollution. That effect is greater. The screen installation also largely determines our decision; two or three pull wires in combination with the choice of profile. So we 'chew out' the installation completely."

In the end, Vitensa chose El Flaco again. Dennis: "If you then talk about the choice of screen supplier, I choose something we have good experience with. So my choice already shows that we were and are happy with Phormium. Nowadays, the screens do look very similar. That used to be different. There were bigger differences back then. Of course, price is important, we also look critically at that."

Phormium sales manager Arjan van der Veer adds that the PhormiTex Bright is a firmly woven cloth, and the PhormiTex Crystal, on the other hand, is a bright knit.

Dennis van Knaap, Geert Visker and Robin Grootscholten of Vitensa

Summer and winter
Said screens are both energy screens. At Vitensa, they are not only important in winter. They also come into their own in summer, during cucumber cultivation. Because two canvases are installed, the sun can be screened out through the day under the vent opening; after all, the rest of the deck is chalked. The screens alternate.

In winter, it's different. It takes some getting used to. Dennis: "We have to grow differently, steer differently when using two screens in winter. You have to be careful that using two screens doesn't make the plant too weak in combination with using little tube. After all, you always reach the set heating temp. With somewhat higher humidity levels anyway, fungal diseases are lurking. This was a bit of a learning curve. So the second screen really does close later now."

For both tomatoes and cucumbers, as well as summer and winter, the screens have already proven their service at Vitensa.

Source: Hortidaily, 18 August 2023: https://www.hortidaily.com/article/9551756/steering-throughout-the-year-...

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