Adrichem Potplanten

Adrichem Potplanten has been located at Papelaan 11 in Monster since 2000. The company was founded in 1991 by Jan and Sjaan van Adrichem. Meanwhile the sons Bas and Tim have taken over the company. The company has a cultivation area of 5 hectares. Different types of potted plants are grown here, such as Cyclamen, Pelargonium Grandiflorum, Capsicum, Heliantus, Fuchsia and Fragaria. All plants are delivered in pot with a matching colour.

The focus has increasingly shifted to sustainable cultivation. Growing good and strong plants in a fully sustainable manner is not easy. But the challenge is to achieve this.

Adrichem Potplanten is in possesion of the environmental certificates MPS-A, MPS-GAP and MPS SQ.

Sustainability

Water
Two water sources are used:
1. Rainwater collected on the glass roof of the greenhouses. This water is stored in a water silo. In case of extreme rainfall this helps water boards because it does not end up in the ditches.
2 Ditchwater. As the water must be as clean as possible, this water is first filtered before it is given to the plants.

The concrete cultivation floors are connected to a closed system so water and fertilizer can be recirculated. An ebb and flow system is used linked to a closed system. Here 100% of the casting water is recirculated. This way, there is no run-off to the soil. The duration that the water is on floors in the ebb and flow system is optimally set, depending on the need (according to the seasons), plants and pot size.

The water consumption of Adrichem Potplanten has no influence on the drinking water supplies in the region.

Heat

The Polanen heat cooperative was established in 2018. Adrichem Potplanten is a member of this cooperative in order to promote gas-free cultivation. In the coming years, a heat network will be installed and Adrichem Potplanten will also make use of it.

Nature Conservation

In order to preserve nature, the grass and weeds along the ditch sides are mown and sprayed with non-harmful agents. When mowing the ditch edges, bird breeding sites are spared. No unnatural or harmful substances are discharged into the ditches.

Waste materials such as plastic and paper are collected separately within the company and disposed of as soon as possible. In short, everything is kept as natural as possible. All this in order not to be a burden to nature.

Biodiversity

Good climate control is used to control pests within the nursery. If an illness and/or pests are detected, organic pesticides (natural enemies) are applied immediately. This way, the use of plant protection products can be reduced to a minimum. For the cultivation of the Capsicum no plant protection product is used anymore.

In addition we are working nice and need with healthy starting materials.

Adrichem Potplanten is in possession of the most important certificates issued by the international certification organisation MPS, indicating that the products have been grown responsibly and with respect for people and the environment.

Adrichem Potplanten is in possesion of the environmental certificates MPS-A, MPS-GAP and MPS SQ.

– MPS-A – indicates the level of sustainability of the company’s operations.

– MPS-GAP – for companies that supply to retailers and concerns traceability, environment, safety and hygiene. MPS-GAP is the next step beyond MPS-A on the road to sustainability.

– MPS SQ – relates to the social aspects of business operations

People

Adrichem Potplanten employs 7 people, 6 of whom are permanent employees. All employees are paid in accordance with the agreements made in the collective labour agreement for greenhouse horticulture. Temporary agency workers in the company are also remunerated via the temporary employment agency in accordance with the agreements stated in the Collective Labour Agreement. This is checked annually.

In order to demonstrate that the plants are grown under good working conditions, certificates are issued by an accredited company. Among other things, there is a hygiene protocol and a plan in which all occupational risks are described, which employees are also reminded of regularly.

Men and women are treated equally and have the same opportunities within the company. The company pays close attention to the “attitude and behaviour” of employees. If there are any problems, the employees have the opportunity to call in a counselor.

In addition to the cultivation of plants, sponsoring is also an important activity. A youth team of the local football team has nice clothes, the church has beautiful flowers and plants all the time. The older people can also get a little more care and enjoy more often a day out through Stichting Zonnebloem. Stichting Team Westland, which works on local projects to combat cancer, is supported by donation and voluntary work.

Health

Did you know that flowers and plants have a healthy effect on people?

Plants provide air purification..
People breathe in air, take out oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide. In the case of plants it is the other way around. During photosynthesis, plants remove carbon dioxide from the air and convert it back into oxygen. The amount of oxygen in the air is increased by the presence of plants, which makes breathing easier.
Air-purifying plants can absorb harmful substances from the air through their leaves. These harmful substances are then stored and broken down in the plant’s roots. These plants can also break down dirty odours, so they are actually natural air fresheners.
For the sake of clarity, every (indoor) plant produces oxygen, but not every plant also purifies the air. Air-purifying plants are e.g. the Spathiphyllum, Calathea, Hedera helix (ivy), Areca palm and the Ficus. For many plants we do not yet know to what extent they have an air purifying effect since they have not yet been tested.
Plants ensure a better concentration and a reduction of stress.
Plants create a relaxed and better atmosphere, also at work.. Plants make the workplace a more pleasant place to work.
Apparently there is even a relationship between the presence of plants and the productivity of employees.
Moreover, the presence of plants has a positive effect on the creativity and concentration of people.
Plants reduce the dryness of the air
The dust content and humidity in the house are strongly related with each other. The dryer the air, the more dust. This can cause symptoms such as a tickling cough, dry skin, headaches and irritated eyes. By watering plants, it finally evaporates again through the stomata in the leaves. Plants can thus increase the humidity of the air, which therefore benefits the air quality.
Plants provide a pleasant and warm feeling
Research has shown that plants are good for people in various (subtle) ways. They play an essential role in creating a pleasant, natural and quiet environment in which to move, work and/or relax.
Did you know that flowers too have a healthy effect on people?
Flowers can brighten up any room in a magical way. They give meaning to our emotions such as love, joy, comfort, compassion and sorrow. Flowers provide a relaxing effect on our constitution. They provide positive energy in the home and a warm feeling. In short, everyone is just very happy about that!

Care

Helianthus, Pelargonium Grandiflorum, Fuchsia, Cyclaam:

Innovation

The Dutch greenhouse horticulture sector is worldwide renowned for its innovative power. In order to be one step ahead of the competition from other parts of the world, people are constantly looking for better efficiency in the use of raw materials and space. This, of course, without compromising the (top) quality of the Dutch product.

The glasshouse horticulture sector in the Netherlands can cope with this rapid pace of innovation thanks to a strong relationship between research and practice. In addition, a great deal of knowledge is exchanged between the entrepreneurs in order to make progress together. The flower auctions are a good example of this as one of the largest cooperatives in the world.
Below we describe a few examples of this innovative power.

Biological control and integrated pest management
In order to minimise the use of pesticides and to find a better balance between parasites and their natural enemies, natural enemies of the parasites are used in the greenhouses. Thanks to the intensive exchange of knowledge between the growers and their suppliers, growers are increasingly able to produce a top quality product with organic solutions.

Combined heat and power (CHP)
Combined heat and power (CHP) is a large engine, originating from the shipping industry. Only it has been converted to run on natural gas. The efficiency of this motor is higher than traditional gas boilers. These engines drive a generator that generates electricity. This electricity is used in the company’s own nursery or is supplied back to the public electricity grid. The ‘residual heat’ produced by the engine is used to heat the greenhouses. After cleaning, the exhaust gases can be used to provide the plants with CO2. All in all, these motors provide an efficiency that can be up to 20% higher than the traditional method of heating (gas boilers).

Geothermal energy
Geothermal energy is used for this type of energy. A drilling tower is used to drill a well to a depth of 2-3 km. At this depth, water of more than 80 degrees can be ‘collected’. This heat is used to heat the greenhouses and then the cooled water is returned to the soil via a second source. It is expected that these sources will be able to continue to produce sufficient heat, even longer than the life of a greenhouse.

Drilling the well is an enormously expensive investment. In addition, there is a great risk that the drilling will ‘fail’. By working together with each other and with governments, in the Netherlands we are able to gain experience with this way of heating greenhouses sustainably.

Water purification
Plants need water and nutrients to grow. More and more nurseries are making use of the reuse of drainage water. This is water that is collected before it disappears into the subsoil. This ‘drainage water’ still contains many nutrients that can be used by the plants.
By reusing this water and mixing it with clean water, less fertilizer is used.
However, the drainage water also contains some ‘wrong substances’. The content of these wrong substances determines how much water can be reused. The application of new techniques creates opportunities to filter these ‘wrong substances’ out of the water.

Diffuse glass
In new constructions, more and more growers are opting to cover their greenhouses with diffuse glass. Diffuse glass ensures that light is distributed much more evenly across the crop without any shade or light spots. This leads to a more even greenhouse climate.
Temperature and humidity can thus be controlled more accurately, which means, for example, that the opening of the air windows can be limited, which leads to lower CO2 emissions.

LED lighting in greenhouse horticulture
A new innovation in horticulture is the use of LED lighting. This lighting is not comparable with LED lighting used in consumer use. In the horticultural sector, the lighting is produced by ‘power LEDs’ and therefore much higher. The major advantage of these ‘power LEDs’ is related to sustainable business practices: energy savings compared to high-pressure sodium lamps (orange-coloured lighting). This saves more than half of the energy.
Another major advantage is that when using LEDs, crops can be better controlled using the different colours in the light. This is in favour of a better growth and a higher quality of the product.