46 www.FloraCultureInternational.com | January 2013

AutomationJonge Planten Grünewald in

The Netherlands produces about 55 million plant

plugs annually for Grünewald Group

customers all over Europe. All the

plugs are Ellepots and are made by

one of the two Ellegaard substrate

pot machines that have successfully

operated in ’s-Gravenzande since 1999. Grunewald set

an absolute record by producting

450 million Ellepots over the years.

by Harmen Kamminga

4,4 cm for a 66 hole tray. Recently, this machine was adapted for pro-duction of 3,5 cm pots in 84 hole trays. It required a minor invest-ment when compared to the ben-efits. The result is an ‘old’ machine which was completely rejuvenated allowing Grunewald to produce pots in smaller sizes. The machine looks brand new and is ready to serve for the coming decades. “Demand for the really big plugs was dwindling,” explains general manager Boers. “At this point in time, the machine that makes the smaller pots still covers 70 to 80% of the total production, but we estimate that with the upgraded machine, production will eventu-ally split fifty-fifty.”For storage and transport Grünewald utilises Ellepot Propagation Trays, but according to Boers other trays developed for the Ellepot fit the machine perfectly well and are currently also in use.

varieties from Grünewald’s own innovative breeding programmes. “Since we started out as a young plant supplier, Grünewald has always been in close contact with its clients. Knowing our customers’ wishes and demands enables us to tailor our breeding exactly to their wishes,” He added, “And of course we also adapt our breeding ac-cording to how we envision future demand to look like.”

Paper plugsAll the paper plugs needed for the Dutch and German produc-tion facilities, about 50 to 55 million per annum, are produced at Jonge Planten Grünewald in s-Gravenzande. Here, Grünewald

installed two Ellegaard substrate pot machines in 1999. One makes Ellepots with a diameter of 2,8 cm which are automatically placed in trays with 128 holes. The other originally made bigger pots of

Grünewald Group is an internationally active enterprise, specialising in

breeding, production and sales of unrooted and rooted cuttings, lin-ers of bedding and balcony plants, perennials, ornamental grasses, structural plants and herbs. The company started in Germany more than seventy years ago. Today, pro-duction is based in Germany, The Netherlands, France and Kenya. Grünewald products can now be found throughout Europe, The Middle East, Russia, Taiwan and North America. “Reliable product quality and long lasting partnerships are the key factor to Grünewald’s success,” states Nico Boers, manager at Jonge Planten Grünewald at ’s Graven-zande, the Netherlands. “Many of our customers have been with us for ten or fifteen years, some even longer.”

Innovative breedingOriginally a supplier mainly of Chrysanthemum cuttings, Grünewald was among the first in Europe to specialise in the produc-tion of cuttings for bedding plants some forty-five years ago. Boers recalls, “Back then most bedding plants were still seed propagated.” Because of the serious benefits for growers and consumers alike, bed-ding plants from cuttings proved to be a hit and the Grünewald com-panies experienced rapid growth. According to Boers, the enterprise is still expanding its businesses today. The new millennium saw a growing number of sales of very successful

Reliable quality links Grünewald to the Ellepot System

NGL machine

Grünewald’s Sjaak is highly satisfied with the performance of the Ellepot system.

January 2013 | www.FloraCultureInternational.com 47

Tried and testedBoers remembers vividly how Jonge Planten Grünewald chose the Ellepot System in 1999. “Back then, we tested all the diff erent kinds of pressed pots, glue pots and paper pots that were available on the market. Our demands were very specifi c. As we stand for the best quality in young plants, we needed a pot that facilitates root growth. Th e glue pots we used previously to the Ellepot System did not meet our standards on that respect. And as our young plants are distributed all over Europe from Holland and Germany, we need pots that retain water long enough. Some young plants travel for about a week in a lorry before reaching their fi nal destination. Of course they have to arrive there in peak condition. Only some pressed pots will retain enough moisture to make such a long trip a success, but in those pots root growth will be impaired.”

Ellepot SystemTo date, the only pot that success-fully meets these contrasting demands is the Ellepot System. “Ellepots are made from an eco-friendly biodegradable paper sleeve, fi lled with fi ne fractions of the

are still needed, but only operate at about 10% of their capacity. Th roughout the year, the Ellegaard machines need little maintenance. Boers: “Th e machines are quite robust and straightforward. An experienced user can deal with most smaller scale failures by him-self. And as there are a few users of Ellegaard machines in the vicinity, we swap spare parts on occasion.”Boers cannot imagine Grünewald without its Ellepot System. “Th ese pots have become vital to our logistics. Especially the delivery of our high-quality young plants to the upcoming markets in Eastern Europe would have been virtually impossible without the Ellepot System and its unique airy porosity guarantees a suffi cient water buff er and good rooting alike.” |||

substrate of our choice. Th e soil is sucked into the paper sleeve by applying a vacuum. Th e result is a loosely packed growth medium with a great air fi lled porosity. Back in 1999, that was the huge advantage the Ellepot System had over all other potting systems and it still remains today. “Even though we produce over 50 million plugs we still experiment with pot systems and novel techniques from time to time,” admits Boers. “But the horticultural world has still not come up with a better system to make pots.”In the last decade, Grünewald customers have grown familiar with the Ellepots. “For customers the paper lining of the Ellepots off ers extra grip that makes for easier handling during the transplanting process", Boers knows. “At fi rst, customers commented on that posi-tively time and again. But now they have stopped talking about it. Th ey have become accustomed to it.”

Operation and serviceTo meet demand for young plants for the main gardening season, both Ellegaard machines at Jonge Planten Grünewald operate at full capacity between October and March. Th e rest of the year they

The company’s show garden in ’s-Gravenzande, the Netherlands.

According to Grünewald, the only pot that successfully meets these contrasting

demands is the Ellepot System.