Nijssenbulbs.com
Bulbs: Bulbs that make you happy
You buy your flower bulbs from us and you make the necessary demands: true to type, good flowering and healthy. But there may be more you value when it comes to our bulbs. Are they grown sustainably, are they safe for bees and bumblebees? Rightful questions, which we answer here. We are happy to explain to you the efforts the flower bulb sector is making to grow sustainably and the opportunities this offers entrepreneurs.
Sustainable cultivation
Entrepreneurs in the flower bulb sector want to deliver a high-quality product. Sometimes they even have to, because the bulbs go to a country that has high requirements when it comes to the presence of certain diseases and pests. To meet that high quality, the entrepreneur deploys his craftsmanship. Everything is aimed at preventing diseases and pests. Working clean, investing in healthy planting material, it's just part of the job. But flower bulbs are out in the open and can therefore fall ill with fungi or viruses. Growers can combat these with agents authorised by the Dutch government. Any pesticide that may be used must be extensively tested beforehand by the producer for its harmfulness to birds, fish, insects and soil and aquatic life. There are also strict rules for use. It must be absolutely safe for humans and animals. In this way, entrepreneurs are committed to the sustainable cultivation of flower bulbs. Especially in the cultivation of the many special bulbous plants, growers often use almost or no pesticides at all.
Safe for bees
Many consumers are concerned about the use of pesticides that threaten bees and bumblebees. Flower bulb growers have not been allowed to use them for some time. So the bulbs you buy from Nijssen Bulbs Heemstede are safe for bees and bumblebees.
Modern techniques
In recent years, many new options have been developed for entrepreneurs to work with as few resources as possible. For example, there are warning systems for fungi and insects. As a result, growers do not have to spray according to a fixed schedule, but only when the system signals that this is necessary. As a result, much less pesticide is needed than before. In addition, the grower can tackle diseases in the storage cell on his farm. By treating the bulbs with warm air for a certain period, harmful organisms such as thrips and nematodes die, while the bulb stays alive. This eliminates the need to fight these organisms in the field. A combination of heat and very low oxygen levels in the storage cell also helps kill harmful organisms.
Also widely used is inundation. This involves flooding a piece of land for three months or more. This eliminates a lot of diseases that can survive well in the soil. This environmentally friendly method eliminates the need to disinfect the soil with chemicals.
A positive side effect of inundation is that birds can easily find lots of food in this water. Relatively new is the use of UV light and ECA water to kill diseases in plunge pools. Both techniques are safe for the environment, humans and the flower bulb. They are expected to be increasingly used by entrepreneurs.
Healthy soil
Entrepreneurs are increasingly realising that healthy soil helps to grow sustainably. It is well known that bulbs growing in living soil are less likely to contract diseases and pests. For this reason, entrepreneurs pay more and more attention to a healthy and active soil life. They do this by growing green manure crops, which, thanks to their deep rooting, ensure good soil permeability. They sow these after harvesting and these often remain on the land for several months. By leaving them on the land even in winter, they provide food for birds and protect the soil from erosion due to precipitation or wind. Green manure crops also introduce organic matter into the soil, which stimulates soil life. More and more growers choose a mixture of sometimes more than ten different green manures. In this way, they stimulate biodiversity and make use of the many different properties of those green manure crops. Where one roots deeply, the other forms mini nodules with nitrogen, which can be absorbed again by the bulbs to be grown afterwards. In this way, the grower needs to spread less fertiliser. Groups of growers explore with each other how to stimulate soil life with, for instance, mycorrhizae, good fungi known to have a positive effect on the metabolism of plant roots.
Bulb birds
For several years there have been concerns about birds in the Netherlands. The good news is, that precisely in bulb fields a number of bird species thrive. This applies, for example, to the yellow wagtail and the partridge. These birds can nest and hatch their young undisturbed among the flower bulbs. In several growing areas, growers themselves are active in keeping track of the bird population.
Clean water
Farmers have a duty to keep the ditch free of pesticides and fertilisers. They achieve this by not applying pesticides and fertilisers on part of the land adjacent to the ditch. This so-called spray-free zone is subject to clear rules, which are also enforced by the water board. In recent years, through the Clean Farmyard, Clean Ditch project, groups of growers have looked at how to prevent pesticides from entering the ditch water from the farmyard. New insights are helping to make ditches even cleaner. In recent years many plants have returned to many ditches.
Energy saving
A cleaner environment also means saving energy. In autumn 2015, the flower bulb sector was able to report that in five years almost 25% energy had been saved and almost 30% less CO2 had been emitted. The sector was able to achieve this because jointly paid research allowed new techniques to be tested, which then found their way into practice. Drying with warm air from under the roof and increasing use of LED lighting in flower cultivation, especially of tulips in winter, contribute significantly to energy savings. In this way, too, the flower bulb sector is working towards sustainable cultivation.
Arie Dwarswaard
