Archive for Januar, 2015

SANITIZING SUBSTRATES DIRECTLY IN FLOWER POTS. THIS NEW STEAMING METHOD IS APPLYED IDIALY BY A POINSETTIA GROWER IN CENTRAL AMERICA

Freitag, Januar 23rd, 2015

One of the largest American poinsettia growers having many production locations in Central America uses a new steaming system for 50ha area.

The company already used steaming for sanitisation of substrates before. However, labour expenses were high: at first, the soil had to be spilled out from each pot and then collected and treated with steam under a sheet. After the steaming, the pots were re-filled with the soil and re-planted.

Special spiked steaming hood in use
Special spiked steaming hood in use

Mr Marten Barel, a specialist in steaming technology, has developed a quite new method. Using this system, you need not to empty the pots and then re-fill them again.

In this case, 45 flower pots are covered with a special steaming hood. The steaming hood is equipped with special steam injectors, which penetrate into each flower pot filled with cultivation soil.  This method ensures that the substrate is heated up to 95°C within 5-6 minutes steaming time and, thereby, completely sanitised.

Steam boiler from MSD AG (Durbach, Germany) in front of the plant rows; steaming technology expert and adviser Mr Marten Barel (left)
Steam boiler from MSD AG (Durbach, Germany) in front of the plant rows; steaming technology expert and adviser Mr Marten Barel (left)

Thanks to this new technology, the large horticulture company has doubled the steaming capacity. The energy consumption was reduced by 70% to mere 16 l/h, in particular, due to the use of a state-of-the-art high-performance steaming boiler. Using two steaming hoods in turn, the company can treat 450 flower pots with steam per hour.