The Belgian ornamental plant company Leybaert in Moerbeke-Waas started using Jiffy's Preforma Plug In Plug system for growing Agapanthus three years ago. "This results in much more uniform intermediate plants, which is also reflected in the final product," says manager Tom Leybaert. He is considering using the plug for other crops as well.
From Jiffy's Preforma Plug in Plug system, there's little to see when we stand in front of the Agapanthus section at the Belgian ornamental plant company Leybaert in Moerbeke-Waas. "The plants were potted this spring, and the plug has long since merged with the potting soil," says cultivation manager Davy Polfiet. With a keen eye, he still notices some remarkable characteristics. "All the plants are very uniform." According to him, this can be directly attributed to the use of the Plug in Plug that Jiffy introduced a few years ago. Jiffy is known for sustainable growth solutions such as pots, pellets, coir products, and potting soil, but also holds a leading international position in preformed plugs. It has factories for plug production in the Netherlands, Spain, America, and Japan.
The Plug in Plug system is a plug with perforated planting holes where a mini plug with a cutting is placed. This guarantees homogeneous starting conditions for the cutting. The system is even available in P9-sized cultivation trays, eliminating the need for plastic pots in cultivation, which contributes to a more sustainable production process.
Growth
Leybaert started growing Agapanthus four years ago to diversify his offerings. Since the beginning of his business exactly 25 years ago, the grower has gained fame for cultivating rhododendrons and azaleas, a specialty of the region. While many azalea growers have closed their doors in recent decades due to the plant's declining popularity, Leybaert has experienced growth. This growth wasn't so much due to the azaleas (he maintained the same size in this cultivation), but rather due to diversifying into other crops, including Agapanthus.
Before using the Plug in Plug system, the production process looked like this: rooted cuttings were delivered in mini plugs (64-cell trays), after which employees manually placed the cuttings into larger cups and filled them with potting soil. "We had and still have too little volume to purchase a tray filling machine," says Tom Leybaert.
The grower indicates that the plants lacked uniformity due to manual planting. "When filling manually, the cutting plug wasn't always centered, and there was also a lot of variation in potting soil and air per pot." According to him, this also applies to a tray filling machine. In his search for an alternative, he came across Jiffy's Plug in Plug system, which also supplies the potting soil to the company.
Three years later, he looks back satisfied with the decision to switch to the system as an intermediate step in cultivation. The cuttings in 64-cell trays are manually inserted into Jiffy's 28-cell Plug in Plug trays. According to the grower, this process could also be easily automated in the long run. Once the plants are fully grown, they are transferred to a large 3-liter pot and finished growing.
Tom Leybaert: 'The end result is better and more uniform'
Rooting made easier
Lars Tolenaars, account manager at Jiffy, indicates that the Preforma Plug in Plug system is gaining popularity in nurseries. Besides ensuring uniformity, it is ideal for crops that have difficulty rooting. "The plugs are like sponges, with 30% air between the potting soil. This makes rooting easier," he explains.
He also mentions that the system can provide flexibility in the cultivation process. "If you fill the cup with potting soil yourself, it is less firm and you need to let the root grow fully first. Otherwise, you risk the whole thing falling apart when repotting. With the Plug in Plug system, you can start repotting as soon as you see the first root."
In addition to flexibility in the cultivation process, this could theoretically also shorten production time. According to Leybaert, this element is less significant for the Agapanthus, a plant that roots easily. In theory, he could also place the mini plug with a cutting directly into the final pot. "But then we would need to adjust our cultivation system and also need more space in the greenhouse," he says. It is this space-saving aspect that makes the investment in the Plug in Plug system as an intermediate step in cultivation worthwhile.
The Belgian grower is considering introducing the system to other crops, such as Nandina. This is a crop where the cutting is immediately potted in a mini tray. Since it is placed outside right away, the argument of space is slightly less important. "But it might be interesting to make an intermediate step in cultivation, resulting in stronger rooting. There is less chance of diseases and pests because the crop in the Preforma Plug in Plug will be more vital and thus have an advantage over the smaller cutting from the mini tray. The end result is better and more uniform," concludes the Flemish grower.
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Jiffy is a leading global supplier of premium growing media and solution thinking. We aim to serve you, our customers in plant propagation and cultivation, to achieve better results with fewer worries. We do this by continually improving, innovating, and working toward our common goals, based on scientific research, teamwork, and decades of experience. Let’s develop sustainable plant growing solutions together: Let’s start today!
