Numerous market gardens no longer wish to forego using clay as an aggregate. It is an important buffer for nutrients, ensures balanced moisture management and stabilises the pH level. However, to

ensure safe crop management, only substrates with so-called three-layer clay are suitable.

N E W S L E T T E R H AW I TA

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Waltraud and Helmut Schneider… the recycling experts>PAGE 4

Jens Müller… the Fruhstorfer sales representative>PAGE 2

Jochen Engelhard… the clay philosopher>PAGE 2–3

To a certain extent, Miscanthus could soon

substitute peat as an additive. This is the

result of a study conducted by the Teaching

and Testing Institute of the Lower Saxony

Chamber of Agriculture in Hanover-Ahlem.

The study was commissioned by HAWITA

with the purpose of finding new additives

that could reduce the use of the valuable

peat resource. Based on the results, a 20

per cent share of Miscanthus in a substrate

would be possible. However, gardeners will

then have to pay close attention to the ni-

trogen fixation in the substrate and, where

necessary, compensate for this, Oliver Weiß,

Head of the Development Division at HAWI-

TA, emphasises.

The trial was conducted with a geranium

culture. It became apparent that the plants

display a similarly good development in a

substrate containing a 20 per cent share of

Miscanthus as is the case in a normal peat

substrate. However, a plant group with a

share of 40 per cent Miscanthus displayed a

significantly worse development.

Weiß points out that there presently defi-

nitely is not enough grass cultivation area

to satisfy the requirements of professional

gardening. First and foremost, Miscanthus is

cultivated as an energy crop or, in chopped

form, as animal bedding.

n Additional information on peat and

substitutes at www.warum-torf.info

Miscanthus is suited as a peat substitute to a limited extent

Hall 3, 3B41

Uwe Winter from the Engelhard garden centre only pots with Fruhstorfer soil.

Already by the middle of the previous century, Professor Anton Fruhstorfer knew that the qual-ity of clay is of decisive importance. He was the first person to mix peat with sterile substrate clay to create an industrially produced sub-strate. To this very day, the so-called “Fruhstor-fer soil” is considered one of the best substrates for professional gardening.

A great many gardeners swear by Fruhstor-fer soil.

Like Jochen Engelhard from Alzenau, in Lower Franconia. He appreciates the simple water flow of the substrate. The soil retains the moisture for longer and doesn’t dry out, which is important, especially during dry summers, as was the case in the previous year. “What is more, I can moisten dry root bales faster,” Jochen Engelhard says. Fruhstorfer soil retains

the nutrients in the substrate and those gained from the added fertiliser for significantly longer than is the case with a substrate without clay. “Like in a buffer, the nutrients and salts are stored in the clay layers and, where necessary, are released to the plant,” Hans-Jürgen Luck, Head of Expert Advice Soils and Substrates in the Industry and Earthworks Archut in Lauter-bach, explains. The effect of the clay also allows the gardener to save on the use of retardants and retain a compact plant.

What is more, due to the buffering effect of the clay, the pH value remains significantly more stable.

The plant, which belongs to HAWITA, sources its so-called three-layer clay from the surrounding vicinity in the Hessian Vogelsberg district, which is indispensable for Fruhstor-

fer substrate. Already back then, its inventor realised that only the right clay quality would provide these properties.

It has to be lime-free, low in salt and stone-free. Hence, the only clay to come into question was the so-called montmorillonite clay from selected deposits. Industrial or brick clay is only suitable to a limited extent because it does not have the buffering effect, Luck emphasises.

The substrate’s clay content varies de-pending on the application area, and it ranges between 2 and 35 per cent. Particularly prim-roses, violas, hydrangeas and sweet maries, in addition to a large number of bedding and balcony plants, love clay. n

More on the topic of clay in the inside part.

It’s all about the right clay

Gardeners should pay attention to the quality of the important nutrient buffer

1 * “Green Minds“

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Grüneköpfe

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Already for more than 20 years, Franz, Sebastian and Jochen Engelhard have sworn by Fruhstorfer soil. They appreciate the tried and tested mixture of high-quality white block peat and three-layered clay. Thanks to this, the plants also don’t hang their heads and go limp on the customers’ balconies and terraces so soon.

“What good are the best plants if the substrate is no good?” Jochen Engelhard knows this, as do many other gardeners. What good is it if the geraniums on the balcony do not thrive because hobby gardeners have planted them in the wrong soil? “Then we are still held responsible,” Engelhard says. Together with his father, Franz, and his brother, Sebastian, the 38-year-old man-ages the production market garden and garden centre Engelhard, in Lower Franconian Alzenau, where he works together with eleven employees. On a surface of 3.5 hectares, the Engelhards cultivate calluna plants, bedding and balcony plants, violas, summer shrubs and poinsettia, among others. His substrate should not be to blame for the plants wilting. For this reason,

Engelhard has used nothing but Fruhstorfer soil for numerous years, which is among the best substrates in horticulture. Fruhstorfer contains high-grade sod peat and three-layered clay. Engelhard cultivates all of his plants, ranging from vegetables to primroses, balcony plants and right up to poinsettia with this formulation. Only the concentrations vary.

Whilst poinsettias require hardly any clay, it is particularly Engelhard’s primroses that appreciate a large share of volcanic clay. Four individual mixtures

All in all, Engelhard uses a total of four mix-tures. They are slightly finer than normal but

When it comes to Fruhstorfer soil, there simply is no way around Jens Müller. The 43-year-old has worked at HAWITA in internal sales for 21 years, initially in the plant in Lauterbach, and at the headquarters in Vechta for 18 years.

The customers place their orders with him even if things sometimes have to get done rather quickly. “Don’t get nervous; simply come for service at Müller,” the father of a 9-year-old son enjoys saying. Thereby, he always remains friendly even when the going gets tough, which the customers greatly appreciate.

Apart from Fruhstorfer soil, Jens Müller is also responsible for selling the Easypot propa-gation system (see page 4). However, Müller’s job is by no means a pure back office position. For a number of years now, he has also been looking after the customers of the HAWITA Group on site. After work he is involved in the local council of his home tome Bakum for young adults and families. When the basketball players of Rasta Vechta - who play in the 2nd Bundesliga - have a home game, he is always found sitting in the front row. n Jens Müller.

Family business: father Franz (left) and mother Margarete founded Engelhard garden centre in 1992.

For a number of years now, the sons Sebastian (2nd from left) and Jochen have also been involved in the business.

Print compensatedId-No. 1552336

www.bvdm-online.de

Jens MüllerExpert for Fruhstorfer soil and Easypot

Green Head

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What good are

the best plants if the substrate is no good ?

T H E C L AY P H I LO S O P H Y

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Gardening tips

Clay protects hydrangeas from drying out

Mr Engelhard, at your garden centre’s checkout

point, you have a stand with Fruhstorfer soil.

What is the customers’ reaction to this as regards

acceptance?

Engelhard: Ideally, for every individual who

purchases his or her balcony plants from me, I

would also like to sell them the matching soil.

Not primarily because of the profit that is to be

made, but also because I would like the custom-

ers to have more pleasure with their plants, and I

don’t want to have any complaints. What is more,

this allows us to create an additional form of

customer retention. Even our garden centre logo

is found on the packaging.

Do you have problems with complaints?

I wouldn’t say so. However, when I do get com-

plaints, this is frequently due to the use of the

incorrect potting soil. This is where they save

money. And it is then that we get complaints

stating our plants are no good. Thereby, there

can be no doubt: especially hobby gardeners

need to use a substrate that will forgive both too

frequent watering as well as many days without

water. And for this, Fruhstorfer is ideally suited.

With which plants do you use the clay-containing

substrates?

All of them. Even the poinsettias get a little bit as

a buffer. This might be unusual, but I would never

do without clay. It’s a philosophy for me! n

Three questions …… put to Jochen Engelhard,Engelhard garden centre in Alzenau.

Photos: Stefan Freiwald, Matthias Niehues, fotolia.com, Timo Lutz und HAWITA

When left dry in their cultivating soil, hydran-geas are rather unforgiving. After having been watered again, they generally react by shedding their leaves. This stress can be avoided for the plants by using a substrate containing volcanic clay. The substrate better absorbs the irrigation water, in addition to storing it for significantly longer periods. This applies particularly for the coarse structure of hydrangea soil, which results in a high air-pore volume that increases the plant’s oxygen supply. Fruhstorfer hy-drangea soil, for instance, has this structure. Not only do gardeners benefit from this, retail customers do, too. This is because looking after the sensitive plants is significantly simplified and, what is more, the plants are more durable. Especially the blue hydrangeas - which have

been regaining popularity for a number of years now - benefit from the volcanic clay, because it better absorbs and tolerates the aluminium sulphate that is required for the blue colouring. Plant nutrients and ballast salts can be stored in the clay’s intermediate layers. This keeps the salt content in the soil solution low and relieves the plant roots.

For this reason, volcanic clay is a useful and valuable additive for numerous plants. The clay content in the culture substrate that is used should be aligned to the type of plant, irrigation procedure and irrigation water. Simply stated, the following principle generally applies: the higher the share of clay in the substrate, the greater the crop growth safety. nOliver Weiß

definitely structurally stable, Thomas Kaiser from the Fruhstorfer manufacturer HAWITA states. Ultimately, though, the gardener decides which structure appears best suited for use. “This depends on the irrigation system, fer-tilisation, etc.,” Kaiser knows. Hence, just like Jochen Engelhard, a large number of gardeners have their substrates mixed individually and in accordance with their specific needs. The deployed growing media have a clay content ranging between 20 and 350 kilograms per cu-bic metre. The most frequently found substrates range from 40 to 150 kilograms per cubic me-tre, Thomas Kaiser from HAWITA knows.

Nutrient buffer

In any case, for Jochen Engelhard a substrate containing no clay is not an option. “We are living along the Bavarian Riviera,” he says with a broad smile. “It is warmer and dryer here

than in the rest of Germany.” Therefore Engel-hard relies on the volcanic clay’s storage effect. The substrates remain moist for longer and less irrigation is needed. As a result, the plants don’t wilt so soon. As was the case in the past summer, which saw hardly any rain in Alzenau. “I don’t know whether all of our plants would have survived as well as they did if they hadn’t had Fruhstofer soil.”

What is more, the clay buffers nutrients such as salts and nitrogen. The pH-value of the plant remains stable at 5.8. The plants are exposed to less stress. As a result, they can grow better and become more robust, Oliver Weiß, Laboratory Head at HAWITA, states (see gardening tip further below). All of the above are reasons why clay should be used in substrates. Whenever possible, Jochen Engelhard also explains this to his customers. Close to the checkout point, you will find four different Fruhstorfer repotting soil varieties in handy bags. n

Well-rooted: this is how healthy the

primroses look at Engelhard.

What good are

the best plants if the substrate is no good ?

=

Easypot Fleece Pot System turns 20

Multiple-use more topical than everThe Easypot fleece pot system has existed for two decades. In the wake of the climate change and vanishing resources, the idea of an environ-mentally- friendly, mul-tiple-use system in the cultivation of plants is more topical than ever before.

Why should we throw plant trays away after only a few weeks of cultivation? Why not simply reuse them multiple times? In the past, when no plastic products existed yet, this was typical in numerous companies. Nowadays, where quantity is frequently the only criteri-on, hardly any manufacturers of fleece pots still produce the trays as multiple-use goods. Multiple tray use is the idea behind the Easypot fleece potting system. Helmut Schneider has produced under the umbrella of the HAWITA Group for 20 years.

400 million Easypots

Helmut Schneider emphasises that the multiple use system is by no means slower to produce

and deliver. And there can also be no doubts regarding its mass suitability: 400 million fleece pots leave the plant in Hohenlohisch Kuenzel-sau every year.

The peak season is between November and March. 20 employees work on 18 machines in three shifts to produce the ready-to-use fleece pots for major propagation companies and garden centres, and deliver them just in time. Easypots for geraniums, for instance, must be produced from December onward so that the plants are ready for sale in April. Since the latest investment, Schneider‘s team is par-ticularly flexible: thanks to a new tray wash machine, the company is now working even more efficiently than before and, what is more, in an environmentally-friendly manner. Here, the machine washes with rain water.

Broken trays are processed into film

The CC trolleys, wooden and plastic pallets are also washed at Schneider.

Once the washing procedure is completed, they are then disinfected.

And when a tray breaks, it is shredded by the employees and brought to a film manufac-turer for recycling. Pallets that can no longer be used are shredded and used in wood-fired heat-ing. The plant gains 90 per cent of its electricity needs from the company-own photovoltaic system. Helmut Schneider believes that this is only logical.

Ultimately, the green industry must be a pioneer when it comes to resource conserva-tion. n

Jörg Naffin from HAWITA technoplant knows that numerous gardeners have been waiting for this. Now, for the first time, the company is manufacturing plant pots with a diameter of 9 centimetres and, as such, has completed its product range. To date, Technoplant has produced plant pots with the following diameters: 10.5, 10.5 vol. 11, 12 and 13 centimetres.

All pots are manufactured in an injection moulding process. Thanks to the spe-cial pot construction, the manufacturer requires less synthetic materials and, as such, the resources required are reduced. According to Naffin, this is reflected in the affordable price. The 9 cm pot is also offered in a variety of different colours.

Technoplant offers plant pot with 9 centimetre diameter

The Easypot makers: Helmut and Waltraud Schneider.

New Easypot

As of late, HAWITA has a new Easypot tray in its assortment. It offers space for 104 cuttings and is 4 centimetres high.

The Easypots have a diameter of 2.8 centimetres and, according to Helmut Schneider, are suited for all prevalent cultivated plants. The new dimension was developed at the request of numerous customers, Schneider explains.

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