Natural pest control also effective in open-field cultivation

At the age of fifteen, Henk Hofsté was already experimenting with cut chrysanthemums on his parents’ farm in Weerselo. Every time a cow disappeared, Henk turned another patch of land into growing ground. Ten years later, in 1991, his bedding plant nursery became a reality.

Hofsté Nursery has become a well-known name in the sector. In the family business, his wife Irma works behind the scenes and is also the face of the nursery shop. Their son Rutger is responsible for supplying bedding plants to Plantion and purchasing additional products through the auction clock. The nursery is especially praised for its Talent Chrysanthemum: a long-flowering, perfectly spherical outdoor chrysanthemum grown in open ground, with a quality equal to greenhouse-grown varieties. In total, the company supplies around 170 varieties of home-grown perennials.

Vegetables too

In early spring, the focus in Weerselo is mainly on classic pansies and primroses. From March onwards, vegetable plants are added to the assortment. Recently, Hofsté has also started supplying strawberry plants in pot sizes from p2 upwards.
“We buy them as cuttings. That’s a bit more expensive, but we prefer to pay more for quality. After growing them on, we add a slow-release fertilizer so customers hardly need to worry about maintenance. Customers don’t immediately see that you’ve spent three years on research, but it definitely makes a difference.”

Collaboration with Plantion

Henk notices that working with Plantion brings a great deal of efficiency. Both purchasing and sales are largely handled through the auction clock and Clock Presales. The dynamics of supply and demand do not always work in his favor every day, but over the course of a year it works well and, more importantly, it provides peace of mind.

Natural pest control

For the past year and a half, Henk has been using biological control methods at the nursery. Both in the greenhouse and outdoors, natural enemies are deployed to combat harmful insects. The biggest challenge is correct application and timing.
“We started with nematodes, but now we mainly use predatory mites and parasitic wasps against aphids, spider mites, and other pest insects.”
It required some patience, but they succeeded in creating a natural balance in the greenhouse.
“By monitoring regularly and making adjustments where necessary, we no longer need to use chemical pesticides.”
According to Henk, natural pest control is also proving highly effective outdoors:
“You have less control there, but we’ve noticed that we can manage with far fewer chemicals.”
Telermaat, the wholesaler where son Rutger works, supports the growing process with expertise and knowledge.
“They also supply biological plant enhancers that make our plants more resilient. That way, we’re already one step ahead of pests.”

Positive developments

Henk has one final message:
“There’s often a lot of negative publicity, but in reality we are moving in the right direction. The water authorities are also seeing improvements in water quality. It’s important that we communicate these positive developments. As a sector, we should do much more to show all the things that are going well!”