Kwekerreportage: Ovata

I step into the succulent nursery OVATA. Long ago, the business was called “Hans Ammerlaan Plant Nursery,” but when Hans noticed that this made everyone want to speak only with him and not his employees, he quickly changed the name to OVATA. Hans prefers to focus on growing and organizing. However, he makes an exception for Javado Magazine. Fortunately, because what followed that afternoon was something I wouldn’t have wanted to miss. Sit back and enjoy this masterclass on modern plant cultivation.

I am impressed by this stunning nursery. How did it all begin?
The adventure began when I was seven years old and received a Crassula ovata from a neighbor who taught me how to take cuttings from it. I was hooked and started growing my own plants. I sold the surplus plants in the village. By the time I was eleven, I had so many plants that I began auctioning them off under my father’s name. By the time I was sixteen, I had a greenhouse full of Crassulas and an employee, Rob, who still works here today.

Can you describe what it has ultimately led to?
We now have a modern succulent nursery covering an area of 8 hectares. We have developed our own robust varieties and grow in harmony with nature, which means we need very little energy and can efficiently produce exceptionally strong plants. We have shifted from growing “obese” plants to cultivating top athletes.

What do you mean by that?
Every plant grower wants their plants to grow optimally to achieve the highest possible yield per square meter per year. Simply put, this often means stimulating growth by adding energy, water, and nutrients. The plants are pampered and indeed grow, but you have to help them fight diseases and pests. In a forest, you never see anyone spreading artificial fertilizers or spraying pesticides. Nature has everything it needs. I wanted that in my greenhouse, and I approached it with the same passion I had as a boy for the fascinating plant world. What followed changed everything, and I can already reveal: the outcome is astonishing.

Ultimately, it all comes down to photosynthesis. The more complete the photosynthesis, the better the plant’s growth and health. The soil and its life are crucial. The soil is full of bacteria, fungi, and all kinds of nutrients. But I don’t have ancient forest soil at my disposal. Moreover, I don’t want to use peat in my mix as harvesting peat is harmful to nature. Let me show you how we work.

We walk to a room with a water silo and a waterfall above it.
We have a completely closed water system. The water is always in motion. We revitalize the water, and this waterfall is part of it. This technique comes from the world of Koi carp. We don’t use UV filters that kill bacteria; instead, we have a reservoir with bacteria that break down unwanted substances, just like in wastewater treatment. Additionally, the water in this silo absorbs hundreds of elements and nutrients, partly from old rocks, algae, seaweed, and fungi. And this water—he hands me a cup—you can drink it.

The water tastes pleasant. We move on to a large machine where growing pots are filled with potting soil.
This installation is also completely unique. The potting soil used here is a story in itself, which I’ll explain shortly, but there’s more happening here. Each pot gets a dose of revitalized water rich in natural biostimulants, fungi, elements, and minerals. For some substances, like a particular willow extract, it took a while to find them. The potting soil is now moist and contains the microbiology the plant needs to become a top athlete.

Now back to the astonishing outcome of this way of growing… The plants develop strong roots and create complex nitrogen compounds. They grow better and need less energy for it. The plants can withstand lower temperatures and are much less susceptible to diseases and pests. Not only is the plant itself very resilient, but there’s also something else. A plant grown the old way contains a lot of nitrate (fertilizer). This is a feast for pests like mealybugs or spider mites. My plants don’t have that, making them much less attractive to pests.

The unwanted bugs that do appear on our plants are scouted by plant scouts who carefully examine everything from above. Where necessary, they release tiny predatory mites that biologically control the pests.

And now, have you found the balance?
People often say that sustainably produced products are more expensive. But keep in mind: unsustainable growing is actually more expensive. You always spend more money on energy, artificial fertilizers, and pesticides. The journey to sustainable growing is costly, however. But it’s well worth it: for me, for nature, and for the consumer who gets a strong, resilient plant. So yes, the balance is now found, but it requires discipline. To maintain this balance, we analyze everything that comes in. We outsource some of our cuttings to others, so we thoroughly inspect them upon arrival. There must be no substances that disrupt the natural balance. The same applies to the potting soil, biostimulants, and so on. Everything is analyzed. So, you should see it like this: I am a sustainable grower in an ultra-modern, automated nursery.

SuPure®

The plants from OVATA Nursery are branded SuPure®. With a SuPure® succulent, you have a strong plant, grown in harmony with nature. You can quickly view and order OVATA’s range by searching for SuPure.

The journey to peat-free

Over six years ago, we started the journey towards peat-free potting soil. By replacing only 5% of the peat each time and doing this only twice a year, it took six years to replace the 60% peat that was in the mix. During this journey, we conducted over 500 analyses of potting soil and plants, leading not only to an excellent potting soil but also to a general improvement in knowledge about plants and potting soil.

Published on: 1 August 2024