An insurance policy for your crop
Just as you insure your home against disasters, you can also insure your crop. A coating on the greenhouse cover is an insurance which helps you cover risks. It guarantees that your crop is protected from extreme weather conditions and is not negatively affected by sudden changes in the weather.
In a climate with hot dry summers, you don't need to ask whether a coating is worth the investment. That calculation is easily made. You prevent quality problems and lower production; you always recoup your investment. In a more moderate climate, however, growers tend to have more doubts about coating the greenhouse. They might not question the need for a coating, but rather when to apply and remove it. Applying the coating too early means that you might lose some production. This is particularly the case in Northwest Europe.
With climate change however, the decision to apply coating or not is shifting. In recent years, various crops not only suffered damage in the hot summers, but also due to the sudden high levels of radiation in the spring. A coating can prevent this.
Planned coating
The old way of deciding at the last moment when to apply the coating does not fit with the changing climate. By then the damage caused by high levels of radiation may already be irreversible. Or, in countries where professional contractors are operational, it might be hard to organize the applications due to their busy schedule.
These contractors are finding that more and more growers are booking an application time early in the year. That doesn't necessarily mean that growers are coating much earlier. It just means that they have the guarantee that it can be done at a prearranged time.
The right coating
The choice of coating is very important. Vegetable crops and cut flowers like roses and chrysanthemums are capable of converting a large amount of light into production. Although they really don't suffer light stress, they can experience heat stress. This can be prevented by distributing the light better in the crop with diffuse coatings or blocking the heat radiation (with ReduHeat or ReduFuse IR). For more sensitive crops, it is also important to block PAR Light.
In all cases, our coatings are aimed at maintaining a strong and well-growing crop. This crop yields the highest production and the best quality. It is also more resistant to diseases and pests and can overcome developing virus infections.
