The summer officially started on June 21 and the FloraPodium team is always looking for special products that suit the season, so a summer product would be the product of choice. This week however, we took a small detour. We visited grower Wilco van Vliet from Zentoo. He grows the Chrysanthemum "Berry" from the Sorbet family in the Zentoo collection. Chrysanthemum is really characterized as an autumn product, but the "Berry" is specially grown to form a nice addition to the summer range. Who says that chrysanthemums are only beautiful in the fall?

Chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemums come in all shapes, colors and sizes. They have many different shapes; for instance a fluff variety, a small and large-flowered chrysanthemum, a Santini or the classic spray chrysanthemum. A suitable variety can be found for every single decoration. In addition, a very large assortment is available all year round and chrysanthemums generally have a long vase life.
Each chrysanthemum has a typical and very special scent. During our visit we were taken to the cold storage at the growers. In this cell, the scent strongly emerged. The chrysanthemums are cooled in this cold storage; the process is called "pre-cooling".

Pre-cooling removes the heat and moisture from the plastic covers through cold air circulating in the cold storage facility. Because there is no more moisture in the stems or the covers, the flowers will not boil on the way, providing a better quality if the chrysanthemums are in transport for a longer period of time.

Did you know that the chrysanthemum is the national symbol of Japan? The imperial seal is a stylized chrysanthemum and the country has a knighthood named after the flower, the Chrysanthemum Order.

Zentoo

Zentoo is a group of enthusiastic and committed growers who help each other to produce good quality products. All members of the group can be recognized by their shared logo and unique covers. To learn more about the Sorbet family we visited the Zentoo nursery W.A.M. van Vliet and spoke to owner Wilco. The most characteristic quality Wilco is known for is his knowledge of cultivation. If a Zentoo grower has questions about cultivation, they go to Wilco! He has been part of Zentoo for 8 years now. What makes Zentoo so great is the collaboration: "You’re not on your own anymore;  you can work together. Together you sell a larger volume, which makes your work a lot more efficient. You can also offer a larger range of distinctive products on the web shop. In this way Zentoo builds a quality brand with all its growers in which all the growers' strengths are bundled.”

Sorbet family

The Sorbet family had a new addition in 2019; Sorbet ‘Berry’ is the sweetheart of the range with her soft pink color. The chrysanthemum varieties from the Sorbet family all look the same except for the color. They’re all beautiful large spray chrysanthemums with light summer colors. "Berry" is a classic spray chrysanthemum with medium-sized buds. The grower chose ‘Berry’ as a Spotlight product because of its unique color that is always a bit different. This has to do with the location and the light that the flower receives. The more light the flower gets, the lighter the color of the flower, but the heavier the quality. In the winter the flower is therefore somewhat darker, but lighter in quality. In the summer the stems sometimes have a weight of 120 grams, in the winter the stems are often only 65 grams which is the minimum required weight for the Sorbet Berry in the winter.

Wilco grows chrysanthemums on three hectares. This  makes him a small grower compared to the other nurseries within Zentoo. After school he immediately started working in his parents’ nursery. His parents were already growing chrysanthemums at that time. In 2004 he took over the company himself. In 2011 he joined Zentoo.

Sustainability

The company grows organically as much as possible. We have photographed the bags containing these biological critters. They are hung between the crop in the hope that other control is not necessary. One of the pests that Wilco particularly tries to avoid is Trips. Trips are very small insects that can cause considerable damage to the crop.

For a more sustainable look, the company is now working on the development of a biodegradable paper sleeve. Because there is so much plastic waste in the flower industry, this would be a very nice development.

The cultivation process

Zentoo receives the cuttings from a breeder with whom they enjoy a good cooperation. If the cuttings have been planted by the plant robot, they can slowly start to grow. During this process, the main bud is removed, making the spray chrysanthemum pass its food to the smaller buds. In the summer it takes around 63 days before a flower can be cut. In the winter this increases to around 72 days. After the flowers have been cut, the plants are harvested. In the winter, the flower must reach a minimum weight of 65 grams. Planning the cultivation is very important, so you know when which color is ready to be cut. Not all colors are in demand throughout the year.

Sensitive to light

The chrysanthemum is very sensitive to light, because it’s a short-day plant. So-called short-day plants bloom in spring or autumn when the nights are long and the days short. Many tropical plants such as rice, sorghum and soy are also short-day plants. Assimilation lighting is only possible to a limited extent with plants such as Chrysanthemum. Light at the wrong time can disrupt the flowers’ bud construction. To simulate a short day in the summer, the sun is screened off from a certain point in time. The sunny days in summer and the shorter days through the canvas ensure perfect product quality in the summer.

FloraPodium, 18 July 2019