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The cost of labor is a big part of the budget of a greenhouse horticulture business. In addition, it is difficult to find good workers. Saving on labor without compromising on the quality of the work will therefore be very appealing.

There's no labor of love on the farm quite as time consuming and stressful as attempting to raise a healthy tomato crop. After years of honing in on a system, we find what methods work best for our spaces and what varieties outperform others. This cumulative experience of growing tomatoes, season after season, serves as the wisdom that ultimately leads to our success. Trellising, pruning, mulching, grafting, and growing in high tunnels are all maintenance innovations that have helped producers achieve that desirable crop and new and exciting developments in these areas are sprouting up every year.

Clipping tomato or cucumber plants to the high wire, that's something growers are well accustomed to.

The crop clamping system Qlipr is renowned for its application in cucumber and tomato cultivation. Cucumber grower Wim Joosen from the Belgian Brecht developed his own 'Qlipr method', with which he can use the system both for cultivation on the high wire and in traditional cultivation.  However, the system also has added value in the propagation of blackberries, as demonstrated by the experience at Tuinderij Joosen. The entrepreneur is particularly positive about the simple way of working and the sustainability gains that are made.

The PlanthooQ is part of the Qlipr system of Pellikaan Gewasklemsystemen. Two stainless steel clamps are fixed on the hot-dip galvanized PlanthooQ - also called the crop hook - to allow the plant to grow. Burlap rope and plastic clips are therefore unnecessary. "Because the hook and the clamps last for years, it is extremely durable; something that is becoming increasingly important in today's horticulture. It is for a good reason that over 30 million cucumber and tomato plants already have been fitted with Qlipr clamps worldwide," says Cor.

The use of LED lighting in cucumber growing can significantly increase yields. This is the finding from the LED trial which Philips Horticulture LED Solutions is conducting at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences.  The trial is carried out using the Qlipr system from Pellikaan Gewasklemsystemen. “Qlipr brings profit, in light and labour.”