hexafarms

🏆 hexafarms has won the 2024 innovation prize of ExpoSE! The prize has been awarded for our developments of automatic yield forecasts specifically for berry growers in foil tunnels. Due to the harsh and unpredictable climate conditions yield forecasting in foil tunnels is increasingly difficult for growers. If you want to find out how we can help you get your forecasts under control come visit us at ExpoSE next week at our booth B11 in Hall 1 where Felix & Ties will tell you everything you want to know! #yieldforecast #hexafarms #expoSE #foiltunnel #greenhouse #Karlsruhe

Meet up with Ties van der Linden at Fruit Attraction this week to learn all about how we forecast production for growers all over the world!

📣 Job Alert: Key Account Manager (DACH) Are you passionate about transforming the future of agriculture? 🌱 We're looking for a dynamic Key Account Manager (DACH) to join our fast-growing team at hexafarms. This is your chance to work directly with innovative growers and our sales & tech teams, empowering them to focus on what truly matters: revolutionising food production. If you're ready to join a team that loves plants and innovation, apply now 👇 https://lnkd.in/e865qiUu #Horticulture #hiring #AccountManager #startup #JobOpportunity #agtech

Pruning your bell peppers makes sure you can grow all year long. Here’s how you do it:   Why you should prune 🎯 Pruning bell pepper plants involves removing lateral shoots, also known as "runners," to channel the plant's energy towards fruit production rather than vegetative growth By getting rid of runners, growers enhance air circulation, light penetration, and overall plant vigour, resulting in larger, healthier peppers.   Different cultivars 🫑 Pruning techniques may vary depending on the bell pepper cultivar, with determinate varieties typically requiring less pruning compared to indeterminate types Determinate cultivars tend to produce a predetermined number of fruit-bearing nodes, making excessive pruning unnecessary and potentially detrimental to yield   How to prune ✂️ Begin pruning when bell pepper plants have developed several sets of true leaves and lateral shoots start emerging from leaf axils Regularly inspect plants for new growth and continue pruning as needed throughout the growing season to maintain an open, well-ventilated canopy   #BellPepper #Pruning #Horticulture #Grower #CEA #Greenhouse #Farming #hexafarms

We measure VPD in all of our clients' greenhouses. Here’s why it is important:   What is VPD? VPD is a measure of the difference between the amount of moisture in the air (humidity) and the maximum amount of moisture the air can hold at a specific temperature. It indicates the movement of water from plants to the surrounding atmosphere 💨   Why is it important? VPD directly affects plant transpiration rates, stomatal conductance, and overall plant health and growth. By monitoring VPD levels, growers can optimise greenhouse conditions to match the specific requirements of their crops, leading to improved yield, quality, and resource efficiency 🔬   How to measure VPD? VPD can be calculated using temperature and relative humidity data. Several tools are available for accurate VPD measurement, including digital hygrometers and data loggers. There are also sensors who simply give you the VPD values that can be seen in the system you use to gauge your climate 🖥️   What can we learn from VPD? 🦠 Disease Prevention High VPD levels can create favourable conditions for plant diseases, such as fungal pathogens.   ☀️ Resource Optimisation Optimising VPD levels helps prevent excessive water loss through transpiration, leading to more efficient water usage and reduced irrigation requirements. Additionally, maintaining optimal VPD conditions can enhance nutrient uptake and utilisation, improving overall resource efficiency.   #Greenhouse #VPD #CEA #Horticulture #Grower #Sensor #Farming #hexafarms

Making a yield forecast is difficult and time consuming. Here’s how it has been in the past: Yield forecasts for different plants require different amounts of work, let’s use strawberries as an example (also possible for tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumbers) 🍓 🍅 🫑 🥒 Strawberry yield forecasts are usually made 2-3 weeks into the future. This is because strawberries are very sensitive to changes in weather and because the costumers and cooperatives require a forecast 2-3 weeks before strawberries are ultimately harvested. It has historically been done by manually counting fruits and flowers and comparing season projections to historic data and making estimations. This takes a lot of time and is entirely dependent on the experience of the grower. Some growers even say they spend 33% of their time making yield forecasts. Let’s make sure that growers can go back to doing what is really important, growing tasty strawberries. If you want to know how we solve this problem and give you back your time, feel free to reach out to us on DM or send an email to info@hexafarms.com.   Let’s create of peace of mind in farming together!

Speck can wreck your tomato quality and yield. Here’s how to stop it:   Speck, also known as bacterial speck, is a foliar disease caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae. It manifests as small, dark spots on tomato foliage and fruit, often leading to black specks on the tomatoes 🍅 Speck first appears as tiny, water-soaked lesions on tomato leaves, stems, and fruit. As the disease progresses, the lesions develop into dark, raised spots with a characteristic speckled appearance, particularly on green fruit. Severe infections can cause leaf yellowing, defoliation, and premature fruit drop 🍂 Applying copper-based fungicides or bactericides early in the growing season can effectively control bacterial populations and prevent speck outbreaks. Regular scouting and monitoring of the plants for early signs of disease can aid in prompt intervention and management 💦 While speck can be a real problem for tomato growers, most of the cases can be solved by simple vigilance and some fungicide application, you can even choose to grow a more highly resistant cultivar.   #Tomato #Plants #Disease #Horticulture #Greenhouse #CEA #Farming #hexafarms

Photoperiodism is something every grower knows about. Here’s why you should know about it:   Photoperiodism refers to the physiological response of plants to the duration of light and darkness in their environment. It is important to take into account at each stage of plant development including flowering, vegetative growth, and dormancy 🌸 Plants have internal mechanisms, such as phytochromes and cryptochromes, which detect changes in day length. These photoreceptors trigger signalling pathways that regulate gene expression and physiological processes in response to light cues 💡 Photoperiodism enables growers to manipulate plant growth and development to their advantage. By controlling light exposure, growers can induce flowering, optimise vegetative growth, and synchronise crop production with market demand. For example, strawberries thrive with 10 o more light hours in a day 🍓 In summer there is plenty of sunlight to make the plants grow but in winter growers are better off supplementing natural light with artificial light. This way they can grow crops year round ☀️ #Photoperiodism #Plants #Greenhouse #Horticulture #CEA #Farming

It's that time of year again, come see what the future of food production looks like 👀 hexafarms will be attending Greentech for the next three days, see you there! What will you see at our booth? The world's best forecasting model, automatic LAI calculation, and effortless fruit and flower counting. See you soon! #greenhouse #ai #artificialintelligence #CEA #GreenTech #strawberry #fair #Tomato

Strawberry pruning is very important for optimal production. Here’s how to do it:   🌱 Runner Management Promptly eliminate excess runners to redirect plant energy towards fruiting, promoting robust fruit development and preventing overcrowding.   🍓 Cultivar Variability Tailor pruning techniques to suit the specific requirements of different strawberry varieties. While June-bearing cultivars benefit from more aggressive pruning to encourage larger, uniform fruit, everbearing varieties may require lighter pruning for continuous fruiting.   ☀️ Seasonal Adaptation Pruning is an ongoing process that should evolve with the plant's growth stage and environmental conditions. Regularly inspect and trim plants to maintain optimal health and fruit quality throughout the season.   Pruning is a constant process and needs to be carefully monitored and taken care of throughout the entire growing season ✂️   #Strawberry #Pruning #Horticulture #Grower #Greenhouse #Farming #CEA #hexafarms