Case Studies

From the far north to the deep south. From tender seedlings and finicky exotics to hardy bedding plants and hydroponic vegetables. No matter where your operation is located or what you are cultivation, controlling the growing environment is critical to your bottom line. ACRYLITE^® High Impact Acrylic has been engineered to deliver performance advantages that translate into improved business performance. No wonder ACRYLITE^® has been the glazing of choice for many of the world’s leading greenhouse growers for more than forty years. Read some of their stories for yourself.

Rosa Flora

Threefold Energy Savings

You don't need to know the street name to find Rosa Flora owned by Otto Bulk. When you get to Dunnville, Ontario, Canada, all you have to do is cast your eye over the horizon. The Rosa Flora greenhouse operation is where the big wind turbine stands out as it rotates in the breeze.

The wind turbine is 75 meters high and is used to supply electricity, at least most of the time. The weather conditions here in the Niagara region, between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, are favorable as there is a gentle breeze most of the time. Rising electricity prices prompted Otto Bulk to look for alternatives to conventional energy sources: "We wanted to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels." So he soon had the idea of using a wind turbine, which supplies up to 600 kilowatt hours of electricity per day, a large share of the power his operation needs.

And Otto Bulk's business needs quite a lot. The gerbera daisy, one of the premier cut flowers produced at Rosa Flora Limited, is a sensitive little plant that poses a challenge for all growers. Tens of thousands of these plants flourish in his greenhouses, and he has learned to handle the vagaries of this northern climate. Cold dark winters and hot humid summers!

The big differences in temperature are naturally reflected in the energy consumption. Otto Bulk is less worried about high energy prices than other growers, not just because he has installed his own wind power plant, but also because his company has been building its greenhouses with ACRYLITE^® High Impact Acrylic double-skinned sheet for many years: "The material's high heat insulation saves us a lot of energy. Compared with glass, we save about one million dollars a year."

Otto Bulk relies on a mixture of different alternative energy sources in conjunction with energy-saving ACRYLITE^® acrylic glazing to combat rising energy costs. As you exit the greenhouses, across an open area designated for future expansion, stands a building containing his bio-mass boiler. Beside this structure stands a mountain of industrial waste wood, where a large back-hoe scoops up buckets of wood. The waste wood is conveyed to a vibrator/sorter to eliminate non combustible pieces, and then into the furnace "We use this to heat water to 90 degrees Celsius (194°F), which is circulated through the heating system for our greenhouses," explains Otto.

Otto Bulk has been in business for 30 years. He and his wife, Corine, began their company in 1978, initially specializing in roses. But they have modified their product range over the years: "We just couldn't compete with South American rose growers. The roses from there aren't just cheaper, they are better too," he freely admits. Today, the 150 workers at his greenhouse operation produce Alstroemeria (Peruvian Lilies), snapdragons, Sweetheart Roses, stephanotis and gerbera on a cultivation area of 106,000 square meters (~1,000,000 square feet). Gerbera has become very popular recently.

"You can see vases of gerbera on tables in every home and garden magazine, and of course we are responding to this development." Gerberas are the fifth most popular cut flower worldwide. What Bulk does not grow himself he buys in from other local growers. In his cold storage, he has freesias, Statice, roses and Anthurium that are waiting to be delivered in one of his 13 trucks. "Our motto is quality and proximity to the customer. That means we want to offer the widest possible range of cut flowers." Eighty percent of Rosa Flora’s sales are exported to the US with the balance sold within Canada.

Quality is the highest priority to stay in business in this market. ACRYLITE^® acrylic double-skinned sheet helps to do just that because it transmits around 86 percent of light, “That makes our flowers more colorful and helps them grow faster and more vigorously."

Otto Bulk previously experimented with other materials. In the early 1990s he installed several thousand square feet of twinwall polycarbonate in one of his greenhouses. "We were not at all satisfied with the result – the sheets quickly turned yellow and had to be replaced. We replaced them with non-yellowing ACRYLITE^®. Even the 20-year-old acrylic is as clear as the day we installed it." Meanwhile, a total of 80,000 square meters (~850,000 ft²) of ACRYLITE^® DEGLAS acrylic double-skinned sheet have been installed at Rosa Flora.

Otto Bulk has come a good deal closer to his aim of producing in an environmentally friendly and energy-efficient way, and at the same time of becoming independent of conventional fuels. With his threefold combination of wind energy, wood heating and ACRYLITE^® acrylic sheet, the Canadian who emigrated from the Netherlands has become a kind of beacon in his branch of industry, not just because you can see his wind turbine from miles away, but also because he sets a recognized example of state-of-the-art production. In 2006, he received a national award for his energy-saving concept.

Otto Bulk looks with confidence to the future. His wind turbine investment in wind energy will be paid off in six to eight years, and he has no need to worry about his greenhouse glazing, which will go on ensuring optimum light yields and heat insulation for decades to come.

The next generation at Rosa Flora continues to come up with good ideas. Son-In-law, Ralph, who is married to one of Otto Bulk's six children, already has plans to expand Rosa Flora.

Len Busch Roses

Competitive Through Energy Savings

The temperature is a chilly 35 degrees Fahrenheit, but the fragrance is intoxicating. Orlando, Chantelle and Rosita Vendela varieties give it their all. Here in the cold storage at Len Busch Roses in Plymouth, Minnesota, roses are waiting to be transported to customers. Minnesota is perhaps the last place you'd expect to grow roses, not being exactly famous for its moderate climate - on the contrary, after Alaska it is the second coldest state in the USA. And although potted plants and cut flowers now account for two thirds of production at this operation that used to specialize in growing roses, roses remain the star attraction.

Len Busch Roses is the only large-scale rose grower in the USA outside of California, a position the company fully intends to keep. "Our strengths are quality and freshness," says Managing Director Patrick Busch. That is obviously the right strategy, for the rose grower from the far north is asserting himself with success against the competition. This comes not just from sunny California, but increasingly from South America: "We have been observing this development for about 15 years." Although the South American roses can have larger heads and usually come at a cheaper price, customers still remain faithful to the longer lasting domestic product with vibrant clean foliage and more fragrance.

For one reason, this is due to the quality ensured by short transport routes. The flowers are sold within a radius of 300 miles, which means they are still fresh on arrival at florists' stores and therefore keep well. On the other hand, Busch can also offer competitive prices due to the energy savings he achieves by using ACRYLITE^® High Impact Acrylic double-skinned sheet. Since 1981, all the greenhouses at Len Busch Roses have been glazed with ACRYLITE^® sheet, now covering a total area of 15 acres or 500,000 square feet. The material offers significant savings as compared with glass: "We have halved our energy costs," Busch says. The savings are due to the material's heat-insulating properties. A double-skinned sheet consists of two skins connected top and bottom by a number of ribs. The resulting air cavities act as an insulating layer, because the static air in the cavities is a poor heat conductor as compared with solid material. The co-efficient heat transfer index, or U-value, states how effective this insulation is. The lower the U-value, the better the heat insulation. 16 mm ACRYLITE® DEGLAS acrylic double-skinned sheets have a particularly low U-value of 0.49 (BTU/h/f²/°F). In comparison, single glass glazing has a U-value of 1.3(BTU/h/f²/°F), more than twice as high.

Patrick Busch sees further benefits: "The material requires very little maintenance and is resistant to hail. That is very important in this region with its frequent hailstorms." The light transmission is another vital factor and was a further criterion for using ACRYLITE^® acrylic sheet. "Roses more than many other flowers need plenty of light for optimum growth, but tulips, gerbera and lilies also flourish in bright conditions.“

According to a gardener’s rule, one percent more light means one percent more growth. That is why glazing should have a light transmission of at least 85 percent. ACRYLITE^® High Impact Acrylic sheet transmits 86 percent of direct light, roughly the same percentage as single glazing.

The guiding principle at Len Busch Roses has always been to offer customers the best possible product, and innovations have always driven the company's success. Patrick's father, Len, was known for his creativity, and never stopped looking for innovative ways to cut costs and boost productivity. In 1974, he installed a wood-fired boiler that provided hot water to heat the greenhouses. In 1984, he was one of the first to computerize his greenhouse operation.

His heirs in the fourth generation have maintained this tradition. Although the heating system has been thoroughly modernized, it is still based on the principle of heating water with a wood-fired boiler – an environmentally friendly method because it uses local wood scrap. This makes Busch largely independent of oil and gas prices. He believes this system, combined with ACRYLITE^® , equips him to face the future with confidence: "We can plan our costs in advance, not just for supplying our greenhouses with energy. With ACRYLITE^® sheet, we have opted for a material that is sustainable because of its long service life and does not need to be replaced, unlike other materials."

So the fifth generation at Len Busch Roses also stands a good chance of continuing to supply customers with the queen of flowers, home-grown in Minnesota.

Feenstra Flowers

The Greenhouse that Grows Ideas

Ed Feenstra likes to experiment. "I love anything technical," says the 46-year-old. Anyone who walks around the greenhouses at Feenstra Flowers in Ontario, Canada, soon sees what that means. Everywhere you look you see special technical features designed by Ed that make work easier. The white watering pipes above the beds of lilies, for example. Or the pipe system under the roof that is filled with hot water in winter to melt the snow.

"I'm always asking myself what could be done better," Ed says. This quest for improvement and perfect functionality led him to ACRYLITE®. He built his first film-covered greenhouse in 1992. "We had only just started our company and decided to use film because it was cheap." But Ed and his wife Frau Loraine were not satisfied: "The light yield was poor and we had big problems with condensation dripping on the plants." This meant the Feenstras had to wage a constant battle with botrytis, a fungal disease. And soon enough, the cheaper price no longer seemed cheap: "We had to replace the entire film every two years." Ed had long had his eye on the solution. His neighbor and friend Otto Bulk at "Rosa Flora" had already been using greenhouses made of ACRYLITE®. since 1987, with all their advantages. Ed was familiar with these advantages because he had worked for Otto for several years before starting up his own company. In 2000, Feenstra built his first ACRYLITE® greenhouse, and has never looked back since: "Our lilies grow much better because of the 91% light transmission and our yield has improved."

The heat-insulating properties of ACRYLITE® are another advantage. Feenstra Flowers grows different varieties of lilies on a surface of 4,800 square meters beneath 16mm double-skin sheets. The demanding plants with fine-sounding names like Mero Star, Sorbonne, Siberia, Rialto and Yelloween need a constant temperature between 17 and 18 degrees Celsius. But the Canadian climate has hot summer days of up to 30 degrees Celsius and dark winters with temperatures that drop to minus 30 degrees. "The good heat insulation of ACRYLITE® means we need less energy to keep temperatures constant." Ed Feenstra adds: "For us, switching to ACRYLITE® was an investment in the future."

Meanwhile, he not only builds his own greenhouses from ACRYLITE®, but builds and supplies greenhouses to gardeners all over Ontario. "ACRYLITE® is safe, easy and quick to fabricate. It's real fun building a greenhouse with this material." Feenstra and his team of six employees glaze two greenhouses a day, using around 300 sheets. The construction team is called up more and more often, as the demand for units made from this material continues to grow. Feenstra stores the acrylic sheets in a unit measuring 2,000 square meters, and this is also glazed with ACRYLITE® because it helps to save energy here too. With a transparent roof, Feenstra can do without additional lighting. Part of the roof is made from ACRYLITE® HEATSTOP double-skin sheets whose special formulation reduces heat buildup indoors, so the rooms require no air conditioning in summer.

But Ed wouldn't be Ed if he hadn't thought up something more to do with acrylic. This year, he built a glazing bar system for ACRYLITE®. With this, he can offer customers who switch to ACRYLITE® a modular solution. There is a growing demand for such solutions: "Our customers know that quality pays off," says Nick Holubowsky, Product Manager at Evonik CYRO Canada LLC in Toronto, the manufacturer of ACRYLITE® High Impacdt Acrylic. Holubowsky has monitored the development of the system and is sure it will be successful in the market.

It's obvious that Ed Feenstra is always coming up with new ideas. His latest brainwave is currently taking shape. "I kept looking for a way to use the scrap material left over from cutting sheets to size." On a long car trip, he suddenly had an inspiration: a heat recovery system for his greenhouses. This is based on the air cavities in the multi-skin sheets. From time to time, the excess moisture has to be conveyed out of the greenhouse. So far, this has been done by opening the windows to let in dry air. "Although that worked, we lost heat in the process," says Ed, explaining a problem that no longer exists. Using the leftover sheet material, he built a system where a fan on one side blows fresh air through the cavities toward the inside. The hot air goes out through the other side. Since the inlet and outlet cavities are next to each other, the incoming air is warmed by the outgoing air. "That saves energy because we need less heating." Ed is busy with the trials at the moment. “It looks promissing”, he says, and a unit of this type is probably soon to be installed in all Feenstra greenhouses. "We can't wait to see what he thinks up next," says one of his employees. Given Ed Feenstra's inventiveness, he surely won't have to wait very long.

Bergen’s Greenhouses

Cutting-Edge Technology

When you enter Bergen’s Greenhouses in Forest Lake, Minnesota you hear a faint humming noise that starts and stops, and starts all over again. And if you sense the ceiling above you is moving, in a way it is. Long rows of potted plants are suspended from the roof trusses in hanging containers. These columns of green are on the move all day long, only stopping to be watered or harvested. It is an impressive sight to look along the 1100 feet expanse to the end of the building. 117,000 hanging pots of petunias and impatiens sway gently as they move round the greenhouse from north to south – 400,000 hanging plants leave the greenhouse every year.

This "moving" canopy conceals a trove of technology. A motor drives the rows of plants and stops them at predetermined times. The workers who harvest the plants drive along the rows with lift trucks and take off the plants that are ready for transport. "We have a unique system," says Managing Director Kevin Johnson. "Not only do we make better use of our greenhouse space, we also simplify our work processes." Workers no longer need to bend over to pick the plants, and there is no need for watering by hand. And the plants flourish because they get more light in the upper section of the greenhouse.

The family business in Minnesota has now been operating for four generations. They were one of the first company in North America to build a greenhouse with ACRYLITE® ALLTOP double-skinned acrylic glazing and thus to appreciate Evonik Cyro’s 30 year non-yellowing warranty. "Locally Grown since 1921" is Bergen's slogan for selling mainly potted plants like hydrangeas, lilies, geraniums, impatiens, begonias and petunias. The company is also renown for seasonal plants like Easter Lilies and poinsettias, which are bought largely by retailers like Wal-Mart, Lowe’s, Target and to a smaller extent by big, independent florists in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. With four sites and some 1,130,000 square feet of cultivation surface, Bergen’s is one of the biggest growing enterprises in the region, and at the same time is at the cutting edge of technology.

In addition to the system of the hanging containers, Bergen’s has installed another innovative technology. Built with a unique cutting-edge design, the convertible-style roof opens and closes. The option to open and close the roof completely, allows a simple control of the greenhouse’s climate by venting air that is either too humid or too dry without the use of expensive, energy driven electric exhaust fans. It also enables the plants to grow under natural conditions and become hardened to the climate conditions they will be exposed to when sold.

After gazing overhead, it's worth looking back down to the floor. It gets wet and dries again at the flick of a button. The potted plants stand in trays that are just a few inches high. When they need water, the trays are flooded. The tanks beneath the floor contain over a million liters of water. The water also contains the right amount of fertilizer that is calculated by computer. This has other advantages beside the precise dosage and the reduced need for manual work: "The water that runs off with the fertilizer can be used again, and we also have far less plant disease and quality losses because there is no water dripping onto the plants," Kevin Johnson explains. Bergen’s in Forest Lake also relies on quick and simple handling of cuttings too. "Previously, we used to transplant the cuttings and then load them onto big trucks. Workers then took them to a certain area of the greenhouse where they were watered by hand," Johnson says. Today everything is much easier: The cuttings are planted and automatically loaded onto an aluminum transport system. After a tour through the irrigation unit, they are automatically conveyed to their final destination in the greenhouse, where an overhead crane or stacker lifts the pallets into the growing beds.

The entire technology at Bergen’s Greenhouses is based on product quaility "To maintain our market position, we have to offer first-class goods. We have to meet the standard we are known for in this region or lose our advantage," "Costs play a major role. We avoid costs by saving energy" Johnson says. ACRYLITE® is a big help in that respect. At the Forest Lake site, all 475,000 square feet of greenhouse space have been glazed with energy efficient ACRYLITE® ALLTOP Double Skinned Sheet. This part of the country is often subject to sub zero temperatures and from November to April there is always the chance of heavy snowfall. The heat-insulating glazing has proved to be a real cost factor in this climate. "We use half as much energy as we would with glass," the Bergen’s have calculated. And ACRYLITE® offers further benefits compared with glass and other materials in terms of light yield. "The material's 86 percent light transmission means the plants grow faster, are more colorful and more resistant to disease. We can compare them directly with plants from our greenhouses built with other materials,"

Following the success of Bergen’s first ACRYLITE® greenhouse in 1978, they continued to build greenhouses by the acres - 2 acres in 2003, 2 acres in 2004, 4 acres in 2005, 1 acre in 2006 and 1 in 2007. "The next ACRYLITE® greenhouse is already being built." confides Johnson. Rows of potted plants will soon revolve there too. And the begonias and petunias will probably attract other visitors as well. If faint chirps can be heard above the low hum of the conveyor belts, the staff knows they have to take a closer look, and relocate the bird that has built its nest again in one of the flowering containers.

Jordan’s Greenhouses

Greenhouses Survive a Hail of a Storm Under ACRYLITE^®

Jordan’s Greenhouses, located in Colorado, has been growing cut flowers and bedding plants for more than 25 years. Because of ACRYLITE’s^® reputation for high light transmission, energy savings, and durability, Jordan’s Greenhouses first installed ACRYLITE^®acrylic in 1989, and they have continued to use it for new and replacement glazing ever since.

After trying every other glazing material on the market, Warren Jordan now has 81,000 sq. ft. of his 85,000 sq. ft. operation glazed with ACRYLITE^®acrylic.

“I’ve seen light transmission through polycarbonate and other materials diminish over time due to yellowing. I don’t want to have to worry about the consistency of my crops, and ACRYLITE^®takes that worry away.”

ACRYLITE^®has a reputation for providing growers with high, consistent light transmission over time, significant energy savings and impact resistance that is second to none.

In 2005, Jordan’s Greenhouses experienced a hail storm that showered their greenhouses with ice pieces the size of golf balls. Greenhouses that were glazed with polycarbonates experienced 75% damage and those glazed with poly were completely ruined. At the same time, greenhouses covered with ACRYLITE^®High Impact Acrylic sustained about 2% damage to no damage at all.

“In the weather climate that we live with in Colorado, we can’t afford to be concerned about whether or not our greenhouses will stand up to hail storms and other extreme weather. We need to be confident that they are durable and that our crops will not be ruined due to damage caused by such weather events.”

Warren Jordan has been using ACRYLITE^®to glaze his greenhouses for more than 15 years. Deglas acrylic has been the obvious choice each time he has looked at reglazing or new construction. With excellent light transmission over time, increased energy savings with today’s energy costs, and unsurpassed impact resistance, ACRYLITE^®acrylic is the best choice for every greenhouse operation.

C. Raker & Sons, Inc.

Decades of Success With ACRYLITE^®

C. Raker & Sons, Inc., located in Michigan, specializes in the production of high quality plugs and liners, through seed and vegetative propagation. Their first install of ACRYLITE^®was in 1985 and, since that time, there has never been any doubt as to why they chose to go with the ACRYLITE^®product.

“Above all else, the ACRYLITE^®High Impact Acrylic offers us consistent high light quality over time…the best light for any given condition,” explains Tim Raker. “We grow a variety of crops, based on the needs of our clients, so having the best possible light to start out with is a significant factor, and knowing that the light quality won’t change over a period of years means we can better predict other crop growth requirements.”

ACRYLITE^®High Impact Acrylic has proven itself to C. Raker & Sons, Inc. in terms of weatherability and impact resistance. Michigan experiences some extreme weather conditions throughout the year. In winter, severe snow and ice loads, which slide from greenhouse rooftops can cause other glazing products to break or show signs of crazing. Tim Raker has seen the ACRYLITE^®acrylic withstand these conditions over the years without damage.

“Another important factor in Michigan’s climate is the energy savings we reap with acrylic glazing,” says Tim Raker. “Particularly in the winter months, our acrylic greenhouse are very energy efficient when compared to other glazing products.” In addition, condensation sheds well on the interior of the greenhouses. Because C. Raker & Sons, Inc. germinates and propagates seeds and cuttings, the prevention of drips on the interior is a factor, especially in colder months. If drips occur, plants can be damaged. With the ACRYLITE^®anti-condensate coating, the condensation runs off in sheets, rather than dripping to the crops below.

The Rakers have never had to replace their ACRYLITE^®High Impact Acrylic. They have a small portion of their operation glazed with polycarbonate and find they must invest in replacing the polycarbonate approximately every 4 years due to yellowing and brittleness. The ACRYLITE^®product has remained consistent in clarity since the first installation, and it is not susceptible to brittleness, making it possible for C. Raker & Sons, Inc. to invest in other facets of the growing operation.

Of their 450,000 sq. ft. of greenhouses, 400,000 sq. ft. is covered with ACRYLITE^®acrylic. Acrylic has been the choice for every new greenhouse build that has been undertaken at C. Raker & Sons, Inc.

“It’s been 25 years now since we started using acrylic, and when we build new additions to grow our young plants, our choice for glazing has always been a given – acrylic. Since our first installation, we have never considered another option. Acrylic is our choice.”

Europe’s Leading Orchid Growers

A Queen With a Conscience

Against the backdrop of rising energy costs and the ongoing debate about CO2 emissions, companies that squander energy will probably have a hard job staying in business. Energy will account for an increasing share of the overall costs of operating a greenhouse. Growing orchids consumes a great deal of energy, so orchid growers keep a keen eye on costs. That's why more and more greenhouses, especially in the Netherlands, are glazed with ACRYLITE^® High Impact Acrylic Multi-Skinned Sheet because its excellent heat insulation offers significant cost-reducing benefits.

Grace, purity, elegance and beauty are the attributes of a queen. So it's no wonder that orchids are seen as the aristocrats of pot plants. They also require regal treatment during their cultivation. Lavishly tended, nurtured and checked, they feel most content 81°F (27°C) .

Not exactly the average temperature in the Netherlands, the world's largest supplier of orchids. To thrive in Europe, these tropical plants are raised under artificial conditions of heat and humidity. That makes them real energy fiends. Good heat insulation and energy conservation have long been particularly important in this branch of industry, and call for efficient glazing. Double glazing with U-values of less than 3W/m²K should be the rule.

Many growers rely on ACRYLITE^® acrylic multi-skinned sheet to keep heating costs down to an acceptable level. "It transmits more light than other materials, insulates better than conventional single glazing and therefore saves energy. It's also highly weather resistant," explains Michael Haussmann, responsible for the greenhouse market in Evonik's Acrylic Sheet Business Line.

ACRYLITE^® multi-skinned sheet for potted plants Growers of potted plants in particular opt for energy-saving, light-transmitting ACRYLITE^® acrylic multi-skinned sheet when it comes to converting existing greenhouses or building new ones. The insulating air cushions in the double or triple-skinned sheets offer particularly high thermal resistance and are therefore more suitable than single glazing. The more layers of air, the better the heat insulation. Greenhouses are normally built with two skins at most, to retain the highest possible light transmission, while reducing heat losses.

These facts also convinced Arjen Peerdeman, an orchid grower from Zaagdijk-Oost. This cost-conscious and environment-minded greenhouse operator chose ACRYLITE^® ALLTOP acrylic double-skinned sheet as the economical solution to energy consumption in his greenhouses. "Not only do plants flower better thanks to the UV transmission of ACRYLITE^® ALLTOP acrylic double-skinned sheet, the air cushions in the double-skinned sheets help us save energy. That means I can do my bit for the environment and get better results at the same time. ACRYLITE^® ALLTOP acrylic double-skinned sheet has convinced us, and that is why we are presently adding another 73,000 ft² (6,800 m²) of greenhouse capacity."

"The Netherlands are our most important market at present, and one the whole world is watching. A total greenhouse area of 200 hectares are glazed with ACRYLITE^® multi-skinned sheets in the Netherlands. This is where trends are set," Michael Haussmann says. "The crucial factor is that we can provide these leading global plant specialists with exactly what their plants need."

For Eric Moor, that means ACRYLITE^® high impact (impact modified acrylic) multi-skinned sheet. This Dutch horticulturalist produces flowering Phalaenopsis orchids in Europe's most modern greenhouse. His colleagues, who grow Phalaenopsis seedlings, have slightly different requirements and therefore depend on ACRYLITE^® ALLTOP acrylic multi-skinned sheet. These sheets transmit UV light and let the entire solar spectrum into the greenhouse.

Kees Schoone has ~ 650,000 ft² (60,000 m²) of ultramodern production space at his disposal at Floricultura in the Dutch town of Heemskerk. Energy conservation was what prompted him to choose ACRYLITE^® ALLTOP acrylic multi-skinned sheet. "I save about 40 percent in energy costs as compared with traditional single-glazed glass greenhouses," he reckons. This figure is confirmed by the Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering (IMAG-DLO), which established that energy savings of 24 to 55 percent can be achieved using ACRYLITE^® ALLTOP, depending on which multi-skinned sheet used. "The UV transmission also has a positive effect on seedling growth. So we are investing in vigorous growth and energy saving," says Kees Schoone, whose business grows some 30 million orchids per year.

The same applies to the Phalaenopsis orchid "nursery" of specialist Ed Meeuwissen at Orchids4ALL in Aalsmeer near Amsterdam. The greenhouses built there in 2001 by greenhouse manufacturer Bosman using ACRYLITE^® ALLTOP multi-skinned sheet have now been extended to ~ 270,000 ft² (25,000 m²).

Scandinavia and North America are catching up "ACRYLITE^® is not just the trend in the Netherlands? The Scandinavian countries and North America are catching up," Haussmann says. But there are climatic differences that influence the choice of material. Andy Matsui in Salinas Valley, California, chose ACRYLITE^® high impact multi-skinned sheet in 8 mm thickness. That is important because California is very hot in the daytime, but cool at night, so the temperature deficit has to be balanced and the heat level kept constant.

America's largest grower of potted orchids is presently expanding again. The Matsui Nursery is glazing a further 150,000 ft² (~ 15,000 m²) of greenhouse with ACRYLITE^® high impact acrylic multi-skinned sheet in 8 mm, bringing the total area glazed with ACRYLITE^® to 500,000 ft² (~ 50,000 m²). Several years ago Matsui began to refit his older greenhouses successively with the long-lasting eight-millimetre-thick double-skinned sheets. His total greenhouse capacity is an impressive 30 hectares. "The 21st century belongs to the orchid," Matsui says. He expects the demand for orchids to grow steadily.

The greenhouse of the future Orchids are not the only pot plants and ornamental varieties to thrive under ACRYLITE^®, sheet which is often chosen to cut energy costs. "There is clearly a trend towards the low-energy consuming greenhouse, and the Netherlands play a pioneering role, with plans for greenhouses that can be heated completely without fossil fuels," Michael Haussmann tells us.

Karl Zwermann

Shades of Success

ACRYLITE^® greenhouses bring out a plants' true colors Begonias are prized for their eye-catching, vivid hues - vibrant red, sunny yellow or neon pink. In South America, where they originally come from, they are perennials that grow outdoors, with no glass to separate them from UV light. The pigments in their leaves and blossoms ensure their natural radiance. But similar effects can be achieved in the greenhouses of Central Europe too. "In our ACRYLITE^®ALLTOP acrylic double-skinned sheet glazed greenhouse, the begonias grow under the same conditions as outdoors," says greenhouse owner Karl Zwermann from Usingen in the Hochtaunus region of Germany. And he should know, because he was able to make a direct comparison after adding an ACRYLITE^®greenhouse to his existing glass structure over 30 years ago. Karl Zwermann offered plants from both greenhouses on the wholesale market. "But soon, customers only wanted the begonias from the ACRYLITE^®greenhouse. It wasn't just because of the colors - the plants were more compact too," says Mr. Zwermann, who has observed similar effects in poinsettias as well. This is also thanks to the material's high UV transmission of around 91 percent.

ACRYLITE®for a special climate When Karl Zwermann chose an ACRYLITE^®greenhouse over 30 years ago, he was a real pioneer. Plant growers came to visit him from as far away as Japan to see his innovative greenhouse. "We created a very special climate for our plants beneath the ACRYLITE^® multi-skinned sheet," Mr. Zwermann tells us. Air circulation between the plant rows made sure the plants had warm feet, but a cool head. The crucial factor was the material's good heat insulation. Unlike the glass greenhouse, with its inferior insulation properties, the plants did not suffer from the cold, and the temperature remained constant. "That alone saved us 35 to 40 percent in energy," Mr. Zwermann sums up. "With modern technology, we save over 50 percent." What was highly topical back in the days of the oil crisis and rocketing prices remains every bit as important now that we are faced with the challenges of climate change.

More light for faster growth Skeptics back then told Mr. Zwermann it was impossible to grow plants under ACRYLITE^®double-skinned sheet. But his results spoke for themselves. Not only did he succeed in obtaining brighter colors and cutting energy consumption, his plants rewarded him with denser and more attractive growth. The diffuse light transmitted by the ACRYLITE^®acrylic multi-skinned sheet protects the plants from burning. "That means I could let in all the light for longer stretches at a time and didn't need to shade the begonias from direct sun," Mr. Zwermann explains. And the plants never had to strain upwards to get enough light. With plenty of natural UV radiation, the plants grew bushy and strong, with hardly any need for growth inhibitors, and within shorter cultivation times. So the ~14,000 ft², (1,300 m²) greenhouse built in 1972 was continuously expanded. Mr. Zwermann added to his premises until he finally had a cultivation area of 86,000 ft² (8,000 m²) for his begonias. Despite having retired in 2005, he still visits his former premises now and then to enjoy the splendid sight of the brilliantly colored begonias and poinsettias growing below ACRYLITE^®sheet.