News » 18.09.2025 - Plant Empowerment is bearing fruit

By now, Plant Empowerment is a name you can hardly miss in the horticultural world. The partners behind the concept have put a lot of energy into sharing it with growers, using tools like the Plant Empowerment podcast, an online knowledge platform with courses, monthly webinars, and even a global community of growers applying the philosophy in their own greenhouses. Now it's time to see how it all works in practice. Paul van Gils of Lumiforte and Remy Maat of Saint-Gobain Cultilene look back at the journey so far and share what lies ahead.

Remy Maat (Saint-Gobain Cultilene) and Paul van Gils (Lumiforte)

Finding the right levers
According to Paul, the Plant Empowerment team has done everything it can to give growers practical tools. "The icing on the cake for us is the whitepaper we published, which explains the interactions between light management, such as coatings, and irrigation. We've really gone deep into that connection," he says.

The strength of Paul and Remy is that they translate science into grower's language. "What we try to do is translate the language of the plant into actions an entrepreneur can take," Paul explains. "That's also how we've developed the whitepapers and podcasts."

Why Plant Empowerment?
This way of communicating has helped the concept spread quickly in the market. Remy reflects: "Here in the Netherlands, we have a huge amount of knowledge and expertise. But we asked ourselves: can we really explain everything we do? Do our actions line up with what the plant is experiencing?"

Instead of introducing entirely new ideas, the focus has been on rethinking practices. "We started asking: are we always doing the best thing for the plant? That's where data and sensors came in. It's all about approaching cultivation from the plant's perspective," Remy explains. "If you always do things the way you've always done them, you'll never move forward."

That shift required collaboration. To truly put the plant first, suppliers had to step out of their own silos. As a result, companies including Hoogendoorn, LetsGrow.com, Svensson, Saint-Gobain Cultilene, Lumiforte, Van der Ende, Rijk Zwaan, BASF, BVB, Van Iperen, and Koppert sat down together to ask one question: what does the plant really need?

"It actually started at the dinner table while traveling," Remy recalls. "We'd sit together and debate: if you pull the screens, I need to adjust irrigation. If you apply coatings, I have to adapt water management. Ten years ago, each of us dictated solutions from our own area of expertise. Now we combine them, and that collaboration helps us get the most out of the crop."

By pooling their expertise, they've developed an integrated approach. "That allows us to steer toward the optimum," Remy continues. "The plants are stronger, yields and quality are high, and at the same time we save on resources like energy, water, and even labor."

The fruits of Plant Empowerment
In practice, Remy sees that growers are planning ahead more carefully, aligning irrigation and coatings before problems arise. "At Plant Empowerment, we talk about a 'plan of growth'—a cultivation plan. You map out what you want to do, which water levels to maintain, when and what type of coating to apply, and you follow that plan. Of course, you'll need to make adjustments along the way, but the idea is to prepare the plant in advance instead of reacting afterwards."

And the results speak for themselves. "When you take a more plan-based approach, you spend less time firefighting," Remy says. "That means less energy input—literally less heating and cooling—but also less stress for the plant. The crop then has more energy available for production and is better able to resist pests and diseases."

Paul adds: "If we manage both light and water at the same time, we see that water isn't lost to evaporation. A cooler plant uses that water for fruit development and new growth instead. That leads to better nutrient uptake, more efficient fertilizer use, fewer mistakes, and even greater labor efficiency."

The future of autonomous cultivation
Plant Empowerment also fits neatly into the bigger story of autonomous growing. "Sensor technology is advancing quickly," Paul notes. "More and more data is being fed into models and computer systems, giving growers tools to steer their crops based on real plant feedback."

Even so, the grower is still the one at the controls. "We see more young people in the greenhouse with a smartphone in hand. They may not come from grower families, but they understand how a plant grows and can use technology to achieve excellent results," Paul explains.

But fully autonomous growing isn't just around the corner. "Computers can take on a lot, but growers still need to give input, otherwise nothing happens," Remy emphasizes. "Nature is never the same, every year brings different varieties, and the climate changes. A computer doesn't walk through the greenhouse—the grower does."

Is autonomous growing a utopia? Remy smiles: "Never say never. But if you look ahead ten to fifteen years, I don't see it happening quickly. The sheer volume of data is too much for any one person, so computer models and algorithms will increasingly support growers. They'll guide us closer to the optimal plant, but they'll remain tools, not replacements."

Sharing and learning
At the heart of Plant Empowerment, it all comes down to people. "What I enjoy most is working with like-minded partners to inspire growers," Paul says. "Sometimes small, simple insights can make a huge difference. Plant Empowerment is really like a puzzle where all the pieces fit together."

Remy sees that same enthusiasm among growers, especially those who take part in the Plant Empowerment Summer School at GreenTech. "No matter where they come from, they're incredibly eager to learn from each other. That's fantastic to see."
 

Source: www.floraldaily.com

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