Towards autumn, at the end of tomato and cucumber cultivation, more weak plants can be found in the greenhouse, and more viruses emerge. Every grower is convinced that hygienic conventions in the greenhouse are important and require a lot of attention, which is precisely why Tom and Hans Hoeben from Top 3D have developed their hygienic knives and scissors, the top-knife, top-scissors, and top-leaf scissors.
These types of knives and scissors are mainly intended for fruiting vegetable crops in the horticultural sector, where they are often used per path and hung back at the end. If growers think that a virus is present in the greenhouse, the knives and scissors are first placed in a bucket of disinfectant. However, the Top 3D products work by using a reservoir.
"We have tested this process, and if you remove a knife from the disinfectant, the product is effective on 8 to 9 plants before it can carry another virus again. The reservoir on our knives and scissors ensures that disinfectant constantly runs along the cutting surface. With fluorescent powder, we have shown that the product remains on every cutting surface during cutting or slicing. The reservoir can be refilled with the disinfectant of your choice so that you can continue to use your own products, and you do not need a separate scissor or knife for each path," says Dirk-Jan Haas of HortiWare, the company that is the contact person for the sells knives and scissors.
The knives and scissors can also be supplied for left-handed people, so everyone can use them. You can also reorder parts so you won't have to throw everything away when something breaks.
"Does it get rid of all viruses immediately? No. But we do see that viruses don't spread as much and that they are much less present at any given location. So we have proven that it works, and this year, we have really started to actively approach more people with the product. I also have quite a few customers in Germany who are interested. They would find a virus in their greenhouse and wanted to see whether the knives and scissors worked. When they worked well for them, they quickly said they would start using them from the start of the cultivation next year instead of waiting for a virus to emerge," Dirk-Jan concludes.
For more information:
Dirk-Jan Haas
Hortiware
Monsterseweg 117 / U6
2691 JD, 's-Gravenzande
Tel.: +31 (0)6 59695654
Email: [email protected]
www.hortiware.nl
Tom Houben
Top 3D
Tel.: +31 (0)6 29062877
Email: [email protected]
www.top-3d.nl