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Case StudiesPhilips GreenPower LEDflowering lampFlorensisFloricultureProjectFlorensis Kenya LtdSectorRooted and unrooted cuttingsof bedding plants andPelargoniumsCropBedding plants, Pelargoniumand PoinsettiaLocationNaivasha,KenyaSolutionPhilips GreenPower LEDflowering lampPhilips LED Horti PartnerUFO Supplies BVResultsBetter plant quality andsubstantial energy savingsFlorensis supplies professional growerswith young plants propagated from bothseed and cuttings. The company’s headoffice and primary production site arelocated in the Netherlands. Its threesites outside the Netherlands – inKenya, Ethiopia and Portugal – play amajor role in the production of unrootedcuttings.The farm in Kenya has developedrapidly in recent years and currentlycovers 14 ha. The modern productionfacilities here are used to producecuttings for the farm’s range of beddingplants, including Pelargonium,Impatiens, Phlox, and Poinsettia.Florensis Kenya is located on theequator, where the natural conditionsare daylight-neutral. Florensis Kenyawanted to improve the internal qualityof its cuttings whilst at the same timereducing its carbon footprint.They trialed Philips GreenPower LEDlights for various crops and varieties ona semi-commercial scale. After only oneseason optimum results had beenachieved and the decision was made toinvest in Philips GreenPower LEDlighting for the entire Poinsettiaproduction. The existing 150 watt bulbswere replaced with 17 watt PhilipsGreenPower LED bulbs. The energysaving was significant. ‘We are nowconsistently producing more uniformand stronger plants,’ says Eddy Verbeek,General Manager of Florensis. ‘Ourcuttings are better and, thanks to theimproved internal quality, we areenjoying higher success rates in rooting.At the same time, we have reduced ourimpact on the environment. In short, thisis a win-win situation. Following our firstsuccessful full production season ofPoinsettia at the Kenyan site, we arenow investigating the possibility of usingLED lighting for other crops andconverting to production under PhilipsGreenPower LEDs.’“We are now consistently producing moreuniform and stronger plants.”Philips Horticulture LED Solutions - General booklet23