A first compartment equipped with RED Horticulture’s smart LED lighting solution.

Together with Klugt Quality Plants, Vreugdenhil forms the Vreugdenhil-Klugt partnership. With a total cultivation area of 43 hectares across six growing locations, they are a key player in the young plant cultivation industry. After our initial introduction to John Potters (Head of Vegetable Cultivation) at the De Lier site, we are proud to have equipped our first compartment with the smart RED lighting solution.

Focus on standardization throughout the year
For over 50 years, Vreugdenhil-Klugt has been operating in the Westland and Bleiswijk areas. As specialists in young plant cultivation, they continuously innovate to deliver consistently flawless quality.

“Our location in De Lier spans 10 hectares, where we mainly grow young vegetable plants. Our primary goal for this location is to standardize production year-round. Regardless of the external weather conditions, achieving this within the greenhouse requires precision in climate control. Tools like the climate computer, shading, and misting systems help us reach this goal. Recently, we added LED lighting to the mix,” explains Potters. “We are using the lighting fixtures in combination with the intelligence of the MyRED control solution to better manage the development of our young plants in real time. This allows us to achieve a much more uniform and high-quality crop, regardless of the season.”

Each growth stage requires its own light spectrum and intensity
For the development of young plants, John Potters required a fully controllable LED light spectrum with adjustable intensity to better meet the needs of the crops. “For optimal plant control, each growth stage requires its own light spectrum and intensity. The intelligent lighting solution from RED fully meets that requirement, making it an easy choice,” says John.

To replace HPS lamps with equivalent power, Vreugdenhil-Klugt opted for the RED T680 luminaires. These LED fixtures feature four individually adjustable wavelengths (including far-red grow light), allowing you to easily double your light intensity compared to HPS, without worrying about energy costs. The RED T680 is designed with efficiency in mind, making it the most efficient lighting solution on the market. The installation is designed to make the start-up process as easy as possible. The old HPS lamps can be easily retrofitted, and all connections are wireless, meaning the entire setup only requires a power supply.

RED: A distinctive and innovative concept
RED Horticulture delivers a distinctive and innovative technical concept, supported by agronomic guidance. With extensive experience and continuous investment in R&D at their own photobiological and agronomic research center, RED is recognized as a specialist in photobiology. For the Vreugdenhil-Klugt project, agronomic support began well before installation; a thorough analysis of Vreugdenhil-Klugt’s needs allowed us to develop an optimal lighting strategy. “Since the launch of the solution, we have regularly conducted field checks in close collaboration with one of RED’s agronomists to optimize our light strategy,” says Potters. “The user-friendly MyRED application plays a crucial role in this process and is widely used by specialists on our team. They can easily adjust various parameters such as spectra and light phases. The dashboard gives them quick insights into both natural and artificial light conditions.”

Early successes
The collaboration between RED Horticulture and Vreugdenhil-Klugt quickly led to early successes. “Production times were shortened, plants were stronger, and root systems improved,” says John. “Additionally, it soon became clear that energy consumption was lower, allowing us to achieve a higher DLI at comparable costs.”

Vreugdenhil-Klugt has successfully tackled its challenge and is now planning to expand its LED-lit area further. The application includes unique patented innovations such as Smart Dimming, which help improve both agronomic and economic results.