"One broken pull wire can cause more damage than you think"
Source: HD.com
This puts additional strain on pull wires, increasing the risk of breakage. To detect pull-wire breaks quickly, a Dutch ornamental plant grower has implemented a pull-wire break detection system developed by Van der Valk Horti Systems.
Marc van der Knaap, speaking on behalf of SchermNed, explains: "A broken pull wire is frustrating enough on its own. But if it isn't detected immediately, the damage only gets worse.
In such setups, the risk of a single pull-wire break causing more complex secondary damage is considerably higher, and repair costs tend to be greater as a result. Screen installations and insect netting Tel.: +31 (0)174 62 22 14 [email protected] www.schermned.nl Publication date: Thu 17 Sep 2026 Related Articles → See More "One broken pull wire can cause more damage than you think" New light spectrum meter provides insight into the full light spectrum of LED lamps A robot designed to combat pathogens using UV-C light beams has been tested Examining LED lighting incentives for Canadian growers Agrivoltaic greenhouses make more tomatoes, study finds Farm in Massachusetts grows vegetables under 832 solar panels Choosing the right lighting to make cucumber cultivation more stable, efficient and controllable The make-or-break of NFT growing systems Innovation and sustainability in operational programmes "Growers are no longer focused solely on total light intensity" Related Articles "One broken pull wire can cause more damage than you think" New light spectrum meter provides insight into the full light spectrum of LED lamps A robot designed to combat pathogens using UV-C light beams has been tested Examining LED lighting incentives for Canadian growers Agrivoltaic greenhouses make more tomatoes, study finds Related Articles Farm in Massachusetts grows vegetables under 832 solar panels Choosing the right lighting to make cucumber cultivation more stable, efficient and controllable The make-or-break of NFT growing systems Innovation and sustainability in operational programmes "Growers are no longer focused solely on total light intensity" Latest photo reports → See More Propagate!
Why this matters: For operators, this is a water-management story. The useful signal is that direct substrate measurements can help cut drain loss materially without giving up yield or fruit quality, which is exactly the kind of controllable efficiency gain a facility can build on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does substrate sensing matter in free-drain strawberry systems?
Because drain percentage tells a grower what already happened, while substrate moisture and EC data show root-zone conditions directly. That makes it easier to cut water loss without guessing.
What is the operator takeaway from this trial?
If the thresholds are understood well enough, growers can reduce drain water materially while protecting yield and fruit quality, which makes sensing an operational tool instead of a reporting tool.
