RED x Pierrick L’Eost #2021
The world-travelling journalist conquering the strawberries of Plougastel
He produces the Gariguette and Mariguette strawberry varieties in a hanging garden, under a glass greenhouse that has a drip watering system and misting.
In order to produce a quality strawberry, he emphasizes the success of his integrated pest management program:
Extend the production period to retain staff
“When I met Louis and Yassine, the directors of RED Horticulture, I was immediately convinced by their speech and their explanations, and I invested in a 1500m2 surface.”
Teaching the specifics of LED lighting
When equipping a greenhouse with LED lighting for the first time, Pierrick asked to be guided by RED Horticulture’s teams for the equipment installation.
Pierrick chose the TAURUS 300 lighting system, installed under the ridge and controlled using SOLSTICE.
“With RED I found a complementary lighting system that allows me to obtain tastier strawberries while increasing my yield.”
Support in order to provide the necessary knowledge on photobiology
Pierrick’s objective is to understand the light factor in order to be able to make the right decisions. Understanding how the plant reacts to each wavelength according to its stage of development is one of the priorities for the Finisterian producer.
Becoming more comfortable during this second season with the light spectra and the light needs of the plant, Pierrick wanted the collaboration between RED Horticulture and himself to be based on exchange and education.
Precocity, yield and quality: objectives achieved
Concerning the earliness, the LED production was ready 10 days ahead of the rest of the production. However, for Pierrick, the most important fact is the earliness of the production peak:
“Under the lit surface we measured brix rates going all the way up to 12 euros against rates between 7 and 8 euros for the non-lit production”.
Pierrick emphasizes the well-being of the staff, for whom the lighting is not a nuisance.
An increasing production area for the next seasons
Later, Pierrick intends to increase his production area, in particular by taking over the family farm in the area of Le Relecq-Kerhuon.
He will also double his lit surface on the site of Loperhet. To both teams’ satisfaction, the successful collaboration between RED and Pierrick is just beginning.
