The ErfGoedFloor has been developed to water plants and drains excess water for optimal growth. In addition, the floor is ideal for regulating the microclimate around the plant. To make maximum use of these functions of the ErfGoedFloor, it is essential that you keep the floor clean. This hygiene protocol provides guidelines for cleaning the floor and keeping it clean. With sustainability in mind, we list the solutions below.

Here are described preventive and curative measures. The preventive measures are, of course, the most important.

Preventive measures (when installing a floor and before starting a crop)

Sand Filter and Sieve Bends

With filters and sieve bends, dirt is easily trapped, preventing contamination of the return silo.

Ensure Sufficient Oxygen in the Water

Stagnant water gets contaminated quickly and the oxygen level drops. Therefore, it is important to keep the water in the basin or silo in motion. There are many positive experiences with the use of a Venturi or other devices. This keeps the water moving and adds extra air.

Water Disinfection with Cleaning Agents

A cleaning agent can be added to the water pumped to the floor. In consultation with your supplier, the grower can choose the agent and dosage. Our advice is to choose an agent with a long-lasting effect. Pay attention to the following points:

• The cleaning agent should not be mixed in the fertilizer tanks (A, B, etc.), but should be added last with a dosing pump to the water being pumped to the cultivation floor. In many cases, the water from the day supply is “flavored,” meaning fertilizers are added from the fertilizer tanks (A, B, etc.). The disinfectant should only be added afterward. It is very important to maintain this order: first flavor the water, then add the agent!
• Disinfection units based on cations (e.g., copper).
• Biological agents. Most biological agents are dosed separately with a dosatron. Make sure to be well-informed about the action of the agents, as they sometimes work more slowly.
• Important Note
  A combination of chemical and biological agents is not compatible. The simultaneous addition of chemical agents deactivates biological agents. When applied, this should be taken into account by dosing the biological agents at a different time.
• Regularly measure the concentration of the cleaning agent to monitor its effectiveness. This can be easily done using test strips that simultaneously measure pH, EC, chlorine, nitrate, and nitrite. Occasionally, have an extra check done by the supply company. Consider various measuring points:
  • Right after adding the cleaning agent that is pumped to the cultivation floor.
  • When the water is on the cultivation floor.
  • In the return water.

Covering the Basin/Silo

It is important to start with clean water. Therefore, it is advisable to properly cover a basin or silo so that little to no light reaches the water. This also prevents algae growth.

Monitoring Water Quality

To check the quality of the water, it is important to regularly conduct an analysis for the presence of pathogens. Nowadays, additional analyses are also available to measure the presence of beneficial bacteria and fungi.

Ask an analysis laboratory which measurement methods are available to measure pathogens and plant growth-promoting bacteria and fungi.

It is advisable to carry out curative treatment in case of contamination after cultivation. Even if it is not always visible, contamination often occurs in many cases. This curative approach involves the following steps:

Step 1. Remove plant and substrate residues

Remove coarse dirt from the floor. Think of dead plants, pots, sticks, packaging residues, etc.

Remove as many plant and substrate residues as possible. Disease pathogens (resting) spores and eggs or pupae of pests can easily survive in organic residues. Plant material acts as an ideal shield against adverse environmental influences.

Also, remove algae growth as thoroughly as possible. Plant growth and algae growth often go hand in hand. To allow plants to grow optimally, sufficient light and nutrients are needed. Two other important growth factors are moisture and temperature. Algae also thrive under the same conditions. For this reason, ongoing attention to algae control is inseparably linked to plant production.

Step 2. Let the floor dry

Allow the floor to dry to prevent contamination from smearing into the fabric.

By letting the floor dry, you also ensure that moisture disappears and that disease pathogen spores are less likely to germinate and less likely to survive. The longer the drying period, the lower the chance of disease and pest survival. Therefore, allocate enough time for this and consider it in the planning!

Step 3. Cleaning with Sweeping and Vacuuming Machine

Use a sweeping and vacuuming machine to remove ground residues and other organic material. Erfgoed has developed special machines designed to clean the floor optimally.

Small cultivation area (up to 3,000 m2): The Stefix 73 is ideal for cleaning smaller cultivation areas. This machine not only sweeps but also vacuums fine soil particles! With its compact design and maneuverability, this walk-behind machine with drive is ideal for use.

Large cultivation area (from 3,000 m2): The Stefix 135 is a sweeping/vacuuming machine designed to clean large areas of cultivation floors. Suitable for both indoor and outdoor floors. Due to the placement and model of the wheels, you will never leave tracks and can drive on all surfaces. This machine has a very low weight and features easy-to-use hydrostatic drive.

Step 4. Rehydration of the floor

Moisten the floor again so that the "dirt" can loosen. This makes the caked-on dirt easy to remove afterwards.

Step 5. Clean with a patio cleaner

Treat the floor with a patio cleaner that dispenses water with a temperature of up to 80°C.

Note: Do this in combination with a scrub-brush machine whose water vacuum cleaner sucks up the cleaning water and completely opens the pores in the ground fabric again.

Step 6. Post-treatment with a cleaning agent

Finally, treat the floor with a broad-spectrum cleaning agent to combat all microbiological contamination and algae growth as effectively as possible.

Step 7. Monitoring

To monitor the quality of the cleaning process, it is important to have an analysis conducted for the presence of pathogens. By taking samples before and after treatment, the quality of the cleaning process can be closely monitored.

Disclaimer

As ErfGoed is not involved in the application of cleaning and disinfection methods, our company is not liable for the effectiveness of the applied agents. This hygiene protocol provides only advice and guidelines, based on experiences. We assume that you make choices for agents and dosages in consultation with your supplier.