The rooted cuttings of Heco Young Plants
Paul de Jong is continuing the nursery that his father started 42 years ago. The extensive range of rooted cuttings, including several new species, will be showcased to the public during GrootGroenPlus.
Source: Heidi Peters
Heco Stekcultures BV has undergone a name change and got a new logo. Heco Stekcultures is now known as Heco Young Plants and as the name suggests, the company specialises in the propagation of garden plants. The nursery focuses on shrubs and conifers, with the propagation of perennials and grasses being an emerging growth area. The company was founded in 1982, and this year, the 40+-year-old nursery is officially being taken over and continued by Paul de Jong. The nursery includes 1 hectare of greenhouses and 2.5 hectares of mother fields. The cuttings are sent to nurseries in the Netherlands and across Europe. With the takeover, the future of the company, known for its wide range and years of experience, is secured. “I prefer working with and among the plants,” says De Jong. “We strive to grow our products as naturally and healthily as possible. That’s why we started the MPS process last year. Last year, we also purchased a hoeing machine to control weeds in the mother fields. Due to the unpredictable weather, we haven’t yet been able to use it fully.”
Berberis ‘Pink Bird’
The cuttings from Heco Stekcultures BV are delivered in cultivation trays. The wide variety of species makes automation difficult, if not impossible. Therefore, a lot of manual labour is still done at the company. De Jong's core team consists of five people, with temporary workers joining during the busy season. In addition to their own regular range, Heco also produces cuttings on demand. The cuttings are supplied to both large and small nurseries that produce for the landscaping market, as well as to nurseries targeting the visual market. Most cuttings are delivered in the spring. De Jong says, “The customer’s needs are central to our work; many crops can be supplied year-round. We use our own cooling and freezing facilities to slow down growth when necessary.”
De Jong participates annually in GrootGroenPlus to meet with existing customers and, of course, to connect with potential new clients. To convince them, Heco Stekcultures presents a selection from its extensive range of well-rooted cuttings. De Jong: “My focus is on delivering a high-quality product, with improvements whenever possible, so that we can provide a well-branched, strong, and healthy cutting.”
Prunus ‘Red Emperor’
"Each year, our range expands with new species, such as Berberis thunbergii ‘Pink Bird’ PBR, Hydrangea paniculata ‘Pink & Rose’ PBR, Prunus laurocerasus ‘Red Emperor’ PBR, Prunus laurocerasus ‘Zsófi’ PBR, Weigela ‘Picobella Serie’; Weigela florida ‘Black Ruby’ PBR, Weigela ‘Big Love' PBR and Weigela ‘Cherry Love’ PBR. "For new species, we work with licensing agencies," says De Jong. “There are already several species in the pipeline for these agencies. We’ve started producing a few cuttings to build up the species.”
