In the spotlights
Rogenti is a specialized gentian nursery located on the border between the Netherlands and Germany. The company started in 1984 with one bed of gentians and currently grows gentians on six hectares. Owner Marcel Roog became fascinated by gentians during his biology studies in Wageningen, because they are mysterious plants that grow high in the mountains in hard-to-reach places under extreme conditions. In Europe there are 35 types of gentian, mainly in the Alps. The gentian species used for the cut originate from the mountains of East Asia and in particular from Japan. Already in the early 20th century, the gentians were transported to Europe by trade travelers from Japan. In Japan it is one of the most sold cut flowers!
King Gentius from Illyria (Slovenia) discovered the medicinal properties of the gentian, to which the gentian owes his name. The medical effect of the gentian is in the roots of this plant. The roots of some varieties are even used to heat liqueurs and gin. Especially in Switzerland this drink is very well known! Gentian is also used in medicines, bitters and as an appetizing preparation. For the production of Schnapps they mostly use the large yellow variety used.
In the spotlights
The gentian is one of the flowers that has a real colour of its own, namely gentian blue. As a biologist, Marcel himself breeds his gentians in several colours, so he offers the gentians in the colours white, pink and lavender. Rogenti is the only nursery in Europe that offers the gentians in so many colours; the Gentiana Blue Sky, White Sky, Lavender Sky and Pink Sky are protected with plant breeders' rights. These gentians are extremely exclusive and are part of the special niche market. Gentians can be propagated by dividing the plants or by growing them from seeds.
Team FloraPodium thought the 'coloured' gentians are very special and wanted to know more about them. Pink Sky and Lavender Sky you never actually see in a flower shop’s assortment, although these beautiful gentians are real eye-catchers in a bouquet. Rogenti has been growing these exclusive flowers for almost 20 years, but they are still fairly unknown in the Netherlands. About time for a change! "Our Gentiana Sky is an exclusive, stately flower that lasts for a long time. Florists can really distinguish themselves from the assortment that is available in the supermarket ", says Marcel proudly.
The gentians from Rogenti are available up to 90 cm long and have 40 to 50 buds per stem. Every flower opens to reveal a beautiful colour on the vase and the flowers last for two to three weeks. We at FloraPodium have never seen such long gentians. What a beautiful product!
Both florists and consumers should put gentians on water with cut flower food immediately after purchase. Cut flower food ensures that all flowers retain their colour, even the buds that have yet to bloom. Give the flowers plenty of water, because gentians drink a lot, especially with this warm weather.
The cultivation
The cultivation of gentians is not easy at all! After a difficult growing phase of often two years, the plants go to their destination. Because the flowers grow in the mountains under extreme conditions, only a few companies succeed in keeping these fragile plants alive. The plants are multi-year and in theory last 5 years. However, in practice this is a lot shorter, because every year many plants fail because of diseases, weather conditions or cultivation problems.
Screen halls
For Rogenti, gentians are true seasonal products. The harvest of the gentians runs from April to mid-September / October. That is of course also caused by the weather! The flowers are grown in screen halls; a greenhouse of gauze. These screen halls are intended among other things to keep the bees out. As soon as bees pollinate the crop, the pollinated flowers shrink because they have accomplished their 'task'. That is not a pretty sight of course, so all bees are kept outside. In addition, the screen halls protect the crop against hail storms that are still relatively common in the Netherlands.
Pioneer
Because Marcel is originally a biologist, biological control against unwanted visitors had his interest early. For the past twenty-five years, Rogenti has been at the forefront with the use of predatory mites and parasitic wasps in outdoor cultivation: natural enemies of pest insects. According to Marcel, he was one of the first breeders to start experimenting with this. At the time, even well-known producers of biological control could not give him the right advice, which made him a true pioneer in the organic cultivation circuit. Because of this way of working Rogenti limits the use of chemical pesticides to a minimum. Weed control is even done by hand!
FloraPodium, 08 August 2018
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