Customer case

Less salt stress, more growth: Belyuzu on citrus cultivation with DCM REDU-ACT®

About this client

Name

Belyuzu

Sector

fruit growing

Location

Herselt (Belgium)

Belyuzu's experience with REDU-ACT® in citrus cultivation shows how quickly the soil can return to balance when accumulated salts are tackled in a targeted way.

Salt stress: Belyuzu and the challenge

"Basically, you can't grow lemons here," laughs Stefan Bruyndonckx from Belyuzu, "but yuzu you definitely can." In a greenhouse in the middle of the fields of Herselt, he and his wife Carine grow these exotic fruits, which are slowly gaining popularity among consumers. "The secret of yuzu lies in its zest, which is extremely aromatic; you only need very little of it. This makes up for the slightly higher price." Originally from Japan, this citrus fruit is the result of a cross. It resembles a lemon, but also has characteristics of mandarin and grapefruit. "This crop is quite exclusive in this area." Belyuzu was born out of the combination of an empty greenhouse, a hobby and one specific condition. "My wife wanted to do something related to food, so I started looking. First I became interested in lemons, and then I discovered yuzu. I planted eleven different types of citrus fruits in the greenhouse and purposely exposed them to the cold, because I wanted to grow a plant that doesn't need heating. In these times, that's always a win-win. Many of them died, but the yuzu survived.”

"At first, I thought there was no solution for the salt buildup in my greenhouse soil. It made me feel a bit discouraged. Until REDU-ACT® came my way."

– Stefan Bruyndonckx, Belyuzu

Because yuzu is still a relatively niche product, Belyuzu deliberately seeks a specialized sales market. "It was a friend in the culinary industry who encouraged me to continue growing yuzu. That's how it all started. We work with chefs, chocolatiers, professionals of excellence. At first, I told myself that I would never be able to approach them, because they are so demanding. But everywhere, doors were opened to me, precisely because what I offered was so exclusive." His product is now delivered to The Chocolate Line by Dominique and Julius Persoone. "At first, Dominique didn't believe that I was cultivating this here. He thought I was buying it abroad to resell it. Until the day I told him: “Come and see.” When he saw it with his own eyes, he was very surprised; since then, he has been buying my entire production and grows along with us."

Growing yuzu turned out to be more complex than expected. "Yuzu is difficult, it has been a process of trial and error, also because there is little information available. Soon a major problem appeared: salt stress. "I used to grow ornamental plants in this greenhouse, which required a lot of chemical fertilisers. That left behind a significant amount of salts, which I believe were still present in the soil. The plants grew poorly, the leaves developed brown edges due to stress and young plants even died. Once they are bigger, they can cope with it, but you have to start with small ones... and those were very sensitive. The usual advice is to flush the soil repeatedly, but with citrus, you don’t want too much moisture around the roots, otherwise you quickly run into root rot. So I couldn't just keep adding large amounts of water, because that would create another problem. At some point I thought: there simply isn’t a solution. That's when you start to feel a bit discouraged."

Collaboration: why does Belyuzu choose DCM

"Eventually I ended up at DCM. A soil sample was taken, once again confirming the salt problem. By coincidence, DCM was working on a new product that could remedy this." That was REDU-ACT®, a unique liquid fertiliser that reduces salt stress in the root zone by exchanging and flushing out accumulated problematic salts such as sodium. At the same time, the organic matter it contains stimulates soil life and the transformation of nutrients into plant-available forms, while calcium strengthens the soil structure and plant cells.

"For me, that product was exactly what I needed," Stefan says. "We started working with it, and it was incredible." He also immediately felt that the collaboration was interesting for both parties. "We are not a big company, nor a large grower. Commercially, we may be less interesting. But DCM was triggered because it is such a unique crop. They were curious and so was I – two curious minds make a perfect match. That’s when collaboration really works."

Support: the experience with DCM

The first applications of REDU-ACT® were carried out step by step. "In the beginning it was really a matter of trial and error: figuring out the right dosage and timing, how much to apply and how often... and to some extent, that will always be the case," Stefan says in a down-to-earth-way. "The plant changes as it grows and its needs evolve, and the soil changes too. That’s really the fascinating part of this work: you’re always observing." Nevertheless, the positive effect of REDU-ACT® became visible quickly." We soon got rid of the salts in the soil and the nutrients became available to the roots again. This year, the plants’ development was truly remarkable. I believe the salt has completely disappeared from the soil and the crop can absorb all the available nutrients again."

In addition to REDU-ACT®, DCM also provides support in other areas. "DCM helps me by indicating which nutrients I should apply at what time. DCM has also provided me with excellent support in this regard.”

DCM REDU-ACT®

Reduces salt stress and stimulates soil life and growth

More resilient plants: results with DCM

The combination of REDU-ACT® and targeted advice has changed the very foundation of the cultivation. "Actually, the salt problem disappeared within a single year. That’s quite something," Stefan says. "You can see it in everything: the growth, the leaf colour, far fewer brown edges. The plants have become much more resilient. Without DCM's solution, I don’t think this crop would have succeeded in this soil." Economically, this gives me above all a sense of certainty. " I sell out completely every year. As a grower, that’s really all you need," he says. "Having to peddle your product each time is extremely labour‑intensive. Now I know that everything I harvest will be sold."

Knowledge sharing: recommendation and advice from Belyuzu

When asked what advice he would give to fellow growers dealing with salt issues in their soil, Stefan is clear: "Just give it a try. In our case, it was nothing but positive. I don’t know what crops other growers are working with, but I believe it’s beneficial for any plant to remove those accumulated salts from the soi." He does point out once again that ‘blindly’ flushing the soil with water is not a sustainable solution. "You solve one problem and create another." In addition, he emphasises the importance of collaboration, which he has found to his full satisfaction with DCM. "Because my product is so unique, they learn from me too. That way, you acquire knowledge together. For a small grower like me, it’s important to have a partner with such expertise at your side. So find an expert who thinks along with you, have soil samples taken regularly and don't wait until it's too late. Salt stress in a crop sometimes only becomes visible when the damage has already occurred. By intervening earlier, many problems can be avoided.

Product used

New

DCM REDU-ACT®

Reduces salt stress and stimulates soil life and growth

Would you like personalized product advice?

Fill out the contact form.

Contact

Related Cases

Test result

Grass recovers faster from salt stress with REDU-ACT®

All Cases