Finding and motivating enough staff, organizing work efficiently, and still growing the business: these are challenges nearly every propagator faces. Propagate! 2026, held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, put those questions center stage. Several speakers offered attendees. propagation businesses from around the world gathered at a former boat-building warehouse in the Heijplaat district, a mirror to reflect on their own practices. Growers themselves also had their say, during a new program segment called The Grower's Table.

Click here for the photo report of Propagate! 2026.

Michał Krasoń (Krasón), Eviek van der Arend (WPK), Adrian Roelands (Roelands Plant Farms) and Ioannis Karakolis (Agris S.A.) at the table with Ard Flier (Flier Systems).

Flier Systems and Propagation Solutions jointly organize the event. Ard Flier and Hans van Herk opened the day together. They were followed by René ten Bos, former Thinker Laureate of the Netherlands. In his keynote, he took a culturally critical view of management, addressing the differences between control and trust, and between efficiency and effectiveness.

René ten Bos addresses the audience

Ines van Marrewijk of CeresRecruitment offered HR tips in her presentation. Puck van Holsteijn, representing HortiHeroes, built on that theme. Attracting talent, it turns out, is not the sector's biggest challenge; retaining talent and offering growth opportunities is. Attendees in the room agreed that this is partly due to company culture at many businesses in the sector.

A familiar challenge: the sector is aging. On behalf of HortiHeroes, Puck van Holsteijn explains how the sector can bring in new people and keep them on board.

The longer presentations on labor were interspersed with video interviews in which Hans van Herk spoke with Jan Prins of Pure Harvest and Pietro Coniglione of Trandos Hydroponic Growers about their propagation journeys and the labor challenges they see ahead. The program also included short presentations from six commercial companies offering products and services to the propagation sector.

Arjo van der Sluis presents CleanLight and, in the judgment of the audience, gave the best pitch

To close the day, host Ard Flier sat down with Michał Krasoń (Krasón), Eviek van der Arend (WPK), Adrian Roelands (Roelands Plant Farms), and Ioannis Karakolis (Agris S.A.) to discuss, among other things, their outlook on the future of these international propagation businesses. It proved a difficult question, one that continued to be discussed over drinks and dinner afterward.
 

Source: www.floraldaily.com