Experience at Van Poecke

Choosing the E-Trike Van Poecke & Zn is a second-generation grower producing field-grown Taxus baccata on 30 hectares alongside container-grown evergreen shrubs and conifers on ten hectares of land. Most of the nursery’s plants are grown in 3–5-litre pots for the commercial and amenity markets in the UK, France, Germany and the Baltic states.

Koen Van Poecke, who runs the company together with his father and two brothers, first encountered the machine at the 2024 IPM Essen trade fair in Germany, where it immediately caught his interest.

This was followed by a visit to Ezendam’s headquarters in Borne, the Netherlands, to discuss his requirements and the challenges involved. Topics included crop and soil types, cultivation methods, and the level of technological sophistication required. Ezendam’s sales manager and technical engineer, Ron Spekschate, also took Van Poecke to visit another nursery stock grower to see the machine in action under real-life conditions.

At his own nursery, Van Poecke grows smaller-sized Photinia, Prunus laurocerasus and Prunus lusitanica (grown from harvested cuttings) in the field, as well as conifers, in beds measuring 1.5 metres wide.

Eventually, all the bespoke specifications were agreed upon, and Van Poecke took delivery of the machine at his nursery in Wetteren, Belgium, last February.

Low-volume weed control Since then, the machine has performed to his full satisfaction. Van Poecke says: “Weeds can significantly reduce crop yields, particularly when combined with diseases and pests. They compete with crops for water, soil nutrients, light and space, ultimately restricting plant development. The Globus machine uses low-volume spreading (LVS) technology, producing medium-sized droplets of approximately 250 microns to keep the spray on target and reduce spray volume by up to 90 per cent.”

Describing the machine’s LVS spraying system, Spekschate explains: “LVS uses just 10–40 litres of water per hectare, together with 0.5–1.5 litres of herbicide per hectare. Foliar and bare-ground herbicides can be mixed together. When using foliar herbicides, savings of up to 40–50 per cent have been recorded. The lower spraying volume also saves considerable time when refilling the tank; one tankful is sufficient for an entire day’s work. LVS is compatible with all standard herbicides.”

Long-term sustainability Van Poecke says that the most compelling reason to invest in the machine is arguably its contribution to long-term sustainability.

“The machine helps us to comply with MPS-GAP, the certification required to supply international retailers. While requirements vary between retailers, we believe that the E-Trike is one of the ways to make our sustainability efforts in terms of environmental management and plant protection more visible and verifiable.”

Machine design and development

Lightweight electric design

Van Poecke opted for the electric ‘light’ version. Weighing 800 kg, it is still a very robust machine, but considerably lighter than its 2,900 kg diesel-powered counterpart. The machine has a clearance height of two metres and features a three-wheel, sidecar-style configuration that allows it to work across two rows simultaneously. Its track width measures 1.95 metres.

The model is equipped with three 70 cm wheels, each fitted with a 2,100 W, 60 V brushless motor. Brushless motors require less maintenance than conventional brushed motors, which use carbon brushes in physical contact with a rotating commutator. These brushes gradually wear out and eventually need replacing.

The machine reaches speeds of up to 12 kilometres per hour. Its drive system eliminates the need for a chain drive, reducing power losses, wear and tear, and, not unimportant, noise. Furthermore, the lightweight tool carriers help minimise soil compaction.

The shift towards electric power Established in 1984, Ezendam supplies a wide range of agricultural equipment and solutions designed to help producers improve productivity, sustainability and efficiency while maintaining profit margins. Under its Globus brand, the company offers a range of machinery for nursery stock growers.

The Globus E-Trike 2000 is the result of Ezendam’s ongoing shift towards electric agricultural machinery, a transition that began in 2017.

There are several reasons for this shift. Traditional agricultural machinery relies heavily on diesel and other fossil fuels, making it both environmentally taxing and expensive to operate and maintain. As soaring diesel prices continue to put pressure on growers, the nursery stock industry is increasingly seeking more sustainable and cost-effective alternatives for labour-intensive operations and heavier-duty tasks.

Enter the multi-purpose Globus E-Trike.

Investment and future development

Investment and grants The E-Trike has a base price of approximately €69,000, excluding VAT and including the heavy-duty battery package.

The Flemish government is helping Van Poecke transition to more environmentally friendly nursery stock production by providing competitive VLIF grants and support programmes to encourage sustainable investment on farms. VLIF stands for Flemish Agricultural Investment Fund. Last year, it significantly supported sustainable agriculture in Flanders, with 26,715 applications for productive investments totalling 317 million euros.

pproximately 13,000 of these were approved, amounting to 195 million euros, with two-thirds of the funding directed to young farmers. Source: Agroberichten Buitenland, 12 October 2026.

What’s next? Asked about the next stage in the E-Trike’s development, Spekschate says that Ezendam’s four-wheel Globus E-Trike is scheduled to make its debut at IPM Essen in January 2027, promising greater power, productivity and versatility.

Could AI-based weed recognition be another future addition? Such technology would allow growers to identify the areas in which weeds are present and potentially target plant protection products more precisely, rather than treating an entire field.

Spekschate replies: “That would be great, provided you actually do something with the data. If you're not going to use it, there's no point. Bear in mind, though, that recording the exact location of every single weed would generate an enormous amount of data. Can GPS systems handle this?”

The Globus E-Trike brings versatility to the nursery floor, offering growers a single machine platform for multiple crop-care tasks and a flexible approach to the changing demands of nursery stock production.

Due to a heavy workload, Van Poecke was unfortunately unavailable for additional field pictures of his E-Trike. His Dutch industry peer, Marcel Goossens of De Kriekenhoeve, kindly agreed to demonstrate the E-Trike at his 25.5-hectare nursery, set in the scenic landscape of Wouwse Plantage.

Like Van Poecke, Goossens grows evergreen shrubs and conifers, with the exception that his entire production is field-grown. He is also happy with his E-Trike, which he uses for precision spraying, inter- and intra-row hoeing, and fertilisation.

Both growers use the same E-Trike model and the same applications. Goossens notes, “Electric agricultural machinery can be a flashpoint for debate across the agricultural industry. Initially, when fellow growers came to see the machine, the first thing they pointed to was the batteries, which they considered a limitation for medium- and large-scale operations. Then, they realised that I can use the machine for a full day of weeding and asked me to come and do weeding work on their nurseries with my E-Trike, too.”

The fit-looking Goossens candidly admits that he is now 55, with no business succession planned. A big fan of the outdoors and living nature, he says he loves his job. However, at this stage of his life, investing in new technology such as the E-Trike is a question of ‘now or never’.