# Ed van Paassen - Plant Expert > Horticulture & Floriculture ## Posts - [The Heat You Cannot See: Why Root-Zone Temperature Matters](https://edvanpaassen.nl/root-zone-temperature-plant-growth/): Root-zone temperature affects root growth, water absorption and nutrient uptake before heat stress is obvious above ground. Here is why growers should look below the canopy. - [Why Drip Irrigation Can Still Waste Water](https://edvanpaassen.nl/drip-irrigation-wetting-pattern-root-zone/): Drip irrigation is precise, but precision at the emitter does not guarantee efficient water use in the root zone. Soil texture, emitter spacing, irrigation duration and root distribution determine where the water actually goes. - [A Bigger Tree Pit Is Not Enough: Designing Soil Space for Urban Trees](https://edvanpaassen.nl/urban-tree-soil-volume-root-zone-design/): A street tree needs more than a bigger tree pit. Explore how rootable soil volume, compaction, drainage, oxygen and connected planting space determine whether urban trees can reach maturity. - [Green Cities: Designing Urban Environments That Can Grow](https://edvanpaassen.nl/green-cities-designing-urban-environments-that-can-grow/): Treating trees, roofs and planting as living infrastructure that can establish, mature and deliver lasting value. - [Agriculture: Connecting Crops, People and Landscapes](https://edvanpaassen.nl/agriculture-connecting-crops-people-and-landscapes/): A multidisciplinary approach to productive, resilient agriculture that fits local conditions and communities. - [Water: Smarter Irrigation and Drought Resilience](https://edvanpaassen.nl/water-smarter-irrigation-and-drought-resilience/): Making every useful litre work harder by connecting irrigation, root health, soil, climate and practical maintenance. - [Plants: Understanding Growth as a Complete System](https://edvanpaassen.nl/plants-understanding-growth-as-a-complete-system/): Plant expertise begins with the complete system: roots, water, nutrition, climate, genetics and practical cultivation. - [Pivot Irrigation in Africa: Green Circles Against Food Insecurity](https://edvanpaassen.nl/pivot-irrigation-in-africa-green-circles-against-food-insecurity/): Fly over farmland in a dry region, and you may spot perfect green circles in the sand. These are pivot fields. Pivot irrigation is a modern, low-waste way to water crops, and it is spreading fast across Africa. The idea is simple: a long sprinkler arm turns around a central point, so water reaches every […] - [Climate Change and Sustainability: The Role of Plants on Wellbeing Indoors](https://edvanpaassen.nl/climate-change-and-sustainability-the-role-of-plants-on-wellbeing-indoors/): We spend about 90% of our lives indoors. Meanwhile, climate change pushes us inside even more, into cooled offices and heated homes. So the question matters: what do plants do for us in there? The honest answer has two parts. First, plants do not clean your indoor air — that is a myth. However, they […] - [Climate Change and Sustainability: The Role of Trees in Urban Landscaping](https://edvanpaassen.nl/climate-change-and-sustainability-the-role-of-trees-in-urban-landscaping/): No machine cools a street like a tree does. Meanwhile, our cities keep getting hotter, wetter and more polluted. In an era of climate change, that matters more each year. So planners everywhere are rediscovering the oldest piece of climate technology we have. In a city, large trees especially do a lot of good — […] - [Climate Change and Sustainability: The Role of Green Roofs in Urban Landscaping](https://edvanpaassen.nl/climate-change-and-sustainability-the-role-of-green-roofs-in-urban-landscaping/): Cities feel climate change first. To begin with, summers grow hotter and cloudbursts grow heavier. Meanwhile, most cities are covered in stone, asphalt and bare roofs. That is a problem, but also an opportunity. After all, every flat roof is unused space. However, cover it with plants, and it starts working for the city. In […] - [The Watercone: Six Glasses of Drinking Water from One Sunny Day](https://edvanpaassen.nl/the-watercone-six-glasses-of-drinking-water-from-one-sunny-day/): Big problems do not always need big machines. The Water Pyramid makes drinking water for a whole village. However, its tiny German cousin serves just one family: the Watercone. This small cone of clear plastic sits on a pan of salt or dirty water. Sunlight does the rest. One cone yields about 1 to 1.5 […] - [Flower Fashion: Cloud Dancer, Colour of the Year 2026](https://edvanpaassen.nl/flower-fashion-cloud-dancer-colour-of-the-year-2026/): Once a year, Pantone selects the colour of the year. This colour should capture the mood of the moment across the world. To find it, Pantone studies trends in fashion, art, travel, technology and society. For 2026, the choice is special. For the first time ever, the colour of the year is a white: Cloud […] - [Flower Fashion: Salix with Pink-Red Catkins](https://edvanpaassen.nl/flower-fashion-salix-with-pink-red-catkins/): Fluffy pink catkins: so cute, and so hot. Everybody loves silky willow catkins. When you see them, you simply want to touch them. And here is the good news: they also come in a lovely pink-red. Moreover, the colour is 100% natural. No dye or paint is involved at any stage. When this article first […] - [Contour Trenching: Just Dig, and the Desert Turns Green](https://edvanpaassen.nl/contour-trenching-just-dig-and-the-desert-turns-green/): Can a simple ditch bring a desert back to life? Yes, it can. Dutch inventor Peter Westerveld proved it in Africa. His method is called contour trenching. You dig trenches in dry land, and they catch the rain. As a result, plants return — even in places with less than 100 mm of rain per […] - [The Waterboxx: A Passive Tree Growing Method](https://edvanpaassen.nl/the-waterboxx-growing-trees-in-the-desert-with-dew-and-rain/): How do you grow a tree in a desert, without any drip line or water truck? Dutch inventor Pieter Hoff found a simple answer: the Waterboxx. This smart bucket collects dew and rain. Then it feeds that water to a tree sapling, drop by drop. Today, his invention has helped plant 2,000,000 trees in 55 […] - [The Water Pyramid: Drinking Water from Sunlight - Then and Now](https://edvanpaassen.nl/the-water-pyramid-drinking-water-from-sunlight-then-and-now/): Lack of water threatens drinking water and food crops in many warm regions. However, Dutch engineer Martijn Nitzsche found a clever answer: the Water Pyramid. This large solar still turns salt or dirty water into clean drinking water. Moreover, it needs nothing but sunlight. Twenty years on, the pyramid has a strong track record. Meanwhile, […] - [Sudan Faces Acute Food Shortages: Challenges and Solutions](https://edvanpaassen.nl/sudan-faces-acute-food-shortages-challenges-and-solutions/): Introduction Food security in Sudan has deteriorated into one of the world’s most severe humanitarian emergencies. Defined as the state where individuals have consistent access to enough safe and nutritious food for an active and healthy life, food security remains a distant goal for a large and growing share of Sudan’s population. Since April 2023, […] - [Uncover Breathtaking Secrets at the Ultimate HortEx Vietnam 2027](https://edvanpaassen.nl/uncover-breathtaking-secrets-at-the-ultimate-hortex-vietnam-2027/): Introduction Prepare to uncover breathtaking secrets at the ultimate HortEx Vietnam 2027, Southeast Asia’s premier trade fair for horticulture and floriculture. Following the successful 2026 edition in Thailand, this pivotal annual event returns to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from March 17-19, 2027. HortEx alternates between Vietnam and Thailand each year, serving as a dynamic […] - [Uncover Breathtaking Secrets at the Ultimate Asia Flower Expo 2026](https://edvanpaassen.nl/asia-flower-expo-2026/): Introduction The Asia Flower Expo 2026 is a major event for anyone in the plant industry. It was formerly called Flower Expo China. The event takes place from May 15 to May 17, 2026. It will be held at the Canton Fair Complex in Guangzhou, China. Since 2008, this expo has helped the industry grow […] - [Exploring Modern Agriculture: Sustainability and Expertise in Plant Sciences](https://edvanpaassen.nl/exploring-modern-agriculture-sustainability-and-expertise-in-plant-sciences/): The Importance of Multidisciplinary Expertise in Modern Agriculture Agriculture today is a rapidly evolving field that requires a robust understanding of various interconnected disciplines. With the challenges posed by climate change, population growth, and resource scarcity, modern agriculture demands experts who can navigate complex plant and environmental interactions. Having an extensive educational background, such as […] - [A Holistic View on Agriculture, Communities, Sustainability and Innovation](https://edvanpaassen.nl/the-intersection-of-agriculture-sustainability-and-innovation/): Farming is changing fast. Climate change, population growth and scarce resources all raise the stakes. Therefore, the sector needs experts who see the whole picture. Plants, people, markets and nature all connect. This article looks at farming through that wide lens. Understanding modern agriculture Good farming today draws on many fields at once. Crop protection, […] ## Pages - [Work With Ed](https://edvanpaassen.nl/work-with-ed/): Independent horticultural expertise for projects where plants, water and cultivation have to work in the real world. - [Field Notes](https://edvanpaassen.nl/field-notes/) - [Store](https://edvanpaassen.nl/store/) - [Encyclopedia](https://edvanpaassen.nl/encyclopedia/) - [Casestudy 1: Plant Technical Troubleshooting Peppers](https://edvanpaassen.nl/services/casestudy-2-plant-technical-troubleshooting-peppers/): Back in ca. 1999 the late Mr. Aad Den Haan, director of agro testing laboratory Relab Den Haan (currently: Eurofins Scientific) asked me to accompany him, to solve a problem at a chili pepper nursery. He picked me up from home with his nice car and along the way briefed me about the problem. He suggested […] - [Vanda Orchid Troubleshooting Case Study | Ed van Paassen](https://edvanpaassen.nl/services/casestudy-1-plant-technical-troubleshooting-vanda-asu-vanda/): Back in 2000 entrepreneurial grower Stefan van Adrichem (nursery Anco Orchids) experimented growing a novel crop: Vanda orchids. As he was the first trying to grow this crop for commercial flower production in Europe, using a novel crop cultivation system as well, he kindly requested me to do plant research at his plant nursery. I […] - [Services](https://edvanpaassen.nl/services/): Plant Technical Troubleshooting Digital Knowledgebases Are you a grower, with an annoying (acute) plant related problem?Just send me a simple video shot on your phone, and I will think things through, together with you, as a sparring partner / sounding board. Great growing has no passport. I warmly welcome growers and associations from emerging markets […] - [Subscriber Registration](https://edvanpaassen.nl/subscriber-registration/) - [My Account](https://edvanpaassen.nl/my-account/) - [Checkout](https://edvanpaassen.nl/checkout/) - [Cart](https://edvanpaassen.nl/cart/) - [Contact Me](https://edvanpaassen.nl/contact-me/): Ed van PaassenPlant Explorer Discuss a project · Ed van Paassen Tell me what ishappening in the crop. Need an independent second opinion, horticultural project input, irrigation or root-zone assessment, or specialist plant expertise? Describe the challenge and what you need to decide. Project enquiry Start with the problem. I work with growers, horticultural companies, […] - [Digital Knowledgebase](https://edvanpaassen.nl/digital-knowledgebase/): Digital Knowledgebase Tree Database for Sustainability In times of climate change, city heat stress, wind, flooding and decrasing biodiversity, tree selection has become an increasingly strategic discipline. I have available an extensive database of over 500 trees with properties related to sustainability, such as:– canopy size– shade intensity (canopy density)– rooting type– tolerance of compacted […] - [Knowledge Domains](https://edvanpaassen.nl/knowledge-domains/): Get Expert Support Ready to solve your plant challenges? Reach out for tailored advice or consulting today. - [About Me](https://edvanpaassen.nl/about-me/): Field Note · 01 Green fingersfrom the start. Born in 1973, I took an early interest in plants. I grew up with horticulture near the “City of Glass” Westland, west of Delft, where my parents ran a greenhouse nursery with tropical vegetables. In my spare time you could always find me in the greenhouse, growing […] - [Posts Archive](https://edvanpaassen.nl/posts-archive/): Field Notes Blog Observations, practical solutions and applied expertise from Ed van Paassen, Plant Explorer — exploring plants, water, agriculture and green cities. - [Home](https://edvanpaassen.nl/): Ed van Paassen is a plant expert and multidisciplinary horticultural advisor specialising in plant physiology, propagation, crop troubleshooting, biodiversity, green cities and agricultural development. ## Optional - [Agent (MCP protocol)](websites-agents.hostinger.com/edvanpaassen.nl/mcp) [comment]: # (Generated by Hostinger Tools Plugin)