Challenges in Organic Young Plant Production – A Review of the 2026 Season

Every young plant season is different. Weather conditions, light levels and temperature influence plant growth in new ways every year. In organic young plant production in particular, this requires continuous adjustment of cultivation practices, irrigation, fertilisation and plant health management.

The 2026 season also brought new challenges. In this review, we highlight the experiences we have gained and the insights that can be drawn from them for pot and container plant production. This...

In vitro propagation as a modern solution in young plant production

In vitro propagation is a regular topic of discussion in horticulture. Whilst it is an important component of reliable, high-quality young plant production for many businesses, others view it rather critically. Particularly in the organic sector and in European fruit growing, there are recurring reservations about this propagation method.

A closer look, however, reveals that in vitro propagation cannot be assessed in general terms. As with any propagation method, the results depend on the...

The vegetable breeding of Lubera

In addition to fruit and berries, we are expanding our vegetable range to become the third pillar of the Lubera Edibles young plant programme. This step is only logical: if our love for young plants literally goes through the stomach, then vegetables are naturally part of that. In addition, interest in growing your own high-quality vegetables in the garden or on the balcony is growing steadily – and this is exactly where our breeding work comes in.

Vegetable young plants from Lubera Edibles – More than just edible: an assortment that inspires

Do you only know us as specialists in softfruit young  plants? Then we have a surprise for you. Because Lubera Edibles stands – as the name suggests – for everything that is delicious to eat. And that no longer includes just fruit and berries. With our innovative assortment of vegetable young plants, we are taking the next logical step – surprising, diverse and perfectly tailored to the home garden.

The new market for premium vegetable plants

Lubera.com, the online store of our sister company, has been selling premium vegetable plants for several years. These are grown in 1.3-litre square pots, packaged with care and then reliably shipped to customers. The price for most plants is currently around EUR 5.50, with a price increase of 10% planned for 2025. But how big is this market? What are Lubera's experiences in general? We are not initially discussing which companies could produce these young plants and where they are sold, we...

Sugarbeauties® – the new ornamental sweet potatoes from Lubera Edibles

When the Lubera® breeding team started breeding sweet potatoes a few years ago, the original and real focus was on improved, sweeter yielding varieties for hobby cultivation in the vegetable garden. During the selection work in the seedlings, however, we quickly noticed that the diversity in leaf colour and shape was quite large. Thus, it became clear relatively quickly that it was also worthwhile to select for these characteristics. This is what we did and we are just about to release the first...

Current breeding projects in Buchs - impressions of a photographer

How can you, I thought. But Markus " Merciless" Kobelt didn't let up: Yes, exactly, to invest 1-2 days with a photo shoot in the hottest August of all times (?) on the current breeding fields in Buchs, that was his latest job to me. Now I do like to take photos. But I prefer slightly overcast skies - of course just so that the photos turn out as good as possible, certainly not because of me... But what did I notice during the photo safari, armed with the camera and with the eyes of...

Lubera Edibles Podcast #16: Lubera Edibles Novelties 2022/2023 - Part I

Like every year, we have prepared interesting novelties for our young plant customers. Some of these novelties are entire assortment groups that are discussed separately in separate podcasts, including the breeding background and breeding outlook. In this podcast, however, Frederik Vollert, the product developer at Lubera Edibles, and Markus Kobelt, the co-managing director of Lubera Edibles, discuss all the other new products that will be included in the range starting in 2022. Let us surprise...

Lubera Edibles Podcast #12: Sugaroot® sweet potatoes – the really sweet sweet potatoes

The sweet potato is one root vegetable that is currently experiencing a boom. Especially in the food retail trade and on the weekly markets in Germany, the sweet tubers can now be found all year round. That is why the Lubera® team of breeders has also taken on this crop, with the intention of combining ornamental value with usefulness. Markus Kobelt and Frederik Vollert talk about how far the breeding goals have been achieved in this first generation of varieties.

You have the option of playing...

Sugaroots® – Sweet Potato Young Plants for Central Europe

Hardly any vegetable is currently as trendy as the sweet potato. With an annual per capita consumption of around half a kilo, the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is far from dominating the conventional potato (Solanum tuberosum), but the potential is there. In order to utilise this potential, at least in home gardens, we are launching the Sugaroots® sweet potato series for the 2022 spring season. These varieties were bred and selected by our partner company Lubera® in Switzerland.

Sweet potato breeding at Lubera

Sweet potatoes, Ipomoea batatas, are one of the most important crops internationally. In terms of yield, they rank number 15 among all crops, and among the root crops they are in 3rd place after potatoes and cassava. Their genetic origin and thus the place of greatest diversity is in subtropical to tropical Central America, but there are also genetic centres in South America (Peru) and in Polynesia, where the large tuberous roots stopped on their journey around the world. Exactly how sweet...