A Focus on Quality Drives High-Tech Expansion at The Plant Company
June 8, 2025 
Jason vanWingerden (R) and Frank Paul (L), the CEO and COO behind The Plant Company, are leading the charge toward high-tech, quality-driven houseplant production. | Proven Winners
The Plant Company is setting up for the future, a major expansion and cutting-edge facility upgrades designed to deliver top-quality plants for years to come.
Founded in 2019, The Plant Company realized just two years in that their original footprint couldn’t keep up with demand. “We liked our original facility,” says Jason vanWingerden, “But we wanted the expansion to give our growers the best tools to continue delivering the highest quality products.”
The second phase of greenhouses doubles the growing space and centers around advanced automation and flexible technologies. “Our goal is to grow the best quality plants year-round — no drop in summer, no slowdown in winter,” he says. “Every decision we make is framed around that. What tools give us consistency and flexibility? That’s what drives us.”
The expansion adds 4.1 acres of greenhouse space and 1.2 acres of warehouse to the existing 5-acre facility and 1.5-acre warehouse. “It’s a big step forward in meeting demand while staying true to our quality-first mindset,” says Paul.
The Inspiration Behind the Plant Company
“Frank and I both come from Green Circle Growers, where we traveled extensively — especially with orchids and other crops,” says vanWingerden. “About six years ago, we were in Europe and saw how houseplants were being grown there, and we realized no one in the U.S. was doing it quite the same way. We basically saw a need for growing house plants with the European approach — consistent growing in climate-controlled greenhouses to have better control. We knew if we could deliver this quality day in and day out, the consumers would come to appreciate it, and they’d come to look for it. That has been our vision from the start.”
Learning from a European Standard
When Jason and Frank talk about growing houseplants to the European standard, they light up, explaining how it means taking control of all the factors so you can have uniformity without regard to the seasons or the weather. “In Europe, they’re not having the same conversations we are in the U.S.,” says vanWingerden. “We shouldn’t be talking about whether it’s too cold outside, if there’s not enough light, or if pests are drifting in from neighboring fields. Those things shouldn’t even be factors. Our focus should be on quality and hitting consistent standards.” He explains that much of the houseplant production in the U.S. still takes place outdoors or in minimally controlled environments. As a result, growth slows in winter, plants can be inconsistent in size or health, and pest management becomes reactive instead of preventive. The Plant Company’s approach aims to eliminate those issues by controlling temperature, light, and humidity inside a fully climate-controlled facility.
Systems Inside the Expansion
The Plant Company’s new expansion is packed with technology designed to help growers produce consistent, high-quality plants again and again. From advanced climate control to precise irrigation and automation systems, every detail is built for repeatable success. Here are a few of the standout features.
Irrigation Water
“Our water source is well water, and once we bring it into the facility, it stays there, we don’t discard any of it,” says Frank Paul. All water returning from the greenhouse is treated through an ultra-filtration system. After considering ozone and UV treatment, the team found ultra-filtration to be the most energy-efficient solution while still delivering the water quality they needed. “It sounds too good to be true, but it removes sediments, bacteria, and viruses, yet leaves all the nutrients,” Paul says. Once filtered, the water is stored in holding tanks, ready for EC and pH adjustments, and gets sent back out into the greenhouse. The team uses two base recipes, but they can tailor irrigation at the spray boom or sprinkler level, giving them six total program options.
Flood floors handle most of the irrigation needs across The Plant Company’s 10 acres of houseplants, helping reduce water waste and labor. | Proven Winners
While most of the irrigation needs are handled by flood floors, the 10 acres of houseplants (they have 150-200 varieties and several different pot sizes and plant stages), so fine-tuning of nutrients, PGRs, or other needs are handled by the automated spray booms.
HVAC
“We have three high-efficiency natural gas boilers. In the summertime, one can easily take care of all the needs. But we always have redundancy,” says Paul. “Even in the winter, two boilers are technically able to cover the load.”
The Plant Company’s high-efficiency boiler system provides both heat and CO₂, supporting consistent growth while minimizing energy waste. | Proven Winners
The system is designed for both efficiency and sustainability. CO₂ from the boiler exhaust is captured and used in the greenhouse — even during warmer months. Because the facility is in the mountains, temperatures can drop at night, even in summer. To manage that, a smaller boiler runs during the day, heating water that’s stored in a large, insulated tank. That hot water is then circulated at night to take the edge off without firing up the boiler again. Meanwhile, the boiler continues providing CO₂ for daytime plant growth.
Ventilation is fully computer-controlled, with climate algorithms that will retain as much humidity as possible — crucial for supporting their tropical houseplant varieties.
Climate Control
As with many state-of-the-art facilities, computerized climate control is at the heart of The Plant Company’s operation. “We use the IIVO software from Hoogendoorn,” says vanWingerden. “Climate control systems aren’t something you can easily swap out once you’re up and running, so we took our time making that decision.”
‘We’ve not regretted that decision. The algorithms and how the system works have been very user-friendly. The controls are very intuitive, even with new people you bring on. We have it run everything from heating to ventilation and humidity, CO2 to irrigation, and even the shading curtains. It’s all integrated into one system,” says Paul.
Lighting
Most of the greenhouse relies on natural light, which they find is enough throughout the year. However, about an acre is equipped with LED lighting — primarily to ensure consistent liner growth during the winter months. The lighting is managed through the GroWise Control system from Signify.
LED lights automatically adjust throughout the day to maintain consistent light levels for liners, even as natural sunlight changes. | Proven Winners
The LEDs are fully dimmable, so in the morning, as the sun starts to hit the plants, the control system dims the LEDs until, at some point, they turn off. The system brings the light intensity back up as light fades in the late afternoon and integrates well with their IIVO climate control system. With the addition of PARperfect shade curtains, which diffuse energy, they can regulate light levels at the leaf canopy to be stable throughout the day.
The Rooting Chamber
The gem of their new expansion might be the high-tech automated rooting chamber. “We did a lot of research in Europe, looking to see what growers are doing over there. We first saw this type of chamber at a cut flower grower and were very intrigued. No one was using it for houseplants yet,” says vanWingerden.
The rooting chamber is fully automated. “Once a plant goes into the chamber, the only time people go in there is either tours or growers that are going and just monitoring. No one’s touching the plants, no one’s moving the tables.”
Before the chamber, they used micro tents after sticking, but struggled to maintain stable temperature and humidity, especially in the summer. It was also labor intensive. The rooting chamber changed all that.
Occupying just 0.3 acres of greenhouse space, the chamber offers the equivalent of more than an acre of growing area thanks to its vertical layout: six lanes stacked three high. After sticking, cuttings or tissue culture plants move directly into the chamber, where each lane’s LED light spectrum and intensity can be precisely controlled. Moisture “recipes” are also customized by table, allowing adjustments for each variety to optimize survival and root development.
Temperature and humidity are regulated by two large air-handling units. “The airflow pattern allows us to keep temperature differences within 1°F, which is pretty unique,” says Paul.
The chamber is laid out in a U-shaped flow path, with tables moving progressively through the stages. “Some cycles are as fast as two weeks; others take four or five,” Paul explains. Plants are hardened off before exiting, ready for the next phase of growth.
With a clear vision, cutting-edge tools, and a deep commitment to consistency, The Plant Company isn’t just expanding its footprint — it’s reshaping the standard for houseplant production in the U.S. By blending proven European techniques with advanced automation and sustainability practices, the company is setting itself — and the industry — up for long-term growth. For vanWingerden and Paul, it’s not just about growing plants. It’s about growing trust, success, and a new era for houseplant growers everywhere.
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