Download Nursery Production and Management

NURSERY PRODUCTION AND
MANAGEMENT
3.00 Understand Nursery Management
3.01 UNDERSTAND NURSERY
STRUCTURES, GROWING
ENVIRONMENTS AND
MAINTENANCE
NURSERY STRUCTURES AND GROWING
ENVIRONMENT

Consider climate, soil and topography, available
water source, type of plant material, and
production method when selecting a nursery
structure or growing environment.
SHADE HOUSES (COLD FRAMES)
ADVANTAGES OF SHADE HOUSES
Constructed of wood, PVC or galvanized steel
 No artificial heat source, heated by solar
radiation
 Used for hardening off plants and hot weather
holding
 Protects plants from adverse weather conditions
 Cover with white plastic during the winter to
reduce overwintering injury to woody
ornamentals as well as reduce temperature
fluctuations during the overwintering period

ADVANTAGES OF SHADE HOUSES
A variety of plant material can be grown in a
shade house structure.
 Provides good air circulation
 Provides filtered light when covered by a shade
cloth
 Inexpensive growing structures

DISADVANTAGES OF SHADE HOUSES
Some plants cannot be grown year round
 No heat source other than the sun
 No heat or cooling

HOTBEDS
ADVANTAGES OF HOTBEDS
Constructed of wood or galvanized steel, glass
and/or plastic
 Solar heated, electric cables, steam or heated by
natural materials such as hay or manure
 Used for starting plants earlier than in a cold
frame
 Inexpensive growing structure

DISADVANTAGES OF HOTBEDS
Can be expensive to heat
 Hay or manure needs to be replaced when the
temperature in the hotbed drops below 50
degrees

CONTAINER
ADVANTAGES OF CONTAINERS
Plants are easy to move and transport
 Grown to sellable size in the container
 Less shock to plants
 Retailers can keep plants longer before selling
 Uniform soilless media
 Insects, diseases, fertility and pH are easier to
control
 Monitoring of water intake is easily controlled

DISADVANTAGES OF CONTAINERS
Requires more water
 More labor intensive
 May become pot bound
 May require winter protection
 May have a higher start-up cost: pots, potting
media
 Plants may have to be moved to a larger
container
 May be expensive to ship

FIELD GROWN (TRADITIONAL)
ADVANTAGES OF FIELD GROWN
Plants are grown directly in native soil
 Bare root plants are easy to handle and plant

DISADVANTAGES OF FIELD GROWN
Requires equipment to be harvested
 Plants may go into shock when moved or
transplanted
 Harder to control insects, diseases, fertility and
pH
 Soil must be well drained
 Limited time to harvest
 Supply cost: liners, burlap, wire baskets, twine,
pinning nails
 Expensive to ship

POT IN POT
ADVANTAGES OF POT IN POT
No staking
 No blown over containers
 Cooler roots in the summer
 Well insulated root system in the winter
 Easy to move and transport
 Is becoming a more viable option to the
traditional field grown
 Combines the benefits of field production with
the marketing flexibility of container production

DISADVANTAGES OF POT IN POT
Startup cost is expensive largely due to field
preparation and purchasing two containers for
every plant as opposed to one. 15 to 25 gallon
pots are more commonly used.
 Labor costs

MAINTENANCE OF NURSERY
STRUCTURES
SHADE HOUSES (COLD FRAMES)
Need painting or replacing over time
 Plastic covering will need to be replaced on a
regular basis
 Replacement of gravel and weed block
 Debris removal

HOTBEDS
Change out heat source (straw, hay, manure)
 Pest control
 Cover replacement
 Debris removal

CONTAINER
Pest control
 Replace weed block
 Replace gravel on roads and under containers

FIELD GROWN (POT-IN-POT)
Replacement of damaged pots
 Pest control
 Replace gravel on roads

FIELD GROWN (TRADITIONAL)
Erosion control
 Pest control
 Replace gravel on roads

MAINTENANCE OF NURSERY
PLANTS
FERTILIZER

Needs to be replaced
regularly in order for the
plants to continue to
grow and remain strong
IRRIGATION

Sprinkler or drip irrigation is determined by crop
requirements and container arrangement
SHADING

On newly established plants or plants that will
grow in shady areas
PRUNING
Shape plant material
 Make plants more compact
 Train growth to form into a mature plant (central
leader or many stems)
 Remove dead or diseased parts
 Train into an espalier-a plant that is trained to
grow flat against a wall, railing or trellis

PEST CONTROL METHODS
IPM (Integrated Pest Management)-a process
used to solve pest problems while minimizing
risks to people and the environment.
 Chemical Control-uses chemicals to eliminate
plant pests
 Mechanical Control-manages pests by physical
means such as the use of a barrier, screens, row
covers, trapping, weeding or removal of the pests
by hand

PEST CONTROL METHODS
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Biological Control-uses living organisms such as
predators, parasites and pathogens to control the
population of pests.
PEST PROBLEMS-INSECTS
Identify insect-aphids, spider mites, whitefly,
scale, etc.
 Determine type of control-chemical, biological or
mechanical
 Treat based on method recommendations

PEST PROBLEMS-WEEDS
Identify weeds-henbit, chickweed, grasses, etc.
 Dig or pull weeds
 Treat based on method recommendations

PEST PROBLEMS-DISEASE
Identify disease-blights, fungi, rusts, etc.
 Treat based on method recommendations

PEST PROBLEMS-RODENTS
Identify the rodent-voles, moles, mice, squirrels,
etc.
 Trap or treat based on method recommendations.

PEST PROBLEMS-MOLLUSKS
Identify mollusks-snails, slugs, etc.
 Treat based on method recommendations

WINTER PROTECTION-FROST BLANKET
Traps and collects heat during the day and
releases it at night to keep your plants warm and
growing.
 In the spring it gives you a jump-start on plants
and wards off pests.
 In fall, use it to extend your growing season.
 Float or drape the lightweight fabric over your
plants.

WINTER PROTECTION-WATER
Bud protection
 Spray water on buds before a freeze
 Often used on fruit trees and strawberries

WINTER PROTECTION-WHITE PLASTIC
Reduce overwintering injury to woody
ornamentals
 Protects young plants in early spring

3.02 UNDERSTAND NURSERY
PRODUCTION AND MARKETING
TECHNIQUES
TYPES OF PLANTS FOR CONTAINERS
Trees-container, pot-in-pot, balled and burlapped,
bareroot
 Shrubs-container, pot-in-pot, balled and
burlapped
 Perennials-container, pot-in-pot

PROPAGATION-SEXUAL
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Seed treatments

Stratification-chilling seeds to simulate winter
conditions before germination
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Examples: baptisia and daylily
Scarification-breaking of the seed coat
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Examples: redbud and maples
PROPAGATION-ASEXUAL
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Cuttings
Softwood (herbaceous) cutting-leaf, pieces of the stem
or roots from non-woody plants. Cuttings are taken
late spring through early summer.
 Hardwood cutting-pieces of stem from woody plants.
Cuttings are taken fall through winter.

PROPAGATION-ASEXUAL
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Grafting-joining separate plant parts together to
form a union and grow
Scion-top portion of the plant
 Rootstock-root or bottom portion of the graft

PROPAGATION-ASEXUAL

Budding-a form of grafting when a bud is used
instead of a scion
PROPAGATION-ASEXUAL

Layering-forcing roots to grow on the stem of the
plant while it is still attached to the parent plant.
SOIL FOR CONTAINERS
Media must be porous
 Soilless media
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Peat
Perlite
Vermiculite
Bark
Amendments
SOILLESS MEDIA
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Peat
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Partially decomposed material mined from swamps
Good moisture holding capacity
Perlite
Natural volcanic material that helps aerate the soil
 Good moisture holding capacity

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Vermiculite
Mica mineral matter used to start cuttings
 Neutral pH
 Good moisture holding capacity

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Bark
Ground pine or oak bark
 Increases the porosity of soil

SOIL AMENDMENTS
Lime-calcium and magnesium increases the pH
level of soil making it alkaline or “sweet”
correcting the acidity of the soil
 Fertilizer-adds macro and micro nutrients to the
soil
 Wetting agents-increases water retention of the
soil

SOILS FOR PLANTING IN THE GROUND
Use native soil in traditional field planting
 Tree and shrub roots need to grow in native soil
 A soil test should be done to determine if soil
amendments are needed

Amendments increase water and nutrient holding
capacity.
 They also improve aeration and water infiltration.
 Amendments must be mixed with the natural soil.
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SOILS FOR PLANTING IN THE GROUND
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Organic- “Fresh” organic material should first be
composted
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Sphagnum peat-dehydrated remains of acid bog
plants hold moisture and are high in acidity
Grass clippings-add nutrients to the soil
Saw dust-high carbon to nitrogen ratio can make
nitrogen unavailable to plants
Compost-decayed organic matter, good fertilizer and
soil conditioner
Manure-adds nutrients to the soil, good moisture
holding capacity
SOIL FOR PLANTING IN THE GROUND

Inorganic
Vermiculite-good moisture holding capacity
 Perlite-good for aerating the soil
 Pea gravel-normally used in heavy clay soil

PLANTING CONTAINER CROPS
Place one plant in the center of the container.
 Evenly space plants in the container if more than
one plant is used.
 Planting depth is important and varies
depending on plant material.

PLANTING FIELD CROPS
Determine the layout and spacing of trees and
shrubs in the field.
 Determine the equipment needs of field grown
plants.

WATERING CONTAINER AND PNP
Watering is more important for container grown
plants than field grown plants because roots can
go no deeper or spread any wider than the
container.
 It is best to water container plants in the
morning for maximum absorption, however, some
may need to be watered more than once a day
depending on the weather.
 Container plants should be watered until the
water runs through the holes in the bottom of the
pot.

WATERING CONTAINER AND PNP
A gallon container needs about a pint of water at
each watering.
 Container plants require more water in dry, hot
windy weather.
 Container plants need more water when actively
growing and flowering.
 Do not allow any container plants to dry out.

WATERING FIELD GROWN CROPS
Should be watered in the morning for maximum
absorption.
 A more porous soil needs more water than a
clayey soil.
 Watering for field production depends on the
weather.
 Field grown plants require more water in dry,
hot, windy weather.
 Need more water when actively growing or
flowering.
 Do not allow any field grown plants to dry out.

FERTILIZING NURSERY CROPS
A fertilizer schedule should be established for
each type of plant grown.
 Scheduled periodic liquid fertilizing should be
established depending on plants, soil, size, etc.
 Slow release fertilizers such as Osmocote and
Magamp are mixed into the potting media or top
dressed on the soil surface.

FERTILIZING NURSERY CROPS
Plants in containers for more than one year
require additional fertilizer and should be
watered thoroughly after fertilizing (varies on pot
size and plant material)
 Plants should be observed and fertilization
changed as plant foliage shows a need for either
more or less fertilizer. Tissue analysis can be
done to determine deficiencies.

MARKETING NURSERY PLANTS
DEVELOP A MARKETING PLAN
Complete a marketing analysis (research used to
predict the future of a market) to determine your
target market
 Once a marketing analysis is complete,
determine what to sell.
 Know your competition.
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PRICE YOUR PRODUCT

Use this formula to determine your price:
Materials + Overhead + Labor = Selling Price

Pricing may vary depending on availability of
plant material in your area.
PROMOTION
Advertising
 Public relations
 Personal contacts
 Communications

PRODUCT PLACEMENT
Providing a place that is convenient to the
customer.
 Shipping, delivery, internet ordering, or nursery
pick up
