Nursery Production Techniques

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Chapter 21

• Nursery Production Techniques

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• Nursery plants are produced in specialized
  production facilities under controlled, monitored
  conditions to maximize their rate of growth and
  standardize the quality of the harvested
  products.
• Field nurseries are similar to crop farms. Plants
  are grown directly in the soil.

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• Field nurseries require sites with rich, well
  drained soil, few rocks, a reliable and adequate
  supply of water, and proximity to transportation.
• Field nurseries traditionally produce trees and
  shrubs that require from one to ten years to
  reach the intended size fro harvest.

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• Since field grown plants are seldom moved prior
  to harvest, growers must make careful decisions
  about spacing between rows in order to make
  efficient use of the land and allow field
  equipment to reach the plants during their
  production years.
• Container nurseries do not require fertile field
  sites.
• Container grown plants have their root systems
  intact and suffer less from transplant shock,
  their acceptance in the marketplace is good.

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• The choice of plants for nursery production is
  governed by several factors
• Market demand
• Production requirement
• Production capabilities
• Market demand is the driving force that dictates
  what plant species will sell, by whom they are
  sought, what sizes are desired by the purchaser,
  and what quantities of each species and size will
  be required.

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• Limits to the simplification of crop choices
• Publics interest in new varieties
• Danger of financial loss
• Severe insect or disease infection
• Change in market demand
• Each nursery plant represents an investment of
  labor and materials as well as heat, water, and
  other cultural expenses.

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• Profits are lost when an excess of plants is
  produced and cannot be sold.
• As in other areas of agricultural plant
  production, the composition of the soil or even
  the decision to use soil-less media in place of
  soil, is determined by criteria such as
• the type of crop being grown
• the stage of growth at the time of harvest
• the cultural techniques being used
• the methods of harvest
• and whether the harvested plant will be bare
  rooted or balled and burlapped.

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• Nursery soils need a structure that promotes
  nutrient availability to the plants and a proper
  air and water relationship.
• The soil pH should be between 5.0 and 7.2 for
  most nursery crops.
• Field soils used for nursery crops should be high
  organic.

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• Porosity of the medium is of great importance in
  container plant production. It is the size of the
  spaces between the particles that comprise the
  medium.
• Large pores hold the air within the medium.
  Smaller pores hold the water within the medium.

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• Factors considered when determining how each
  nursery field should be laid out
• Eliminating opportunities for erosion.
• Using the land as efficiently as possible.
• Grouping together plants with similar
  requirements for cultivation.
• Making cultivation and harvest as easy as
  possible.
• Knowing the length of time the crops will be in
  the field and size to attain.
• Knowing whether the field will be harvested all
  at one time or over a period of time.

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• A single species is planted in side-by-side rows
  on level land.
• Irrigation is a reliable source of water.
• The choice of an irrigation system is usually
  determined by the frequency and duration of the
  water use.

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• 3 degrees of permanency in irrigation
• Permanent irrigation
• Semi-portable irrigation
• Portable irrigation system
• Sprinkler systems are more wasteful of water than
  tube systems.

Example of tube system irrigation
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• Nursery plants usually require fertilization to
  promote healthy growth and bring the plant to the
  harvest stage as rapidly as possible.
• Actual rates of fertilization are dependant on
• The crop
• The soil type
• Length of growing season

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• Fertilizer applied along the side of the rows is
  called side dressing.
• Weeds are much more troublesome for the nursery
  growers than for the greenhouse grower.
• Where chemical pesticides are required, a states
  college of agriculture can provide listings of
  effective products approved for use on specific
  crops.

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• Scouting of the crops on a regular basis is
  essential to detect the presence of insects,
  pathogens, noxious weeds, or animal injury.
• Growers must label their nursery crops in a
  standardized manner that is easily understood by
  all employees.
• Labels of nursery stock must be durable as well
  as correctly placed.

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• Candles New growth
• Using an underground blade in a manner similar to
  that of the cutting bar in a nursery to prune
  back the root systems of shrubs and young trees
  is called root pruning.

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Ways nursery growers protect the root system of
container and BB stock plants

• Heeling-in The plants are set into bins or piles
  of loose material, such as wood shavings or saw
  dust, deep enough to cover the root ball or
  containers to a depth that affords the needed
  insulation.
• Over-wintering houses The plants are placed into
  white polyethylene covered houses, made as animal
  proof as possible.
• Bordering pots Container plants are grouped as
  close together as possible, then surrounded by
  one or more rows of unplanted containers filled
  with soil.
• Pot-in-pot production Large, empty pots are
  buried in the ground up to their lips. Container
  plants, in slightly smaller pots, are set inside
  the larger ones.

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• A cover crop is a rapidly growing, non-nursery
  crop used to stabilize the soil and prevent
  erosion.
• Green manure is a crop that is rotated in the
  field with nursery crops.
• Cover crops are frequently planted in the fall
  after the harvest, while green manure crops are
  usually seeded in the spring and grown through
  the summer.