Applying Sustainable Methods to Greenhouse/Nursery Production

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Applying Sustainable Methods to
Greenhouse/Nursery Production

• By
• Brad Benco

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My Vision

• This project is basic outline to a personal
  goal I have. I am a greenhouse major, and
  ultimately I want to own and operate a small
  operation (greenhouse and nursery), providing
  plants to local landscapers. Along with this I
  want to have a small garden center in the front
  of the property. The plan is to have some field
  crops that people can hand pick, fresh veggies
  grown on location, small greenhouses attached to
  garden center with nice displays. Somewhere that
  the family can go to enjoy a plant shopping
  experience. All of course landscaped, using a
  xeroscape method appropriate for my location.
• I want to have a reputation of consciousness
  and awareness, as well as superior plants.

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Grow Areas
Garden Center
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Outline

• Type of facility to use
• Technology involved in your facilities
• Flood Floors
• Echolines
• Methods to apply in growing your crops
• Covercrops
• IPM
• Composting
• Recycling
• Community action and awareness

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Choosing the right Greenhouse design

• CRAVO
• A type of Greenhouse that is designed so that the
  sides and roof completely open

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Fully automated Flood Floors

• Environmentally friendly
• reuse and recycle water
• minimal run off
• potential for less fertilizer
• Cost effectiveness
• less water consumed
• less in fertilizers
• less in labor
• potential for superior crop
• Set backs
• initial cost
• legal factors

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Echolines

• Automated hanging basket watering system
• allows for even sunlight
• wind acclimation
• control all aspects of watering

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Use of covercrops in field production

• Deciding on the right covercrop(s)
• legumes for Nitrogen
• attracting pests away from crop (IPM)
• Protect from soil erosion
• Green manure
• Potential for salable crops

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Integrated Pest Management

• Biological control and Biorational Pesticides
• use of predatory insects
• use of soft pesticides or least-toxics
• Aphids
• Thrips
• Spider Mites
• Botrytis
• Basic Sanitation
• Hard Stream H2O
• Soaps Oils

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Aphids

• Signs of Contamination
• yellow spots upper leaf surface, curling of
  leaves, distorted new growth, honeydew
• Control
• IGR
• soaps oils
• botanical insecticides (neem)

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Aphids
Verticillium lecanii

• Biological Control
• Green Lacebugs
• Predatory Wasps

Lady Beetles
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Thrips

• Damage called speckling
• Non Systemic pesticides
• (grower in Netherlands potted garlic per 30 sq
  ft bench)
• May carry viruses
• INSV Impatien Necrotic Spot Virus
• TSWV Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus
• May cause leaves to fold up
• Hard to reach with Pesticides
• Pirate Bug
• Prune Out
• Feed mainly on flowering plants

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Thrips
Pirate Bug
Predatory Mites

• Beneficials
• Lady Beetles
• Soil Dwelling Mites

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Spider Mites

• Damage called Stippling
• little white dots
• Dry, low air movement
• Feed on nutrients and chlorophyll from leaves
• Control
• Beneficials, S O,
• hard stream H2O, miticides (longer control)

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Spider Mites

• Beneficials

Green Lacebugs
Damsel Bug
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Botrytis

• Common fungi in greenhouses
• Effects
• gray fuzzy growth, leaf blights spots,
  cankers, tuber and bulb rot,
• Control Methods
• Spacing plants, let plants dry down, 2-3 inch
  mulch at base, attention to humidity, plant
  health, cleaning out debris and discard properly,
  fungicides

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Compost

• basic facilities
• compost heat sources
• Uses
• potting mix
• field plantings
• potential sales
• Draw backs
• space
• initial expense (heat source)

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Recycling

• Economical and Ecological
• Savings
• Reduce wasted petroleum products
• Reduce cost of garbage pick-up
• Potential Drawbacks
• Storage space
• Enough for the recyclers to pick-up
• if not enough maybe combine w/ other growers
• check ATTRA website for links on recycling
  horticulture plastics

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Petroleum and Costs

• Petroleum in the industry
• plastics pots, trays, skins, fuel for farm
  vehicles, fuel for delivery vehicles (in
  out), etc.
• lots of trash to pay to have dumped, lots of
  trash in landfills.
• labor involved
• alternative fiber pots
• benefits can compost, break up for mulch,
  not plastic

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Community Awareness

• Environmental Factors
• Education/Therapy Ideas
• donate excess to schools and other groups
• provide internships
• Enjoyable place to shop
• gardens, fresh produce, personal selecting
• Locally grown plants

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References

• ATTRA www.attra.ncat.org
• Bob McCarthy, IPM on Spider Mites, Greenhouse
  Grower, Dec 04, p 43-45
• images
• http//www.uidaho.edu/.../ Benefical_Insects.htm
  
• http//www.ipmofalaska.com/files/thrips.html
• http//www.monroe.ifas.ufl.edu/green20lacewing.jp
  g
• www.phnompenh.gov.kh/ JICA/draft_develop_proje...
  
• nutrientcontrol.com/ html/building_blocks_comp...
  
• aesop.rutgers.edu/.../ grower/ipmjan20.htm
• www.clemson.edu/hort/ homehort/ODBotryb.htm