Producing Nursery Crops

Term: Nursery Crops

Plant: Clematis

Clematis

• Deciduous Vine• Many Varieties• USDA Zone 4 – 9• Height 10-12’• Blooms – mid spring to mid summer – white,

pink, purple • Full Sun• Propagate from soft or semi-softwood cuttings• Needs a support and wire to grow on• Grows best if roots are shaded

Nursery Crops

• Perennial plants grown for the landscape industry.

• Includes trees, shrubs and ground covers, but usually not flowers (usually greenhouse crops)

• Can be large or small operations.

Types of Nurseries

• Field Grown

• Container Grown

Field (in ground) nurseryvs. Container nursery

• Nursery plants grown in maintained garden plots – need good Nursery plants grown in maintained garden plots – need good quality sitequality site

• Trees grow better, no blow-overTrees grow better, no blow-over• Less water & labor intensiveLess water & labor intensive• Can be balled & burlap or bare-rootCan be balled & burlap or bare-root• Only small plants can be harvested as bare-rootOnly small plants can be harvested as bare-root• Only harvest when dormant Only harvest when dormant • Trees require large specialized equipmentTrees require large specialized equipment• Product is heavy and field soil must be replacedProduct is heavy and field soil must be replaced

Bareroot Plants

• Grow in very loose medium

• Very common for forestry trees

• Plants sold at 2 or 3 years old

• Harvest when dormant – plant before emerge in spring

Root growth

• Growing field nursery plants requires special knowledge and care of the root systems

• Different plants have different shaped roots

• Few trees or shrubs have tap roots

Tree Spade

Container Nursery

• Requires less land than field nursery• Shorter production cycle (6 mos – 2 years)• Daily irrigation is required• Harvest year round• Must protect from extreme heat and cold• More efficient for small shrubs• Need ground cover for weed control• Easier to use fertigation system

New methods

• In-ground fabric containers (grow bags)– Allow moisture exchange with soil– Insulate against extreme temperatures

• Pot in pot– Large pot is sunk into the ground and a

smaller containerized stock is grown inside of the larger

• Cellugro– Uses cells instead of containers

Scale

• Homeowner – part-time

• Large industry

• Link

Containers

• 1 gallon is standard size for most small perennials

• Sized from 1 to 45 gallons

• #10 pot holds about 10 gallons

Meadow Farms

• Meadows Farms, Inc. is one of the largest independently owned nursery and garden centers in the country

• 23 retail locations

• 750 employees, and a

• Landscape facility housing 39 designers and sending out over 70 crews a day. 

• A nursery growing operation,

Local Companies