Lesson 1

Understanding Nursery Production Facilities

Next Generation Science/Common Core Standards Addressed!

WHST.9‐12.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. (HS‐LS1‐1)

HSSIC.A.1 Understand statistics as a process for making inferences about population parameters based on a random sample from that population. (HS‐LS2‐6)

Bell Work! Explain the scope and history of the

Nursery Industry. Describe the different types of nurseries. Explain the economic factors involved in

selecting a nursery site. Describe the different types of nursery

facilities. Explain how a plant hardiness map is

used.

Terms Broker/re-

wholesaler Cold frame Cold storage Commercial

production Competition Containerized Drainage

Erosion Evaporation Field grown Garden center Hardiness Head house Hotbeds Hydraulic Liner plant

Turgid Wholesale

More Terms Mass-marketers Mail order Moisture Orchardist Over wintering Quarantine Retail Shade houses

Interest ApproachUsing the pamphlets and books from various nurseries that I gave you, chose two types of trees that you would like in your backyard. How much do they cost? Are the costs very different between the two you choose or between yours and a classmates? What steps in the production of these trees can account for their high costs?

History of the Nursery Industry

A fruit tree nursery was the first nursery industry noted. It was from the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1644.

Many nurserymen of the late 1700’s and early 1800’s were orchardists - a specialty nursery worker who deals with fruit trees.

William Prince established Prince Nursery in 1737 when he was so successful at growing trees and selling to his neighbors that he turned to commericial production.

History, continued . . .

Commercial production means to produce for a specific market.

Prince produced a catalog to market his varieties of fruit trees and even began experimenting with plant breeding and making new varieties.

Jackson and Perkins, a name that is still familiar today, was established in 1864 as a nursery specializing in small fruits.

In 1879, Jackson and Perkins began selling a few roses and by 1894 they were selling over 175,000 roses annually.

Many nurseries in the Midwest were established in the 1800’s.

By 1890 there were over 4500 nurseries on over 173,000 acres of land in the U.S. Most of these were small and supplied only the local area.

Major production centers were in NY, CA, IL, OH, and PA.

Still more history . . . In 1912, the first National Plant Quarantine

act went into effect. The quarantine prohibited the importation of certain plants into the United States - and this helped the nursery industry grow.

The Parcel Post - the package delivery branch of the U.S. postal service - was also established. This led to the rapid development of the mail-order catalog business.

How has the nursery industry impacted our society? Bloomington, IL a popular nursery site in the mid 1800’s

because of the five important railroad lines that intersected it and the soil and climate well suited to a variety of plants.

In 1852, Bloomington Nursery was considered the largest in the country - their packing houses, cold storage cellars, and buildings covered over 20 acres.

U.S. Impacts By 1974, CA was producing over 130

million dollars in nursery stock annually. By 1985, CA was producing over 435

million dollars and was known as a world leader in the production of nursery stock.

FL, TX, PA, and TN rounded out the top five.

In 1992, U.S. production had risen to 5 billion with CA, FL, VA, and OR being top producers.

How has the nursery industry changed? All changes have increased and

improved the efficiency of production. We have moved from manpower to

animal power to machine power. New and more effective machinery,

fertilizers, and pesticides have also helped to improve plant quality.

Specific changes in the industry Production: 1950’s drip irrigation was

used, 1960’s fertilizer injection systems were created, and in the 1970’s trickle irrigation for fields was used.

Facilities: recently, more energy efficient and environmentally sound building materials have been introduced.

Others . . . Materials: new cultivars and plant

varieties have been introduced, as well as better fertilizers and chemicals. Patented plants are becoming very popular.

Market: more rapid delivery, new marketing tools such as computers, and the Internet, and renewed popularity of gardening education (ex: Martha Stewart)

Types of Nurseries By type of sales By job description By product produced By crop produced

What are the economic factors involved in selecting a nursery site?

Land cost Local land value Zoning and taxes Level of current development - consider

what businesses will surround you. Will they be a benefit or a detriment?

Level of development needed for your market

Labor Employee payroll can be over 50 percent of

annual business expenses of a typical wholesale nursery.

Availability of work force Local pay scale Seasonal versus year round labor need -

many employees are year round, but during the peak season, worker numbers may double.

Skills of available labor

Transportation and Markets The location can determine the

success or failure of the business. Cost, availability, ease of trans. - for

both employees and the product. How will you get supplies to your business and your product to market?

Customers availability/means - are you convenient for your customers?

Utilities and services: availability, cost, type

Competition Any business that may be competing for your

customers’ dollars is considered competition. Other nurseries - consider who may provide

competition and where your business will fit in to the market.

Other mass-marketers - business other than nurseries or garden centers that retail or wholesale plants.

How does the environment affect the selection of a nursery site? Temperature Moisture Wind Soil type and topography Air quality Plant pests Natural Light

Temperature measured in degrees and is normally

regulated by wind, solar radiation and humidity. Hardiness refers to a plant’s ability to withstand cold temperatures. Maximum - highest ave temperature in your

zone Minimum - lowest ave temperature in your

zone Average - the ave temperatures in your zone

Moisture Water either in the form of rainfall or

irrigation. It is responsible for many plant functions, and processes. Plant cells need to be filled with water to remain turgid. Turgid refers to water pressure that supports the plant physically. Quality - the water can be tested for pH,

fertility, and chemical properties

More about Moisture Quantity - concerns both how much is applied

and how often or when it is applied Distribution - heavy rainfall can cause many

problems including: slowdown in plant harvesting and cultivation, damage to young plants, and others

Wind - can cause soil erosion, damage to plants, increased transpiration and evaporation. Evaporation is when water changes from a liquid to a gaseous state. Erosion is when the land surface is worn away or transported elsewhere.

Soil type and topography The type of nursery determines which

qualities are the most important in soil topography. Field soil should be carefully evaluated. It should have good physical and chemical qualities, and some organic matter (2-5% or more) should be present. Topography effects many things such as roads, irrigation systems, equipment usage, and what plants will grow.

More about topography Drainage - which is the removal of

excess surface or ground water The pH - which is a rating referring to the

alkalinity or acidity of a given soil. Holding capacities - specifically how

much water or air can the soil hold and for how long.

Air Quality and Plant pests Air quality is a factor greatly affected by

pollution. Plant pests include insects, animals,

humans, weeds, and diseases.

What kinds of specialized facilities are used in nurseries? Propagation - facilities used specifically

for the production of new plants. Production - facilities used to bring a

crop to a saleable size and market it.

Cold Frame A type of propagation facility A wooden or concrete block frame with

a glass or polyethylene cover that is heated by the sun.

Used for germinating seeds, rooting cuttings, over wintering plants or hardening off plants for sale.

Cold Frame

Hotbeds A type of propagation facility similar to a Cold Frame but has

additional heat supplied by electric cables or hot water pipes.

Used for germinating seeds, rooting cuttings or overwintering more temperate plants.

Shade Houses A type of production facility protect plants from wind, temperature

extremes, rain, hail, and sun. Constructed of wood lath or shade

cloth. Used for propagation and can usually

be altered for overwintering by covering with polyethylene.

Shade House

Over Wintering Houses A type of propagation facility provide a space for overwintering plant

materials. Over Wintering is keeping plants safe

and unharmed above ground over the winter.

Usually permanent and covered with polyethylene.

Tree House!

Cold Storage A type of propagation facility provide a cold storage area for nursery

crops can also be used for cold stratification

treatments.

Shipping/Receiving A type of propagation facility centrally located area to shelter and

store plant materials for pick-up and delivery.

Head House A type of propagation facility functions as a storage and work area -

allows for work to occur in a dry, protected area.

Pesticides and fertilizers can be stored and mixed, equipment can be repaired, plants can be potted, etc.

Larger nurseries may have separate structures for potting, repairing, or chemical preparation.

Others . . . Storage areas are for storing

production materials in a protect site. Business offices are where the

business management activities of the nursery occur.

Potting areas also exist.

Plant hardiness zone maps Used by nursery operators to

productively grow plants. A map that identifies 11 zones in the

U.S. by the ave annual minimum temps in each zone. Produced by USDA Recently updated to show a more

complex range of temperatures

Hardiness map is important because . . . Young plants and plants in containers are

more sensitive to rapid temperature changes.

It helps with plant selection. The zone your business is located in will

determine which plants can be successfully grown in your nursery and what precautions you need to take to overwinter them.

The End!