Lecture 2

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CS 5120 -Commercial Nursery Management

Lecture 2

Planning and Selection of a Nursery Site

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Commercial

Nursery Industry

• Horticulture Nursery Industry is a vibrant and growing component of local and global agriculture

Success in the nursery industry requires

• a well-defined market,

• a good location,

• a well-planned production system

and experience

Key Questions

• Why is proper nursery site selection important?

• What are the environmental factors considered in nursery site selection?

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

• Explain the layout of container and field nurseries

• What are the different types of nursery structures?

Horticulture Nursery ..

Nursery plants can grow in

• open fields,

• containers in open fields

and

• containers in tunnels or greenhouses

Selecting a Specific Nursery Site

• Site selection and layout are very important at the early stages of the planning process

• Your choice/decision will directly affect the success in growing and selling plants

• Supply of healthy plants of desired varieties at proper time is of utmost importance in nursery business

• Both environmental and economic factors need to be considered when selecting a site for a nursery

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Why Proper Nursery Site Selection Important?

Factors to consider…..

• History of The Site

• Climate

• Soil and topography

• Available water resources

• Available capital and labor

• Market potential

• Type of plant material grown

• Production method

1. The History of The Site

• If a crop land, what crop was grown?

• If non-crop land, for which purpose the land used for previously?

• Has the land been contaminated by pesticide

or

other toxic chemicals?

• If so, what chemicals and what reclamation efforts were employed?

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1. The History of the Site cont’d..

• Are there underground structures on the property?

(e.g. storage tanks, irrigation lines, rock outcrops etc.)?

• If so, where are they located and

sizes and directions?

• Does the land drain poorly or flood?

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Nursery Site cont’d…

In selecting a location you should consider

proximity to

– other nurseries,

– to major cities,

and

– to highways

• Your nursery should be accessible to both

customers and employees10

Nursery Site cont’d…

• Other factors to consider include

– availability of transportation facilities,

– distance to market,

– competition,

– availability of reliable labor

(full-time, part-time, and seasonal), and

– availability of inexpensive land for future expansion

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land Resources

• Are you going to buy land?

–What are the soil characteristics?

– Is the soil pH good for growing crops or are adjustments going to have to be made?

– Is the soil depth adequate for field production?

–Will a large expense be incurred if grade changes are needed for proper drainage and water recycling ?

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Environmental factors to be considered in nursery site selection

1. Temperature

– How hot or cold

• Determines the length of growing season

• The production calendar

tropical countries - determined by the rainy season,

temperate regions - rising temperatures

2. Light

• Right amount of light is critical for healthy development of seedlings

• Too much shade,

leads to etiolated and elongated growth of the seedlings

and

- makes them weak

- prone to fungal diseases

flowering plants, foliage plants, fruit and vegetable nurseries, plantation nurseries, forestry nursery, etc.

2. Light cont’d..

– Too much light leads to sun scorching and drying out tender tissue

–Use good-quality durable shade cloth

to provide

uniform shade to the seedlings

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3. Wind– High winds carrying soil particles can deposit on

plants- Damage/desiccate seedlings/mulches can blow

awayWindbreaks/saw tooth structures

• Act as a filter• Better plant growth• Reduced transpiration• Reduced evaporation• More efficient spraying• Improves irrigation efficiency• Sequesters carbon • Effective 3 to 6 times its

height

4. Soil– Desired soil type

• sandy or loam soils, does not crust over, drains quickly,

• less damage when plants are removed

– Consider the following soil factors:

• Organic matter content- 2 to 5%

• pH - varies by plants grown (Most nursery stock grows well between pH 5.0 and pH 7.2)

• Medium fertility

• At least 18’’ depth and free from rock outcrops

– Drainage

• Removal of surface or ground water

Soil cont’d…..

Good soil –

Benefits:

Uniform soil moisture,

↓ level of pathogens,

↓ soil erosion,

↑ operation efficiency

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Topography

Surface features of an area

• Relatively level- slope of 1-2 %

• Ideally, the nursery should be on a gentle slope sufficient to allow excess water to run off without causing soil erosion

• Where necessary, a proper drainage system must be built to avoid water logging and damage during periods of heavy rainfall

Soil type and Characteristics

• Soil testing and soil survey

help to determine

soil quality and characteristics,

- useful in determining

nursery layout

and

production areas

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How to make Nursery soil fertile?

• Nitrogen-fixing species can be planted

as a cover crop

when beds are not in use,

as hedges or as shade trees

• Green manure or compost could be added

Avoid soils..

• Very stony soils

as a lot of effort would be needed to make them suitable.

• Very heavy soils,

with a lot of clay, which make nursery work much more difficult

• Extremely acid or alkaline soils, with very low or with high pH which would need special treatment to grow all but a few tolerant species

• Highly degraded land, requiring a lot of soil improvement

5. Rainfall

– high and low rainfall (distribution)

– Problems with heavy rainfall:

• Inability to get machinery in the fields

• Delays in lifting trees and seedlings

• Flooding

• Erosion

• Increased pathogen activity

• Decreased efficiency of pesticides

• Stimulation of weed growth

• Excessive leaching of soil nutrients

Water

• Is there an adequate, clean, pest-free water source for the type and size òf nursery you are planning?

• An adequate supply of good quality water is essential for a nursery

– Consider current and future use

– Irrigation often necessary

– Ideal water should be slightly acidic and

soluble levels below 500 ppm24

• Irrigation

– Most important aspects:

• Reliable year-round source

• Sufficient pumping and pressurizing capacity

• Uniform distribution of water to plants

• Contain all runoff in holding ponds for reuse

– Land drainage Removal of surface or ground water

– Benefits: Uniform availability of soil moisture, ↓ level of pathogens, ↓ soil erosion, ↑ operation efficiency

• Water drawn from wells is probably one of the best irrigation sources for most locations

• Water originating from any open source (lake, stream, or ditch) is subject to contamination by weed seeds or pathogens

• High concentrations of weed seeds can lead to unwanted vegetation

- a major problem

• Water-borne diseases can infect root systems and foliage

• The volume of water required will change with weather, irrigation method and the container medium

6. Air pollution

–Harmful or degrading materials in the air

–Common compounds in air:

• Chlorides

• Fluorides

• Ozone

• Sulfur dioxide

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7. Pests

– Survey the area to determine which pests are present

–Consider:

• Insects

• Wild animals

• Root rot disease

• Previous land usage and cropping

• If the soil infested with Nematode could severely limit plant growth

What economic factors are involved in

selecting a nursery site?

• Land cost and availability

– Best sites = High priced

– Consider purchase and preparation costs

• Labor

– Labor intensive industry with seasonal demands

– Field nursery needs 4-5 permanent employee per 7 to 8 acres

– Container nursery needs 3-4 employee per acre

• Transportation and Markets– Consider the markets to which plants will be

transported

– Location near highways is desirable

– May hire truck or own vehicle

• Utilities and services– Availability of telephone and electricity and

other utilities required for nursery operation must be already available or easily secured

• Competition– Location becomes more important with

competition (not in SL ???)

Horticulture Nursery Management

A successful nursery producer needs knowledge of plants,

• soils, fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation,

• machinery,

• pruning, harvesting methods,

• packing and shipping practices,

• plumbing, electricity, etc.

• Starting a field nursery requires large amounts of capital

• A manager as well as several laborers will be required on large nurseries

Cont’d..

• It is not just casting seed to the wind and watching the trees and profits grow

• With proper planning, plant selection, management and marketing; nursery field production can be highly profitable and rewarding.

• The market is there for the innovative marketer of high quality stock

If new to the industryBefore deciding to invest money starting a nursery business …..

– invest time studying books, extension publications

– Visit experienced successful nursery producers and observe their layout and inventory

– regardless how much you may love plants or think you know

– Marketing is an extremely important part of the nursery business and should be given equal status and attention to production

Summery

The following are the factors in selecting an ideal nursery site:– Water should be available throughout the year

– Area should be large enough to accommodate the required seedlings and facilities

– Area could be flat or slightly inclined to allow sufficient drainage

– Area must be accessible or close to the road

– Area must have good soil condition,

i.e. dry sandy loam or loam,

topsoil of about 30 cm,

5.5 to 6.5 pH and

high quantity of organic matter

Summery

– Area must have good exposure to sunlight

– Area must be protected from strong winds with temporary windbreakers using local materials

For permanent windbreakers, establish a green belt (trees that can withstand strong winds) around the nursery

– For forest plantations, the area should be near the planting site to minimize damage to seedlings and transport cost