Nursery Management
Essential Standard 3.00:
Understand nursery
management
Nursery Structures and Growing
Environments

Consider climate, soil and topography,
available water source, type of plant
material, and production method when
selecting a nursery structure or growing
environment.
Shade Houses
Shade Houses-Advantages
Constructed of wood, PVC or galvanized
steel
 No artificial head source, heated by solar
radiation
 Used for hardening off plants and hot
weather holding
 Protects plants from adverse weather
conditions

Shade Houses-Advantages
Cover with plastic during the winter to
reduce overwintering injury to woody
ornamentals as well as reduce
temperature fluctuations during the
overwintering period
 A variety of plant material can be grown
 Good air circulation
 Good filtered light; shade cloth
 Inexpensive growing structure

Shade Houses-Disadvantages
Some plants cannot be grown year round
 No heat source other than sun
 No heat or cooling

Hotbeds
Hotbeds-Advantages
Constructed of wood or galvanized steel,
glass and/or plastic
 Solar heated, electric cables, steam or
heated by natural materials such as hay or
manure
 Used for starting plants earlier than in a
cold frame
 Inexpensive

Hotbeds- Disadvantages
Can be expensive to heat
 Hay or manure needs to be replaced when
the temperature in the hotbed drops
below 50 degrees

Container
Container-Advantages
Plants are easy to move and transport
 Grown to sellable size in the container
 Less shock to plants
 Retailers can keep plants longer before
selling
 Uniform soilless media
 Insects, diseases, fertility and pH are
easier to control
 Monitoring of water intake easily
controlled

Containers-Disadvantages
Requires more water
 More labor intensive
 May become pot bound
 May require winter protection
 May have a higher start-up cost (pots,
media)
 Plants may have to be moved to larger
containers
 May be expensive to ship
 Others: blow over

Pot-In-Pot (PNP)
Pot-in-Pot
Uses a slightly larger pot (socket pots)
that are buried in rows in the ground and
the potted plants (production pots) are
placed inside
 Mix between Container production and
Field production
 Video

PNP- Advantages
No staking
 No blown over containers
 Cooler roots in the summer
 Well insulated roots in the winter
 Easy to move and transport
 Becoming a more viable option to the
traditional field grown
 Combines the benefits of field production
with the marketing flexibility of container
production

PNP- Disadvantages

Startup cost is expensive


Field prep and purchasing 2 containers for
each plant opposed to 1. 15-25 gallon pots are
commonly used
Labor costs
Field Grown (Traditional)
Field Grown-Advantages
Plants are grown directly in native soil
 Bare root plants are easy to handle and
plant

Field Grown-Disadvantages
Requires equipment to be harvested
 Plants may go into shock when moved or
transplanted
 Harder to control insects, diseases,
fertility and pH
 Soil must be well drained
 Limited time to harvest
 Supply cost: liners, supplies, burlap, wire
baskets, twine, and pinning nails
 Expensive to ship

Maintenance of Structures
Shade houses (cold frames)
Need painting or replacing over time
 Plastic covering will need to be replaced
on a regular basis
 Replacement of gravel and weed block
 Debris removal

Hotbeds
Change out heat source (straw, hay,
manure)
 Pest control
 Cover replacement
 Debris removal

Container
Pest control
 Replace weed block
 Replace gravel on roads and under
containers

PNP
Replacement of damaged pots
 Pest control
 Replace gravel on roads

Field Grown
Erosion control
 Pest control
 Replace Gravel on roads

Maintenance of Plants
Maintenance of Plants
Fertilizer-needs to be replaced regularly in
order for the plants to continue to grown
and remain strong
 Irrigation-sprinkler or drip is determined
by crop requirement and container
arrangement
 Shading-on newly established plants or
plants that will grow in shady areas

Pruning
Shape plant materials
 Make plants more compact
 Train growth to form into a mature plant
(central leader or many stems)
 Removed dead or diseased parts
 Espalier-a plant that is trained to grow flat
against a wall, railing or trellis

Pest Control Methods/Program

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IPM- process used to solve pest problems while
minimizing risks to people and the
environment
Chemical control-uses chemicals to eliminate
plant pests
Biological control-uses living organisms such as
predators, parasites and pathogens to control
the populations of pests
Mechanical-manages pests by physical means
such as barriers, screens, row covers,
trapping, weeding or removal of the pest by
hand
Pest Problems

Insects

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ID insect-aphids, spider mites, whitefly, scale,
etc.
Determine type of control-chemical, biological
or mechanical
Treat based on method recommendations
Weeds



ID weeds-henbit, chickweed, grasses, etc.
Dig or pull weeds
Treat based on method recommendations
Pest Problems

Disease

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Rodents

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
ID disease-blights, fungi, rusts, etc.
Treat based on method recommendations
ID the rodent- voles, moles, mice squirrels, etc
Trap or treat based on method
recommendations
Mollusks

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ID mollusks-snails, slugs, etc.
Treat based on method recommendations
Winter Protection
Winter Protection

Frost Blanket



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Traps and collects heat during the day and
releases it at night to keep your plants warm
and growing.
In the spring it gives you a jump-start on
plants and wards off pests.
In fall, use it to extend your growing season.
Float or drape the lightweight fabric over your
plants.
Winter Protection

Water (bud protection)


Spray water on buds before a freeze
Often used on fruit trees and strawberries
Winter Protection

White plastic


Reduce overwintering injury to woody
ornamentals
Protects young plants in early spring
Nursery Production
Types of Plants for each
Trees-containers, PNP, B&B (balled and
burlapped), bareroot
 Shrubs- container, PNP, B&B
 Perennials-container, PNP

Propagation

Sexual (seed)

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
Stratification-chilling seeds to stimulate winter
conditions before germination (Ex: Baptisia
and daylily)
Scarification- breaking of the seed coat (Ex:
redbud and maples)
Asexual

Cuttings
Propagation

Asexual

Cuttings

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Softwood (herbaceous) cutting-leaf, pieces of the
stem or roots from non-woody plants. Cuttings are
taken late spring through early summer
Hardwood cutting- pieces of stem from woody plants.
Cuttings are taken fall through winter
Grafting-joining separate plant parts together
to form a union and grow

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Scion-top portion of the graft
Rootstock-root or bottom portion of the graft
Propagation

Asexual

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Budding-a form of grafting when a bud is used
instead of scion
Layering- forcing roots to grow on the stem of
the plant while it is still attached to the parent
plant
Soil for Containers
Media must be porous
 Soilless media

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Peat

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Perlite
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Partially decomposed material mined from swamps
Good moisture holding capacity
Natural volcanic material that helps aerate the soil
Good moisture holding capacity
Vermiculite
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Mica mineral matter used to start cuttings
Neutral pH
Good moisture holding capacity
Soil for Containers (cont.)
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Soilless media

Bark

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Ground pine or oak bark
Increases the porosity of a soil
Amendments
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Lime-calcium and magnesium increased the pH level
of soil making it alkaline or “sweet” correcting the
acidity of the soil
Fertilizer- adds macro and micro nutrients to soil
Wetting agents- increases water retention of soil
Soil for planting in the ground
Use native soil in traditional field planting
 Tree and shrub roots need to grow in
native soil
 A soil test should be used to determine if
soil amendments are needed
 Soil amendment functions
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Increase water and nutrient holding capacity
Improve aeration and water infiltration
Soil amendment should be mixed with
natural soil
Soil for planting in the ground
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Organic-”fresh” organic material should be
first composted
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Sphagnum peat
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Dehydrated remains of acid bog plants
Holds moisture and are high in acidity
Grass clippings- add nutrients to the soil
Saw dust- high carbon to nitrogen ratio; can
make nitrogen unavailable to plants
Compost- decayed organic matter, good
fertilizer and soil conditioner
Manure- adds nutrients to the soil, good
moisture holding capacity
Soil for planting in the ground

Inorganic
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Vermiculite- good moisture holding capacity.
Perlite- good for aerating the soil.
Pea gravel- good for heavy clay soil.
Planting
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Containers
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Place one plant in the center of container
Evenly space plants in container if more than 1
plant is used
Planting depth is important and varies
depending on plant material
Field

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Determine the layout and spacing of trees and
shrubs in the field
Determine the equipment needs of field grown
plants
Water

Container and PNP
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Watering is more important for container
grown plants than field grown plants because
roots can go no deeper or spread any wider
than the container
It is best to water container plants in the
morning for maximum absorption, however,
some may need to be watered more than once
a day depending on the weather
Should be watered until water runs through
holes in bottom of pot
Water

Container and PNP
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A gallon container needs about a pint of water
at each watering
Require more water in dry, hot, windy,
weather
Need more water when actively growing and
flowering
Do not allow any container plants to dry out!
Water

Field Grown

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Should be watered in the morning for
maximum absorption
A more porous soil needs more water than a
clayey soil
Watering for field production depends on the
weather
Require more water in dry, hot, windy weather
Need more water when actively growing and
flowering
Fertilizing
Fertilizing schedule should be established
for each type of plant grown
 Scheduled periodic liquid fertilizing should
be established depending on plants, soil,
size, etc
 Slow release fertilizers such as Osmocote
and Magamp are mixed into potting media
or top dressed on the soil surface

Fertilizer
Plants in containers for more than 1 year
require additional fertilizer and should be
watered thoroughly after fertilizing (varies
on pot size and plant material)
 Plants should be observed and fertilization
changed as plant foliage shows a need for
either more or less fertilizer. Tissue
analysis can be done to determine
deficiencies.

Marketing
Develop a Marketing Plan
Complete a marketing analysis (research
used to predict the future of a market) to
determine your target market
 Once a marketing analysis is complete,
determine what to sell
 Know your competition

Price your product
Use this formula to determine your price
Materials + overhead + labor = selling
price

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Pricing may vary depending on availability
of plant material in your area
Promotion
Advertising
 Public Relations
 Personal Contacts
 Communications
 Join local and state associations

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NC Nursery and Landscape Association
Attend trade shows
Placement
Providing a place that is convenient to the
customer
 Shipping, delivery, internet ordering or
nursery pick up
