Plant Selection, Harvesting and Shipping Flashcards
What is the result of high cost of growing certain crops in the winter and worldwide competition?
Businesses close
Change in crop selection
What three factors often determine the success of greenhouse growers?
Low production costs
Low transportation costs
High quality
What are some ways that greenhouse growers have adapted to ensure their costs remain low?
Warm crops to cold crops to keep energy costs low
Only growing enough crops for their contracts
What are some recent gardening trends?
Using native and pollinator friendly plants
Xeriscaping
Growing fruits
Cut flowers
What are important things to note when selecting plants for landscaping?
Healthy plants free of pests, diseases, nutrient deficiences
Choose appropriate plants for the site (light, soil texture, pH, moisture level, height, spread, aesthetics)
What are the three ways that nursery crops are harvested?
Bare root
Balled and burlapped
Container grown
How are bare root plants harvested?
U shaped blade that digs into dirt and pulls the plant out of the ground
Plant brought to shaded storage area, roots covered, and may be held in cold storage with roots exposed or surrounded by organic matter
What is girdling?
Roots are circling the base of plant which restricts growth of plant
What are the benefits of bare root harvesting?
Girdling roots are less likely
Roots can be inspected and spread
Have sturdier trunks (no stakes)
Plants are cheaper, lighter, and easier to transport than balled and burlapped
What are the limitations of bare root harvesting?
Usually only available during dormant season
Should be planted quickly or heeled in
Generally restricted to small deciduous shrubs, trees, smaller plants
What do you need to keep in mind when harvesting balled and burlapped plants?
Soil ball should be round and not flat/misshapened
Should have enough roots to increase transplanting success but not too heavy
Use treated burlap to prevent any disease
Soil balls can be placed into burlap lined wire baskets
Plants should be handled carefully by the soil ball and not lifted by the branches
What is drum lacing?
Used to secure large soil balls
Twine is looped horizontally around the soil ball, then wound up and down in a zig-zag pattern
What is the benefit of balled and burlapped benefits?
Can be used for larger plants than bare root
Can be used for evergreen and deciduous plants
Can be dug during growing season
No soil interface problems as with container plants
What are the limitations of balled and burlapped crops?
Heavy and awkward to handle
Trained staff are needed to hand harvest
Hydraulic tree space is needed for mechanical harvesting
What are the benefits of growing container plants?
Can be harvested at any time by loading plants from their production sites
Little preparation except for weeding, grading and tagging
How does shipping work for bare rooted plants?
Bundled and boxed
How does shipping work for balled and burlapped plants
Spaced on trucks, tied to pallets, expensive
How are container plants shipped?
Stacked or boxed, lower shipping costs
What are some careers in plant production?
Unskilled labourers
Skilled labourers
Middle management
Owners/operators
Educators, researchers, specialists
Extension agent
When are plants in field nursery harvested?
Removed from the ground and graded in the fall
When are plants in the field nursery usually sold?
Spring
What is used to mechanically harvest large trees to be balled and burlapped?
Hydraulic tree space
What is used to lift bare root crops out of the ground?
Forked u shaped blade pulled by a tractor
What type of burlap should be used if a plant is to be stored for a long time?
Treated burlap
