Plants in a nursery

A nursery is a place where plants are propagated and grown to usable size. They include retail nurseries which sell to the general public,wholesale nurseries which sell only to businesses such as other nurseries and to commercial gardeners, and private nurseries which supply the needs of institutions or private estates. Some retail and wholesale nurseries sell by mail. Although the popular image of a nursery is that of a supplier of garden plants, the range of nursery functions is far wider than that, and is of vital importance to many branches of agriculture, forestry and conservation biology. Some nurseries specialize in one phase of the process: propagation, growing out, or retail sale; or in one type of plant: e.g., groundcovers, shade plants, or rock garden plants. Some produce bulk stock, whether seedlings or grafted, of particular varieties for purposes such as fruit trees for orchards, or timber trees for forestry. Some produce stock seasonally, ready in springtime for export to colder regions where propagation could not have been started so early, or to regions where seasonal pests prevent profitable growing early in the season.

edit]Methods

An Orchid nursery

A tree nursery using gutters to decrease growing costs

Nurseries often grow plants in a greenhouse, a building of glass or in plastic tunnels, designed to protect young plants from harsh weather (especially frost), while allowing access to light and ventilation. Modern greenhouses allow automated control of temperature, ventilation and light and semi-automated watering and feeding. Some also have fold-back roofs to allow "hardening-off" of plants without the need for manual transfer to outdoor beds. Most nurseries remain highly labor-intensive. Although some processes have been mechanised and automated, others have not. It remains highly unlikely that all plants treated in the same way at the same time will arrive at the same condition together, so plant care requires observation, judgment and manual dexterity; selection for sale requires comparison and judgment. A UK nurseryman has estimated (in 2003) that manpower accounts for 70% of his production costs. The largest UK nurseries have moved to minimize labour costs by the use of computer controlled warehousing methods: plants are pallet allocated to a location and grown on there with little human intervention. Picking merely requires selection of a batch and manual quality control before dispatch. In other cases, a high loss rate during maturation is accepted for the reduction in detailed plant maintenance costs. Business is highly seasonal, concentrated in spring and autumn. There is no guarantee that there will be demand for the product - this will be affected by temperature, drought, cheaper foreign competition, fashion, among other things. Annuals are sold in trays (undivided containers with multiple plants), flats (trays with built-in cells), peat pots, or plastic pots. Perennials and woody plants are sold either in pots, bare-root or balled and burlapped and in a variety of sizes, from liners to mature trees. Balled and Burlap (B & B) trees are dug either by hand or by a loader that has a tree spade attachment on the front of the machine. Although container grown woody plants are becoming more and more popular due to the versatility, B & B is still widely used throughout the industry.

Plants may be propagated by seeds, but often desirable cultivars are propagated asexually by budding, grafting, layering, or other nursery techniques.
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How to Care for Hanging Plants

An introduction to caring for hanging plants
By Jon VanZile, About.com Guide

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Boston ferns (Nephrolepis exaltata 'Bostoniensis') make excellent hanging plants. Copyright Jon VanZile

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Hanging plants are a beautiful addition to most any room. They draw the eye up and really showcase the plant, as well as adding an interesting design element. In the strictest sense, growing plants in hanging baskets is the same as growing them in grounded pots. But before you plan an ambitious Babylon of your own, be aware there are several things to consider that will protect your home and make the whole experience easier. The Weight Question A hanging basket or pot full of wet soil and plant material can be heavy. Before you hang anything from your walls or ceiling, make sure the structure can hold the weight. Do not sink hooks straight into plaster or drywallmake sure they are firmly anchored in wall studs or ceiling joists. If you have existing hooks, test them before hanging anything. Your choice of potting media will also make a difference. Most bagged potting soils are heavy with peat, or composted sphagnum peat, as the primary ingredient. Peat has excellent water

retention qualities, but weighs more. If weight is a consideration, reduce the weight of your peat mix by adding perlite. This will also increase drainage, so you'll have to water more often and be more careful not to drip from the basket. Protecting Your Floors and Furniture Hanging baskets present multiple opportunities disaster, but probably the most common problem is water drainage. The coconut fiber liners that work so well outside are unsuited for indoor use because water runs straight through them. The two best options for indoor baskets are:

A pot within a pot. This versatile and easy set-up allows you to easily switch out your hanging plants. The outer, decorative basket is completely sealedno drainage holes at all and it has chains or rope fastened directly to it for hanging. Place your potted plants inside, and viola, a hanging garden. The major disadvantage here is it may be difficult to reach over the lip of the outside pot while watering, and it is heavier. The attached tray. This is how most hanging baskets are sold in garden centers. A plastic basket comes with an attached drip trap. The wires or ropes attach to the basket itself. While this is lighter and more economical, the problem is usually the size of the drip tray. Very small trays allow very little room for error. Even a little too much water and you end up muddy water dripping onto your floors.

Watering No doubt, watering your hanging plants is the hardest part. If you have very large, heavy baskets, you can attach them to simple pulley system that allows the entire basket to be lowered for watering. This, however, is impractical and far more ambitious than most homeowners are. In most cases, a step-ladder and a long-neck watering can will take care of your watering needs. If drainage is a persistent problem, or you have white carpets, it might be a good idea to take the plant outside for its weekly watering, weather permitting. Remember that air nearer the ceiling tends to warmer and drier than air at the floor, so take this into account. Your hanging plants may need a little more water than your more terrestrial plants. Great Hanging Plants Golden Pothos Vine Spider Plants Boston Ferns Related Articles

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