Wholesale Nursery Management

Lesson Structure: Wholesale Nursery Management BHT212

There are 8 lessons:

Nursery Site Organisation
Nature and Scope of Wholesale Nurseries
Specialist Nurseries
Location and Site Selection Characteristics;market proximity, land cost, climate, isolation, air quality, water etc
What to Grow
Determining Marketable varieties
Site Surveying
Management
Starting as a Nursery Producer
The Mission Statement
Controlling Quality
Revamping an Existing Nursery
Nursery Standards; Cost Efficiency, Quality standards, Size
Business Planning
Quantity
Case Study
Production Systems
Flow Chart for Growing a Nursery Crop
Production Methods
Cutting Production Efficiencies
Work Scheduling
Type and Number of Employees
Human Resource Management
Nutrition and Pest Management
Overview of Nursery Pests and Diseases
Identifying Problems
Disease and pest management
Nursery Hygiene
Resistant Plants
Controlling Problems through Cultural Practices
Physical Control of Problems
Biological Control
Chemical Control
Minimising Chemical Use
Conducting Inspections within the Nursery
Nutrient Management
Fertiliser use and plant nutrition.
Growing media
Growing Media for Container and Field Grown Plants
Understanding soils
Soil Testing
Improving Soils
Potting Mixes and soil-free mixes
Components of Potting Media
Selecting Potting Media
Problems with Potting Media
Propagation Media
Sanitation
Sterilisation techniques.
Irrigation
Water Supply
Town Water
Water Courses and Groundwater
Rainwater
Water Quality
Water Treatment
Recycling Water
Irrigation Systems; overhead sprinkler, drip, etc
Pulse Watering, Demand Watering, Precision etc
Pumps
Scheduling Irrigation
Irrigation System Maintenance
Use of liquid fertilisers through irrigation.
Modifying Plant Growth
Plant Uniformity
Holding Stock
Making Stems Sturdier
Making Plants Taller
Developing a Compact Root System
Creating a denser, bushier Plant
Improving Foliage Colour
Encouraging Flowering
Flower forcing out of Season
Using Light to Modify Plant Growth
Greenhouses and other protective plant structures.
Marketing Strategies
Overview of Nursery Marketing
Nursery Products
Marketing Mix
Market Research
Marketing Budget
Marketing Plan.
Selection of Nursery Crops
Considering Options
Choosing a Plant Variety to Market
Developing a stock list
Criteria for Selecting Plants
Quarantine Concerns
Clearing Surplus Stocks
Nursery Industry Trends
Surveying Customers
Terminology
This course is taught by:

Katie Freeth
BSc. (Hons) Horticulture, (University of Bath); RHS General Examination; FI Hort; MIfpra.

An experienced and professional horticulturist with extensive management skills gained internationally; experienced in landscape management, staff supervision and management, written and oral communication, horticultural knowledge and application, supported by organisational and administrative skills and attention to detail.

Katie brings 20 years experience in Horticulture and is an accomplished lecturer, horticulture consultant and freelance writer. Katie is a judge for the International Awards for Liveable Communities in the Whole City Category.
Katie also worked for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in France for approx 5 years first as a Sector Manager and then as an Area Manager; management of the cemeteries, peripatetic teams of gardeners (UK & French nationality) for the constructed cemeteries and memorials and static French nationality gardeners for small town/village plots.

Susan Stephenson
BSc in Applied Plant Biology (Botany) Univ. London 1983.
City and guilds: Garden Centre Management, Management and Interior Decor (1984)
Management qualifications in training with retail store. Diploma in Hort level 2 (RHS General) Distinction.

Susan Stephenson is a passionate and experienced horticulturist and garden designer. She has authored three books, lectures at 2 Further and Higher Education Colleges, teaching people of all ages and backgrounds about the wonders of plants and garden design, and tutors many students by correspondence from all over the world.

Susan studied botany at Royal Holloway College (Univ of London) and worked in the trading industry before returning to her first love plants and garden design. She is therefore, well placed to combine business knowledge with horticulture and design skills. Her experience is wide and varied and she has designed gardens for families and individuals. Susan is a mentor for garden designers who are just starting out, offering her support and advice and she also writes, delivers and assesses courses for colleges, introducing and encouraging people into horticulture and garden design.

Susan is a Professional Associate and exam moderator and holds the RHS General with Distinction. She continues to actively learn about horticulture and plants and (as her students will tell you) remains passionate and interested in design and horticulture.

She also supervised the Area Arboriculture Team and was Exhumations Officer€“ in charge of collecting discovered remains and arranging identification (if poss) and interment of same.

Learning Goals: Wholesale Nursery Management BHT212

Describe how site characteristics influence the establishment and management of wholesale nurseries.
Explain management structures and work scheduling in wholesale nurseries.
Describe the management of pests and diseases and plant nutrition in production nurseries.
Explain the physical and chemical properties of growing media used in production nurseries.
Describe the techniques and equipment used to irrigate plants in nurseries.
Explain techniques used to modify and influence the growth of plants in production nurseries
Describe strategies used by production nurseries to increase sales.
Explain criteria for selecting plants and developing a nursery stock list.