GreenScene
I S S U E 11 S P R I N G 2 0 0 6 PROFESSIONAL GROWER
Ingenuity increases
productivity
Water problems
solved by science
The value of
soil testing
Waste not,
want not
Cover story
New range for
landscapers
Hayes Wholesale Nurseries, NZ
A little ingenuity
goes a long way
How do you increase margins in a
tight nursery market if you can鈥檛
raise prices? Barry Hayes of Hayes
Wholesale Nurseries (NZ) believes Barry has the Ellegaard system making 40mm-50mm long plugs in
you apply a little ingenuity to 25mm or 40mm diameter.
increase productivity and efficiency. Barry purchased the Ellegaard system, the only one of its kind
in New Zealand, and is now about to launch a new division of
Barry and his wife Lisa established Hayes Wholesale Nurseries his business, Biopots New Zealand Ltd, after successful trials of
in 1984, specialising in Fuchsias, Pelargoniums and Geraniums. some 10,000 plugs in some of New Zealand鈥檚 biggest nurseries.
Hayes is now New Zealand鈥檚 biggest Fuchsia grower, with 150 Barry uses Scotts Osmocote庐 Mini 3-4 month and Hydraflo II
varieties under their own custom-made Hayes Fuchsia label. wetting agent in all plugs that go to market.
The nursery covers around six acres with 4000m2 under heated
In productivity terms, the system has saved Barry and his team
glasshouses and 1500m2 in polycarb houses.
between 10 and 14 days on the old hand potting method.
From day one Barry set the ground rules for the nursery鈥檚 Additionally, within the nursery, by using Osmocote庐 Exact庐 Hi
operation, and that was to run it as efficiently as possible and K (10+4.8+15+TE) 5-6 month in his 1.5 litre pots, he has found
look to innovation wherever possible. 鈥淚nnovation,鈥? says Barry. that the root ball is twice as big after only 6 days with the
鈥淪ome people think about it, others just do it.鈥? We saw the combination of Osmocote Exact and the Ellegaard system.
evidence of Barry鈥檚 innovative approach first hand on the day we
Maintaining the global theme, Hayes Wholesale Nurseries is
spoke to him for this article. He was applying the finishing
the NZ agent for PAC Geraniums. Barry took the opportunity
touches to a new glasshouse in preparation for the installation
to approach the German PAC Geranium grower when the
of 1000m2 of rolling benches.
Berlin Wall came down and became the exclusive providers
Rolling benches offer some of PAC Geraniums in NZ.
great benefits for both the
plants and the operator.
It鈥檚 all in the mind
They make the job easier on
When asked what he considers to be the main challenge in
the back with less bending
the industry, Barry was quick to reply. 鈥淗olding market share
and stretching to reach the
in what almost seems to be a pressured market. 鈥楤ig box鈥?
plants, and plant maintenance
stores are putting pressure on nurseries to provide smaller
becomes a quicker job. So
numbers of products, of better quality, at optimum prices.
plants are being maintained
more regularly and they look 鈥淲e take a lot of pride in being able to provide large volumes
better at sale time. Barry of products on time and of great quality. Another major
sourced the benches from concern is energy costs, whether that be transport costs to
Health is evident in plug plants that
the United States to get
go to market from using Scotts market place, or heating costs.鈥?
Osmocote庐 Mini 3-4 month and exactly what he wanted.
Hydraflo II wetting agent. As certain growers know only too well, the price you can
charge for your product is set by what retailers are willing
Innovation is where you find it
to pay. Barry believes the only way to increase profits in the
This is not the first time Barry has gone global in the pursuit
nursery market is to increase productivity and efficiency,
of the right tools for the job. In early 2001 Barry enquired about
thereby widening margins by decreasing unit costs.
the Ellegaard system (made in Denmark), which produces
Barry has been able to achieve these productivity gains by
sausage-like plugs that go into pre-spaced plug trays or pots.
applying a combination of sound business practices, Scotts
The system dispenses with the traditional process of filling up
products and his ingenuity in developing innovative solutions.
trays and then trying to pry plants out of cells later on.
As to what lies ahead for this progressive nursery, we鈥檒l just
The Ellegaard system plugs can be cut to any length and are
have to wait and see what next pops into Barry鈥檚 mind.
wrapped in a biodegradable material.
GreenScene 2
Water problem solved by science
Birnam Nursery, WA New site, new problem
Unfortunately, the new site had a water source that was
Old timers in the nursery industry
unlike what they had known in the old site. This meant that
can remember when growing plants Det and Terry were required to alter the water pH and
successfully was based on intuition formulate a new soil mix to make the most out of the new
water source. Once making the necessary water amendments
and experience, with the idea of it was then time to ask Scotts for technical advice.
treating growing as a science still Here鈥檚 where the science of growing comes into play. After
a long way off. trials and research, Scotts Technical Director, Greg Neighbour,
organised a plant nutrient program that worked with the
Still, many nurserymen managed to produce high quality
new water to assist Birnams in producing the quality stock
product. Such a man was Bob Bentley, who established his
they are renowned for (see panel below for details).
nursery in Western Australia in the late seventies, and quickly
In particular, it was Greg鈥檚 work with Birnam鈥檚 Cyclamen
earned a reputation for growing the best Azaleas in the
crops that stood out, resulting in the production of a product
business. Bob was a fan of Scotts Osmocote庐 and the nursery
of very high standard.
still uses it to this day. Bob sadly passed away in June 2005,
leaving Birnam Nursery to live on and thrive in the hands of The old days may be remembered fondly by nurseryman, but
his son, Terry Bentley, and son-in-law, Det Klatt. you can鈥檛 beat a little modern science to help the new school
keep the show on the road.
By the mid 1980s, Birnam Nursery was producing 50,000
Azaleas annually for the retail market and the production
peaked even further, hitting production highs in the mid
Now just add water
1990s. The future was looking rosy, and with the urban
sprawl beginning to close in the nursery on all sides, Det
The Birnam Nursery nutrient program devised by Scotts was
and Terry decided to move to a new location.
based on a detailed understanding of three components:
鈥? Water quality
鈥? New growing environment
鈥? Potting media
It was clear that there were significant limitations to quality
plant production due to the irrigation water having a high
alkalinity coupled with high salinity. These limiting factors were
overcome by Birnams modifying the nutrient inclusions in the
potting mix as well as adding acid to neutralise alkalinity.
An Osmocote庐 program was then formulated to match the
plant needs in the new growing environment for the life of
the crop, thus extending the shelf life of the crop.
Jonas, Reece, Wendy, Bianca, Angie and Det at Birnam Nursery.
GreenScene
3
Complete range
improves the landscape
With growing enquiries by landscapers effectiveness. They have been developed with guidelines
to be low toxicity, stay where they are applied (reduced
for a comprehensive package of Scotts environmental run off and long residual activity) and
landscaping products, it was only a matter user friendly.
of time before we responded to demand. Here鈥檚 a brief run-down on what is available in the new,
comprehensive landscaping range.
In the past, when landscapers needed Scotts products for
both horticultural and turf projects, in most cases they had to
Plant Protection
source them from different outlets. Scotts new, comprehensive
Sierraron庐 is a pre-emergent weed controller that continues
landscaping range has ended all that running around.
working for up to six months. It鈥檚 convenient granular
Scotts has worked hard to provide landscapers with the most formulation makes it easy to apply.
appropriate mix of both horticultural and turf products. They
MaxGuard庐, on the other hand, is a fast-acting pyrethroid
can pick up all the products they need, conveniently and easily,
insecticide for the immediate control of problem insects.
without having to spend time tracking them down individually.
It can be used on greens, fairways, sports fields and amenity
With wholesale suppliers such as Davidsons Nurseries in turf. And its cousin, new MaxGuard庐 NPK, goes one step
Sydney, NSW, you get the landscaping range plus the good further, offering an all-in-one combination product providing
advice to go with it. nutrition as well as protection from insects.
Marwan Sweedan from Davidsons sees a lot of value for his Procide庐 is an advanced, very broad-spectrum contact and
customers in Scotts expanding landscaping range. 鈥淟andscapers residual insecticide and miticide, safe for all ornamental
don鈥檛 have time to visit all the nurseries and different places, plants. Zyban庐 is a broad-spectrum systemic and contact
and ask all the questions. It鈥檚 just convenient to come to one foliar fungicide for landscape, ornamental and nursery plants
place for all their products and get some experienced advice.鈥? that fights blights, spots, rusts and mildews.
Scotts fertilisers, herbicides, fungicides and insecticides are Banrot庐 fungicides deliver dependable, long-lasting control
the result of solid technology and over 40 years of proven of damping off and root and stem rot soil pathogens on a
wide range of bedding, foliage and container plants.
Rout庐 combines the action of two herbicides in one granule
resulting in broad spectrum, pre-emergent weed control of
both broadleaf and grassy weeds in contained garden beds
and pots.
Also available are Dicot庐 III, a combination herbicide and
fertiliser that feeds grass as it kills the foliage and roots of
17 common broadleaf weeds and Premax庐, a pre-emergent
herbicide plus fertiliser providing 8-10 weeks feeding plus
prevention of annual grassy weed germination such as
Summergrass, Crowsfoot and Poa annua.
Marwan from Davidsons, 鈥淚t鈥檚 just convenient to come to
one place for all their products鈥?.
GreenScene 4
Fertilisers Marwan Sweedan
will always be
An intelligent fertiliser, like Sierrablen庐 Flora, is a complete
available to help.
controlled-release product, designed for landscape
establishment and maintenance. It is safe to apply in a 鈥淟andscaper鈥檚 clients
planting hole, as its unique coating system controls the don鈥檛 have direct
release of nutrients for a full growing season. And it鈥檚 safe access to buy large
when it comes to phosphorous-sensitive Australian natives. bag products,鈥? said
Marwan, 鈥渟o the
Agriform庐 planting tablets are also a tremendously useful
landscaper has an
product for the landscaper. A slow-release fertiliser, it provides
opportunity to put a
root zone feeding for up to 12 months for farm forest and Josh from Landscaping Solutions, 鈥淲e particularly
bit of a margin on like using Scotts Landscape Special鈥?.
shelter trees, shrubs, rose bushes and ground covers.
them and know they
For lawn and turf care, the Sierrablen庐 and Sportsmaster庐 have bought the right product for the job. We make sure of
ranges contain Poly S technology ranging from 35% to 96% that because if they are unsure about what to use, we give
controlled release nitrogen to provide a high standard of them the right advice on the right product.鈥?
presentation to all lawn areas. The Greenmaster庐 liquid range
Josh from Landscape Solutions thinks Scotts landscaping
is available for root and foliar feeding for extra quick nutrient
range is a great help to the trade. 鈥淲e particularly like using
release to enhance leaf colour.
Scotts Landscape Special [Sierrablen Flora], a general purpose
fertiliser that gives us good results.鈥?
Wetting agents
As environmental issues become increasingly important,
In response to the need for efficient water use, Scotts offers
landscapers can be sure that all Scotts controlled release
Hydraflo庐 and Hydraflo庐 NPK, both proven, dual-action
products satisfy the most demanding standards. The use of
wetting agents that can be used on all types of sports and
Scotts Sierrablen庐 and Osmocote庐 fertilisers ensures that
amenity turf without any adverse effect on soil structure.
nutrients are released according to the plant鈥檚 needs, with
They promote uniform water penetration, last longer and
very little potential for leaching. Landscapers can feel
enable soil re-wetting. They can also improve the efficiency
confident that they鈥檙e not adding nitrates or phosphates
of irrigation and the soil鈥檚 water retention capacity, as well
to our rivers or underground water systems.
as the efficiency of fertilisers and soil fungicides.
For any further details about Scotts comprehensive
A cleaner landscape landscaping range, talk to Davidsons Nursery in Sydney,
your local Scotts supplier or contact Scotts direct.
This is just a small taste of the products now conveniently
A full list of landscape distributors is available online at:
available to landscapers. Scotts has produced a quick reference
www.scottsasiapacific.com/landscaping/html/landsc_dist.htm
guide to assist landscapers, and people such as Davidsons鈥?
At your service
A new but a familiar face is Carlene
Scotts is always looking to go one
Khoury, Sales and Marketing Co-
better in our customer service.
ordinator, who rejoins the team after
We鈥檙e happy to say we鈥檝e just gone
the arrival of her gorgeous (now) 3
two better with two new faces
year old girl. Carlene is back for a
joining the team.
second time having worked in the
Welcome Janice McDougal as
same role from 2001 鈥? 2003.
Customer Service Representative.
Carlene has a degree in Business,
Janice worked previously at Quality Carlene Khoury, Sales and
major in Marketing and a solid
Janice McDougal, Customer
Transport (Scotts warehouse Marketing Co-ordinator
Service Representative
background in the Scotts business.
organisation) dealing with all of our
Carlene is always happy to assist with any marketing
administration and brings to the team five years of product
material you need to promote the Scotts range or utilise
knowledge. A mother of two adult girls, Janice loves to read
in your own marketing program.
and listen to all kinds of music, and is also a keen gardener
and an avid watcher of ABC鈥檚 Gardening Australia.
GreenScene
5
PRODUCT UPDATE
A new reminder about Even though Sierraron G Pre-Emergent Herbicide is now
required to display the word 鈥楶oison鈥? on the label (its active
ingredient dichlobenil has been scheduled as an S6 poison
the old menace - weeds after many years of being exempted), the product itself has
not changed, nor have the requirements for personal
protective equipment. This means you can carry on using the
Sierraron庐 has a new label, but
product according to the information on the label and the
inside it鈥檚 the same reliable product MSDS as you always had.
to win the battle against weeds The new label also contains additional information reminding
users that the product is not suitable for greenhouse or
Weeds cost Australia around $3.5 billion annually in control
glasshouse use.
costs, lost production and contamination and rank with
salinity as one of Australia鈥檚 most serious environmental Besides these label changes, Sierraron is still
problems. The battle against weeds is a never-ending fight the highly effective pre-emergent herbicide
requiring recurrent attention, an endless time consuming you know and trust. In your battle to
task. control weeds
efficiently, it鈥檚 the
However, this is one product that gives you back time to
proven method that
do other things besides fighting weeds. Scotts Sierraron is
works first time for
a proven pre-emergent weed control that continues working
a long time, and
for up to six months. Many councils and landscapers have
gives you back your
made Sierraron an important part of their preventative weed
time to get on with
maintenance program because it鈥檚 easy to use and a single
other tasks.
treatment gives long lasting control.
Rout庐 now twice as good
The old favourite Rout now Our New Zealand customers have not been
forgotten in our Rout improvements. Last month
has two improvements -
we launched the new 10kg bucket size in New
a new formulation and Zealand, much to the delight of our distributor
new package size in NZ partners - Carann, Daltons and Fruitfed - and
the New Zealand nursery market.
Rout Ornamental Herbicide is now formulated
Rout 10kg is easier and safer to handle, with less
in Australia after a breakthrough from our
spillage and better weatherproof storage in a
local Scotts R&D team managed to improve
neat sealed bucket.
the product beyond its US origins.
Rout 鈥榣ocks out weeds for longer鈥? and is effective
Rout works by releasing the active ingredients
over the broadest range of weeds, including
from the granules to form an invisible
Liverwort and Pearlwort, which are common
herbicide barrier in the top layer of the soil. In the new,
problem weeds in New Zealand.
improved Australian formulation, both actives are applied to
a much larger percentage of granules so that the release of Scotts understands that even our most successful products
the actives is more uniform across the soil, further reducing can be made even better and the next stage of development
the likelihood of weeds germinating through the barrier. for Rout is already underway.
GreenScene 6
Hickmans Nursery, NSW
Does your potting
Like to know more?
mix pass the test? If you would like further information on anything you have
Many major nurseries make their own potting mix, devising read in Greenscene, fax us a line:
the composition of the mix to suit their particular stock Australia (02) 8853 7310 New Zealand (09) 296 0186
requirements and local environmental conditions. However, or email carlene.khoury@scotts.com
even the most competently prepared mix can be improved.
The secret is in knowing how.
Name
That鈥檚 where a soil test can offer some interesting results.
Company name
Hickmans Nursery was established 28 years ago by Tony
Address
Hickman in Taree, NSW. Sadly, Tony passed away this year,
but his legacy lives on at Hickmans through his brothers and
Rob Ponsonby, who maintains Tony鈥檚 tradition in demanding
Phone
optimum results. With that goal in mind, when Robert
Megier, Scotts Regional Sales Manager NSW/ACT, offered to Fax
conduct a soil test on Hickmans potting mix, Rob agreed.
Email
(A soil test is something everyone should do semi-regularly
Story interested in/Information required:
even if purchasing mix from a potting soil manufacturer.)
The results of the soil test showed that the mix was low in
iron. After consultation with Robert Megier, Rob increased the
iron in the mix and the rate and longevity of Osmocote庐 This
.
not only improved the quality of the stock, it also meant they
didn鈥檛 have to topdress, saving not only time but also money.
鈥淭he great thing about the soil test,鈥? said Rob, 鈥渨as that
Robert Megier came in, picked up a sample and faxed back
the results of the test. It was all done for us. We made
the necessary adjustments that prior to the soil test we
didn鈥檛 know were
necessary.鈥?
Hickmans Nursery鈥檚 Form information best sent in return via: (please tick one)
biggest product line email fax mail
is Shefflera 鈥楢mate鈥?
(Umbrella Tree),
along with Buxus
and Ficus. The GreenScene is published by Scotts in Australia and New Zealand.
biggest challenges For more information, contact your Scotts distributor or Scotts direct.
A small tweak to Hickmans potting mix
facing the business, Australia freecall 1800 789 338 or visit www.scottsaustralia.com
improved the plants鈥? overall quality.
in Rob鈥檚 view, are New Zealand (09) 299 6558 or visit www.scottsnz.com
the overall economic climate and the drought. Rob can鈥檛 do
Professional Business Group, Scotts Australia Pty Ltd.
a lot about the economic climate but he is making positive 11 Columbia Way, Baulkham Hills, NSW 2153
moves to combat the dry conditions with drainage Phone (02) 8853 7300 Fax (02) 8853 7310
improvements and recycling more water where he can.
Scotts Australia Pty Ltd ABN 31 003 123 162. Trading as The Scotts Company. Recommendations
鈥淲e鈥檝e had fantastic results with Scotts Hydraflo庐 II,鈥? said and advice regarding the use of the products described in this brochure are to be taken as a guide
only and are given without liability on the part of the company and its employees. Items marked TM
Rob. 鈥淭he water holding capacity is significantly greater and
庐
and are trademarks of The Scotts Company, Marysville Ohio and its affiliates.
the plants are not drying out or wilting. 漏 Scotts Australia Pty Ltd 2006. 4430.0706
鈥淲hen we can make things run more efficiently in the
nursery it is always a plus.鈥?
GreenScene
7
Up Jackson way it鈥檚
waste not, want not
Truck it in, truck it out and keep double handling to a minimum.
Cane and able
Jacksons Nursery鈥檚 business is split between sugar cane (400
Jacksons Nursery, NSW acres of cane) and nursery plants (Palms, Liriopes, Cycads,
A nursery owner who can halve Mondo Grass, Pony Tails among others in two shade houses).
With the oversupply of sugar cane, particularly coming out
growing times and double turnover of Brazil, the dynamics of Phil鈥檚 business is changing as the
is someone to be reckoned with. profitability of the cane business comes down 鈥? though Phil
stresses it is still profitable, even with the high cost of
Phil Jackson is not a man who likes wastage. If he can
fertilisers and diesel fuel, as a lot of machinery is used to
minimise double handling, he will. If he can reduce his water
maintain and harvest the cane.
usage to save his dams, he will. If he can find a better way to
Another area that Phil has devoted his 鈥榥o wastage approach鈥?
complete a task, he鈥檒l put his mind to it. And when you hear
to is in controlling weeds. 鈥淐atching them before seeding is a
that Jacksons Nursery of Ballina, NSW, has been able to halve
challenge鈥?, said Phil. Scotts solution is Rout as it does the job,
growing times and double turnover with stocks staying healthy
controlling more than 42 weed species, preventing seed
and green for sale time, you鈥檇 form the opinion that Phil
germination and subsequent weed growth.
Jackson knows what he is doing.
The Phil Jackson 鈥榥o wastage-no nonsense鈥? approach to his
While Jacksons Nursery is 鈥榮wimming in the rain鈥? (Phil鈥檚 words),
business is delivering rewards. By getting the most out of the
his water issues relate to the summer months when the dams
available water and shade area space. By conserving as much
he draws from can dry up. 鈥淲e were finding that the moisture
water as he can. By packing his plants in tight. By minimising
was draining from the plants very quickly even when watering
double handling. By producing low maintenance plants. And by
twice a day. Now with the use of a wetting agent 鈥? Scotts
using quality products when he can see the value.
Hydraflo庐 II - we鈥檝e cut down watering to once a day and
moisture is holding in the plants. For Jacksons Nursery, John Daly, Scotts Regional Sales Manager
QLD/NT, recommended a full package amendment, adjusting
鈥淭hat鈥檚 saved us a huge amount of dam water, and labour
their potting mix physically and nutritionally. As John says 鈥渋f
time for that matter.鈥?
the mix isn鈥檛 right, no amount of fertiliser will make it happy.鈥?
As we said, Phil doesn鈥檛 like wastage. So it was natural for
Placing Osmoform Premix in the potting mix gave the mix an
Phil to turn his mind to efficient use of labour by cutting
upfront kick and the addition of Hydraflo reduced watering
down double handling. Jackson employs the use of a lot of
requirements and leaching.
machinery to reduce manual handling, by using pallets, a
鈥淲ith John鈥檚 recommendations, we are now using Osmocote
forklift and a truck that the staff drive around the shade
Standard 8-9 and 12-14 month during the autumn and winter
houses to reduce heavy and multiple handling.
and Osmocote Lo-Start in Spring/Summer,鈥? said Phil.
鈥淲e are considered a small nursery in terms of the size of the
鈥淲e are not here to do more work for no additional profit. I
area in the shade houses,鈥? said Phil, 鈥渂ut we can fit a lot of
preach no waste, no extra handling, a more efficient way to
plants in. There鈥檚 a road in the shade houses to allow a truck
run the business by saving time and money. Having said that,
to get around the aisles. That鈥檚 cut down our manual handling.鈥?
we grow what we love to grow and sell the plants as they go.鈥?
At the start we said that Phil Jackson is not a man who likes
wastage. But he does love his plants and his business. It shows.
GreenScene 8
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