PLANT CONTAINERS AND NURSERY EQUIPMENTS

PLANT CONTAINERS NURSERY EQUIPMENTS

1. WELCOME

2. PLANT CONTAINERS AND NURSERY EQUIPMENTS

3. Plant containers  A container is a small, enclosed and usually portable object used for displaying live flowers or plants.  Plant containers have two distinct functions Growing of plants for transplanting to the field, garden, greenhouse. Growing of plants their itself upto maturity.

4. Plant containers are two types 1. Group containers : plant containers used to raise plants in groups. it contains flats. 2.Individual containers: plant containers used to raise individually. it contains Pots and bands.

5. Flats Commercial growers usually use standard dimensions 30cm×59cm×8 cm. Flats are shallow plastic, styrofoam , wooden or metal trays, with drainage holes in the bottom. They are useful for geminating seeds or rooting cuttings , since they permit young plants to be moved easily. Galvanized iron flats used but zinc released from popular flats could cause toxicity to plants. Today , flats are made up of plastic[polyethylene , polystyrene] and come in different shapes and sizes.

6. POTS 1. Pots are round,may or may not have hole in the bottom for drainage. 2.Porous pots are made of clay or peat fibre. 3.Non porous pots are made of metal , concrete, rubber and plastic. 4.Non porous pots require less moisture compared to porous pots, but it largely causes over wintering. 5.Porous pots leads to drainout of water. 6.Pots are used to raise transplants or raise plants to full maturity.

7. BANDS: bands are square and are open at the bottom. these are easily attacked by micro organisms.

8. Clay pots These are the oldest and most popular. Sizes varying from 5,10,13,15,25 cm in diameter. These are called as earthen pots These are heavy,porous and lose moisture readily. Usually used for growing young plants. Easily broken, their round shape is not economical for storage space. Clay pots are used rarely used in commercial propagation.

9. Jiffy pots/fibre pots These pots are made from compressed peat and held together with a biodegradable net. Roots are easily penetrate the container walls, so root curling does not occur. The seedling is planted together with the pot as it is biodegradable. Seeds or cuttings can be directly planted into them, roots will grow through the walls .

10. Concrete pots These are used in the gardens for growing the plants and not in the nurseries. These are bulky, heavy and difficult to handle. So , polybags or plastic pots have taken over in most of the nurseries.

11. Paper pots Paper pots or paper tube pots are more popular with seedling propagation of ornamental and forestry species. Pots are biodegradable , seedling plug can planted intact into a larger container or into the ground without disturbing the root system. Typically, paper pots consist of a series on interconnected paper cells that are arranged in a honeycomb pattern that can separated before outplanting .

12. Rubber pots Recycled rubber parts used to make pots. Pot size is stable. It reduces the pollution by recycling rubber tyres.

13. Plastic pots These are containers which are round and square shape. They are non porous,reuseble,lightweight,and use little surface. It helps in direct rooting of cuttings,seedling propagation and tissue culture acclimatization and production. Inner walls of the pot treated with chemical root pruning agents like copper hydroxide which chemically prune liner roots. Chemically pruned lateral roots become suberized but will begin to grow again transplanting results in a well distributed root system to reduce transplant shock.

14. Plug trays Small-sized   seedlings grown in trays from expanded polystyrene or polythene filled usually with a peat or compost substrate.  Plug plants are young plants raised in small, individual cells, ready to be transplanted into containers or a garden.

15. Polybags The chief advantage of using polybags is that the seedling can be raised almost year the round under controlled conditions. Plantation programme will not suffer due to dry spell or shortage of labours.

16. Advantages of plastic pots It can be re-useable . It maintains optimum moisture. No breakage of pots. Cheap cost.

17. Problems regarding to polybags It should be never placed straight onto soil because roots will grow into the ground and main roots break off when u lifting. Polybags are not durable and can break prematurely. They are normally used only once. These are problem for nursery waste management, do not decay and often burn, it causes serious air pollution.

18. Root trainers These are usually rigid containers with internal vertical ribs, which direct roots straight down to prevent spiral growth. The containers are set on frames or beds above the ground to allow air pruning of roots as they emerge from containers. It also encourage lateral air root pruning through vertical slits. Seedlings in this containers are more vigorous and rapid root growth than polybags. plants in root trainer systems are ready for planting out compared to conventional polybags .

19. Hanging pots

20. Barrel containers

21. Tub containers

22. Tin containers

23. Nursery equipments A nursery can operate with basic equipments Spray unit Movable sprinklers Pairs of secateurs Grafting/budding knives Spades Hand hoes and rakes Plant pot trolleys A work bench Wheel barrow Tags Labels Pruning saw Pruning knife.

24. Secateurs Secateurs are considered as the most important tool for a propagator or nurseryman. It is used for removing scions , lopping off the rootstock, preparation of scion sticks ,removal of undesirable shoots/sprouts. In training and pruning operations. Blades of secateurs should be high quality carbon blade for giving smooth cuts to the stock and scions.

25. Pneumatic secateurs The pneumatic secateurs, also known as pneumatic pruning shears. These are used for pruning vines using pneumatic power. Gripping blade of the shear is stationary and shearing action is imparted by the other blade through the movement of piston. The device offers effortless, accurate and swift cutting, at the same time ensuring the quality of vines. The double acting piston facilitates easy pruning of even large branches.

26. PRUNING KNIFE It is useful for thinning delicate branches ,removing suckers , shaping rose bushes.

27. PRUNING SAW These have sharp blades so that we cut large branches easily.

28. BUDDING KNIFE The budding knife is an important hand tool of a gardener. One of the edges is sharpened all along its length. The blunt or the other edge is sharpened on the tip and is slightly curved. This sharpened curved portion is used to create a 'T' opening or slot on the bark of the mother branch or twig for the insertion of the bud. The budding knife is used for the 1. budding operation, 2. cutting of scion stick, 3.defoliation of leaves and removing or cutting of unwanted twigs.

29. GRAFTING KNIFE which resembles a household knife. The cutting edge of the blade is sharpened all along its length and the other edge is blunt. The blade of the knife can be folded into the handle when not in use. For cutting and defoliation of scion stick. Making of chisel point and 'V' grooves for grafting. Slashing of thin twigs and for general-purpose cutting.

30. Grafting/budding knives Knife having a combined blade for grafting and budding purposes A grafting knife has a straight 7.5cm long blade and strong long handle It has a spatula at the end of a handle , which is used for lifting the bark during budding operations In some knives have 2 parallel double blades , used specially for lifting or removing the patch of a bud from the bud wood. The blade of the knife should be made from high carbon steel and it should be sharp. Generally these knives have either a folding or fixed blade.

31. Spray pumps To spray protective material that is insecticide/pesticide/fungicide to eliminate pathogen or insects. Commonly used sprays are knapsack sprayer ,rocker sprayer , hand sprayer or power sprayers. Depending upon the volume of the nursery and specific purposes different types of sprayers are used.

32. Pruning shear It is made up of iron fitted with wooden handle. It is used to prune unwanted branches. Collection of scion. Trimming of the edges and hedges and topiary works .

33. Pots Pots of different shapes and sizes are used in nursery. They may be of clay,metal or plastic usually 10cm ,15cm, 20cm for a single specimen. These are use for potting ornamental , fruit plants and samplings.

34. Grafting wax Wax is used by propagator to seal the graft union for preventing moisture loss and desiccation of cells at cut surface. It also prevents the decay of wood by checking the entry of pathogens. Types of waxes are cold and hot wax.

35. Wheel barrow It is manually operated small trolly , used for carrying nursery plants , compost ,fertilizer , leaf litter etc. From one place to another place. It can be designed into different shapes according to requirements.

36. Weeding fork It loosens the soil and helps in weeding also It consists of a long handle with a blade of handle teeth. It drawn manually with the help of the handle to collect the weeds.

37. Handle hoe and rake It is a rectangular shape metal blade with fork like fore edge. It is used for digging , hoeing,earthing ,levelling and collecting weeds.

38. Spade It is used for lifting and turning the soil. It is used for digging the pit , preparing channels for irrigation and drainage lines.

39. Labels It is use for labelling of plants before sale. Labels may be made of papers ,cardboard , wooden, aluminium and plastic etc.

40. Rose can It is a tubular pipe with rose i.e , fitted into the can through which water is sprinkled over the nursery beds until the germination of seeds. It avoids splashing of seeds from the nursery bed due to loose pipe irrigation and flood irrigation.

41. Hose and irrigation systems

42. scissors

43. Trowel

44. In big wholesale nursery requires a large pool of equipments that include Tractor Trailers Nursery trailers Transplanting equipments Tree spades Tree shears Power saw Trimmers Prefabricated nettings Pruning equipment The scale of operation will affect the profitability . Building equipment and delivery vehicles are also considered. Sprayers Dusters Irrigation systems Misting systems Plastic mulches Trays Flats Pressure washers Peat moss pots

45. Tractors

46. Nursery trailers

47. Tree spades

48. Potting machine

49. Tree shears

50. Trimmers

51. Power saw

52. Prefabricated nettings

53. Pruning equipment

54. Misting systems

55. Irrigation system

56. Plastic mulches

57. Flats

58. Pressure washers

59. Pots

60. Trays

61. CONCLUSION New types of containers for propagating and growing young liner plants are continually being developed. The main goal is reducing handling costs . Recycling of plastic for pots reduces the pollution. By using modern equipments , we reduce the labour cost, time and increase the productivity. Purchase of more sophisticated equipment such as potting machinery, computers,automatic irrigation might improve overall profitability.

62. Referance 1.Plant nursery management- P K Ray, 2.Basic horticulture- Jitendra singh , 3.Nursery Raising - S.N Das

63. THANK YOU