Wanting to Start a Nursery

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lookingtoplant

ArboristSite Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2006
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Location
Hillsburgh On.
Hey,

First off, thanks to anyone who is going to respond to this.
WIth that said. We have some property that we have come to own, and it looks like it was planted for a nursery, but wasn't taken care of and all the trees are pretty fully grown. We would like to turn this around, take the other trees out, replant some trees and look after them and sell them on down the road. What does this entail, and what do I need to do to prep the land? Do I need to disc it and plow it out and then plant something that will keep the weeds down, or can I just plant the trees in what is practically long grass? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
Take loads of fresh chips from tree services. You can store them and convert them to mulch later, or bury root balls and containers for the winter. You could prune some of the overgrown trees to show customers the potential. Hope this was a little help. Good luck, what you are doing is important.
 
Added On

Just wanted to add, that we had some property reforested a while back and when they planted the trees, they planted them with a plow and left they in kind of a ditch. Do I need to do this since I assume it helps for irragation. I plan on planting trees where they are backed onto a hill. Lastly, does it matter what way I plant the trees, as in direction of row, north - south or east - west? Thanks so much. I need lots of info as I don't know what I'm getting myself into.
 
Take loads of fresh chips from tree services. You can store them and convert them to mulch later. how does one convert them into mulch? Thanks.
 
The chips will break down and become a more usable mulch. Fresh chip isn't so good around plants, maybe takes all the nitrogen out of the soil or something.
I agree, you might want to see if you can save some of the trees already there by thinning out and pruning.
Silly thing, but make sure you get trees for your growing zone.
Want to keep the tall grass down if you plant small trees, too much competition. Chip is good for that also or cutting. Make sure if you use a weedeater around the trees you don't hit the base. It will kill them eventually.
Good luck and keep us informed on how you're doing.
 
converting chips to mulch can be sped up by mixing with topsoil. Be carfull when u go to hill in (harden off) the more dirt in the mixtur the harder it will be to pull the trees. wood chips also make good road ways in the spring when feilds are wet. Another way to find wood chips that are not so fresh is local waste company tend to sort their waste that is bruoght in and hence mulching all the wood up. We received around30 tri-axel loads of mulch this way last year.

If u have the resources it would be benificial to transplant those tree that are a little more mature. Whether you transplant them into wind rows for a little protection in the winter aswell as in the summer (hot afternoon sun). You can also brake up your feild designated sections (conifers, ornamentals, shade trees ect..)

One way maybe to get around not having a spade is to trade with a local tree mover (maybe?). Tree movers are also a good source of income because large tree stock (1oo mill and up) is sometimes in demand.

weed controll on my farm is done chemicaly. very effeicent.

As for planting rows in a specific direction. The biggest thing is transplanting after they have been growing in a southern exposure thinner barked trees tend to be prone to sun scalled. large cankers tend to occur when the northern side of the tree is suddenly southern exposed i do not no what ur hardiness zone is but u must be carefull in the winter aswell. In my area we have a bad west wind some trees (Ivory silk lilac, Globe maples) develope l;arge frost plates if they are not protected with either a wind row or we sometimes use card board with a wax coating and cover a meter or more of the trunk.

As for planting in a furrow this is not a goood idea because excess soil over the root systems will become an issue especialy if u plan to cultivate for weed controll. anthor method o f weed controll is to seed with alfalfa or something of the sort do not Qoute me on this it is still new to me but it is promissing because it takes man hours away on a tractor and helps prevent compaction aswell as increasing water infilltration but u should do some research on this subject.

well i hope this bit of info is a help and i look forward to your reply

p.s. if i missed anything let me know
 
just my $.02

I will be the first to tell you I dont know much about the nursery industry but I do know that you cant just plow the land up and expect trees to grow. I know that pathogens are a big problem in nursery setting so be prepared to get your applicators license. Some of the big guys make you wear plastic suites around their nurseries because they fear infections in their stock. Just look into it real good before you start. But by all means start one, I know I would. I also know here in NY my nursery guy can buy any tree from Oregon and ship it cheaper then he can grow it here. If you have people that are willing to by stock grown locally then you are in business. Good luck man.
 
What you seek to do can become a rewarding undertaking. Limited knowledge of a particular field, such as nursery operations, usually indicates that the first order of business is to gain knowledge. Every state of the union has a land grant college and a vast library of information specific to nursery management techniques for that particular state. You can take advantage of that information if you live near the land grant college. Rutgers University is the land grant college for New Jersey, Penn State for Penna. Cornell for N.Y. If you do not live near the college, I am pretty sure you can access a vast wealth of knowledge through its library affiliation program and access on inter-net. An associated resource is the co-operative extension service of the state land grant college. These professionals and their resources are supported by tax dollars. Their services are one of the greatest values and assets provided to the citizens by their government. Take advantage of them. Believe me, I have met only the nicest and most helpful people in the co-operative extension service.
I recommend that you start by inviting the county agricultural extension agent (Horticulture specialist, if available) over to your place for a walk-around and a chat. You can also take advantage of the services of the soil conservation specialist or the forestry specialist. If you are looking to first build the soil, on which your nursery crop will depend, you might first talk with the agronomist about improving your soil through cover crops. If the land is sloped, talk to the soil conservationist about contouring and terracing.
Most of all, determine some of the basics of the industry as applicable to the crop you plan to grow. Keep in mind that whatever it is that you choose to grow, you will have to culture it in a manner that makes it marketable, you need to get it out of the ground (such as balled and burlapped) and into the hands of your consumer in a timely fashion. Folks do not want Christmas trees in July nor ????? willows in June.
I might suggest that you keep it real simple in the beginning, I mean r e a l simple. Start with small flowering deciduous shrubs which are less expansive to line-out (nursery talk for "Planting in the field"), easier to culture and dig. Learn about your land, what it needs and what insects, diseases and varmints you have to control. Subscribe to trade magazines such as "American Nurseryman" and get hold of some local wholesale growers' catalogs to see what they are growing and prices fetched. Go on-line and look up the names of the plants you are considering. While reading the articles about those plants, take notes about their requirements and write down key pests. Run Internet look-ups on the pests and you'll find an inexhaustible source of information published by the various land grant colleges and private concerns which can be a great resource for you. Spend a few bucks and get some text books on the fundamentals of Horticulture and Nursery operations. There are many excellent booksellers who specialize in books for this industry. Please understand that if you think you are going to stick some acorns in the ground and come back a few years later to find a salable oak tree, you will be sadly mistaken. For most smaller operators, the dedication to a well run nursery is all encompassing and a fully involved way of life, similar to the demands of dairy farming or any other serious farm venture. A nursery is a farm of high value crops and therefor, the risks can be high. Dedication and perseverance can be very rewarding in this field and it can be done successfully "on the side" if planned and executed carefully.
Most undertakings look simple until you attempt to execute them. Is is then that the execution and undertaking might end up being practiced on you.
I did not say it earlier, but start your journey with some soil sampling. Use the test kits which are available from the county agents. You cannot know what kinds of cake you can bake until you know what ingredients are in the pantry. The soil is your pantry and its contents oftentimes require some adjusting in order to meet the requirements of the plants you desire to produce.
Best of luck to you.
 
The Land of "No"

First, shouldn't this thread be in the Nursery forum?
I see that you are located in the enchanted land of "No". You need to relocate to the land of "Know".
I recommend that you contact local nurseries and go have a look at what they are doing. Do a lot of internet searchs (i.e. "nursery Production"), find trade shows, meet people etc..
I also recommend Dr. Carl Whitcomb and his publications. Here is a link to his site : http://www.lacebarkinc.com/

Here is another link to a lot of listings of published reference material : http://www.umassgreeninfo.org/fact_sheets/plant_culture/nursery_references.htm

Here is some more useful info : http://attra.ncat.org/cgi-bin/text_only/luci.cgi/http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/nursery.html

Man the sources of info seem endless.

Let me know how it works for you and when you might need some liners. :)
 
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