Seedbed and nursery beds: For raising flower seedlings, some permanent or temporary structures for seed bed may be prepared. These beds will be minimum 0.5 to 0.75 m high from ground level. The beds may be 0.75m to 1.00m in breadth and length may be as per the availability of land. The nursery beds will be prepared for storing of perennial plants or the plants that should be kept for sale.
Collection and planting of mother plants: The plantation of mother plants is an important work for developing a nursery. The mother plants must be true to the type and true to the variety. The plants should be properly labelled. Collection of exotic type of mother plants is a continuous process or job. The mother plants may be maintained properly for their vigorous growth; otherwise number of propagated plants will get reduced.
Storage of dried, cleaned soil and compost manure: For raising flower seedlings during rainy or early winter season, the soil and compost would be stored during hot or summer months. In rainy season, collection of dried soil and manure is very difficult. Without these, the seedlings cannot be raised during rainy season.
Production of flower seeds: Production of flower seeds is highly specialized job. The seeds should be produced carefully. If the quality of seed is good, the percentage of seed germination, seedlings vigour, vegetative and reproductive growth of the crops will be good. After harvesting of quality seeds, germination percentage of seeds and seedling vigour should be checked before marketing of seeds.
Storage of propagated plants in nursery beds: The propagated plants are planted in nursery beds for better growth or hardening the plants. In general, this type of nursery bed is prepared under partial shade.
Manuring: Manuring is to be done very carefully. Vigorous growth of plant is always attractive to the buyer. Again, heavy manuring is not beneficial for storage of plants.
Watering: Like manuring, watering is also important. Watering will be done according to need of the plant. The nursery should have a water source of its own. For this model, digging a well (12 m deep x 3 m dia) and installation of a 2.0 HP kerosene pumpset with accessories are considered. Sprinkler system of irrigation is not advisable at the beginning.
Drainage: For sufficient vegetative and reproductive growth of plants, good drainage system must be developed in between the beds and around the nursery. Adequately gentle slope in the pot bed surface is also desirable. It is extremely important to ensure that water logging does not occur in and around the pots and beds.
Plant protection: Keen observation on attack of different pests and diseases is required. If the mother plants are infected, the propagated plants will be infected also. Necessary control measures should be taken immediately on observation.
Harvesting
The seeds, bulbs, etc. need to be harvested in the proper stage. Only completely ripe seeds are ready for harvesting. Seed capsules should be covered with muslin cloth or by the paper bag before ripening in cases of light seeds (like calendula, balsam, etc.) which may blow off due to wind or those species the fruits of which may burst while ripening. This will prevent loss of seeds.
Corms and bulbs are generally harvested when the leaves start yellowing or when they dry up. These are dug out carefully without imparting any injury.
Before harvest, nursery stock should be mature. The tissues are hardened against water loss and shrinkage. It is a common practice to defoliate shrubs and trees some days before they are to be dug out. This can be done by chemical defoliants, by withholding water or by hand. Live plants intended for transport are sent with a ball of earth around their roots.
Packing and handling
Seeds are cleaned and stored in close bottles or tins. Before packing, they are dried first in shade for 2-3 days and finally in the sun for a couple of days. In husked seeds, the husks are removed before packing.
It is important to see while packing the plants that the container is neither over-packed nor loose enough allowing the contents to move about. All space should be filled up by some packing materials like straw, dried grass, etc.
For long distance destinations, the ball of earth should be soaked in water and covered with a thick layer of wet moss. Only plants having a well-developed root system should be selected for such destinations.
Bulbs, tubers and corms withstand rigours of handling. They are packed in bamboo-matted boxes in between layers of straw. Rhizomes of water-lily and lotus are wrapped in moist sphagnum moss and polythene to keep them moist during transit and then packed in baskets or cardboard cartons.
Storage
Seeds are stored in a cool, dry place or kept in desiccator. Living plants should be kept in shade. Bulbs, corms and tubers are stored in single layer over dry sand, flat wooden trays or racks in a well-aerated store room with low temperature and low humidity. Before storing, they may be treated with fungicides and insecticides such as 0.1% benlate or 0.1-0.2%, captan 5% , DDT , BHC, etc.
Marketing
Marketing of plants and planting materials is the most crucial and important part of the nursery business. The production of high quality true to the type and attractive planting materials is absolutely necessary. They must be free from pests and diseases, vigorously growing and bright and colourful.
Export
Export potentiality of nursery products is also very high. Seeds, bulbs, tubers, cactus, flowering plants, foliage plant, unrooted cuttings and cut flowers are exported from India to many countries such as Australia, Netherlands, UAE, Japan, UK, Singapore, Germany, New Zealand, etc.
