NURSERY MANAGEMENT

INTRODUCTION

• Nursery is a place where planting material, such as seedlings, saplings, cuttings, etc., are raised, propagated and multiplied under favourable conditions for transplanting in prepared beds. The availability of quality and true-to-type planting material is the prerequisite of successful and remunerative ornamental crop production. Setting up of a nursery is a long-term venture, and requires planning and expertise. In a nursery, plants are nurtured by providing them with optimum growing conditions to ensure germination. Nursery saves considerable time for the raising of the next crop. Among flower crops, majority of the annuals are propagated by seeds and require a nursery for raising the seedlings. Herbaceous perennials need nurseries for sowing of seeds and planting of cuttings for rooting and establishment. Woody perennials are grown from seeds for multiplying the rootstocks from cuttings, layers and through grafts to perpetuate the same genetic properties.

Importance of nursery

• It is possible to grow and maintain a large number of plants per unit area.

• Small and expensive hybrid seeds can be raised more effectively due to better care and management.

• When seeds are sown in seedbeds, their germination percentage increases and the vigor of the seedlings also improves.

• The management of seedlings can be done in a better way with minimum care, cost and maintenance as the nursery area is small.

• Manipulation of growing conditions for plants becomes easy.

• Better and uniform crop growth can be obtained in the main field by selecting vigorous and healthy seedlings.

• Off-season sowing of seeds becomes possible, which ultimately results in fetching more returns.

• The seed requirement of nursery raised crops is less as compared to direct seed sowing of the same crop due to better management.

• Sowing seeds in a nursery allows additional time for doing preparatory tillage in the main plot. Harvesting of the previous crop can also be prolonged, if needed.

• Management of insect-pests, diseases and weeds is easy in a nursery.

Selection of the nursery site

• Several factors are responsible for the selection of a suitable nursery site. Some important considerations are as follows:

LOCATION

• A nursery must be located in a pollution-free environment — away from brick kilns, smoke-emitting industries and rough motorised roads as dirt and dust settle on plants, covering the foliage, which not only reduces the photosynthetic efficiency of plants but also gives them a dull look. It must be ensured that the nursery site gets adequate sunlight. However, care must be taken that the plants are protected against severe heat.

Topography of land

• The topography of land at the nursery site must be even. If it is undulating, it must be levelled. In hilly areas, it may be divided into levelled terraces.

SOIL

• The soil must preferably be loam or sandy loam with large quantity of organic matter. The pH of the soil must be near neutral (6.5 – 7.5). It must have adequate water retention capacity and aeration.

WATER

• The quality of water used in a nursery is important for the growth of plants. Saline and polluted water must not be used. It must be ensured that there is adequate water supply for irrigation. Besides, the nursery must be located near a water source so that there is no water scarcity at any time in the course of raising plants.

DRAINAGE

• The nursery site must have adequate drainage facility and be free from waterlogging. Water must not stagnate at any time.

Transportation

• The nursery site must be accessible by road. It must not be far from potential markets so that there is no damage to the seedlings during transportation

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Labour

• As nursery work is labor-intensive, the nursery site must have enough number of laborer.

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Nursery bed

• It refers to a land, which is made free from weeds, stumps, stones, pebbles, etc., and is used for sowing of seeds to raise seedlings and multiplication of different species of plants through asexual means.

Preparation of the nursery bed

Sunken bed

• The soil of the seedbed needs to be sterilized by soil solarization or with chemicals to avoid contamination by pests and diseases.

• The soil of the nursery bed is thoroughly mixed with rotten farmyard manure.

• This type of nursery bed is prepared in dry and windy areas.

• In dry areas, the bed is kept 10−15 cm below the ground level, which helps in conserving water.

• Sunken bed facilitates the deposition of irrigation water or rainwater for a longer time.

• In case of water scarcity, this type of bed helps to conserve the moisture.

• Such a bed can be easily irrigated during dry season.

• A sunken bed provides protection to the seedlings during high wind conditions as they are covered.

Level bed

• The soil of the seedbed must be sterilised by soil solarisation or with chemicals to avoid contamination by pests and diseases.

• After soil preparation, the recommended dose of manure and fertilisers is mixed in the nursery bed.

• For efficient management, the whole area is divided into uniform size of small beds.

• Usually, a flat bed is 1-metre wide and has length according to the slope of the field.

• Irrigation channels are prepared between the rows of the beds through which each bed is connected. These also act as drainage channels in case of heavy rain or excess irrigation.

• Such a bed is prepared during non-rainy season (summer and winter) so that there is no waterlogging.

• Adequate drainage provision is made and preference for sandy or sandy loam soil is given when preparing a flat bed.

Raised bed�

• Such a nursery bed is prepared during the rainy season.

• The land is levelled and made free of weeds, stumps, stones, pebbles, etc.

• The soil of the nursery bed is thoroughly mixed with 5−10 kg per sqm rotten farmyard manure.

• This type of bed is prepared about 15 cm high from the ground level. The width is kept at 1−1.5 m and length 3−5 m. This enables adequate drainage during rains and checks water stagnation.

• A space of 3−4 cm is left between two beds in order to carry out cultural practices smoothly.

Precautions to be taken during the preparation of nursery bed

A nursery bed needs to be prepared carefully so that uniform and healthy seedlings are obtained for planting. The following precautions must be taken while preparing a nursery bed.

• The nursery bed is, generally, used to germinate sown seeds or for rooting of cuttings planted in the soil. Besides nutrition, sufficient moisture and aeration are important factors that affect seedling growth.

• The nursery bed must be prepared in fertile soil rich in organic matter content, having adequate drainage and aeration. Soil having more water retention capacity does not need frequent irrigation.

• Excess irrigation in sunken or flat bed may lead to rotting of seeds, seedlings and damping-off incidence. Watering of the bed depends on the type of soil. Sandy soil needs frequent watering.

• Generally, the width of the nursery bed must not be more than 1 meter and the length must be according to the slope of the soil, so that when irrigated, the water reaches every corner of the bed and the whole bed gets irrigated.

• Since the seedlings are tender and prone to heat shock, the beds must be prepared at a site receiving partial shade. In tropical and subtropical India, direct sunlight facing site must be avoided.

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By ,MONIKA.S.G. � BSc 5^th SEMESTER� Reg.no. S1916098