An efficient irrigation system is designed to deliver the appropriate volume of water evenly, to meet all plant needs and in the time available. The irrigation system should apply water evenly across the cropping area, apply the correct volume of water often enough to meet plant demands and apply the required water in the time…
The ability of a growing media to take up water effectively once it has dried out is critical to the growth of plants and the ability of the media to become wet again. This is known as wettability. Testing for wettability isn’t difficult and can be done at minimal cost with some basic equipment and…
Knowing the amount of water held within a growing media, referred to as Water Holding Capacity (WHC) of your growing media can help you manage irrigation scheduling more effectively and ensure plants have adequate moisture. Testing for Water Holding Capacity isn’t difficult and can be done at minimal cost with some basic equipment and a…
Knowing the pH and Electrical Conductivity or EC of your growing media can help you to grow better and more consistent crops. Testing procedures aren’t difficult and can be done at minimal cost. This video shows a process for carrying out a practical on-site pH and electrical conductivity test on growing media.
Plant roots require air as well as water to remain healthy. The amount of air held within a growing media is referred to as Air filled porosity or AFP . Testing procedures for AFP aren’t difficult and can be done at minimal cost with simple equipment built from readily available materials and a little bit…
Coir, coir fibre pith or coconut fibre is a one hundred percent natural, sustainable and renewable product. Coir is a ‘peat like’ byproduct produced from the processing of coconut husks, and is composed of the fibrous material found between the hard, internal shell and the outer coat of a coconut. Coir is lightweight, retains moisture…
Improving water use efficiency in a production nursery begins with having a clear understanding of the infrastructure and practices currently in place. Irrigation, Drainage and Energy Management Plans, or IDEMPs, describe the infrastructure and management practices in operation at a business, and outline opportunities, suggestions and designs for on-farm improvements, to ensure the business remains…
All vehicles entering the nursery production area can be a potential biosecurity risk. To mitigate this risk, entry should be restricted to all but essential vehicles. Any vehicle required to enter the nursery production area should be thoroughly inspected at a designated vehicle inspection point by following the BioSecure HACCP vehicle inspection procedure.
Site surveillance of production nurseries, greenlife markets and growing media manufacturers is a risk assessment process designed to identify production risks including; pest populations, diseases, weed growth, erosion and infrastructure failure. This video is a practical demonstration of a site surveillance procedure applied on a production nursery.
Inspecting crops prior to despatch is critical to the smooth operation of a BioSecure HACCP system.This video describes a systematic procedure to ensure, as much as possible, that plants, growing media, plant containers and packages despatched from a business are free of pests, diseases and weeds.