Resource Book on Horticulture Nursery Management

that specialize in a particular type of plant, such as tropical plants, citrus trees, bulbs
or roses.
2. Wholesale Nurseries: Wholesale nurseries usually grow plants in bulk for the
purpose of selling to large clients. These clients may include florists, garden centers
or departmental stores. A wholesale nursery may fill a niche for particular types of
plants, such as vegetables or houseplants, or they may grow a general selection of
plants to sell such as fruits, vegetables and landscaping plants.
3. Private Nurseries: A private nursery grows plants exclusively for a single client. The
private nursery may be owned by the client or it may be under contract for use by the
client. Clients for private nurseries include large estates, corporations and institutions.
These nurseries are concerned with raising documented historical plants for the
historic preservation of the estates.
4. Mail Order: Privately owned, retail and wholesale businesses may all be involved in
mail order businesses. As shipping technology improved, it became possible to ship
dormant ornamental trees and bedding plants via mail. The internet has largely shifted
mail order from catalog to online shopping. Bedding plants may be shipped via postal
carrier, but are primarily handled through third-party shipping agents.
Physical and Financial <strong>Resource</strong>s for Nursery
Nursery is the base for future development of Horticulture. Nursery can be a
profitable venture only when it is thoroughly planned. Nursery depends on its physical
resources as well as the financial resources. The physical resources include, land, water,
labour and other supporting items such as transport, market communication facilities and
availability of required technical know how. Second resource is finance. The capital
requirement of a nursery should be fulfilled sufficiently and timely. There are several
sources for finance, like, the banks, co-operative societies, personal loans, Govt.
subsidies etc. It must be remembered that none of the above suffice 100 per cent
requirement. Even though the budgets are planned, it takes much time to get the money in
hand. It is therefore very essential to know these two aspects thoroughly.
Nurseries are highly labor-intensive. Although some processes have been
mechanized and automated, others have not. It remains highly unlikely that all plants
treated in the same way at the same time will arrive at the same condition together, so
plant care requires observation, judgment and personal skill; selection for sale requires
comparison and judgment. A high loss rate during maturation is accepted for the
reduction in detailed plant maintenance costs. Nursery business is highly seasonal,
concentrated in the winters and monsoon. The demand for the product is variable and is
affected by temperature, drought, cheaper foreign competition, fashion, among other
things.
Annuals are sold in trays (undivided containers with multiple plants), flats (trays
with built-in cells), peat pots, or plastic pots. Perennials and woody plants are sold either
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