A formula for precision

From our January 2012 issue:

John D. Rockefeller once said, "Don't be afraid to give up the good to go for the great." A father and son research team is studying the concept of precision application technology, a revolutionary approach to traditional nursery growing techniques, designed to take plants from good to great.

William "Bill" Bauerle Sr., professor emeritus at The Ohio State University, and his son Bill Bauerle Jr. of Colorado State University, have been creating a form of "precision agriculture" for the nursery industry. In general, this system approach looks at the needs of the individual plants on a continuous basis during the growing season and a delivery system to precisely apply only the amount of water and nutrients the plant needs. Once data is analyzed, the correct nutrients and water are applied to maximize the growth and desired outcome of the plants. This technology puts the grower in control of what happens to the plants throughout the growing season, without having to rely only on controlled-release fertilizers, which are dependent on soil moisture and temperature.

The Bauerles are in the second year of a multiyear test at Willoway Nurseries in Avon, Ohio. To date, the research has shown a 30 percent growth increase in the first year while the second year brings exponential growth to plants. They are finding lateral secondary branching two to four times more on primary lateral branches.
 

A nursery evolution
Tom explains that Willoway started this process at the concept level; "we didn't know what we didn't know." Tom said his crew has always done pH control and used acid to adjust pH levels, but that it was nowhere in the same league as what they are doing now with Bauerle's methods. Quoting entrepreneur Debbie Fields of Mrs. Fields Cookies fame, "Good enough never is," and Tom isn't content with waiting for the government to fund plant research. He feels that other industries are driving their own research and so why shouldn't the nursery industry?

So Tom is literally putting his money where his mouth is by collaborating with the Bauerles and hoping that it ultimately pays off in green dividends. There is no government funding for this research project at Willoway Nurseries, so the company is bearing the financial burden itself.

Why go out on a limb with product, time and money, especially during these difficult economic times? Willoway wants to offer its customers a value proposition beyond branding. Tom feels that the next logical way to differentiate his company from competitors is to create the "perfect" designer plant for the end consumer. Tom says that precision nutrient application is a revolutionary approach to traditional ornamental growing techniques. He firmly believes it is one of the next steps in the evolution of the nursery industry; improvement in growing processes to elevate plant quality.

Read the rest here: http://www.nurserymanagementonline.com/nm0112-nursery-floriculture-techniques-irrigation.aspx