Nurseries get mechanically creative

Growers must rely more on the innovation of machines. The loss of labor from an insufficient H-2B program and a failed immigration reform bill has more growers in the mechanics shop or browsing equipment stores. Growers not only buy ready-to-use machines but also repurpose items from other industries.

Mechanized pruning

AgriNomix in Oberlin, Ohio, developed the EZ Cut Trimmer to take the labor out of pruning. The cutting blade is adjustable from 2 inches up to 19 inches on benches, greenhouse floors and in the field. The trimming height capacity is 5 inches.

Fall Creek Farm and Nursery in Lowell, Ore., cut its pruning labor with the EZ Cut Trimmer from 40 hours to 6 hours. The nursery uses the trimmer on blueberry stock. Before Fall Creek purchased the trimmer, pruning was done by hand. This marks the first season Fall Creek used the trimmer, and it paid for itself in the first year, said Mike Lamb, production manager at Fall Creek.

The trimmer also is equipped with a large-capacity collection bag to catch clippings.

“The debris doesn’t fall back into the plant, which can cause some disease problems,” Lamb said.

It’s easy to operate and maintain, he said.

For more: AgriNomix,(800) 354-3750; www.agrinomix.com. Fall Creek Farm and Nursery, (800) 538-3001; www.fallcreeknursery.com.

Spade just for shrubs

Hinsdale Nurseries in Plano, Ill., grows primarily shrubs and trees on 750 acres across three sites. Shrubs account for about 40 percent of Hinsdale’s production, and 80 percent of that is B&B shrubs. To combat the endless hours of hand-digging shrubs, the nursery fabricated a shrub spade that digs up to an 18-inch ball.

“We can dig a shrub every 15 seconds,” said Ken Doty, owner of Hinsdale. “We haven’t dug a shrub by hand in six or seven years.”

A similar product is on the market from Caretree Systems.

For more: Hinsdale Nurseries, (630) 323-1411; www.hinsdalenurseries.com. Caretree Systems, (800) 227-3873; www.caretree.com.

Tag counter

McCorkle Nurseries in Dearing, Ga., repurposed a machine that’s vital to the banking industry -- a bill counter.

CEO Skeetter McCorkle would like to say it’s used for the same purpose as the bank, but it’s actually used in the nursery’s tag and label department.

“We have a pretty creative shipping manager who came up with the idea,” McCorkle said. ‘It’s very fast and very accurate.”

Before the bill counter, the nursery pulled tags and labels by hand. The bill counter is preset for the number of tags needed. It eliminated human error and sped up the process.

For more: McCorkle Nurseries, (800) 572-2874; www.mccorklenurseries.com.

Filler for larger pots

JAVO USA Inc. saw a spike in demand for large container plants, and answered with the JAVO Plus Extra potting machine.

It’s equipped to handle pots up to 18 inches. The JAVO Plus Extra shaves a tremendous amount of labor off filling large pots, said Peter van Stein, general manager of JAVO USA. It can fill up to 2,000 containers per hour.

Options include single up to quadruple drill units to create multiple holes in the growing medium for combination pots.

For more: JAVO USA, (770) 428-4491; www.javonl.com.

Mobile potting station

When Kankakee Nursery in Aroma Park, Ill., began pot-in-pot production six years ago, the grower also created a mobile potting machine.

The nursery took a traditional soil hopper and added an arm with a conveyor belt. With one worker at the controls and another on the ground, the hydraulic-powered arm pushes soil into the pot. When the ground crew gives the signal, the operator stops the conveyor belt.

The idea was to never lift the pots until they were sold.

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For more: Kankakee Nursery, (800) 344-7697; www.kankakeenursery.com.

- Kelli Rodda