Containerized seedling production in a shelterhouse system

There are factors which contribute to containerized seedling production. The major factors include the containers, growing facilities, growing medium, crop scheduling, rearing practices, preparation for field shipment, etc. These factors must be well designed or carefully selected to work in harmony to produce a successful and superior seedling crop. Containerized seedling production has a relatively short history. It went through numerous growing pains over the last 10-15 years. During this time many different systems were used. It is quite obvious by now that not all the developed and used systems worked as expected, therefore containerization reached a stagnating stage, or a stage of reassessment in the recent past. Experience compiled during the last decade in certain cases, however, does indicate a great deal of success in producing and using containerized seedlings. The major contributing factors for this can be identified by now and this paper is geared to discuss a combination of such contributing factors that make up a successful system. Such a system has worked in the past under a variety of local climatic conditions and in a wide range of geographic areas. The main thrust of the discussion is geared to describe specific growing areas, containers, climate control units, crop scheduling, rearing practices, and the performance of the end product.

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Author(s): Philip F. Hahn

Publication: National Nursery Proceedings - 1982

Event: Western Nurserymen's Conference
1982 - Medford, OR