FACULTY OF PLANTING AND AGROTECHNOLOFY

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE AGROTECHNOLOGY (HONS) AGRONOMY

FINAL ASSESSMENT

COURSE: PRINCIPLES OF NURSERY MANAGEMENT

COURSE CODE: AGR402
INSTRUCTOR: PUAN NORAIDA BT MOHD RADZI
CLASS: M3AT222B3

PREPARED BY

NAME NO ID
MUHAMMAD NOOR AZIZAN BIN MOHD KHIDZIR 2020963431

SUBMISSION DATE: 28 JULY 2021

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TABLE OF CONTENT

No Content Page
1 INTRODUCTION 3-4
Acknowledgement 3
Background 3
Nursery Location 3
Goal 4
2 NURSERY STRUCTURE 4-6
Land area 4
The Shading Net 5
No roof area 5
Polytunnel area 6
3 TYPES OF PLANT THAT NURSERY GROW 6-7
Side sales 7
4 MANAGEMENT 8-11
Managing Equipment and Supply Inventory 8
Managing Plant Material Inventory 8-9

PLANT NURSERY CARE 9-11

Irrigation 9
Plant Arrangement 9
Weeding 9-10
Fertilizers 10
Pest control 10-11
Labelling of plant in nursery 11
5 CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION 11-12
6 REFERENCE 12

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INTRODUCTION

Acknowledgement

Firstly, I would like to express my gratitude to the owner of Arau Perlis Garden Nursery, Puan
Ashikin Binti Abdullah, for giving her time and permission to do this interview for this report.
All the information given by her really helped me in preparing this report.

I also want to want to thank my lecturer, Puan Noraida Bt Mohd Radzi, for guiding me and all
my classmates during this semester in the principles of nursery management class.

This guide would not be as informative without illustrative images. We are very grateful to
those who provided images. Unless otherwise indicated, images used in this guide are from
Arau Perlis Garden Nursery Facebook Admin.

Background

The APG nursery (Arau Perlis Garden Nursery) was established in September 2020 in Perlis.
The APG nursery is located at Jalan Syed Hassan, Arau 02600, Perlis, near SMK Agama
Arau. The total area of APG nursery is around 2000 square. APG nursery is a retail type
nursery. They simply purchase a plant from a supplier and resell it to retail customers.
Because they are retail nursery types, their nursery is made up of for-profit stores that supply
plant directly to customers. So, in order to maintain a profit, retailers look for items that align
with their business goals and seek out suppliers with the most competitive pricing. In general,
a retailer nursery will aim to acquire plants in bulk from a distributor or wholesaler at a low cost
and then sell them at a premium price.

The main crop that APG nursery sell is Ornamental type plants, Ornamental plants are plants
grown for decorative reasons in gardens and landscape design projects, such as houseplants,
cut flowers, and specimen display. Ornamental plant cultivation is classified as floriculture and
tree nurseries, which is a prominent branch of horticulture.

Nursery Location

APG nursery is located in Arau town, which is close to customers. Its convenience to
customers because they can easily locate the nursery without any trouble. Location also
proximity to resources such as fertilizer, soil and road. Its location also near to supplier
nursery, so it will easy to get the plants which is not available in the nursery. At here all basic
infrastructure such as roads, electricity, telephone lines, clean water, etc already available
around this location. APG nursery choose this location to establish their business also
because the topography at here is suitable which is level (flat)and well drained area. This area
suitable because it easier to move from one area to another, have better drainage and

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irrigation than unlevel area with help reduce risk of flooding. Easy to install nursery
infrastructure such as store, propagation house and office.

Goal

The goal of the APG nursery is to produce healthy trees and keep pests and diseases to
minimal acceptable economic level. APG nursery also nurtures a learning-based approach
within the company, to constantly improve their operations and biosecurity measures. The
nursery tries to take a horticultural approach towards plant cultivation. APG nursery identifies
three levels of defence against pests and diseases:

General information about the nursery

1. Keeping good plant hygiene, keeping facilities free of pests and diseases.
2. Recognising pests and diseases; learning how to produce plants free of pests and
diseases.
3. Applying chemicals to control pests and diseases
4. Improving the irrigation method to more efficient method

NURSERY STRUCTURE

Land area

The nursery area the nursery land is divided into three parts, which are the shade area, the
full sun area without a roof and the clear roof area. Each of these areas is important to place
the plants that are suitable for their conditions.

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The Shading Net

The shading net made from wood and covered by the transparent plastic was used for
covering the plant from direct sunlight. accordance with its sensitivity levels on the direct
sunlight. The shading net made from plastic or nylon with different light intensity (40%, 50%
and 70%) was used as the shading net in the replacement bed. The size of shading net was
based on the need. most the plant from APG nursery is orchid type so it need shade 70%.

benefit cover plant house with shade cloth, all the way to the ground is it help remove a huge
amount of heat load by dissipated through the cloth so it never gets into the shade house.
Installing shade also to shade house also give high return by reduced energy costs and water
costs.

No roof area

No roof area is for the plant that love get direct sunlight it has no risk getting fungi infection
because moisture after rainfall. The advantage of this area is it need less cost because APG
nursery there is no need to build any structure to place the plant. Labour energy needed also
less than other area because worker did need to water the plant after rain.

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Polytunnel area

The main purpose of polytunnels is to create a microclimate with greater temperatures and
humidity, it allowing the plants to grow even when they are out of season. It is also an effective
in crop protection method, protecting plants from heat, cold, wind, rain, and direct sunshine.

TYPES OF PLANT THAT NURSERY GROW

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Side sales

Other than ornamental plant, they also sale vases, weedicide, herbicide, pesticide, soil
medium and fertilizer.

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MANAGEMENT

Managing Equipment and Supply Inventory

An inventory control system is required to keep control of plant materials, equipment, tools,
and supplies. Inventory systems are frequently classified by business management
professionals based on the utilisation of the item in inventory. According to this logic, a
greenhouse inventory system may be divided into three categories: plant material inventory,
equipment inventory, and supply inventory.

A significant financial investment is made in equipping and maintaining the nursery, which
includes automobiles, injectors, and irrigation equipment, sprayers, and storage equipment,
among other things. Aside from the big machinery, several other types of hand tools, such as,
are required. If the greenhouse is to keep a physical inventory of all equipment and establish
plans for security, appropriate usage, and maintenance, some kind of management control
over the equipment must be maintained.

When the nursery purchases large pieces of equipment, APG nursery listed all the expanses
in in expenses book. This help APG nursery to organize and planning all the spending. In
these expenses book they kept all business purchase record, including the name of the
supplier, purchase price, depreciation schedule, and other associated information.

All valuable equipment was kept in a secure building, which they call a private area that is also
protected from the weather. The APG nursery also seemed able to create procedures for
cleaning and storing equipment. This can be seen from how they are able to ensure all
equipment is safe, effective, and efficient by creating and maintaining a solid equipment
inventory and management system.

Managing Plant Material Inventory

Managing plant material inventory is important to management in order for it to make

managerial choices about production, sales, and demand patterns. Problems caused by
overselling or leaving plants unsold can be reduced by keeping a current, up-to-date plant
material inventory. A working knowledge of plant inventory can be used to plan work
schedules, labour needs, space requirements, and supplies. Inventory information is also
required for planning manufacturing plans, estimating production costs, and creating pricing
strategies. Cultural traditions and their effect on inventory turns may also be assessed.

APG nursery identifies how many plants of each type are available, what size they are, and
where they are situated within the nursery. The actual plant inventory control system will vary
depending on the size and kind of each particular nursery business. The plant material

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inventory system for relatively small like APG nursery may be fairly basic, but it only requires
just rarely updated data in the sales and expenses book. By continually recording these data,
it is possible to identify the state of every plant material within the nursery by type and location
with reasonable accuracy. From the perspective of production management, precise data can
be gathered and maintained throughout time to evaluate plant losses, predict growth rates,
highlight problem regions, and check on cultural practises. The most essential aspect of an
inventory control system may be the ability to maintain an accurate sales inventory. However,
in order to be most effective, this data must be gathered in a timely way. This means they
need to keep updating sales data on a daily, or at least weekly basis

Plant nursery care

Irrigation

Most ornamental plants once established, can spend days or even weeks without additional
watering. In fact, over-watering (watering too regularly) is a primary source of ornamental
issues. The amount of water required by an ornamental plant is determined by the type of
plant, the type of soil, the level of moisture in the soil, and the time of year.

The irrigation system that APG nursery uses is manual irrigation. Manual irrigation is an
efficient method of providing water to crops. The system provides excellent compatibility at a
reasonable cost. This approach may be applied virtually anywhere. It takes half an hour for
one worker to water the entire nursery plant by using use water pipes or watering cans. The
estimated cost of watering is RM100 per month.

Plant Arrangement

The plants that APG nursery grows are potted ornamental plants, so the plants do not need
to be thinned because all the plants in the nursery were planted in pots or polybags. Thinning
is usually done to maintain plant density in rows so as to ensure adequate light and air for the
plants. The advantage of pots is that ornamental plants can be grown in a variety of pots,
depending on the choice of a person, including plastic, clay, cement, ceramic, etc. Pots are
used for growing house plants (indoors and outdoors). At APG nursery, polybags are the most
popular because they are widely accessible, extremely porous, less expensive and easy to
transfer to another place.

Weeding

Weeding is the process of removing any undesirable plants (weeds) from the nursery. Almost
all the time, APG nursery only uses physical control by removing the weeds by hand. At a
certain time, the nursery will use herbicide. Weed removal on a regular basis is good for plant

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growth and development because it avoids competition with the primary plants for sunlight,
water, air, and nutrients. It also serves as a secondary host for insect pests and pathogens. As
a result, the nursery area must be kept weed-free.

Fertilizers

Fertilizers are essential for producing ornamental crops of high quality. They are also viewed
as a cheap and convenient way to maximize aesthetic quality and sales. APG nursery uses
chemical fertilizer (NPK) and organic fertilizer such as fish fertilizer and goat manure. Most of
the time, they just broadcast the fertilisers on a standing crop. It is known as' top dressing’. In
this method, it is usually used for NPK fertilizer. The application of fertilizer can also be done
by liquid application of a certain type of fertilizer. This is just applying the fertiliser solution
instead of water to the plants when they would normally be watered. However, this method
can be used when the soil is somewhat damp. Never feed plants with dry soil because the
chemicals that are added will harm the roots unless the plants are diluted further by soil
moisture.

Pest control

The easiest way to prevent, avoid or eliminate pest problems is to eliminate the plants that
pests infest. APG nursery uses insecticide and fungicide every time a new plant comes in to
avoid any pest infestation that may come during transportation from the supplier nursery. APG
nursery use chemical insecticides like Cypher and malathion rotated with organic insecticides
like Neem oil and wood vinegar twice a week to prevent pest attack in the nursery.

By using host plant resistance (HPR), it helps nursery plant species and cultivars exhibit a
range of host plant resistance. HPR is the term that describes a plant’s lack of susceptibility
to pests. With this, APG nursery is able to grow the most pest resistant plants possible
because resistant plants grown in the landscape will reduce the need for pest management.

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APG nursery use of irrigation systems which apply water at the soil surface or at the base of
containers will extend the life of foliar applied insecticide residues. By eliminating weeds in
nurseries, shade houses and surrounding areas that might support populations of insects and
mites to migrate onto ornamental crops, they are also able to help prevent pest infestation.
The turf around nurseries is also mowed frequently to prevent excessive growth that may also
harbour pests.

Labelling of plant in nursery

Nursery, horticultural, and plant labels are very important for identifying various sorts of plants.
They are used as a colourful complement to the natural environment, as well as a valuable
teaching tool and an important marker for plant identification in nurseries.

In APG nursery, making plant data accessible to consumers entails using colourful, highly
visible plant labels that provide the important information required by the client in order for
them to make the most satisfied purchase decision possible. High-quality plant labels may
significantly improve retail sales. A well-informed consumer will feel better about purchasing
plants from your nursery, and that feeling will result in more returns to your location. It also
helps the worker distinguish between the species, name of the plant and the price. The label
that is on APG nursery tags is the name of the plant and the price of the plant.

The truth is that high quality plant labels can make a drastic difference in the overall customer
experience. An investment in plant labelling is an investment in short-term and long-term sales
growth, because customers need information and authoritative care data in order to prompt
them to buy.

CONCLUSION

The main sale for this nursery is ornamental plants so structure like net shade area and
polytunnel planting area is need to grow certain type plant that need in control condition.

The aim of good nursery management is to provide planting the nursery must always find way
to keep improving in order to compete with another nursery. This aim is of the greatest
important without good management will lead to low income

Economic, environmental, and technical factors all complicate the job of producing disease-
free ornamentals. Sanitation, clean stock, host resistance, and control via biological, cultural,
environmental, chemical, and regulatory mechanisms are examples of tactics. Sanitation and
cultural controls must keep up with changing manufacturing technology.

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SUGGESTION

APG nursery need propose the budget for new building. APG nursery is still do have storage
building. Right now, they use private area and any suitable place in nursery to store all their
equipment like tools, fertilizer, pesticide and other. Storage facilities are useful it helps nursery
to maintain and arrange the storage space. So, it importance to have specific storage building.

Right now, APG nursery using manual irrigation system by manually watering the plant using
watering can, in future I think they should improve the irrigation system to drip irrigation
method. This method is a form micro-irrigation system that allows water to drip gently to plant
roots, either above or below the soil surface. The objective is to distribute water into the root
zone while minimising evaporation.

REFERENCE

Don Immanuel Edralin, & Mercado, A. R. (2010, December 15). The need for improved
nursery management practices and marketing in tree nurseries of norther Mindanao.
Sarangi, S. K., Maji, B., Singh, S., Burman, D., Mandal, S., Sharma, D. K., Singh, U. S.,
Ismail, A. M., & Haefele, S. M. (2015). Improved nursery management further enhances the
productivity of stress-tolerant rice varieties in coastal rainfed lowlands. Field Crops
Research, 174, 61–70.
Selection and nursery production of ornamental plants for landscaping and xerogardening in
semi-arid environments. (2015). The Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology.
Ruett, M., Whitney, C., & Luedeling, E. (2020). Model-based evaluation of management
options in ornamental plant nurseries. Journal of Cleaner Production, 271, 122653.

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