So most people wouldn't think of Feb 26th as the 1st day of spring but here at PlantMasters it is. What makes us different from most Greenhouses is that our plants are grown here. As with most jobs, the "outside" world doesn't usually understand the ins and outs and the work that goes into the finished product and so I am going to try to share that with you.
Spring in the life a plant....
For simplicities sake, there are two ways to grow. 1 from a seed. or 2, from a plug. I will walk you thru both. Most people are not aware that 90% of what we grow is patented, that is, we must pay a royalty to grow and sell that plant to the company that "patented" that variety. These plants, we are not legally able to start from a seed or a rooted cutting. So we receive them as "plugs". For example, the "Designer" Geraniums we are planting today are 8 week old cuttings that we received from a grower certified to propagate them.
1st step is to fill the pots. Although, we "do things the old fashion way" we do have a "dirt machine" that we use to help us to fill our pots. We use Baccto Potting Soil. The soil we use if our 1st "secret" to our sucess. It is a high quality potting soil. Remember, you are what you eat. The same rings true for your plants. Unlike the brown bag of Baccto we sell, which is 2 cubic foot, these are 70 cubic foot. The bag is hoisted over the machine with a fork lift and dumped into our dirt machine which wets and fluffs it and then dumps it slowly onto a conveyor belt which we feed pots thorough. The filled pots are put unto a wagon and moved to the house that the Geraniums will be grown in. The less the plants are moved the better. From there we transplant them into there new home, and label them. Now its up to mother nature and the furnace to supply the sun and heat. We hand water and care for them on a daily basis if needed and in 90 days with much care they will be ready to sell.
