Water and Nutrient Management for the Nursery and Greenhouse Industries

The PI’s for this project are Drs. John LeaCox, D. Ross & A. Ristvey. Total funding for this project is $947,362 with $155,000 in Non-Competitive Funding from MDA sin 2002. Under the national program theme of environmental stewardship, the team of John D. Lea-Cox, David S. Ross and Andrew G. Ristvey focuses on the unique water and nutrient management requirements of nursery and greenhouse producers. This program is done in partnership and with support of the Maryland Department of Agriculture, in response to the Maryland Water Quality Improvement Act of 1998.

Wholesale nursery and greenhouse growers produce the ornamentals that are retailed to the public, and used by landscape industry, to create gardens and interiorscapes in the United States. According to the 2002 USDA agricultural census data, the farm-gate value of nursery and greenhouse crops was $15.1 billion, with a net return of $950 per acre. In Maryland, the value of goods in 2003 topped $1 billion, second only to the poultry industry. The Maryland nursery and greenhouse industry employs over 12,800 people, with over 16,000 acres under production. Container-production and greenhouse operations are typically intensive users of both water and nutrients, and the perception is that environmental impact of these operations is large.

In 2001, Drs. Lea-Cox and Ross and Mr. Marc Teffeau published the first peer-reviewed process for water and nutrient management planning for nursery and greenhouse operations in the US. In addition they developed a distance-learning course to train and certify consultants and growers to write these plans for the industry, since 2005, the team of Drs. Lea-Cox, Ross and Ristvey have developed a training program specifically to teach small (underserved) growers, and an applicator voucher training program. In addition to these specific extension programs, they organize an annual Sustainable Nursery Production Conference, together with numerous research outreach programs on water and nutrient management to provide advanced training for certified growers and consultants, which is required by the MDA to maintain certification. The result has been to train and certify over 120 nutrient management consultants and growers, to write over 370 nutrient management plans for these operations in Maryland since 2000. Over 115 nutrient applicators have been trained since 2005 to apply nutrients and water more efficiently to minimize nutrient runoff to surface waters and the Chesapeake Bay. This impacts over 12,800 employees, 16,061 acres of businesses and gross receipts of over 1.04 billion dollars.

The Extension programs, developed in collaboration with the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA), consist of five developmental areas: Water and Nutrient Management Planning Process; Nutrient Applicator Training; Advanced Training; For Credit / Certification Course; and the Water and Nutrient Management Knowledge Center. The major outcome of these activities is that over 370 comprehensive farm-based plans have been written over the past five years for nurseries and greenhouses in Maryland. In addition, the team has developed a comprehensive educational program for the industry, and engages producers on a continuous directly with information about their practices. This program has attracted interest from many other States, Canada and Costa Rica. Their work is far from complete - the current focus of this team is to integrate theirs (and others) research activities into the knowledge base of all producers, and encourage them to implement the best mix of best management practices for their specific operation. Fortunately, many producers recognize that many cultural best management practices are also economic best management practices, and “growing green” is not only good for the environment, but essential for this industry to remain sustainable in the future.

Research programs consist of: A Water and Nutrient and Management Research Program for the Container Nursery Industry in Maryland (1999-2005); Investigating Alternative Niche Crop Requirements for Sustainable Production. (New Research Initiative: 2006 – 2008); and Implementing Wireless Sensor Networks to Improve Water and Nutrient Management in Nursery Systems (New Research Initiative: 2006 –present.)

For more information, contact Drs. John LeaCox

Last updated: 02/7/2008