Autumn is good time to review and plan ahead

With the clocks having recently changed, winter will soon come knocking, however spring will be on your doorstep before you know it – says Andy Hodges, ICL Technical Area Sales Manager for the South-West.  With the season just behind us, now is the best time to note the successes, analyse where improvements might be made and start planning for the 2024 season.

Things to think about include:

As growing media progresses, with peat reduction and peat replacement, water management and fertiliser availability may need to be reviewed. As materials with higher lignin contents are used, the requirement for supplementary nitrogen may increase. Many non-peat components can’t hold water as sphagnum peats can, so a change in watering regime tailored to these new materials may be required. We offer a range of new and evolving technologies – such as water management products, specially designed starter and nitrogenous fertilisers, and biostimulants to boost microbial activity – as well as advice from our knowledgeable team.

Pest control is always a big one.  Prompt pest identification, together with an understanding of its lifecycle, can enable early or preventable intervention – reducing or removing any impact. With fewer active ingredients available, cultural techniques are an important part of the grower’s tool kit. Plant health can play a part too. The use of biostimulants can naturally improve the crop’s resilience, by boosting plant health and overall performance.

Clean and prepare

Weeds are always around on a nursery.  Removal at this stage can help reduce overwintering pests or diseases from the cropping areas, as well as weed pressure next season.

If beds or benches are clear, a thorough cleaning and disinfection programme (eg with peroxyacetic acid) will help ensure a clean start next year. Pots, trays and plug trays intended for reuse should  be included.

Autumn is also a good time to dispose of the general detritus that can accumulate. Most nurseries have a ‘corner’ where items are dumped, to dispose of later.  That time is now!  These corners might be away from the growing areas, but are ideal places for pests, weeds and diseases to overwinter.

Through the growing season irrigation systems can take a beating. During this quieter time, it is a good idea to check nozzles, drippers, filters, tanks and covers. These might need repairs, replacement or cleaning.  Getting irrigation systems set up correctly now can help optimise your water use next season. Uneven watering is not conducive to even plant growth, while overwatering or drips can provide an opportunity for disease to take hold.

Winter nutrition

With winter on the horizon, it might seem counter intuitive to be thinking about plant nutrition. However, plants need nutrition and continue to use it in all but the very coldest weather. While growth is not the objective here, plant quality and maintaining health is.

Fertilisers with a N:K ratio of 2:3 or even 1:3 will slow down growth, while promoting hardiness and leaf colour. Depending on the regime on your nursery, this could be achieved using Water Soluble Fertilisers (WSF) or Controlled Release Fertilisers (CRF).

WSFs like Universol Orange or Universol Violet are easily applied and readily available to the crop, while a short term CRF Osmocote Bloom, with a 2-3month longevity, or longer release patterns of Osmocote Exact High K could be easily applied as a top dress. Any of these additional fertiliser applications should only be made once the current levels of fertiliser within the crop have been assessed, this could be as simple as checking the fertiliser rates in the growing media and looking at the potting dates.

As spring approaches, Osmocote Topdress is a good option to give overwintered container nursery stock a well needed boost, greening plants up to prepare for early season sales.

Plan ahead

While stock availability on just about everything has improved from ‘the COVID years’, it’s never too early to plan deliveries.

Pots and trays can be delivered and held as needed.  While it is always best practice to receive growing media as close to the point of use as possible, when liners or young plants are being delivered, now is a good time to plan ahead.  While the nursery is quieter, why not take the opportunity to discuss your requirements with your local ICL Technical Area Sales Manager.

Also, look at any biological control being used.  Nematodes, along with many other biological products, require a programme of applications through the season.  ICL has developed a Plant Health Planner to help growers plan and schedule IPM programmes through the season.  Getting this in place early, is another thing off the ‘to do list’.

What else could 2024 offer? If you haven’t already looked at trialling our proven range of biostimulant products or our peat free Levington Advance Sustain growing media, perhaps it is time you gave it some serious consideration?

Although not written in legislation, the date of December 2026 is still in the diary, for when peat will no longer be available in professional growing media. That only gives the 2024 and 2025 seasons before everyone needs to be ready.