The Ornamental plant cycle

Ornamental plants are sold all over the UK, with gardening being such a popular pastime for enthusiasts. In order to meet the demand, farmers grow these plants to order. There is usually a set date from the buyer that these plants need to be on the shelves for. You would then work backwards to make sure you meet this deadline.

Why is the ornamental plant cycle important to understand?

Depending on the ornamental plant, they all have different grow times & a certain shelf-life. The garden centres will want these plants in at their peak attractiveness, as they are then easier to sell. Most ornamental plant farmers use an indoor structure in order to accurately meet the demands of their clients. 

The ornamental plants growing cycle 

Enquiries and orders 

The first stage of the growing cycle, is receiving advance order programmes from garden centres. They will usually request a certain amount, to be delivered by a certain date. Alternatively orders will be placed via catalogue requests or from websites.  In many cases, direct orders are paid upfront, and in full. The orders are placed during the Autumn, mostly in September, in order to take delivery of the stock in spring, usually March-May  

Upload the order into the system 

Once the order is successfully placed, you then need to add the job to your farm management software. LiveFarmer can take the input data, using the deadline date, and calculate when you need to start planting. The reason you should use a farm management software solution, is that it automatically keeps track of all jobs and order quantities, and sets their priority. You can set reminders for when to start the planning, sowing, planting and harvesting. 

Plan the utilisation of the Greenhouse 

Now you know what you need, and when you need it, you can now plan the growing areas. A lot of ornamental plants are grown in greenhouses, and you will need to take into account everything needed, including: 

Climate 

Depending on the plants, you will need to make sure they are in the ideal environment for healthy growing. This includes the temperature, humidity, and the light levels. If you are using growing tunnels, you can accurately control every aspect of the climate. For example, using data on when the plants best absorb light can save money on wasted light exposure.  

Space and layout  

How much space will each plant require? The plant population density can be entered based on the seed tray size or pot size.  You need to efficiently map out the calculated required area in order to maximise the number of crops grown. The garden centre will have ordered a required amount, if this amount is more than you can normally produce, then you will need to know how much more growing area you will need.  

Seed usage 

Now you know the growing area, you can now calculate the number of seeds required, in order to meet your clients’ demand. Germination of the seeds does not happen 100% of the time, and the packaging of the seeds will outline the germination number. As an example; you need 100 plants, the seeds germination number is 95, so you would expect 95 plants for every 100 seeds. In order to get 100, you will need to sow at least the difference, which would equal 106.  

Equipment and Supplies 

The next stage of the crop cycle, is to identify what you will need in order to fulfil the order. Then you would need to check what your order quantity is against your predicted grow times and existing stock levels. Farm management software keeps a live inventory of your current supplies, so you can easily see if you need to purchase more packaging, pots or seed trays. LiveFarmer will alert you if you are trying to plant more seeds than you currently have, or try to allocate fertiliser that is already accounted for. Every item of stock should be added to the software, including pots, trollies, and trays. 

Planting the seed 

Once you have finished planning and allocating resources, next comes the actual planting of the seeds. As mentioned, previous this needs to take into account germination and stock levels. Germination is the process by which a plant sprouts from a seed, seedling, or spore, and begins to grow. This process involves the absorption of water, the breaking down of stored food, and the growth of new roots, stem, and leaves. Germination is a crucial step in the life cycle of a plant, as it marks the transition from a dormant seed to a growing plant.  

Germination number calculation 

LiveFarmer allows you to enter the germination number for the seeds on stock, which will automatically calculate the number of seeds needed to reach the crop level you need. If the germination rate of the seeds is less than 100%, then LiveFarmer will allocate more seeds to make sure you meet the targeted yield amount.  

Field Factor 

The germination of the seeds can be affected by the soil composition. The field factor refers to the quality of the soil and it’s suitability for the plant type. If the soil has a high clay composition, or a non-neutral PH then you will see a reduction in germination and poor plant health. Providing you update soil samples, LiveFarmer takes your field factor into account, increasing the number of seeds required automatically.  

Crop inputs and Fertiliser used 

During the growing period, you need to keep detailed logs of each plants growing. This can include information such as the type of crop, planting date, expected yield, seed cost, fertiliser cost, and labour costs. This information can be used to create detailed crop plans, track progress, and make data-driven decisions about crop management. It can also be used to generate reports and analyse trends.

Proof of treatment

Most, if not all, buyers need to see proof of what treatment your crops have undergone. The traceability of your crops gives your clients the assurance that you haven’t used chemicals you aren’t supposed to. All the records you keep in LiveFarmer are associated to the relevant job, so the traceability documents and reports, are done for you.  

Crop Monitoring 

Crop monitoring refers to the process of observing and measuring various aspects of a crop’s growth and development over time. This can include monitoring things like weather conditions, soil moisture, pest and disease levels, and the overall health of the crop. The goal of crop monitoring is to gather data that can be used to make informed decisions about crop management and to identify potential issues early on so that they can be addressed before they become major problems.

Crop Monitoring Automation

Crop monitoring can be done manually, through visual inspections and measurements, or it can be done using automated tools and technology, such as drones, remote sensing, and sensor networks. All of which can be linked with LiveFarmer, to gather all the information autonomously.  

Harvest 

Once the crops are fully grown, it is time to harvest the ornamental plants. You need to make sure there hasn’t been any reason the harvest has been set for delays. If chemicals have been added to growing area, you may need to wait a little longer for these chemicals to dissipate. Calculating these dates can be challenging without the use of farm management software.   

Dispatch 

The stock is then placed on the correct trolleys, ready for dispatch. The dispatch notes, traceability documents, the invoice, and any reports requested by the client, can be printed at this stage. LiveFarmer then allows you to allocate each case on the trolley to a vehicle, so you can easily track the stock. The transport is also managed from within LiveFarmer, so you can’t accidentally double book vehicles.