August 2024 - 26

PERSPECTIVES | BY KRYSTAL FLOGEL
Inventory management in the nursery
For most of us who work in the green industry, it
was our love of plants that led us here, not a passion
for inventory management. I'm guessing the phrase
" inventory control " doesn't exactly light a fire under those
of you who enjoy being outdoors, getting your hands dirty
and not having the stereotypical 9-to-5 office job.
Since I took over as inventory manager of the perennial
program for Mariani Plants over six years ago, I've learned
that there is so much more to inventory control than just
counting plants.
That's because, when it comes to nursery production,
our inventory is alive. It's in a constant state of flux as it
grows, develops and speeds through each cycle of life over
the course of a relatively short growing season.
PACING GROWTH
Take a crop of astilbe, for example. An astilbe planted
from a bare root liner in late spring or summer will start to
leaf out in a matter of days, and it will typically be rooted
and saleable within four weeks. It will develop flower buds,
bloom and go out of bloom all over the course of just two
to three more weeks.
Other crops grow even faster. We can plant a
nepeta plug in a 1-gallon pot in late May, and
it will be a rooted, full, saleable plant in
just over two weeks.
We try to rely on these types of
predictable crop cycles to plan
production and ensure that
we have plants ready when
customers need them.
The word predictable
is rarely used to describe
nursery production. This is
especially true in an outdoor
growing range like ours,
since we have no control
over factors like temperature,
precipitation, wind and
extreme weather events.
Due to the unseasonably
warm temperatures we
experienced in February
and March of 2024 here
26
AUGUST 2024 GPNMAG.COM
in the Midwest, our overwintered perennial crops were
three weeks ahead of schedule compared to those in an
average year.
This meant that some of our spring crops (like
pulmonaria) were in bloom three weeks earlier than
customers have historically been ready to buy them.
The early spring also affected the development cycles
of many of our common insect pests, like aphids and
When it comes to
inventory management,
good communication
is essential.

http://www.GPNMAG.COM

August 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2024

Table of Contents
Editor's Report | Are you controlling?
Production | Savvy sanitation protocols
Variety Information | A need for natives
Editors' Picks | Green goods: Editors' picks from Cultivate'24
CEA | LED lighting
Great Lakes EXPO | Gearing up for EXPO 2024
Forty Under 40 Perspectives | Inventory management in the nursery
Culture Report | Roselilies
Technically Speaking | Extended photosynthetically active radiation
SGAFT | Geometry: Small greenhouse surface area distribution
AmericanHort | Plug & Cutting: Focused on young plants
Product Marketplace
Industry News
Events
Classifieds/Ad Index
August 2024 - Table of Contents
August 2024 - 2
August 2024 - 3
August 2024 - Editor's Report | Are you controlling?
August 2024 - 5
August 2024 - Production | Savvy sanitation protocols
August 2024 - 7
August 2024 - 8
August 2024 - 9
August 2024 - 10
August 2024 - 11
August 2024 - Variety Information | A need for natives
August 2024 - 13
August 2024 - Editors' Picks | Green goods: Editors' picks from Cultivate'24
August 2024 - 15
August 2024 - CEA | LED lighting
August 2024 - 17
August 2024 - 18
August 2024 - 19
August 2024 - 20
August 2024 - 21
August 2024 - 22
August 2024 - 23
August 2024 - Great Lakes EXPO | Gearing up for EXPO 2024
August 2024 - 25
August 2024 - Forty Under 40 Perspectives | Inventory management in the nursery
August 2024 - 27
August 2024 - Culture Report | Roselilies
August 2024 - 29
August 2024 - 30
August 2024 - 31
August 2024 - Technically Speaking | Extended photosynthetically active radiation
August 2024 - 33
August 2024 - 34
August 2024 - 35
August 2024 - SGAFT | Geometry: Small greenhouse surface area distribution
August 2024 - 37
August 2024 - 38
August 2024 - 39
August 2024 - AmericanHort | Plug & Cutting: Focused on young plants
August 2024 - 41
August 2024 - Product Marketplace
August 2024 - 43
August 2024 - 44
August 2024 - 45
August 2024 - Industry News
August 2024 - 47
August 2024 - Events
August 2024 - 49
August 2024 - Classifieds/Ad Index
August 2024 - 51
August 2024 - 52
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/2024-guide-to-cannabis-production
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/november-december-2023
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/new-varieties-digital-guide-2024
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/july-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-july-2023
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-april-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/2023-guide-to-hemp-production
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/march-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/february-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-january-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/january-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/2023-guide-to-cannabis-production
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/november-december-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/october-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/gpn-new-varieties-digital-guide-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/september-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/august-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/july-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/june-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/may-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-april-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/april-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/march-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/cannabisguide-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/hempguide-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/newvarieties-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/january-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/december-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-november-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/november-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/october-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/september-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/august-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/july-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/june-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/may-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/april-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/march-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/february-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/cannabisguide-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/hempguide-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/newvarieties-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-january-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/january-2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/december-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-november-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/november-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/october-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-september-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/september-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/august-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-july-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/july-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/june-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/may-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/april-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/californiaspringtrials-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-march-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/march-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/february-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/cannabisguide-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/hempguide-2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-january-2020
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/december-2019
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/september-2019
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https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-july-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/july-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/june-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/may-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/april-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/californiaspringtrials-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-march-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/march-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/february-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/undercontrol-2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/greatamericanmediaservices/GPN/big-grower-january-2019
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