CNGA LooseLeaf August/September 2018

13 colorad o nga.org LooseLeaf  August/September 2018 Photos courtesy of Welby Gardens marketing of new or popular varieties and colors to enhance consumer interest, but real customer attitudes and preferences must also be taken into account. “We need specifics from salespeople: What did customers really want? How much more? What color?” he explained. “We have to listen to customers and talk to customers, but we also have to look at our actual past sales to them, to understand whether they are likely to purchase less or more of different plants.” Welby Gardens orders nearly 800 seed varieties each year. When planning for the number of seeds necessary to produce a desired number of plants, one of the challenges is to account for the seeds that don’t result in saleable plants. Several factors can lead to the plant numbers being fewer than the seed numbers. Based on historical success, seed companies inform growers of the germination rates of their products. These rates can change season to season even with seeds from the same company. “With current seed technology, most companies won’t sell you seed unless it’s above a certain standard like a germination rate of 88 percent or better. If a seed has a rate worse than that, they may ask if you are still interested in purchasing,” he said. “Typically, we buy the most expensive pansy seed from companies innovating for uniformity. Then, we can plan on 90 percent of our pansies coming up.” If a seed supplier indicates a variety has a 90 percent germination rate, then 10 percent of the seeds are expected not to grow plants. So, for example, if you want 1,000 plants, 1,000 seeds are not enough. An additional 10 percent will need to be ordered. “The worst thing is to want 1,000 plants, buy 1,100 seeds, but come out with only 900 plants. If you don’t calculate what your actual useable plant percentages are, then you won’t have the plants to sell, and you are not going to make your sales goals,” he said. Growers must also factor in how much seed and plant loss will result from variables within their own operations. Seed being eaten by mice, washed away from drips or by waterline breaks, and misses by seeding machines are a few circumstances that could result in lower plant production. Young plants breaking or otherwise not surviving are also a consideration in production calculations, which may require higher seed orders to compensate. While under-ordering is probably the first concern, over-ordering seeds can also be a negative on the balance sheet. Leftover seed, purchased but not used in one season, may become old and not germinate well the next year. You lose money by having to throw away old seed or by not getting enough plants from them. “Most seed packets that consumers get have longer shelf lives than really high-tech seed that is pre-germinated or specialized for growers, which often expire after six months,” Gerace said. “You can go to any of our seed companies and ask about specific crops, and they will say to use them within a specific time. They have set expiration dates.” Timing seed orders can be tricky if the goal is to get seeds just before planting, so they are not stored as long and are being used closer to the time when the plants will be purchased. Production staff familiar with planning crops can fairly easily look at what date that a finished crop is desired and work backward from that date to determine when seeds are needed for planting. To calculate the growing time, they consider many factors such as variety types and seasonal temperatures and sunlight, which can decrease or increase growing time. “We’ve bounced around a little bit on when we order seeds, based on how suppliers supply. In the past, we used to buy all seed before the new year, and have it for five or six sowings, but some did not come in because the suppliers were still cleaning and processing them,” he said. continues »

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Nzc3ODM=