Trellising hydroponically grown peppers – secret to growth optimization
Trellising sweet peppers is common practice in commercial greenhouses. Although labour intensive, it increases quality and quantity of fruit yields, so it cannot be ignored....
Pruning peppers for optimum yields in hydroponics
Pruning peppers will have a significant effect on yields over the production life of the crop. The correct pruning method will also increase ventilation and...
Planting density of various vegetable crops in hydroponic systems
Planting density in bag culture systems Pepper & tomato planting density influences yields, diseases and quality of the end product. Get it right the first...
Scientific classification of commercial vegetable crops
There are approximately 10,000 plant species that are used as vegetables, but only 50 of those are of any commercial value. In order to simplify...
Transplanting seedlings into growth medium – common mistakes
Always transplant seedlings that are in good condition. Rather discard the extra small seedlings and give them a chance to grow in the nursery. They...
Pesticides and fungicides formulations – what every seedling grower should know
Not all pesticides and fungicides are equal. They come in a variety of formulations and the seedling grower must know when and where to use...
Seed treatment – 8 steps towards healthy seedlings
Seed treatments are useful for many vegetable crops for the prevention of damping-off and some other root diseases, as well as eliminating certain diseases carried...
9 Tips on good seedling disease management
A clean nursery is the first vital step towards producing a healthy crop and forms part of a good seedling disease management program. Not only...
Seedling irrigation and fertilization
Seedlings must be irrigated and fertigated with micro sprinklers which are linked to a timer. A simple swimming pool timer will suffice. In arid conditions...
Hardening off seedlings is the secret that commercial growers use for better transplants
Plants must be acclimatized to the shock and stress of transplanting into the greenhouse by slowly removing the optimum growing conditions of the nursery. This is...
9 Simple steps to fill a seedling tray
Most vegetable seedlings are sown in commercial seedlings trays. These trays are made of either polystyrene or hard plastic. The numbers of plugs per tray...
Seedling growth medium – a commercial hydroponic perspective
Seedling growth medium fall into two categories. Those used for commercial seedling trays and mixtures used for propagating seedlings directly in the soil. Commercial seedling...
Protect your seedlings from extreme temperatures
Seedlings must be protected from extreme temperatures. Climates that vary from very cold to very hot and also from very dry to waterlogged conditions are...
Basic layout of a seedling nursery irrigation system
A simple layout of a nursery using raised seedbeds on which the common 200 plug seed tray will fit can be seen below. Each of...
The basics of producing good seedlings
It is a proven fact that the production of seedlings in seed trays will on average provide a better quality seedling which will permit earlier...
