Middle School Curriculum
Unit 10: Horticulture
Lesson 4: Nursery Crop Production
OBJECTIVES
1. Define a plant nursery.
2. Describe materials nurseries use.
3. Distinguish sexual propagation from asexual propagation.
Agriculture QCC:……………………………………………………..25, 26, 30
Language Arts QCC:……………………………………………………...…6-74
7-70
8-70
Science QCC:…………………………………………………….…………...…6-1
7-1, 9, 19
8-1
Mathematics QCC:………………………………………….………….….6-1, 21
7-1, 25
8-1, 28
REFERENCES
Herren, Ray V. Exploring Agriscience. Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers,
Inc.
EQUIPMENT, SUPPLIES, MATERIALS
Paper
Pens
Handout #1
Handout #2
Handout #3
TEACHING PROCEDURE
Introduction and Mental Set
You can begin the class with one or both class starters. Handout #1 and Handout #2 can
be passed out and read. Make the question and answer part a group discussion.
Discussion
Georgia Middle School Agricultural Education Curriculum, Unit 10 Lesson 4
Updated May 2004
1
1. What is a plant nursery?
A plant nursery is where most flowering plants, trees and shrubs come from. Plants
are started out from seed or either pieces of plants and then are grown to whole
plants. These plants are sold from 1-inch pots all the way up to 50-gallon pots. Some
plants are even grown directly in the ground and later have to be dug up when sold.
Some of these plants become so large that it takes a huge truck to move them.
2. What types of materials do greenhouses use?
A. First of all the nursery has to have something for the plants to grow in.
This is called media. It is called media and not soil because most nursery plants are
not grown in soil. So what is this media made of? Soil less media is made of a
mixture of ingredients. One basic component is usually peat. Other components
include pine bark that has been crushed, vermiculite, rock stuff, perlite and sometimes
sand.
B. Containers: These vary widely. Several containers include: flats (trays filled
with media), cell packs, 2.5-inch pots, and 30-50 gallon containers. As stated before
some plants are grown directly in the ground and then are dug up when sold and
burlap is placed around the root system to keep them moist and bound together. Most
pots that are used are plastic because they weigh less than clay pots.
C. Mist areas: These are irrigation lines that allow tiny droplets of water to
escape. There are two main types. One is a timed system, and the second is a
mechanical leaf. The timed system as you probably guessed is times and only runs so
often for a certain amount of time. The mechanical leaf works with a piece of wire
attached to an electrical device. The mechanical leaf is a screen. When its wet, it
makes the screen weigh more and it will tilt down, trip the solenoid and shut off the
water. As the screen dries it will become lighter, tilt up, and trip the solenoid to let
water through.
D. Plants: Trees, shrubs and flowering plants are grown in nurseries. Most of
the plants grown in nurseries are selection of wild plants such as sweet gum, black
gum and hollies. Native plants also do best in nurseries because they are acclimated
to the climate and they have fewer disease and insect problems.
3. What is the difference between sexual and asexual propagation?
Sexual propagation is producing plants from seeds. This process begins with a
flower. Flowers fertilize each other or themselves to produce seeds. Nurseries begin
with the seed and then germinate (seed starts to grow into a plant) the seed, and grow
it out. Sexual propagation is less expensive than asexual propagation.
Asexual propagation is producing plants from a part of a plant. This is done mostly
with large trees and shrubs because it takes less time to grow than starting with a
seed. Taking cuttings is the most popular method used for asexual propagation. This
includes taking a piece of the stem or leaf from a plant, treating it with root hormone
and then placing it in a media. These are then placed under mist until roots are
formed. Another method used for asexual propagation is separating or dividing. This
involves digging up the plant and separating it into several parts. Some plants can be
gently pulled apart and others have to be cut apart and this is known as dividing.
These plants are then allowed to grow into whole plants.
Georgia Middle School Agricultural Education Curriculum, Unit 10 Lesson 4
Updated May 2004
2
Activity: Allow students to do a plant collection. Students should be allowed to
visit around school grounds and collect cuttings from 10 Nursery Landscape
Plants. They will then have to identify the plants. Handout #3 has a list of
Nursery Landscape Plants and should be passed out to students to help in
identifying plants.
Georgia Middle School Agricultural Education Curriculum, Unit 10 Lesson 4
Updated May 2004
3
ACADEMIC CONNECTIONS
Language Arts
Middle School Connections in Agriculture Education
Language Arts QCC: Grade 6-74
7-70
8-70
Name____________________________________ Period____ Date______________
Imagine that you are the proud owner of Nursery Plant Production, a small nursery in the
town of Looloo, Georgia. Using the space below write about your typical day of work as
the owner of a nursery. Include the types of plants you sell, the tools you use, and the
types of equipment you work with.
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
Georgia Middle School Agricultural Education Curriculum, Unit 10 Lesson 4
Updated May 2004
4
ACADEMIC CONNECTIONS
Mathematics
Middle School Connections in Agriculture Education
Mathematics QCC: Grade 6- 1, 21
7- 1, 25
8- 1, 28
1.
63 feet
63 feet
3.
d= 20
feet
81 feet
The height from the base of the triangle
to the top of the triangle is 53 feet.
Calculate the area of the triangle.
a. _________ sq ft
How many yards would you need to
cover this area? (Hint: 9 sq ft = 1 sq yd)
The figure above is a small island in the
yard of a homeowner. The homeowner
would like to place pansies in the island.
Calculate the area of the island so the
homeowner will know how many
pansies to purchase. (Hint: r= ½ of the
diameter and A=3.14*r*r)
b. ________sq yd
_______ sq ft
_____________________
2.
4.
632 feet
1113 feet
Suppose the shape above is a small
pasture beside a greenhouse. The nursery
owner wants to plant small trees on this
land. Calculate the area of the pasture.
The shape above is the outline a
flowerbed of a homeowner. The
homeowner wants to put railroad ties
around the flowerbed. If each side of the
bed is 5 feet, calculate the perimeter of
the octagonal flowerbed.
___________sq ft
Georgia Middle School Agricultural Education Curriculum, Unit 10 Lesson 4
Updated May 2004
5
_______ ft
Georgia Middle School Agricultural Education Curriculum, Unit 10 Lesson 4
Updated May 2004
6
Answers:
1. a. 5103 sq. ft.
b. 567 sq. yd.
2. 703,416 sq. ft.
3. 314 sq. ft.
4. 40 ft.
Georgia Middle School Agricultural Education Curriculum, Unit 10 Lesson 4
Updated May 2004
7
ACADEMIC CONNECTIONS
Science
Middle School Connections in Agriculture Education
Science QCC: Grade 6- 1
7- 1, 9, 19
8- 1
Name____________________________________ Period____ Date______________
Ceremonial Black Tea
How the Indians Used a Common Shrub
The Indian medicine man took the simmering pot from its perch over the fire, pressed
back the leaves cooking in the pot of water with a forked stick and poured the ceremonial
black tea into a large bowl. After taking a long drink, he nodded approvingly and passed
the bowl along to the chief and the tribal council members seated in a circle. Each
council member was sitting in a hard-packed clay seat molded into the ground to fit the
human butt perfectly. Directly in front of each council member was a large pottery bowl.
The smoke and smell of the drink hung heavy in the lodge. The Indians drank the tea and
contemplated tribal matters to be discussed until all the tea was consumed. Suddenly,
one by one, each council member became sick to his stomach. It was a bad scene in the
lodge for a while!
The plant this ceremonial tea was made from is native to the Southeast from Florida to
Oklahoma, and throughout the southern part of Georgia. Selected varieties of it are
grown in all sections of Georgia as an ornamental plant, either in compact form, tree form
or weeping form.
The small dark green leaves had a special purpose for native American Indians. Southern
Indians made a strong dark tea from the leaves, much as the tea you have with your meals
is made. But this tea caused vomiting.
Ask students if they know what plant the Indians used for this tea. (Hint: it is a
member of the holly family and its species has the word vomit in the name.) Explain:
The plant is Ilex vomitoria, common name Yaupon Holly.
Ask students why they think the Indians would purposely drink something that would
make them sick to their stomachs? Explain.
The tea was used to cleanse the body -- not the outside but the inside. Before important
decisions were made, tribal leaders drank ceremonial black tea made from this plant.
After the council members called ralph -- spewed -- vomited for a while, the insides of
their bodies were cleansed of any evil spirits that might influence them in making the
wrong decision on tribal matters. Now you know what the pottery bowls were for!
Georgia Middle School Agricultural Education Curriculum, Unit 10 Lesson 4
Updated May 2004
8
SUMMARY
Students will learn what a nursery is, what types of material are used in a nursery and
the difference between sexual and asexual propagation.
Evaluation
Written Quiz
Georgia Middle School Agricultural Education Curriculum, Unit 10 Lesson 4
Updated May 2004
9
Handout #1:Dead
Cows Establish Nursery Industry
"It's an ill wind indeed that does not bring good fortune to
someone"
-Author unknown
Serendipity: finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for
-Webster
This is a serendipitous story of how several dead cows helped establish the nursery
industry in McMinnville, Tennessee. This small, rural town in middle Tennessee has
grown to be the Nursery Capital of the World.
John Henry Harrison Boyd and some of his neighbors probably did not
see anything positive about finding several of their cows dead back in
1887. They were puzzled over the cows' mysterious deaths and
enlisted the help of some scientists in New York. The scientists
discovered that a blockage in the cows' small intestines caused by the
seeds of the mountain allspice (see Figure 1) plant killed the cows.
The scientists were hooked. They wanted to know more about this
seed and paid Boyd five dollars to collect a bushel full of seeds.
Then the farmers were hooked. They had discovered another way to make money. After
they sold that first bushel of seeds to the scientists, they knew they had a potential
business on their hands. They did not know how big that business would become though.
The farmers advertised their product in The Farm Journal. Their business expanded and
eventually grew worldwide to include countries such as Germany, England, France, and
Japan. The group of farmers even sold one million trees to George Vanderbilt for the
Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC.
After the business began to thrive, Boyd moved from Cagle to McMinnville because of
the greater availability of the native plants and seeds. Since Boyd found his dead cows
that fateful day, McMinnville has become a booming area for nursery production. The
town is home to hundreds of plant nurseries, most of which are wholesale nurseries. The
businesses ship their plants all over the world to other wholesalers, retailers, mail order
companies and government agencies. The Boyd name lives on over a century later as
many of his descendants operate nurseries in the area.
According to nursery growers, the conditions in this part of Tennessee are ideal because
of the soils and temperatures. Producers grow a large quantity and wide variety of plants
that can accommodate the needs of both Northerners and Southerners. It is a good bet
Georgia Middle School Agricultural Education Curriculum, Unit 10 Lesson 4
Updated May 2004
10
that many of the ornamental shrubs and trees in your town came from a McMinnville
nursery.
The nursery business has changed since it first began. It
is not longer a small-time agricultural business but a
thriving industry. It has grown into one of Tennessee's
top agricultural industries. And it all got started with
some dead cows. Additional information regarding the
establishment of the nursery industry in McMinnville,
TN can be found www.warrentn.com/intro.htm.
________________________________________________________________________
Ask students if they know what is the scientific name for the mountain allspice?
Explain…
Calycanthus Floridus. The plant is also commonly referred to as the Carolina Allspice or
Sweet Shrub. It is known best as Sweet Shrub and grown all over Georgia as an
ornamental shrub.
What is serendipitous?
Serendipitous is finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for.
How did Boyd turn a bad experience into a positive one?
Boyd and his neighbors realized there was a potential for profit after their first sell. They
marketed their product by advertising in the farm journal, which "got the word out" about
their product.
Why is the McMinnville area an optimal site for nursery growing?
Plants grow well because the area has fertile soil, abundant rain and sunshine. The area is
easily accessible to most of the United States, and approximately 76% of the U.S.
population can be reached within 48 hours.
Most of the nurseries in the McMinnville area are ornamental nurseries. What does
the term "ornamental plants" mean?
Ornamental plants are those that are grown strictly for their beauty.
Georgia Middle School Agricultural Education Curriculum, Unit 10 Lesson 4
Updated May 2004
11
Handout #2
JUNIOR NURSERY/LANDSCAPE
101. Abelia, Glossy / Abelia grandiflora
102. Ajuga (Carpet Bugle) / Ajuga reptans
103. Aucuba, Japanese / Aucuba japonica
104. Azalea, Indica / Rhododendron indicum cv.s
105. Azalea, Kurume / Rhododendron obtusum cv.s
106. Barberry, Japanese / Berberis thunbergii
107. Bermuda, Hybrid / Cynodon ‘Hybrida’
108. Birch, River / Betula nigra
109. Boxwood / Buxus species
110.Bradford Pear / Pyrus calleryana ‘Bradford’
111.Butterfly bush /Buddleia davidea
112.Camellia / Camellia japonica tulipifera
113.Centipede / Ermochloa ophiuroides
114.Cleyera, Japanese / Cleyera japonica
115.Crape Myrtle / Lagerstroemia indica
116.Cypress, Leyland / Cupressocyparis leylandii
117.Daylily / Hemerocallis species
118.Dogwood, Flowering / Cornus florida
119.Forsythia, Border / Forsythia intermedia
120.Gardenia, Cape Jasmine / Gardenia jasminoides
121.Ginkgo / Ginkgo biloba
122.Hawthorn, Indian / Raphiolepis
123.Holly, Chinese / Ilex cornuta
124.Holly, Carissa / Ilex cornuta ‘Carissa’
125.Holly, Dwarf Yaupon / Ilex vomitoria ‘Nana’
126.Holly, Dwarf Burford / Ilex cornuta ‘Burfordii’
127.Hosta / Hosta x hydrida cv.
128.Ivy, English / Hedera helix
129.Juniper, Blue Rug / Juniperus horizontalis ‘Wiltoni’
130.Juniper, Andorra / Juniperus horizontalis ‘Plumosa’ cv.s
131.Liriope / Liriope muscari cv.s
132.Magnolia, Southern / Magnolia grandiflora
133.Mahonia, Leatherleaf / Mahonia bealei
134.Maple, Red / Acer rubrum
135.Maple, Japanese / Acer palmatum
136.Mondo Grass / Ophiopogon japonicus
137.Nandina, Dwarf / Nandina domestica (dwarf cv.s)
138.Oak, Live / Quercus virginiana
139.Pine, Loblolly / Pinus taeda
140.Pine, Eastern White / Pinus strobus
141.Poplar, Yellow (tuliptree) / Liriodendron
142.Privet Hedge, Varigated / Ligustrum sinense
143.Pyracantha / Pyracantha coccinea
144.Redbud, Eastern / Cercis canadensis
145.Rose, Hybrid Tea / Rosa x cv.s
146.Sweet Gum / Liquidambar styraciflua
147.Willow, Weeping / Salix babylonica
148.Yew, Plum / Cephlotaxus harringtonia cv.
149.Yucca (Adams Needle) / Yucca species
150.Zoysia, Emerald / Zoysia (Emerald Strain)
Georgia Middle School Agricultural Education Curriculum, Unit 10 Lesson 4
Updated May 2004
12
(Revised July 2002)
Junior Floriculture
101. African Violet / Saintpaulia ionantha
102. Ageratum / Ageratum mexicanum
103. Aluminum Plant / Pilea cadierei
104. Amaryllis / Hippeastrum hybrids
105. Azalea / Rhododendron
106. Baby’s Breath / Gypsophila elegans
107. Benjamin Fig / Ficus benjamina ‘Exotica’
108. Boston Fern / Nephrolepis exaltata
109. Cabbage / Brassica oleracea ‘Capitata group’
110. Carnation / Dianthus caryophyllus
111. Coleus / Coleus x hybridus
112. Corn Plant Dracaena / Dracaena fragrans ‘Massangeana’
113. Cymbidium Orchid / Cymbidium cv.s
114. Daffodil / Narcissus pseudo-narcissus
115. Dumbcane / Dieffenbachia species
116. Dusty Miller / Senecio cineraria
117.English Ivy / Hedera helix
118.Eucalyptus / Eucalyptus polyanthemos
119.Florist’s Chrysanthemum / Chrysanthemum x morifolium
120.Geranium / Pelargonium x hortorum
121.Gladiolus / Gladiolus species
122.Green Pepper / Capsicum species
123.Heartleaf Philodendron / Philodendron oxycardium
124.Hybrid Tea Rose / Rosa hybrid, Class Hybrid Tea
125.Hydrangea / Hydrangea macrophylla
126.Impatiens / Impatiens hybrids
127.Jade Plant / Crassula argentea
128.Leatherleaf Fern / Rumohra adiantiformis
129.Marigold / Tagetes species
130.Norfolk Island Pine / Araucaria heterophylla
131.Pansy / Viola x wittrockiana
132.Parlor Palm / Chamaedorea elegans
133.Peperomia / Peperomia obtusifolia
134.Petunia / Petunia x hybrida
135.Poinsettia / Euphorbia pulcherrima cv.s
136.Pothos / Epipremnum aurens
137.Red Edge Dracaena / Dracaena cincta
138.Rubber Plant / Ficus elastica
139.Salvia / Salvia splendens
140.Schefflera / Brassaia actinophylla
141.Snake Plant / Sansevieria trifasciata
142.Spider Plant / Chlorophytum commosum
143.Swedish Ivy / Plectranthus mummularis
144.Thanksgiving Cactus / Schlumbergia truncata
145.Tomato / Lycopersicon lycopersicum
146.Tulip / Tulipa cv.s
147.Verbena / Verbena spp.
148.Vinca (Periwinkle) / Catharanthus roseus
159.Wandering Jew /Zebrina pendula
150.Wax Begonia / Begonia x semperflorens
Georgia Middle School Agricultural Education Curriculum, Unit 10 Lesson 4
Updated May 2004
13