Greenhouse Operations Management: The Greenhouse Business Notes

Greenhouse Operations Management: The Greenhouse Business 3 Price 4 GOM6.6 Promotion What is the value of the product/service to the buyer? Where and when can you market to your customers? Are there established price points for the area? Will you use PR, TV, radio, print advertisements, web, etc.? Is the customer price sensitive? When is the best time to promote? Is your product seasonal? Do you have seasonal promotions? What discounts should/could be offered? How do prices compare to competitors? How do competitors do their promotions? Additional Notes: Greenhouse Operations Management GOM6 Managing the Greenhouse Business

Greenhouse Operations Management: The Greenhouse Business GOM6.7 Marketing & Managing Read the following information about caring for commercial plants after and during marketing. Highlight, underline, or circle any key information which stand out to you. After harvest, commercial crops require special care to ensure their ability to withstand stress and survive longer. Maintaining moisture is essential. The relative humidity must be kept at optimal levels. To offset water depletion during refrigeration, the storage area must be humidified. Keeping harvested plants away from direct heat and sunlight also protects them from moisture loss. Excessive heat harms the roots and leaves and dries out the growing media. Regulating the respiration rate affects how well plants survive after harvest and during shipping. As the plants’ food supply diminishes during respiration, crops deteriorate. Because high temperatures raise respiration, plants must be kept cool to reduce respiration, inhibit wilting, slow down metabolism, and hinder growth of mold and bacteria. Cool temperatures also lessen the production of ethylene, which is a gas that hastens ripening. Air circulation lowers temperature and reduces ethylene concentration. To stay fresh, cut flowers must build up their strength with enough carbohydrates. The greenhouse owner can maintain the quality of this crop by supplying the right amount of light and cutting the plants late in the day. The “vase life” of cut flowers is compromised if the following circumstances occur: the stems are blocked and cannot absorb water, excessive moisture escapes from the flowers, or respiration is suppressed because of insufficient carbohydrates. To extend the vase life of cut flowers, several commercial preservatives are available that consist of carbohydrates, bactericide, and an acidifier. The salesperson usually attaches a complimentary package of the floral preservative when a customer purchases a bouquet of cut flowers. Foliage, potted flowering plants, and bedding and garden plants also need sufficient amounts of carbohydrates to sustain their strength. To increase plants’ shelf life, the greenhouse owner lowers the temperature, reduces the amount of water, and decreases the amount of nutrients. Green plants receive less light. These procedures “harden” the plants, enabling them to adjust to new environments outside the protection of the greenhouse. All crops should be handled gently and not touched more than necessary. Putting plants in protective containers with the appropriate amount of growing media keeps them secure. When loading plants onto trucks/vans for shipping, they should be secured in boxes and pallets. During marketing, the storage and display areas should be kept cool. Every plant has a specific temperature at which its foliage, size, and overall condition remain optimal. But for every 18o F increase above that temperature, quality deteriorates. Plants also need the correct amount of light and shade. If bedding plants are kept out of direct sun, the flowers maintain color and moisture is maintained. Only very small amounts of fertilizer are needed, if any. Watering is required only when crops exhibit stress. Placing plants on benches promotes air circulation, keeps them dry, and prevents soilborne diseases. And customers appreciate having easy access to elevated plants. Finally, a clean marketing area is not only conducive to pleasant shopping, it also limits ethylene production that results from decaying plants. Greenhouse Operations Management GOM6 Managing the Greenhouse Business

GOM6.8 Greenhouse Operations Management: The Greenhouse Business Plant Care After Harvest and During Marketing The list below shows four floriculture crops produced in Missouri, including popular plants for each type. Select two different crops, then, choose one plant from each category. For example, you could choose Cut Flowers as Crop #1, then daffodils as the plant. Write your two crop types and plants at the top of the table. Use the internet, books, and other reliable sources to fill in information about that plant’s “after harvest care” and “marketing care.” Floriculture Crops in Missouri Foliage Crop Potted Flowering Crop Bedding/Garden Crop Cut Flower Crop Chrysanthemums Potted foliage African violets Geraniums Daffodils Hanging baskets Azaleas Hardy chrysanthemums Narcissus Chrysanthemums Impatiens Gladioli Easter lilies New Guinea impatiens Iris Poinsettias Petunias Roses Potted cyclamens Vegetable flats Snapdragons Potted kalanchoes Crop #2: Plant: Marketing Care After Harvest Care Crop #1: Plant: Greenhouse Operations Management GOM6 Managing the Greenhouse Business

Greenhouse Operations Management: The Greenhouse Business GOM6.9 Fun Times Greenhouse Plant Sale Evaluation Develop a plan for creating a plant sale for your local school using the given scenario. Scenario: You oversee a retail greenhouse in Missouri that has been in business for 4 years. Your staff includes a grower, three growing assistants, a production specialist, a greenhouse service technician, and a marketing manager. You want to start cultivating three to four new crops. The greenhouse has 14,000 sq ft of bench space. Since your operation began, a wholesale garden center and a landscaping business sales are booming. Your community is growing as well. The housing market is flourishing and employment, representing diverse sectors, is at an all-time high. You will have a budget of 1500.00 to spend on these new crops. Select plants that are suitable for your greenhouse situation o Use information covered in GOM5, specifically GOM5.1 and GOM5.2 Ensure that a local company sells the products needed to grow plants Calculate how much it would cost to create this type of plant sale Calculate how much bench space (measured in square feet weeks) is required to plant your greenhouse Develop a growing schedule for the plants selected Create marketing scheme to attract customers to your plant sale Include post-harvest care instructions for each plant Present your project to the class as a marketing plan; address the students as the targeted customers - presentation can be with posters, power point, etc Greenhouse Operations Management GOM6 Managing the Greenhouse Business

Greenhouse Operations Management: The Greenhouse Business GOM6.9 4 pts 3 pts 2 pts Plants Selection All plants selected are appropriate for the greenhouse situation assigned 2-3 plants selected are not appropriate for the greenhouse situation assigned 4-7 plants selected are not appropriate for the greenhouse situation assigned Cost Calculation Students stayed in budget and used money appropriately. Students went over budget by 25 Students went over budget by 50 Students went over budget by 100 or more Bench Space Students selected acceptable plants for space provided. Students went over space constraints by 10 or more Students went over space constraints by 30 or more Students went over space constraints by more than 50 Growing Schedule* Fun Times Greenhouse Plant Sale Evaluation 1 pt 7 or more plants selected are not appropriate for the greenhouse situation assigned Growing Schedule has all required elements Growing Schedule is missing 2-3 required elements Growing Schedule is missing 4-5 required elements Growing Schedule is missing 5 or more required elements Customer Interest Techniques 2-3 plants selected are not appropriate for the greenhouse situation assigned 4-7 plants selected are not appropriate for the greenhouse situation assigned 7 or more plants selected are not appropriate for the greenhouse situation assigned Includes post-harvest care 3-4 crops selected Includes postharvest care for 2-3 of selected crops Includes postharvest care for 2 of selected crops Includes postharvest care for 1 of selected crops Contains 4-7 grammatical errors, explains greenhouse situation, Explains the growth plan, Explains the marketing plan of the greenhouse Contains more than 7 grammatical errors, explains greenhouse situation, Explains the growth plan, Explains the marketing plan of the greenhouse Project Presentation All plants selected are appropriate for the greenhouse situation assigned (from GOM5.1 and GOM5.2) Post-Harvest Care Instructions *(e.g., Cultural Practices, Environmental Conditions, Record Managing, Crop Rotation, Planting Notes) Includes proper contains 2-3 punctuation, grammatical errors, Grammar, and explains greenhouse spelling, explains situation, Explains greenhouse situation, the growth plan, Explains the growth Explains the plan, Explains the marketing plan of marketing plan of the the greenhouse greenhouse. Total / 28 Comments: Greenhouse Operations Management GOM6 Managing the Greenhouse Business

Greenhouse Operations Management: The Greenhouse Business GOM6.10 Managing the Greenhouse Business Evaluation Matching: 1. Match the following descriptions with the correct customer type. A. Wholesaler’s Customer B. Retailer’s Customer a) Purchase assorted crops and supplies year-long b) like to browse in store c) Do not need sales personnel, displays, or advertising Short Answer: 2. What are two basic questions asked while conducting market research? 3. What are three reasons that bedding/garden plants are often selected as commercial crops in Missouri? 4. What are four cultural practices included in a growing schedule? Greenhouse Operations Management GOM6 Managing the Greenhouse Business

Greenhouse Operations Management: The Greenhouse Business GOM6.10 5. What are three techniques for attracting customers? 6. Why is budget important? 7. Name 2 Parts of the marketing plan. Greenhouse Operations Management GOM6 Managing the Greenhouse Business

Greenhouse Operations Management: The Greenhouse Business GOM6.10 KEY Managing the Greenhouse Business Evaluation Matching: 1. Match the following descriptions with the correct customer type. B. Wholesaler’s Customer B. Retailer’s Customer A a) Purchase assorted crops and supplies year-long B b) like to browse in store A c) Do not need sales personnel, displays, or advertising Short Answer: 2. What are two basic questions asked while conducting market research? Can the market support multiple greenhouse operations? What does the competitor offer that is the same or different? 3. What are three reasons that bedding/garden plants are often selected as commercial crops in Missouri? Easy to grow Grow quickly High Profitability 4. What are four cultural practices included in a growing schedule? Answers may include any four of the following: Planting Fertilization Irrigation Application of pesticides Propagation Aeration Drainagem Day-Length Harvest Post-Harvest Greenhouse Operations Management GOM6 Managing the Greenhouse Business

Greenhouse Operations Management: The Greenhouse Business GOM6.10 KEY 5. What are three techniques for attracting customers? Advertising, Displays in greenhouse, competitive pricing 6. Why is budget important? Allows businesses to set and track goals in regards to revenue and profitability of an operation. 7. Name 2 Parts of the marketing plan. Answers may include any two of the following: Demographics of the area Competition in area Advertising Displays in greenhouse Competitive Pricing Greenhouse Operations Management GOM6 Managing the Greenhouse Business

Greenhouse Operations Management GOM6 Managing the Greenhouse Business Greenhouse Operations Management: The Greenhouse Business GOM6.2 Greenhouse Growing Schedule Make notes around the growing schedule to help you remember what each piece means and why it is important. Plant Name/ Description Container Location Planting Notes