January 15, 2008
Eco-friendly containers for plant production and display
By Jen Llewellyn,
OMAFRA Nursery Crops Specialist
If you read GrowerTalks, there is a summary inside of the OFA Short Course and Trade Show. What caught my eye was a half-page showcase on eco-friendly products. The ornamental industry is ridiculed for its use of plastic film and plastic pots, which are manufactured using fossil fuels. As well, the decomposition process takes over hundreds of years to complete. Thanks to companies like ThinkPlastics of Stratford, Ont., plastic film is recycled into other products such as building materials. But recycling of plastic pots has been a greater challenge. Many of the pots end up in the landfill. In an effort to become more sustainable, manufacturing and horticultural businesses have spent many R&D dollars to find environmentally-friendly materials for the production and display of ornamental plants.
Bio Pots is a new product available from Bellan International of China (www.biopots.com). Made of bamboo, rice husks and straw, the pots are waterproof and available in different models for plant production and decoration. They are reported as biodegradable over time, but the amount of time is not disclosed. The company states that the pots will last about one year as a container in the outdoors (unused pots may last up to 10 years if stored indoors). Bio Pots are beginning to be available in North America.
The ‘Straw Pot’ (patent pending) is a new product available from Ivy Acres of Long Island, New York (www.ivyacres.com). Developed in partnership with a group in Sri Lanka, the new potting system is made from rice straw, coconut husks and natural latex adhesive. Ivy Acres states these straw pots may be planted by the end-user and are biodegrade over a period of three to six months in the soil. Currently the pots are being marketed across the U.S.
Ball Seed Company has been promoting the use of biodegradable, compostable pots through its Circle of Life program (www.ball.com). The pots are made from rice hulls and available exclusively from Summit Plastic Company (www.summitplastic.com) in partnership with Ball. It is not recommended to plant the pot unless it is broken up, to allow the plant’s roots to grow out. The pot may be composted alongside other plant refuse. It is expected to break down within one to five years. These rice hull pots look similar to clay pots. Drainage holes are at the bottom and available in many sizes from 3.5- to 6.5-in. (one gallon) with matching filling trays.
Coconut Bunny Products is another supplier of biodegradable products in North America (www.coconutbunnyproducts.com). The coir-based product line has several offerings for the horticultural industry, including coco rope (lasts two to three times longer than sisal), wire basket liners (lasting two to three times longer and non-chemically treated), tree weed mats and biodegradable pots. There is a warehouse in Mississauga and an Ontario-based sales team. These coir-based biodegradable pots are flexible and have many breathing pores within the fibre structure. They are available in one- to 15-gallon sizes, but the company says it will manufacture custom orders. CBP is also working on biodegradable pots for pot-in-pot production systems.
Yes, biodegradable pots are going to cost you two to four times the price of a plastic pot. And yes, they will require different management practices (e.g. water and long term performance) and take you a couple of growing seasons to figure out all their little quirks. When I got my sample of biodegradable pots, and I walked from the mailroom to the café, quite a few people stopped to ask me about the unusual pots I was holding. Once told the pots were biodegradable, people literally patted me on the back and told me how excited they were about the product. Mind you, I work within the Department of Environmental Biology and Plant Agriculture at the University of Guelph, so people around here are pretty keen on this kind of thing. But, they actually patted me on the back. Hmmm???
Placing live, dormant trees in 21oC for a few weeks, then chucking them out in the garage (or worse, outdoors when it’s -15oC) can have major impacts on the tree’s cold hardiness. Researchers from Michigan State University undertook a two-year investigation on the physiology and dormancy of trees exposed to indoor conditions. The purpose was to determine the optimal time spent indoors for the best chance of survival and quality after transplanting into the landscape. Three conifer species were used: Black Hills spruce (Picea glauca ‘Densata’), balsam fir (Abies balsamea) and Douglas fir () all 90-120 cm. However, the trees in the study were field-dug in the fall and then potted into a bark-peat medium (i.e. some of the fibrous roots were left behind in the field). As expected, length of stay indoors showed a tremendous effect on the tree’s ability to withstand post-Christmas freezing injury. Unfortunately, most or all of these field-dug trees did not survive transplanting in the spring after being held indoors for 20 days.
However, researchers reveal that they included pot-in-pot grown trees as a comparison to the field-dug trees to see how these trees fared after transplanting. The pot-in-pot trees exhibited 100 per cent transplant survival, even after 20 days indoors (although Black Hills spruce suffered some needle loss). Nursery growers, you can exhale now. This positive response isn’t too surprising, since 100 per cent of the fibrous roots would have been transplanted with the container grown tree. Traditional, above-ground container grown trees would likely have similar transplant success, assuming root health is good. Based on this work, it seems as though container-grown Christmas trees can be a long-term investment, provided they are handled properly. Fir does seem a better choice in terms of transplant survival and cold hardiness, but it isn’t always the most popular consumer choice. It would be interesting to see what the transplant survival is like for some of the container grown Colorado spruce (Picea pungens) and dwarf Alberta spruce (Picea glauca ‘Conica’) that were so popular in Ontario this past Christmas. Check out the full article in the Fall 2007 edition of the Great Lakes Christmas Tree Journal (Vol. 2, No. 4).
Jen Llewellyn can be reached at (519) 824-4120, ext. 52671 or by e-mail at jennifer.llewellyn@ontario.ca
OMAFRA Nursery Crops Specialist
If you read GrowerTalks, there is a summary inside of the OFA Short Course and Trade Show. What caught my eye was a half-page showcase on eco-friendly products. The ornamental industry is ridiculed for its use of plastic film and plastic pots, which are manufactured using fossil fuels. As well, the decomposition process takes over hundreds of years to complete. Thanks to companies like ThinkPlastics of Stratford, Ont., plastic film is recycled into other products such as building materials. But recycling of plastic pots has been a greater challenge. Many of the pots end up in the landfill. In an effort to become more sustainable, manufacturing and horticultural businesses have spent many R&D dollars to find environmentally-friendly materials for the production and display of ornamental plants.Bio Pots is a new product available from Bellan International of China (www.biopots.com). Made of bamboo, rice husks and straw, the pots are waterproof and available in different models for plant production and decoration. They are reported as biodegradable over time, but the amount of time is not disclosed. The company states that the pots will last about one year as a container in the outdoors (unused pots may last up to 10 years if stored indoors). Bio Pots are beginning to be available in North America.
The ‘Straw Pot’ (patent pending) is a new product available from Ivy Acres of Long Island, New York (www.ivyacres.com). Developed in partnership with a group in Sri Lanka, the new potting system is made from rice straw, coconut husks and natural latex adhesive. Ivy Acres states these straw pots may be planted by the end-user and are biodegrade over a period of three to six months in the soil. Currently the pots are being marketed across the U.S.
Ball Seed Company has been promoting the use of biodegradable, compostable pots through its Circle of Life program (www.ball.com). The pots are made from rice hulls and available exclusively from Summit Plastic Company (www.summitplastic.com) in partnership with Ball. It is not recommended to plant the pot unless it is broken up, to allow the plant’s roots to grow out. The pot may be composted alongside other plant refuse. It is expected to break down within one to five years. These rice hull pots look similar to clay pots. Drainage holes are at the bottom and available in many sizes from 3.5- to 6.5-in. (one gallon) with matching filling trays.
Coconut Bunny Products is another supplier of biodegradable products in North America (www.coconutbunnyproducts.com). The coir-based product line has several offerings for the horticultural industry, including coco rope (lasts two to three times longer than sisal), wire basket liners (lasting two to three times longer and non-chemically treated), tree weed mats and biodegradable pots. There is a warehouse in Mississauga and an Ontario-based sales team. These coir-based biodegradable pots are flexible and have many breathing pores within the fibre structure. They are available in one- to 15-gallon sizes, but the company says it will manufacture custom orders. CBP is also working on biodegradable pots for pot-in-pot production systems.
Yes, biodegradable pots are going to cost you two to four times the price of a plastic pot. And yes, they will require different management practices (e.g. water and long term performance) and take you a couple of growing seasons to figure out all their little quirks. When I got my sample of biodegradable pots, and I walked from the mailroom to the café, quite a few people stopped to ask me about the unusual pots I was holding. Once told the pots were biodegradable, people literally patted me on the back and told me how excited they were about the product. Mind you, I work within the Department of Environmental Biology and Plant Agriculture at the University of Guelph, so people around here are pretty keen on this kind of thing. But, they actually patted me on the back. Hmmm???
Containerized trees for the holidays…and beyond?
The trend towards purchasing live, containerized (or natural) Christmas trees in the northeast has really skyrocketed. Look at any garden centre or big box store in November and December, and you’ll see an array of potted conifers with big red bows on them. Both nursery and Christmas tree growers produce containerized conifers on ground beds and in pot-in-pot systems for this attractive niche market. I guess the idea of cutting down trees for ephemeral holiday decorations is just not as appealing as it used to be, especially in our eco-conscious society. Although, one could argue that a seven to nine year-old stand of Christmas trees can be a significant sink for carbon dioxide in its lifespan. Perhaps I should stick to my original title. Containerized Christmas trees as a Christmas decoration are meant to be planted in the landscape come spring. Aside from the pot, there is no waste. But, is the giving and getting a natural tree a gift for a lifetime?Placing live, dormant trees in 21oC for a few weeks, then chucking them out in the garage (or worse, outdoors when it’s -15oC) can have major impacts on the tree’s cold hardiness. Researchers from Michigan State University undertook a two-year investigation on the physiology and dormancy of trees exposed to indoor conditions. The purpose was to determine the optimal time spent indoors for the best chance of survival and quality after transplanting into the landscape. Three conifer species were used: Black Hills spruce (Picea glauca ‘Densata’), balsam fir (Abies balsamea) and Douglas fir () all 90-120 cm. However, the trees in the study were field-dug in the fall and then potted into a bark-peat medium (i.e. some of the fibrous roots were left behind in the field). As expected, length of stay indoors showed a tremendous effect on the tree’s ability to withstand post-Christmas freezing injury. Unfortunately, most or all of these field-dug trees did not survive transplanting in the spring after being held indoors for 20 days.
However, researchers reveal that they included pot-in-pot grown trees as a comparison to the field-dug trees to see how these trees fared after transplanting. The pot-in-pot trees exhibited 100 per cent transplant survival, even after 20 days indoors (although Black Hills spruce suffered some needle loss). Nursery growers, you can exhale now. This positive response isn’t too surprising, since 100 per cent of the fibrous roots would have been transplanted with the container grown tree. Traditional, above-ground container grown trees would likely have similar transplant success, assuming root health is good. Based on this work, it seems as though container-grown Christmas trees can be a long-term investment, provided they are handled properly. Fir does seem a better choice in terms of transplant survival and cold hardiness, but it isn’t always the most popular consumer choice. It would be interesting to see what the transplant survival is like for some of the container grown Colorado spruce (Picea pungens) and dwarf Alberta spruce (Picea glauca ‘Conica’) that were so popular in Ontario this past Christmas. Check out the full article in the Fall 2007 edition of the Great Lakes Christmas Tree Journal (Vol. 2, No. 4).
Jen Llewellyn can be reached at (519) 824-4120, ext. 52671 or by e-mail at jennifer.llewellyn@ontario.ca