Basic Stock Procedure

1. Basic Stock Control
Procedures
AgriCrop Q4 Week 1 LAS No. 1

2. Beginning a Garden
Site is right
Follow the sun
Stay close to water
Start with great soil
Consider containers

3. Choose the right plants
Discover your zones
Add some mulch
Feed plants regularly

4. Garden Stocks/Supplies
 Soil - This is a very common easily available and cheaper
medium used in the nursery.
- It contains both organic and inorganic matter.
- The organic parts are the residues of living and dead parts
of plants, animals, and microbes.
-The liquid part of the soil is the solution containing water,
dissolved minerals as well as oxygen.
 Sand - It is the result of weathering effect on parent rocks.
- The usual size of sand is from 0.05 to 2.0 mm.
- Sand is generally used in plant propagation media.
- Sand is used in plastering and is very much suitable for
rooting cuttings.

5.  Peat - This consists of the residues from a marsh swamp.
- Vegetative peat moss is available but should be broken into
fine parts before use in mixtures or as media.
- It contains some organic nitrogen and is favorable for newly
rooted cuttings.
 Sphagnum moss - It is the dehydrated remains of acid hog plants
and has three genera, growing naturally in damp humid forest
lands.
- It is relatively sterile, light in weight, and has a very high
water holding capacity.
- Normally, it absorbs and holds water 20 times to its weight.

7.  Vermiculite - This is the micaceous or crumb mineral that
expands significantly when heated.
- Chemically it is hydrated magnesium, aluminum, iron,
silicate.
- When expanded it is very light in weight.
- It is neutral in reaction and has good buffering properties.
- It is insoluble i water.
- Vermiculite is available in 3Grades:
Grade No. 1 - the Horticultural
Grade No. 2 - used for rooting
Grade No. 3 - for seed germination.
 Perlite - This is gray-white material having volcanic origin.
- It is neutral. It has no buffering reaction and contains no
mineral nutrients.

9.  Leaf mold - It is prepared by using fallen leaves of various tree
species available locally, eg, Ficus, Ipil-ipil, Madre de cacao,
etc.
- it is prepared by stacking a few layers of leaves then
covering them with a thin layer of soil and cow or chicken dung.
- Some live culture of decomposing organisms such as
bokashi is added to hasten the process of decomposition.
- The medium is ready or use after about 12 to 18 months of
decomposition.
 Saw dust - It is a byproduct or waste material from sawmills.
- The quantity and quality depend on the parent wood
material.
- Wood shavings contain raisin that is not good used as
rooting media.

11.  Grain husk - Several types of husks are available; paddy
husk is one of the important wastages from rice mills.
- is light in weight and cheaply available.
- It is suitable for mixing with other types of media.
 Coco peat - Coco peat, cow dung is also used as media.
- A mixture of a few media is always preferred and used
in commercial nurseries.
- Many times, the soil is one of the main parts of
mixtures.
- Media must be selected based on the availability,
cost, ease in handling
- The media should be procured and stored.

13. There are other materials such as:
earthen pots
black polyethylene bags
plastic pots
trays (undivided or with built-in cells).

14. Preparing stock control procedure

15. Harmful wastes in the nursery:
 materials that could pollute the nursery soil or the water
supply;
 broken glass, thorns, or spines, which can cause cuts and
infections if they get into the potting mix or the nursery
topsoil;
 weeds that have ripening fruits or persistent underground
organs;
 plants and soil that are contaminated with spores carrying
diseases, or with the eggs or resting stages of insect pests; or
 water that contains a lot of nutrients and is full of bacteria
or algae.

16. Maintenance of stockpile materials
 locate stockpiles away from drainage
 minimize the number and size of stockpiles
 build the stockpile with no slope greater than 2:1
(horizontal to vertical)
 provide suitably enclosed storage areas for stockpiled
material such as a potting mix or enclose the potting mix
stockpile with silt fences or a drainage system that will
collect contaminated runoff, or do both
 avoid locating stockpiles close to waterways.

17. Best Practices
 Provide disinfectant footbaths or other decontamination
supplies (brushes and disinfectant sprayers) for
sanitizing footwear at all entrances to clean
areas. Footwear, including grooves insoles, should be
free of visible soil and debris before entering clean
areas.
 Items (including workers’ gloves or hands) that have
been in contact with the ground or other potentially
contaminated surfaces or materials must be sanitized
before being placed in contact with clean plant
materials, pots, soil, or benches

18.  Do not insert unsensitized items in the plant
potting media (including your finger to check
moisture). If you need to probe into the pots of
multiple plants, use clean and sanitized tools,
implements, fingers, etc., as you move from plant
to plant.
 Clean and sanitize hands, surfaces, and
implements periodically when handling many
plants successively in operations such as
repotting. Clean and sanitize hands, gloves,
tools, etc., when switching between different
blocks of plants.

19.  Assign tools and equipment for exclusive use in
the clean production area. Heat-treated potting
media should also have dedicated clean
tools. Provide clean storage areas where tools
can be stored off the ground and away from
splashing water. Tools and equipment should be
stored clean and sanitized before use.
 Avoid unnecessary handling, rearranging, and
moving of plants. Handling increases the chances
of contamination. Rearranging plants can obscure
patterns that might indicate a disease or pest
problem and can also increase the chances for
spread by giving infected plants new sets of
neighbors.

20.  Do not place container stock on the ground or
unsanitized surfaces at any point. Plants that are
potentially contaminated through improper
handling should be discarded or moved to a
quarantine area and not left in clean areas. It is
better to lose one plant than to risk contaminating
an entire block.
 Place plants and other clean items only on clean or
sanitized surfaces if it is necessary to move
them. Clean intact sheets of plastic or paper may
be used as a clean working surface
 Clean and sanitize benches before placing a
different set of plants or other clean items on
them.

21.  Remove suspected diseased plants as soon as
problems are seen. Transfer to a quarantine area for
testing. Note the locations on the bench by leaving
empty spots and make notes indicating the date,
symptoms, and test results. Monitor and test
adjacent plants as appropriate
 Promptly dispose of culls and disposable
contaminated materials by placing them in a closed
waste container. Do not maintain containers of
contaminated waste or culls in the clean area. After
use, take them to the waste disposal area and clean
and sanitize the container before bringing it back to
the clean area. Alternatively, use disposable bags for
waste collection, seal, and take directly to the waste
disposal area.

22.  Maintain general cleanliness in the nursery
by removing plant debris and spilled
potting media. Avoid creating dust and
splash when cleaning.