4 Nursery Machines built specially for nursery container growers
Here are 4 examples and some info to learn a little bit about the different nursery machines that are built specifically for nursery growers:
Potting Machines
Potting machines have been for a very long time and have provided numerous growers with efficiency improvements. They come in many sizes to fit the needs of any size grower. The primary purpose of this nursery machine is to fill containers with soil for growing plants. They typically have a hopper to hold material and a means to dispense the material over the top of a container, tray or flat.
Potting Machine
Soil Mixers
Soil Mixers are a popular nursery machine that is used to uniformly blend multiple growing media ingredients to create a consistent mixture that provides beneficial growing characteristics. Often, a grower has specific needs and desires for their growing media or soil and a specialized mixture may not be available locally. They may have some local suppliers that can provide some of the ingredients but not all. If a grower is looking for a special blend, they will either need to purchase this blend from a distributor that can blend material and deliver, or they will have to buy the ingredients individually and mix the soil onsite. This is where a soil mixer is used. These machines have hoppers that are sized to mix the quantities that the grower is looking for. You can put in the required materials and then mix a batch of a custom blended media. A soil mixer can either be designed to mix batches of material or as a continuous mixing system.
Soil Mixer
Container Forks
Container forks are used to eliminate the repetition of moving a single container from a wagon to the ground or vice versa. A fork system combined with a forklift allow for a grower to move many plants at the same time, increasing speed and efficiency as well as placing the plants on the ground uniformly.
Tracking Wagons
Tracking wagons are an integral part of a plant nursery. They provide the ability for a person to build a train of wagons that can navigate an often-narrow nursery driving lane. You can hook multiple tracking wagons together and they will all follow the same tire path as the tractor or side by side drives through the nursery.
What does a potting machine do?
Potting machines are used in both greenhouses and nurseries, and they mechanize the filling of containers for potting plants. There are many different types ranging from filling up buildings to sitting in the corner of a greenhouse. Some machines are built to be portable and are towed around with a tractor. Others are integrated into a building and use conveyors to feed material in. In addition to filling, a machine can also drill a hole for planting or add fertilizer automatically. Some potting machines can recycle material back into the hopper for reuse while others may only dump material. A potting machine is one of the critical pieces of equipment used in the growing of plants.
What does a soil dispenser do?
A soil dispenser is like a potting machine but can also be used to fill bags of material. These machines are more versatile but often don’t include the soil return mechanisms seen in potting machines. They also may not have a specially designed area for pots to be placed on.
What is a nursery pot filler?
A nursery pot filler is used in both greenhouses and nurseries, and they mechanize the filling of containers for potting plants. There are many different types ranging from filling up buildings to sitting in the corner of a greenhouse. Some machines are built to be portable and are towed around with a tractor. Others are integrated into a building and use conveyors to feed material in. In addition to filling, a machine can also drill a hole for planting or add fertilizer automatically. Some potting machines can recycle material back into the hopper for reuse while others may only dump material. A potting machine is one of the critical pieces of equipment used in the growing of plants.
What to look for in a Greenhouse Flat Filler for sale?
A greenhouse flat filler is a special adaptation of a traditional potting machine. A flat filler will use a potting machine that lifts growing media up and drops it into a container and it then incorporates additional special steps utilizing components like conveyors, scraping bars, brushes, and rollers to level the material and ultimately create a uniformly filled rectangular tray. Uniform tray filling is key to a quality flat filler. Here’s a link to some more info on selecting a tray filler: https://www.greenhousemag.com/article/tech-solutions-selecting-a-tray-filler/