Bud wood Block

Mother plant block: It is the real asset of a nursery, which forms a permanent block of different kinds of plants material for further multiplication and perpetuation by different methods of sexual and vegetative propagation. These plants are strictly true to the type and variety, healthy free from diseases, properly labeled, indicating botanical name, and family, local name etc. for proper identification. 40-50% of the total nursery area should be kept reserved under mother plants, which can be considerable minimized by judicious planting. This block can be used as natural conservatory.

Boundary wall/fence: About 2 m high brick wall or angle iron with barbed wire orornamental railing should be provided all round the nursery area, to check trespassing and pilferage besides protecting a garden. Another cheap alternative is live fence planting with the thorny plants like bougainvillea, karonda, opuntia, cactus, Edward rose, etc.

Propagation beds/seed beds: Some area is earmarked for seed beds where seed of different kind may be sown throughout the year to raise the seedlings. Beds should be in semi shade area to protect the tender seedlings from scorching heat. Beds may be covered by sarkanda, polythene sheet sand green shade nets, if required. A suitable sowing medium may be filled to depth of 1’ or 2’which should be replaced in each season. Best sowing medium is a mixture of good soil and leaf mould or peat moss. Now a day’s many sowing media are available in market with different trade names. There should be adequate shade near these seed beds, under which newly transplanted seedlings can be put for hardening. There will be a very high rate of mortality if newly transplanted seedlings are put directly in the sun. Ensure proper drainage in these propagation beds.

Transplanting beds: The plant raised by seed or by the other vegetative methods like cuttage, graft age should not be allowed to remain at one place in ground for long time, therefore, go on shifting, transplanting time to time to avoid penetration of root deep in the soil or root bound situation.

Potting and repotting areas:  Sheds in form of sunshade should be covered from top and open from sides to harden the tender pot plants and protection in rainy season. There should be proper place of stacking empty pots and farmyard manures, fertilizers, etc.

Packing area: This area should be near to office to enable better supervision while packing the plants for dispatch. An open area and an underground water tank is a must, besides the adequate space for storing empty cartons, baskets and other packing materials.

Open shed: In each section, there should be one shed to provide the temporary shelter for staff, for hand carts, wheel barrows, other tools and implements etc.

Chick House/Shade House: This is the place where shade/partial shade loving plants are kept under the artificial cover whether square rectangular. A frame of G.I. pipe poles, angle iron poles, wooden poles is erected and sarkanda chicks are spread over this frame to provide the shade, hence it is known as the chick house. Now a day’s synthetic shade nets in black &green color of different shade & percentage (40-70%) are available in the market which can be used in place of sarkanda or reed chicks. Coconut ropes may also be used in place of sarkanda chicks.

Natural conservatory: This is again an area for keeping shade/partial shade created by planting permanent tree in rows, like Jamun/mulberry, mango, sesbania, etc. It is advised to have pucca floor, pucca paths and overhead irrigation system/sprinkler irrigation system in chick houses and natural conservatory area as the irrigation by hose pipes may cause considerable damage to delicate leaves of plants.