Contract growing trees offers a transformative solution for planting projects, it makes getting the right plants and the right number of plants easier. It ensures a consistent supply of high-quality plants and provides flexibility in species selection. Contract growing is the future of large planting projects. While it requires more foresight, admin and planning in the early stages of your project, it gives you access to benefits, like the choice of the type of plants you want to be grown, how many plants you want to be grown and the flexibility to choose when they need to be ready for planting.
Read on to find out how contract-growing assists planting projects by
- Securing the right amount of plants
- Receiving the plants when you need them.
- Flexible choices of plant species, pot types and growing media.
Secure the right plant numbers for your project:
Sourcing the right number of plants is essential for ensuring the success, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of planting projects.
Successful plant sourcing begins with a well-defined plan that allows you to accurately estimate the number of plants required based on project size, site conditions, and desired planting density. Having a plan not only allows for securing the right plant number for your project it means that we can develop a production schedule that aligns with your planting timeline. By proactively engaging with an experienced supplier and finalising your order well in advance, you mitigate the risk of supply chain disruptions and ensure a smooth and timely delivery of the plants you need.
Contract growing is a service offered by production plant nurseries to allow orders to be grown and secured for landscapers, forestry, revegetation and other uses. One of the main reasons our clients choose to contract to grow is so they have the right plants and the right number of plants they know will be ready by the date they want to plant them in the ground. Contracts can start years before the plants make it into the ground, as they take a year or more to grow large enough to plant out on sites. By securing contracts early clients can have confidence the right plant numbers for their project will be ready when they need them. Waiting until the last minute to place plant orders can lead to delays and potential shortages, especially for large-scale projects.
Making sure you get your plants on time:
One of the primary challenges in planting projects is sourcing plants on time, especially when large quantities are needed. Contract growing eliminates this concern by establishing a predetermined timeline for plant production and delivery. Contracts are often signed years before the plants are delivered because plants take time, usually over 1 year, to grow. You can take a look at our generic Contract Roadmap here, which explains the steps involved in contract growing.
Sourcing your plants on time, through the contract growing process gives all stakeholders the confidence to proceed with plans, knowing that the necessary plants will be available when needed, minimising project delays. When plant sourcing you need to have a good long-term plan to get the growing contract started in time so that the plants are ready when required. Timelines vary for different species and different end uses, for example, forestry-grade trees may only take 8 -16 months to be ready for planting, but larger aesthetic landscape plants will take around 18 months - 3 years before they are up to the specs required for the job.
You have the flexibility to select standard or specialist varieties:
Whether you're seeking elusive native species for ecological restoration projects, exotic varieties for landscaping or a unique forestry species. Contract growing gives you the choice and flexibility to choose standard or specialist plant varieties to suit the outcomes you want to achieve in your project. This flexibility allows for the customisation of projects to meet specific goals and environmental conditions, ensuring the overall success and sustainability of the endeavour.
For example, a forestry company may want to plant out a few hectares of a little-known species to see how it performs in different climate conditions or to create a new and improved end product. So they will contact a nursery, who will then work with suppliers to source the seed or cuttings needed to grow this unique forestry species. Contract growing not only offers you the flexibility of species selection but also allows you to choose if you want your seed eco-sourced, and what type of pots (like customisable EnviroPots) and growing media is used to grow the plants or trees you have ordered.
Without contract growing, project managers are subjected to the limitations imposed by traditional nursery inventories, which often only include popular species. Standard or popular species may not always align with your project's specific needs or environmental requirements.
Conclusion:
From securing the right plant numbers to ensuring timely delivery and offering flexibility in plant selection, contract growing enables you to overcome common plant sourcing challenges and achieve your project objectives effectively. Contract growing represents a shift in the way planting projects are executed, offering unparalleled security, flexibility, and reliability.
Riverside Horticulture owns and leases over 12 acres of prime growing space, including 3000 square metres of covered greenhouses, producing over 2 million plants every year. Contract growing currently makes up about 40% of our total production but we are moving to make contract growing orders a majority of our growing capacity as it has mutual benefits for both the purchaser and the grower.
By partnering with Riverside Horticulture, organisations can overcome the limitations of traditional plant sourcing methods and unlock new possibilities for project success. Gaining access to a wealth of benefits that streamline the planting process and elevate project outcomes. Give us a call today about your next large-scale planting project, to chat about how contract growing with Riverside can help you.