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Growing Techniques
At Van Essen Nursery Co., we have developed a custom potting mix containing
2 grades of fir bark, coarse peat moss, and pumice. This mix provides good
water and air holding capacity, yet is well-drained. Our custom mix has a blend
of pre-mixed fertilizer that provides an excellent starter charge plus balancing
both short-term and long-term PH needs.
From there we top dress or incorporate Apex long-term, slow-release fertilizer.
We have found the Apex fertilizer releases in a slow, consistent fashion so as
to provide the plant with the right amount of nutrients. Apex maintains excellent
vitality and color of each item we grow. This will guarantee that your plants
are healthy and will remain that way in your nursery, yard, or landscape application.
With the help of our chemical representatives we have developed a personalized IPM program. This insures the best protection possible from disease and insects.
Through many years of experience we have developed pruning techniques unique
to each variety of plant. Our pruning begins in the liner stage and each plant
is pruned several times before the plant is delivered to the customer. We use
mechanical means, hand pruning, and pinching. To produce full-bodied, high quality
Rhododendrons we have chosen to hand pinch.
The Santiam River Valley is an excellent location to field grow nursery stock. The river bottom soils are of rich, sandy loam that provide excellent drainage and terrific root growth.
Keys for successfully holding Van Essen Nursery plants:
- Water immediately upon arrival
- Protect from extreme temperatures:
- In freezing weather the plants should be covered with a protective blanket or stored in a poly house
- In extreme heat, place in shade with occasional misting
- Remove any banding that may be tying up the plants. The plants will rapidly expand to normal size.
- Space the plants appropriately for their size to give ample air circulation.
- Prune any spent flower buds, broken branches or damaged leaves.
- We use a long-term, slow release fertilizer to insure extended shelf life.
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