Having recently expanded into rose production, one Herefordshire nursery has opted for two Kubota M6-121 Utility tractors and an M4-063 to simplify planting and harvesting for its latest venture.
Wholesale flower grower and distributor Allensmore Nurseries, has recently expanded its operation to include the production of roses. For the last four years, the family run business has been gearing up to produce 500,000 roses annually, grown on just 20 acres.
This new venture has added diversity to its core business of supplying millions of plants to around 300 garden centres, DIY stores and supermarkets every year, which is achieved on the nursery’s 200-acre site at Allensmore, Herefordshire.
“To support our fledgling rose operation, we needed to invest in additional tractors and equipment to carry out seedbed preparation, plus planting and harvesting,” explained Allensmore Nurseries managing director Mark Taylor, pictured with son George.
“It was essential that we chose the right kit for the job.” That kit includes a pair of M6-121 Utility models and a smaller M4-063, all supplied by Pallisers of Hereford.
In addition to general trailer work, the tractors are also required to carry out inter-row cultivation for mechanical weed control, plus power harrowing and topping – the latter to manage growth of root stocks, in preparation for grafting of multiple varieties onto the growing plants.
“Everything we do is at a low forward speed, so having tractors with creeper gearboxes was a key consideration in our buying decision,” he said. “We also have a pair of four-row planting rigs and these are used with our two M6-121 Utility tractors.”
Establishing the crop requires four operators to sit on each rig and manually load root stock onto the planting wheels. “This gives us a plant spacing of 12cm down each 90cm row,” he said. “Once established, we can then mechanically top the plants, ahead of grafting the required varieties onto the healthy root stocks.”
George Taylor added that the mechanical simplicity of their three Kubota tractors means any of their field team workforce can hop on and off the tractors without the need for advanced training, which simplifies labour requirements at peak times.
“We don’t run kit with a single operator,” said George. “Having multiple operators increases availability, and makes it easier to manage our workload. When we’re rose planting, both M6’s and planters run together, to get the crop in ground as quickly as possible.” He says that the crop is kept in the ground for two years, before being lifted using an Egedal single row belt lifter, allowing plants to then be potted and placed on growing beds, in preparation for sale.
“It’s not a short-term investment, and this puts pressure on cash flow and resources,” said George. “So it’s important that the equipment we buy offers good value for money and is backed up by an extensive warranty, creating fixed operating costs for our business.”
