ALPINE NURSERIES PRE-GROW CONTRACTS
03 Sep 2012
Alpine Nurseries has noticed a trend towards early commitment to plant material well before projects are actually ready for planting.
Alpine Nurseries has noticed a trend towards early commitment to plant material well before projects are actually ready for planting. This practice is commonly referred to as a “pre-grow” or “forward order contract”. The move towards pre-grow contracts is occurring because Landscape, Developer and Government customers are recognising the value of day one impact whether the intended purpose is for private enjoyment or to improve return on investment and saleability.
Large residential projects, Council streetscapes and retail precincts, new commercial and residential subdivisions are all suitable projects for this collaborative and structured approach.
Other benefits of “pre-grow contracts” include:
• Guaranteed availability of desired species in specified container sizes.
• Uniformity of stock (as it can be grown in one batch).
• Optimum plant size for respective container.
• Cost optimisation (because pre-grow stock does not attract additional costs associated with sourcing plant material and/or interstate freight).
Googong, located in Queenbeyan, NSW is one example of early engagement between the developer, landscaper and nursery. When complete, Googong will house approximately 15,000 persons over 6,500 lots, delivered in stages over 20 years.
Growing of Stage 1 plant material commenced in autumn and includes advanced tree specimens for the main entrance, semi-advanced street trees for the first lots and mixed planting for one of the sites major parklands which includes a series of wetlands and more intensive landscaped garden beds.
As a consequence of Alpine’s early involvement they are working with Simon Leake from Sydney Environmental and Soil Laboratory (SESL) to design a customised site specific potting mix which will result in optimal establishment and resilience on site. This is one critical element to success of the landscape particularly given the harsh existing conditions of poor soil, extreme heat and cold and variations in weather patterns. When Alpine Nurseries first viewed the site over 18 months ago the paddocks were dry and brown. During recent visits they’ve found quite the opposite with tall lush grass and waterlogged clay.
Additionally Alpine is collaborating with the client, Landscape Architects and Landscape Contractors as part of the “landscape team” to provide feedback on suitability of species and planting methods. As a result shallower and wider planting holes will be prepared for specimen trees. This is more conducive to a natural root plate and therefore trees will be structurally stronger and perform better. From the client’s perspective preliminary costing suggests that this modified method yields cost savings by eliminating the need for over-complicated sub soil infrastructure.
Alpine is taking ownership of the long term outcome in a very real way by standing behind the recommendations they have made. This approach is possible because the client had the foresight to engage with Alpine at a very early stage and recognise the horticultural knowledge they bring to the table as a value add and enhancement to the overall delivery of the landscape which is a major driver of sales and profitability of the project.
If you would like to discuss how pre-grow contracts can benefit your project, contact Ken Bevan on 02 9651 0908 or 0404 783 154 or email kenbevan@alpinenurseries.com.au
