A Stranger Arrives Home

Who is that man with long hair in my driveway?  Could it be my long lost son Reese?

It can't be Reese. He left with a truck full of food and a brand new pair of shoes - the food is gone and the thick rubber tread is worn away on his shoes.  That is impossible. Who could possibly walk that much in only six months?  Reese has.  At his job, he walks 7 miles a day and will walk a minimum of 11 miles every day during the upcoming busy season.  

Back in April, Reese accepted a position 460 miles from home with Metrolina Greenhouses in North Carolina.  It is a wholesale plant grower with the largest, most automated, single-site heated greenhouse in the United States.  It has 162 acres under glass plus 15 acres of outside growing space.   During peak season (March - June) they ship over 180 tractor-trailer loads of products each day to big-box retailers, home improvement chains and other greenhouses along the East Coast.  This is an empty section before the seedlings arrive.

This was Reese's section on September 3rd when the pansies and violas were seedlings.  He is responsible for 2 acres during the weekdays and 5 acres on weekends.  As an Assistant Grower, he manages watering, fertilizing, soil sampling, setting out sticky cards, and pesticide applications (fungicides, insecticides or PGRs).

Reese said, "Watering the plants is far more complicated than you might think. When I first arrived I had no idea what I was in for. 

The moisture levels in the soil can be split into 5 levels: #1- paper bag dry, this level is so dry that... well, it is the same as a paper bag; #2- there is a hint of moisture, but these must get some water soon! #3- wet, there is some moisture in the plants, depending on the weather it means either a couple of passes of water (if sunny) or it will be fine until tomorrow (if cloudy). #4- the soil is as its maximum water holding capacity and finally; #5- saturation. If you want more detailed information, click this link:

Plug_Tray_Moisture_Scale. 

In regards to watering the plants, we can't keep them at level #4 or #5 as that would cause pest issues to arise - fungus gnats, botrytis, stretching, and more.  I must let the plants dry to level #2 before watering. This also helps with keeping the plants smaller and forcing the roots to grow. You might think 'alright, just wait till the plants dry out then water, not to bad'. See, that is difficult. I must get everything in my section watered by 12:00 noon so there will be plenty of time for the leaves to dry. I walk my section while it is just beginning to get light outside and I have to determine 'will this make it through the day without water? If not how many passes? Should I just touch up the edges with a hosepipe?' It is confusing as the situation is always changing. Everything impacts how fast the soil drys out: temperature, light levels, plant species, spacing, wind movement, plant size, day length, soil type, pot size. Sometimes a few of these factors become critical in the decision. Say, light levels, if it is sunny outside and something is at level #4 it could take only two days for it to dry out to the point of needing more water, but if a large storm hangs in the area then it could take upwards of four to five days before needing water. Determining when to water the plants is a very complex process which only experience can solve. 

The water running through the arms hanging over the crops, which are called booms, includes a fertilizer mixture. Sometimes though, the soil ph level gets out of whack and via chemical magic (read as 'nutrient lockout') keeps the nutrients away from the plants. This causes the plants to undergo undue stresses. Lack of nutrients can have a variety of symptoms. No nitrogen will make the leaves yellow. Leaves cupping on pansies is calcium deficiency, purple leaves are a lack of phosphorus. To fix this we must either spray the plants with nutrients or fix the ph. You might think that fixing the ph would be more crucial, but sometimes it is better to spray the plants and hold the problems off. If the plants are in a 360 cell tray (think the size of a thimble for the roots), then the plants are only going to be in there for 4 or so weeks before they are transplanted into a finished pot. The size can be anywhere between 1 qt (0.94 L) to 2 gal (7.57 L). The larger volume of soil would negate any ph changes that had been applied earlier. It is just not worth the work. It would be far more efficient to spray it 2-3 times and that is it.

These are the pansies before they were shipped to the retail stores. 

Poinsettias and mums were the main crops right before I came home before Thanksgiving.  They didn't get watered overhead but are on tables which are flooded.  When the bracts start changing color, the overhead watering can cause spots on the leaves.

The color is so vibrant it plays tricks on your eyes when you are standing in the middle.

I returned to work right before Thanksgiving in time to prepare everything for the holidays.  Every employee from the top to the bottom worked a massive two-day shipping.  Now it is time for cleaning and then the spring crops will be started."

Reese was tired so we didn't do anything special during his week at home - any excuse to be lazy was good for me.  Scooter, on the other hand, was not as accommodating; he demanded attention fulltime.

Oh...that feels so good!

I am watching every bite you eat.

We celebrated his trip home with a special dinner.  It was the last of the canned tuna fish and pickled zucchini saved from our A First at the Last Dinner.  It was shipped to me by Becky at Home and is the best tuna fish in the world.

Sometimes doing nothing is everything. 

Awesome tunafish and pickled zucchini!

I packed his truck full of food and sent him on his way.  The busy season is in full-swing so time off for the winter holidays was not possible.  Dustin was able to come home when his factory in Iowa closed for a week.  He braved the 13-hour drive and decided to always fly in the future.  

Life has changed so much this past year.  I know the calendar says it has only been one year but it has felt like a lifetime. We are working hard at adapting and it seems distance is going to be the new norm.

Dustin, Reese, and Joshua.

Additional Links

Becky at Home

A First at the Last

Aquaponics Dreams

Aquaponics Dreams Delayed, Part 2