Even if the actual potting phase/season for soft fruit is already over in early summer, there is still the possibility of increasing the production again in the second half of the summer and filling production gaps in the event of unforeseen demand, a good market situation during the summer and good sales in late summer. Our young plant delivery window in the second half of August makes this possible. Now that the sometimes-extreme midsummer weather conditions have been overcome, it makes sense to carry out late potting. The production managers at our sister company Lubera have had good experiences with such potting measures.
Advantages of late potting sets in the retail chain
Later potting dates or even general production in differently scheduled sets can have a positive effect across all stages of the retail chain. In our opinion, the most important advantages for plant producers, wholesalers and retailers are summarised below.
Advantages for the producer
Shorter standing times: depending on the crop and any adapted pot size, the standing or production time in the nursery can be reduced.
Avoidance of the unusual weather in midsummer: in recent years, it has been possible to observe very clearly that summers are becoming longer, hotter and, in parts, drier, but also always with the risk of severe weather conditions – heavy rainfall events, for example. What does this mean for plant production? In hot periods of weather, many plants stop growing and only start growing again in late summer. So why not skip these irregular summer weather conditions and start potting in late summer?
React more quickly to changes in demand: whether new varieties or varieties that are suddenly on trend, be able to meet recognisable or foreseeable market trends for the next season.
Replenish the supply of plants when the market is good in late summer: if there are good sales in/during the summer, the plant supply can be replenished for the following spring.
Advantages of wholesale and retail
Fresh plants are always available: in the summer – especially during the holiday/vacation period - it can often be observed that the plant supply is not renewed in the various sales outlets, especially in the (berry) fruit ranges. This is often justified by the reduced flow of customers. However, one may ask whether this is not a vicious circle in itself: no fresh plants are purchased because the flow of plants is too low -> but is the flow of plants lower because there are no fresh plants?
Availability of novelties at short notice: when potting in late summer, novelties can be available for retail as early as spring of the following year.
Suitable crops for late potting dates
Not all crops are equally suitable for late potting dates. On the one hand, this depends on the seasonal development of the plants and on the other hand on the usual pot size. The larger the pot, the longer it takes for the young plants to take root.
The following crops are well suited for a late potting date:
- Raspberries (see the gardener's book article: Growing raspberry plants in sets)
- Blackberries
- Rhubarb
The special case with two young plants
A special case in late production sets is the potting of two young plants in one pot. For crops that naturally branch less, the aim is to achieve a bushy sales product by planting a second young plant. This is done without the pruning required if only one young plant is potted. Even with a second young plant in a pot, a plant that is ready for sale is not achieved by autumn/winter. The result is more of a kind of raw or semi-finished product that is already well-rooted and can be sold relatively quickly in the spring after the plant naturally sprouts.
Pictures: Potted set of blueberries in C5 pots with two young plants in each pot
Crops that are suitable for the described procedure with two potted young plants include the following:
- Blueberries
Gooseberries
Currants
When to plant the young plants for late potting
Now all that remains to be clarified is which delivery window is suitable for the late potting sets. This question is very easy to answer, as we have created and planned a separate delivery window for late potting sets. It is delivery window 3 with a young plant delivery between the 33rd and 35th calendar week - this corresponds to the middle/end of August.
An overview of the individual Lubera Edibles delivery windows
- Delivery window 1: calendar week 2 to calendar week 18 - exclusively overwintered young plants, for the most part still in complete dormancy and largely without visible shoots
- Delivery window for vegetables: calendar week 12 to calendar week 16 - fresh and overwintered young plants, overwintered young plants with visible shoots
- Delivery window 2: calendar week 19 to calendar week 26 - herbaceous, spring-propagated young plants, in exceptional cases, also overwintered young plants: overwintered young plants with more or less visible shoots (depending on the weather conditions)
- Delivery window 3: calendar week 33 to calendar week 35 - herbaceous young plants produced this year
Conclusion
A later potting date can offer advantages. However, implementation can be assessed differently from nursery to nursery and should be examined carefully in each case. However, the aim of late potting is never to obtain a finished product for sale in the same year - except for raspberries in smaller pots - as the shortening days are detrimental to length growth and plant growth. Nevertheless, the days and therefore also the substrate are still warm enough for the young plants to root well in the substrate and thus get through the winter well, giving you a head start the following spring compared to early spring potting.
