WORKSOP BY DR PAUL FISHER, UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA and NZPPI
FRANKLIN INSTITUTE hosted a one-day workshop, jointly presented by New Zealand Plant Producers Inc. (NZPPI) and Dr Paul Fisher of the University of Florida, on 14 April 2026
Dr Paul Fisher, Professor at the University of Florida, USA, made a presentation and demonstration on how to:
• Work out the growing media total Porosity, air porosity and water holding capacity. These calculations are very important for selecting the right growing media for a specific crop and determining how much water is required to be applied to the crop.
• Irrigation application timings, volumes, frequency and method of application to get the right root-shoot balance and uniformity in growth.
• Highlighted the importance and the process of training staff handling irrigation and water application.
Jacinta Harrop of NZ Plant Producers Inc. briefed about the last four meetings and collected ‘points of concern’ from this industry group.
Raj Saini (Self) showed and briefed about the mechanised production system for producing vegetable seedlings on a commercial scale.
About 15 people from the northern New Zealand nursery industry participated and shared their views.
