Economics of Utilizing Biodegradable Containers in Ornamental Crop Production Systems

Plant production facilities for perennial plug and container plants are high input systems using large quantities of water, fertilizers, chemical pesticides, plastics, and labor. The use of renewable and biodegradable inputs while growing an aesthetically pleasing and healthy plant will improve the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of current production systems. However, costs, such as poor integration of sustainable practices into established systems, increased carbon footprints, increased product shrinkage, and reduced plant health, which may be associated with sustainable production practices, have been ill defined. Our objectives are to determine the environmental and economic costs of commercial production systems using biocontainers (including greenhouse, above ground nursery, and pot-in-pot nursery production).  The costs of all of the production inputs including water, fertilizers, chemical pesticides, disinfectants, and containers were collected for each system in each participating state.  Labor inputs of potting, watering, applying chemicals, inspecting plants, harvesting, and cleaning pots and production area were also recorded. Use of “Green” processes based upon quantitative data will result in improved farm incomes while sustaining environmental quality by reducing the carbon, water, and chemical foot prints used in nurseries and greenhouses. Any strategy that can reduce expense and benefit the environment is a priority for the long-term sustainability of the industry.