One of the biggest questions to consider before investing in a potting machine and related equipment is determining the size needed.
Photos by Patrick Alan Coleman
Staffing a manual potting line can be a tremendous drain on labor resources. In an era where labor markets are tight and staffing shortages continue to trouble the industry, automating the potting task is an easy target to free up person-power in the greenhouse for other crucial tasks. And our 2024 State of Growing Media Report suggests that’s exactly what is happening: More than 70% of respondents reported investing in a potting machine, and half of those who said they do not have one plan on investing in the machinery in the next 12 to 24 months.
But investing in a potting machine isn’t an impulse buy. By the time the machinery arrives on site, greenhouse managers need to have answered crucial questions, from how the machine will fit in the footprint of the greenhouse to how it will fit into production processes.
However, some growers don’t start with the right questions, according to Clay Starke, owner of Hort Tech Systems, an Oregon horticultural automation dealer. “Generally, they ask how big of a container will it fill, how fast can it fill, how much media can it hold and things like that,” Starke says. But he offers a better starting place. “One of the biggest things to consider when you’re starting out is how big of a machine do you really need? Can you start off small and expand to a larger machine? Will it be capable of fulfilling your needs in the future?”
Those needs are very important, in Starke’s estimation. He notes that coming into a purchase with “maybes” isn’t advisable. He also notes that there are plenty of manufacturers who have potting machines on the market. He encourages growers to make comparisons.
“Shop around,” Starke says. “Do your homework. Know what your media is going to be and make sure it fits.”
Know before you buy
Tennessee-based Pack Manufacturing CEO and President James Brooks has seen a lot of new clients looking to invest in their solutions, which includes pot and tray fillers, mixing equipment and conveyor lines.
“When we have customers that call in, we try to get a full view of everything that they want to do,” Brooks says.
And that full view is exhaustive. Information gathering includes a potential client’s growing media, pots, growing season, voltage and phase of electricity and water availability. And beyond infrastructure, there are important considerations about processes and logistics, including workflow from soil entering the greenhouse to pots leaving the potting machine to be tagged, planted and moved into production.
Only after the picture is complete does the actual size and type of machine come into consideration, says Brooks. The reason for that is because you want to be able to buy the right machine and mess with it as little as possible. “Once you get the automation, you want to handle it as few times as you can. Every time you touch it, you’re putting more cost in it,” he says.
Top 5 purchase considerations
With everything involved in bringing in a potting machine, it’s important to get prepared. Growers should have the crucial questions answered to make purchasing and set up as easy as possible to avoid disruptions in production. These are the top five considerations.
Growers must make sure current and future needs are considered when making automation purchases.
1. Media
Growers should know the base constituents of their growing media, as well as the additives. That’s because the media has to move through the equipment efficiently, and not all media moves the same way. “Everything flows differently,” says Brooks. “Everything moves differently. Everything comes in different volumes.”
2. Pots and containers
The size and type of pot will determine what size machine growers will need. But more than that, it’s understanding how those pots are going to be used. For instance, there are machines that have options for more than one hopper and open systems to accommodate bare rooting of plants.
3. Labor considerations
Brooks notes that many growers often want to know how many pots a machine can do in an hour. But the answer is largely dependent on how many people a grower has on hand to run the machine. “You’ve got to have the right amount of people to get the pots on and off the machine to achieve the speed and volume you want,” he says.
4. Voltage and power supply
Any time a greenhouse invests in automation, there will be an increase in electricity costs. Key to that increase is the phase. Single-phase power, which is the most common, will draw more and lead to the largest bills. Those lucky enough to be in industrial zones with three-phase power will see a smaller increase. Those who do not have infrastructure at all will want to have it installed by their power company rather than running machines off a generator, which Brooks calls a “terrible idea.”
5. Additional processes and workflow
The last consideration is what will happen to the pots once they have left the potting machine. Different machines will have different options for making the logistical processes after potting easier on growers. It will also help determine the location of the potting machine and if it needs to move or stay stationary.
Brooks notes that investing in a pot filler does not mean the rest of the greenhouse needs to be automated right away. In fact, he suggests that some greenhouses may want to start with soil mixing rather than pot filling. There are solutions that can be operated by minimal staff, which allow batches of soil to be prepared and added to pots on a pot-by-pot basis. “That’s much easier than a shovel,” Brooks says.
And getting away from the shovels and the people wielding them is exactly the point. But with enough preparation — understanding your infrastructure, determining your needs and aligning growing media to machinery — an investment in automation will relegate shovels to a rarely used corner of your growing facility, where they actually belong.
Patrick Alan Coleman is editor of Greenhouse Management magazine. Contact him at pcoleman.gie.net.
