Reduce hanging basket labor

With labor costs rising, growers need to explore ways to minimize the increase. Hanging basket production has been increasing over the past few years as customers look for instant color and easy-to-care-for plants.

The traditional method of growing has been to hang baskets over the aisles to spread out the input costs per square foot and increase the profit potential. Considerable labor goes into hanging and removing the basket. In addition, the access to overhead space is limited by benches or plants growing on the floor. Here are a few ideas to reduce this labor.

Walking with two or four pots at a time is expensive. At a pay rate of $12/hour (20 cents/minute), this adds considerably to the cost of the hanger. Transporting pots on carts reduces this walking expense, especially in long aisles. A paved walkway or steel cart tracks are needed adjacent to each overhead line.

Scissor lift

In modern houses with a 12’ to 16’ gutter height, scissor lifts are commonly used. The platform is loaded up at the cross aisle and moved to where the plants will be hung. A battery-operated lift with a width less than 20” allows access in narrow aisles. These can be rented for about $300/month or purchased used for about $3,000.

Gantry

Another system that is common in gutter-connected houses is to install gantries. These ride on rails attached to the post line. The platform is loaded with plants at the cross aisle and then manually moved to where the plants are placed on the overhead support pipe. This system does not require aisles and can be used with a full crop of floor-grown plants. The gantry provides double duty for placing or removing floor or bench-grown plants. It can also be used to support an irrigation or supplemental lighting system. Gantries are available from some greenhouse manufacturers.

Hanging basket conveyors

Mechanized placement and removal of hanging baskets can be done with overhead conveyor systems. These reduce labor, as walking is eliminated and watering is automated. Maintenance of plants can also be done at one location, usually an end cross aisle.

There are two types of systems, cable drive (www.cherrycreeksystems.com) and chain drive (metazetformflex.nl). The cable system utilizes a cable stretched between two drums, one at each end of the greenhouse. One or more levels of baskets are supported by hangers along the length of the cable. The cable is motorized and controlled with a variable speed gear motor on one of the drums.

In the chain drive system, plants are supported from a chain enclosed in a track. Basket spacing can be varied by where the hangers are placed on the chain. On this system, the end of the track can be lowered so that basket loading and removal can be done at ground level.

These systems are supported by the trusses in the greenhouse frame. Calculations should be made to estimate the combined weight the system and plants add to the load on the structure. The National Greenhouse Manufacturers Association standards are for 4 pounds/sq ft, but this can be exceeded with large baskets or close plant spacing. Another consideration should be the effect of the reduced light on the plants grown on the benches or floor below the hanging baskets.

Floor production of hanging baskets

With the large amount of labor needed and shortage of available labor, some growers are evaluating whether it is more productive to build more greenhouse space and grow on the floor where greater density can be obtained and more sunlight is available. Using a system of fork trucks with basket-to-basket spacing at the beginning of the season and then basket spacing with robots later on, economic return may be better. The fork trucks can handle 50 to 100 pots at a time. With the use of multi-level trailers from the potting area, this system can be very efficient.