TNLA would like to thank the following companies for being Membership Sponsors
GOLD Membership Sponsors
BASF
Blankenship Farms and Nursery
BWI of Memphis
Cam Too Camellia Nursery, Inc.
Drees Plant Wholesalers
Flower City Nurseries
H & R Agri-Power Farm & Turf
Home Nursery, Inc.
Lawn Doctor
Legacy Labor
Mid-South Nursery
Randall Walker Farms
Riverbend Nurseries, LLC
Southern Agriculture Insecticides
Tennessee Valley Nursery, Inc.
Warren County Nursery, Inc.
Woodbury Insurance Agency
Youngblood Farms, LLC
SILVER Membership Sponsors
Dayton Bag & Burlap Co.
Kinsey Gardens, Inc.
Mize Farm And Garden
Old Courthouse Nursery
Rusty Mangrum Nursery
Turf Mountain Sod
Ozzy Lopez From the President
It’s fall! Football season kicks off, the leaves begin to change and a chill is in the air. We have some big events coming up that we’ll discuss below. First, I want to take this opportunity to ask for your input. As you know, we do a monthly newsletter. If there are topics or items of interest that you would like to be included, please contact our Executive Director. Also, be sure to follow us on Facebook at https:// www.facebook.com/TNLAMcminnvilleTN and Instagram at https://www.instagram. com/tnla1905/ We publish information about events and topics there that may not be included in the newsletter or an email.
It’s time to get excited! Our Fall Classic the TNLA golf tournament is back on the Tennessee Golf Trail at the bucolic Fall Creek Falls Golf Course on Friday, October 17, from 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM. You can contact our office at (931) 473-3951 or go to our website https://tnla.com/ and click on “Upcoming Events” to register online. Please sign up today and consider a hole sponsorship.
The grand finale awaits! TNGRO 2025 is back at the Farm Bureau Expo Center. There’s still time to secure your booth and be in the program, but the clock is ticking. As always, we love and promote our sponsors. Contact Danae at the number provided above or simply go online to secure your booth and hotel reservations with our group rates: https://tnla. com/TNGRO
Attention all nurserymen and landscapers who carry a chemical Private Applicator Certification card: you will need a minimum of three pesticide points to maintain your currency beyond June 2026. Here’s the good news: TNGRO is offering education where you can earn up to four points (yes, that is one more than the minimum required). The cost of the education course is $30. You can see the topics and speakers and get registered on the TNGRO website above.
As always, if you are willing to serve on the board or a committee we are seeking volunteers. I wish you all the best in the coming season. At TNLA we are hardworking people supporting hard working people in the green industry. See you soon!
The Tennessee Greentimes is the official publication of
The Tennessee Nursery & Landscape Association, Inc.
115 Lyon Street
McMinnville, TN 37110
(931) 473-3951
Fax (931) 473-5883
www.tnla.com
Email: mail@tnla.com
Published By Leading Edge Communications
206 Bridge Street, Suite 200 Franklin, Tennessee 37064 (615) 790-3718
Fax (615) 794-4524
Email: info@leadingedge communications.com
Editors
Dr. Bill Klingeman
Dr. Amy Fulcher
Associate Editors
Dr. Karla Addesso
Dr. Becky Bowling
Dr. Midhula Gireesh
Dr. Nar Ranabhat
TNLA Officers
President Ozzy Lopez
Ozzy’s Lawncare and Hardscape Services
1st Vice President
Sam Kinsey
Kinsey Gardens
2nd Vice President
Trista Pirtle
Pirtle Nursery
3rd Vice President
Jason Peace
Home Nursery, Inc.
Secretary-Treasurer
Bryan Tate
Mid-South Nursery
Associate Director
Eli Eldridge
H&R Agri-Power Farm & Turf
Ex-Officio
Jon Flanders
Botanico, Inc. &
Ozzy Lopez
TNLA President
3F - Flanders Family Farm
Executive Director
Danae Bouldin
BEACON RETURNS IN 2025
Connecting the Turfgrass Industry’s Future
Following the success of its 2024 debut, the BEACON program is returning this fall! This in-person BEACON Event is designed to connect emerging professionals with leaders across the turfgrass industry, BEACON brought together students and employers from nationally ranked golf courses, leading agrochemical companies, and other key sectors in its inaugural year.
We’re excited to announce that BEACON 2025 will take place October 14–15 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Mark your calendars. This year promises to be even bigger and better. Additional details will be shared soon.
In 2025, we will be extending invitations to students from institutions across the region and focusing exclusively on those 18 and older. You can learn more about last year’s event here:
For business owners, TNLA members, or industry stakeholders—they can participate as company representatives at the event. This includes hosting a table at the career fair, engaging with students about internship or employment opportunities, and attending the evening networking reception. We welcome involvement from across the industry as we work to support workforce development.
For questions, please contact Dr. Becky Bowling at rgrubbs5@utk.edu.
Meet Dr. Chenchen Kang
Assistant Professor, Tennessee State University
Iam excited to join Tennessee State University as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agricultural Science and Engineering at the Otis L. Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville. My research explores robotics, smart sensing, and AI-based systems that have the potential to transform nursery production practices in the future.
I earned my Ph.D. in Biological and Agricultural Engineering from Washington State University, where my research combined hyperspectral imaging and machine learning to improve vineyard irrigation management. Afterward, I continued as a postdoctoral researcher at Penn State University, where I worked on robotic spraying systems, IoT-based crop monitoring, and computer vision applications for orchards and controlled environment agriculture.
At TSU, I plan to extend this work with a dedicated focus on nurseries. My research interests include precision and autonomous agricultural machinery—designing and evaluating intelligent systems that improve efficiency and sustainability; AI, computer vision, and field robotics— developing smart sensing and robotic solutions for crop monitoring and management; and modeling, simulation, and control of agricultural systems—creating data-driven models to optimize resource use and performance.
I look forward to collaborating with Tennessee’s nursery industry, colleagues, and students to explore how these advanced technologies may be translated into practical options for future adoption.
“The more than one company agency”
HOOVER & SON INSURANCE
“Since 1901”
114 S. COURT SQUARE • P.O. BOX 669 M c MINNVILLE, TN 37111 (931) 473-2200 • CELL (931) 212-9856
Please feel free to reach me at ckang1@tnstate.edu, if you would like to connect.
FRED LEE HOOVER
Tennessee Nursery and Landscape Association
FIELD
DAY
“ Special thanks to our amazing sponsors and attendees for making this year’s field day another success ! ”
Hale & Hines Nursery Pot Production RIBBON CUTTING
In July, MTNA and TNLA partnered together to help celebrate the ribbon cutting ceremony of the Hale & Hines Nursery Pot Production Facility. Hale & Hines Nursery received the FARM cost share to build this cutting edge facility to make pots from recycled plastic. Commissioner Hatcher, Assistant Commissioner Wade, Senator Bowling, Representative Sherrell, and Executive Terry Bell were all in attendance to show their continued support of our industry. Join us in congratulating Hale & Hines Nursery!
Thank you, sponsors !
Hale and Hines Pot Production Facility
Hale and Hines Pot Production Robot
Rep. Sherrell, Sharon Hatcher, Terry Hines, Sonia Hines, Senator Bowling, Rachel Sullivan, Commissioner Hatcher, and Asst Commissioner Wade
ROOTED IN RESILIENCE:
Healthy Soils Support Greener Nurseries and Landscapes
By Dr. Ravi Teja Neelipally, Postdoctoral Research Associate
Dr. Sindhu Jagadamma, Associate Professor, Department of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science, with contributions from Dr. William Klingeman, Professor, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture
Soil was once seen as a lifeless growing medium to anchor roots and to keep plants upright, but our understanding has come a long way. Across the last few decades, we have come to understand soil as a living ecosystem, full of interactions with plants, microorganisms, water, and nutrients that support food production and environmental stewardship. Measuring soil’s performance started with simple ways to quantify tilth, that is, how easy the soil was to work. Later we incorporated chemical analyses to check for pH and nutrient content. While these measurements have been beneficial, they have offered only a limited perspective about soil’s life or health. In the Sustainable Soil Management Laboratory (https://jagadammalab. tennessee.edu/) at the University of Tennessee, our approach reflects a broader perspective in soil science; we are reaching beyond isolated chemical tests and moving towards a more holistic view that integrates biological, physical, and chemical properties of soil. Specifically, we are advancing soil health research by systematically evaluating how soils
respond to different management practices across diverse agroecosystems in the region. Some of our work revolves around agroforestry systems, where we conduct deep soil sampling (Fig. 1) to evaluate how perennial crops influence soil carbon storage and overall soil health (Fig. 2). We also pay special emphasis to promote organic grain and forage production by implementing conservation management practices.
Our holistic consideration of soil physical, chemical, and biological aspects is particularly helpful when managing soils in landscaped areas or nurseries, where plant performance and long-term survival are directly impacted by soil health. For example, consider a compacted nursery row where repeated traffic from heavy machinery has reduced soil porosity or a container-grown plant with aging substrate and overhead irrigation cycles that have limited drainage. These conditions restrict water movement and limit oxygen diffusion and root growth. With time, these physical constraints can impair root
Figure 1. Field soil coring to reach different soil depth profiles (photo by Cecilia Albert-Black).
function, limit nutrient uptake, and reduce plant ability to tolerate drought and establish after transplanting (Fig. 3). Similarly, excessive fertilizer application may disrupt the nutritional equilibrium and soil pH, resulting in a chemical imbalance in soil. For example, when potassium levels become too high, it can interfere with magnesium uptake by the plant. Eventually, this imbalance causes chlorosis, reduces photosynthesis, and makes plants more vulnerable to abiotic and biotic stressors. These imbalances may go unnoticed at first but can gradually weaken plant health in both landscape and nursery settings. Likewise, when soils lack sufficient organic inputs, microbial activity declines, limiting mineralization of organic nutrients in the soil and weakening the soil’s biological support system. Across time, these outcomes can reduce beneficial microbial populations and their root exudate formations, thus increasing plant vulnerability to diseases, especially in landscape installations and container-grown plants that are transplanted into field soils. Excitingly, enhancing soil
organic matter (SOM) is one strategy that can help address challenges that diminished soil and substrate conditions may impose. Increased SOM content enhances soil structure, regulates nutrient levels, and boosts beneficial microorganisms.
Role of Soil Organic Matter (SOM)
Soil organic matter is more than decomposed plant residues. SOM includes live microbial biomass and organic residues of varying stages of decomposition that drive soil function. In nursery, ornamental, and landscape systems, SOM plays a vital role in buffering against soil compaction, nutrient loss, and biodiversity decline. SOM also builds microbial communities, enhances nutrient availability, and supports better moisture management (Stukenholtz, 2021). These functions make SOM a foundation for resilient soils, setting the stage for practical management approaches that follow.
Figure 2. Deep soil cores (a 24-inch-deep core is pictured) offer ways to sample soil organic matter (SOM), root growth, and microbial activity across an extended profile.
Figure 3. Hand coring (left) can provide samples for soil pH, nutrient and organic matter testing and soil probing (right) can provide a measure of soil compaction.
Building SOM in Practice
Harvesting balled-and-burlapped nursery stock with 44-inch root balls can remove as much as 470 tons of soil per acre across a five-year production cycle (UMass Extension, 2014). Harvesting these trees removes both soil volume and the organic-rich top layer, making it essential to rebuild SOM to restore soil health in nursery and landscape systems. In field nurseries that grow ornamentals in rows, SOM can be increased by incorporating organic amendments such as manure and composted pine bark (Fig. 4) into planting zones. If time and resources are available, growing cover crops like cereal rye, sudex, and other grass species adds organic matter to the soil and preserves soil structure between seasons, while permanent groundcovers like tall fescue between rows reduces erosion and allows machinery access even during moderately wet periods.
In containerized nurseries where pine bark-based mixes are widely used, SOM management helps in maintaining a healthy growing medium. These organic substrates gradually break down and can lose structure and nutrients over time, especially under frequent irrigation.
To counter this, growers can add stabilized compost or vermicompost to refresh the media, support microbial activity, and enhance nutrient retention. Some nurseries also apply microbial inoculants during production or transplanting to strengthen the root-microbe relationship and improve plant establishment in the field (Pascual et al., 2018).
Carbon Inputs and Lasting Benefits
Because almost half of SOM is composed of carbon, increasing SOM also means increasing soil carbon. Organic amendments like pine bark and composted mulch are slow to break down, helping to build long-term soil health (Fig. 4). Research by Prior et al. (2011) showed that planting container-grown ornamentals using pine barkbased media increased carbon levels in the topsoil from about 2% to between 9 and 25%. That is a significant improvement, and for professionals in the nursery and landscape industry, this presents an opportunity to improve soil structure, boost biological activity, and enhance carbon storage by choosing the right planting substrates, amendments, and practices.
Figure 4. Pine bark media from containerized pots adds stable organic matter to field soil in planting rows (photo by Cecilia Albert-Black).
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Microbes at Work
Microbes are indispensable contributors to soil health. Microbial activity drives nutrient cycling, decomposes organic matter, and facilitates better root-soil interactions. By unlocking nutrients that are already present in the soil, microbial communities help reduce dependence on synthetic fertilizers while supporting efficient nutrient uptake and plant growth. These biological benefits are particularly valuable in low-input ornamental beds and turfgrasses, where mycorrhizal fungi and microbial inoculants are increasingly used to improve plant vigor without the need for frequent fertilization.
In nursery production, practices such as applying compost, manure (Fig. 5), or growing cover crops help cultivate beneficial microbial populations. Beyond nutrition, microbes also help defend plants from disease by activating natural resistance pathways. Soils enriched with compost or treated with microbial teas have shown reduced disease pressure from common fungal diseases like damping-off and powdery mildew (Gaskin et al., 2013). Encouraging microbial life through organic matter inputs and reduced pesticide use ultimately leads to more resilient nursery and landscape systems.
Key Takeaway Actions for Landscape Professionals
• Refresh bark-based container mixes with stabilized compost or vermicompost to maintain structure and microbial life.
• Use microbial inoculants at transplanting to enhance root-soil interactions.
• Maintain vegetated alleys (e.g., tall fescue) between nursery rows to reduce erosion and improve traffic tolerance.
• Choose mulch or compost based on traffic and slope conditions to minimize runoff and temperature extremes.
Improving soil health not only benefits plant growth, soil-health building actions taken also support the long-term value of landscape and nursery systems. As interest in carbon sequestration grows, nursery and landscape professionals have growing opportunity to position their work as part of green solutions. Using and promoting soil-friendly practices can add value to the plants grown and align with the growing demand for more resilient landscapes.
Referenced Resources and Additional Reading
Stukenholtz, L. (2021). Advanced soil organic matter management. Michigan State University Extension. https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/advanced_soil_organic_ matter_management [Retrieved July 27, 2025]
UMass Extension: https://www.umass.edu/agriculture-food-environment/ landscape/best-management-practices-bmps-for-nursery-crops/soil-conservation [Retrieved July 27, 2025]
Pascual, J. A., Ceglie, F., Tuzel, Y., Koller, M., Koren, A., Hitchings, R., & Tittarelli, F. (2018). Organic substrate for transplant production in organic nurseries. A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 38(3), 35.
Prior, S. A., Runion, G. B., Torbert, H. A., Gilliam, C. H., & Marble, S. C. (2011). Strategies for carbon sequestration and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from nursery production systems. USDA-ARS & Auburn University Technical Report, 55.
Gaskin, J. W., Hartel, P., Little, E., & Harris, G. (2013). Soil inoculants (Circular 990). University of Georgia Cooperative Extension https://secure.caes.uga.edu/extension/ publications/files/pdf/C%20990_2.PDF [Retrieved July 27, 2025]
UT Sustainable Soil Management Laboratory, Biosystems Engineering and Soil Sciences: https://jagadammalab.tennessee.edu/
UT Extension, Commercial Horticulture: https://utextensionanr.tennessee.edu/ commercial-horticulture-2/
This article showcases information presented at the Tennessee Green Industry Field Day about strategies to enhance soil health and landscape sustainability. Photos and field examples courtesy of the UT Sustainable Soil Management Lab.
Figure 5. Compost adds organic matter and provides microbes to field soil (photo by Cecilia Albert-Black).
Using Photos to Boost Market Appeal PICTURE PERFECT PLANTS
By Alicia Rihn
Akey benefit of ornamental horticulture crops is the aesthetics they provide in containers, landscapes and gardens. Customers are purchasing these items as an extension of themselves to beautify their environment. As such, high quality photos are an essential component of the marketing toolkit. Photos are particularly important in instances where the marketing channel does not allow for interactions with the plant prior to purchase (i.e., online sales), the plant is not currently displaying its key aesthetic attribute (e.g., full flowers, fall color, or fruit development), or when potential customers are searching for plant information online (e.g., Google).
When deciding on plant purchases, people visually inspect them first as an initial quality/aesthetic check – does the plant look healthy, does it have the desired aesthetic (e.g., white flowers)? Providing a picture allows customers to evaluate the plant’s potential (in-store or online), as well as its current state (if viewed in-store). This information helps them make informed decisions and can influence where they shop and what they buy. Updated photos of plants are important. Sometimes, it is easy to use existing photos if the plant is a well-known cultivar or has been on the market for several years. This is a benefit showing that the product is stable; however, the technology we use to capture photos is not.
Recently, technologies have advanced substantially and allow for higher quality photos than in years past at relatively low costs. But it’s not just the quality of the photo, it is also that the customer has higher quality screens to view the photo,
and outdated photos will not show the quality of the plants due to pixelation, blurred edges or off colors. As we enter the busy season, consider taking a minute to snap a couple of photos to update when things slow down. A couple of considerations to capture high quality “on the go” photos are:
1. Focal points: What are the key aesthetic characteristics of the plant? Take photos of the most aesthetic attributes (e.g., foliage, flower, textures) to visually demonstrate what the customer can expect from that plant. How would those benefits best be conveyed (close-up photo, distance, in a combination planting)?
2. Lighting: Light shade or cloudy days provide great photo opportunities by minimizing dark shadows within the plant. This would be particularly beneficial for plants where texture, uniformity, or consistency are important (e.g., boxwoods, grasses, mass plantings, evergreens). Conversely, bright sunlight may be desired if large flowers (e.g., sunflowers, hibiscus) are the focal point. Take photos from several angles to help identify the best vantage point to showcase the plants.
3. Background: What is behind the plant? Is it visually “noisy” (i.e., does the background distract from the plant as focal point)? Many cameras (including cell phone cameras) have filters to blur or minimize the background. For example, the “portrait” option helps reduce background noise.
How to Price Your Services for Profit The Business Behind the Green
By Kristina Kelly
When it comes to running a green industry business, your work is rooted in results. Healthy lawns and landscapes, properly installed sod, and satisfied customers are the visible signs of success. And behind every vibrant blade of grass and vibrant bloom is a business owner making daily decisions that impact their bottom line. One of the most important? Pricing.
Setting the right price for your services can feel like trying to hit a moving target. Charge too little, and you’re leaving money on the table or risking your ability to sustain operations. Charge too much, and you might struggle to stay competitive in your market. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or new to the industry, understanding how to price your services for profit is key to long-term stability and growth.
Know Your True Costs
Before setting any price, you need to understand what it actually costs to deliver your services. That means looking beyond just materials and labor. Your total cost should include direct and indirect expenses, such as:
• Labor wages, including payroll taxes and workers’ compensation
• Equipment maintenance, fuel, and depreciation
• Material costs, like sod, seed, fertilizer, and irrigation supplies
• Insurance, licenses, and permits
• Office overhead, marketing, and administrative costs
If you’re only calculating based on materials and hourly labor, you may be unintentionally operating at a loss. Developing a simple spreadsheet or using job-costing software can help you track these figures and understand your cost per service. This step lays the foundation for profitable pricing.
Factor in Your Desired Profit Margin
Once you know your costs, it’s time to add your profit margin. This isn’t greedy. It’s necessary. Profit allows you to reinvest in your business, build a financial cushion, and pay yourself a fair wage as the owner. A healthy net profit margin in service industries typically ranges from 10 to 20 percent, though it may vary based on your service mix and market.
For example, if it costs you $2,000 to complete a sod installation job, and you want a 20 percent profit margin, your price should be at least $2,500. Many business owners make the mistake of only charging enough to cover costs, which can lead to financial stress or burnout down the road.
Understand the Market (But Don’t Let It Dictate Your Value)
Knowing what competitors charge is important, but it shouldn’t be your only reference point. Pricing strictly to match or undercut the competition can turn into a race to the bottom. Instead, use market research to understand the range of prices in your area, and then position yourself based on the value you provide.
If your work is high quality, your team is reliable, and you offer responsive customer service, you don’t need to be the cheapest option. Instead, you can charge what you’re worth and attract customers who recognize and value professionalism. That might mean saying no to some pricesensitive clients, but it will help you build a stronger, more sustainable client base in the long run.
Avoid the Temptation of Flat-Rate Guesswork
It can be tempting to offer flat-rate pricing to simplify your quotes, but this approach can backfire if it’s not backed by data. Every job is different, and variables like square footage, site conditions, soil prep, and access points can dramatically affect your costs. If you rely on gut instinct or round numbers to quote jobs, you may end up underbidding without realizing it.
Instead, develop a pricing model based on per-square-foot or per-hour rates that can be customized to each job. This approach also helps you educate your clients and show transparency in your pricing.
Build in a Buffer for Risk and Rework
Not every job goes according to plan. Weather delays, equipment breakdowns, and last-minute client changes can eat into your profitability. When calculating your price, include a small buffer to account for the unexpected. This might be an extra percentage added to your labor costs or a built-in contingency fee.
Additionally, consider how you’ll handle rework or warranty issues. If you offer a guarantee on sod establishment or plant health, make sure that’s reflected in your pricing structure. It’s better to plan for these scenarios than to absorb the cost later.
Review and Adjust Regularly
Your pricing shouldn’t be static. Costs increase over time, and so should your rates. Review your pricing annually (or more frequently if you experience major changes in labor or material costs). Communicate price increases clearly and professionally with clients and reinforce the value they receive. Most customers understand that inflation and industry dynamics affect pricing, especially if they trust the quality of your work. Regular reviews can also help you identify services that may no longer be profitable, or spot opportunities to package offerings in a way that increases revenue.
Package and Upsell Strategically
One way to boost profitability is by offering bundled services or strategic upsells. For example, if you’re installing sod, you could offer irrigation system checks, soil testing, or seasonal fertilization packages. These added services not only increase the overall value of a job, but they also help position your business as a comprehensive turf solution provider.
Clients often appreciate a “one-stop shop” approach, especially when it simplifies their to-do list and increases the success of their lawn or landscape investment.
Know When to Walk Away
Finally, remember that not every job is the right fit. If a prospective client pressures you to lower your price or match a competitor’s rate without understanding the difference in service quality, it may be best to politely walk away. Saying no to low-margin work frees up your time and resources for jobs that are actually profitable.
It takes confidence and discipline, but walking away from the wrong clients is just as important to your bottom line as securing the right ones.
Pricing Done Right
Pricing is one of the most important decisions you make as a turfgrass professional and business owner. It requires a clear understanding of your costs, an honest evaluation of your value, and the willingness to protect your profit margins. When done right, pricing becomes more than a number on a quote—it becomes a reflection of your professionalism and the foundation of a thriving business.
By taking a thoughtful, data-driven approach to pricing, you’ll not only ensure the health of your business but also earn the trust and loyalty of clients who see the value in what you do.
flooding Rehabilitating Flood-Damaged Landscapes and Inventory
Considerations for horticultural professionals after
heavy rains and major
By Andy Pulte and Bill Klingeman
Inthe South, water is the constant variable; too much or too little is always a challenge. However, too much rain coming all at once has become a defining weather pattern in our region. If you search online for “rainiest cities” or “rainiest states” (and ignore any results from Hawaii), the most frequent results skew toward the American South. Unfortunately, flooding is no longer an occasional concern but is an increasingly familiar story for communities nationwide. For those who work in horticulture, particularly nursery and garden center professionals, floods not only disrupt operations but also put plant inventories and customer confidence at risk.
The devastating floods that followed Hurricane Helene in September 2024 were a reminder of how quickly weather can reshape both communities and horticultural operations. In parts of the Southeast, days of rainfall left container yards submerged and field blocks compromised. Many businesses reported significant losses of woody ornamentals and herbaceous crops. Beyond the immediate cleanup, Helene underscored the need for contingency planning, from drainage infrastructure to crop insurance.
Additionally, the importance of communicating with both customers and consumers about availability of materials and timelines for recovery came into focus.
Those helping customers with flood damaged plants may also be called upon to field questions about plant replacement needs. Being ready and understanding how flood waters can affect plant material in the landscape can be helpful for professionals. When plant material is underwater for more than a day, oxygen becomes severely limited in root zones. Plants in landscapes, containers, and in field production may appear wilted, not because of a lack of water but because they cannot physiologically access the water around them. The duration of flood stress to nursery stock and landscape specimens can lead to increase in plant diseases and woodboring beetle attacks. Recognizing that established and transplanted trees exposed to sustained flooding may require more frequent scouting and targeted management effort can help limit future damage and plant losses. These persistent challenges can be overlooked during recovery and may be difficult for some consumers and clients to understand.
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Figure 1. Soil and roots of field-grown nursery trees were submerged for several days in 2019 (Photo by Gary Clendenon, TDA Plant Inspector).
Helping Customers and Clients at Home:
It is always good to think about how you will help your customers and clients. Having handy resources and a good working knowledge of how flooding impacts plants can help. Here are a few things to think about.
Flooding reduces the oxygen in soils. It also impacts overall soil stability and how soil particles bind together. So, the story of recovering from flooding in a landscape is primarily a story of how to mitigate compaction and to revitalize a flooded soil. The balance of soil microbes will undoubtedly be impacted, and steps must be taken. First, encourage clients to let soil drain as naturally as possible. Rapid removal of water can lead to soil compaction in extreme situations. Channeling water away from the nursery, garden or landscape area may be necessary, but where water can drain naturally, that approach is often best. Also, try not to walk extensively or run equipment on waterlogged soil; this can also lead to more compaction.
Flooding also removes nutrients from soils. Adding compost, manure, and mulch are a good way to return nutrients to the soil and encourage a healthy balance to a soil microbiome. When soil starts to dry, test it for pH level. Flooded soils may become more acidic, so soil test results may indicate a recommendation for adding agricultural lime to help bring your soil closer to a neutral pH.
After the Storm: Encourage Clients not to Rush into Recovery Activities
Encourage clients to not be overly anxious to replant after the water recedes. Working wet soil too soon can cause additional damage to soil structure and cause compaction that makes it difficult for existing specimens and transplants to survive and grow. If you turn a spade full of soil over and water is visible in the hole, the soil is not ready to work. If mower, tractor, or tires of other equipment leave deep depressions in turfgrass, or squeeze wet soil into standing
Figure 2. Hurricane Helene caused massive flooding and damage to
and container stock in Western North Carolina in September 2024. During record breaking rainfall, stream overflows were deep enough to wash away propagation
on top of production benches and destroyed buildings and structures at Carolina Native Nursery (Photo courtesy of Shelby Jackson).
Figure 3. Landscape shrubs, trees, and perennial plants will be stressed after days of flooded conditions (Photo by Tony Pernas, USDI National Park Service, Image 528006, Bugwood.org)
Figure 4. Trees in a park picnic area in Kansas (Photo by Ryan Armbrust, Kansas Forest Service, Image 5549966, Bugwood.org)
water and puddling, the soil is not ready to work. Adding compost, manure, and mulch when reworking compacted soil is recommended, but you need to give these additives time to balance your soil biome. Also, don’t encourage immediate pruning of flood-damaged trees and shrubs. Yes, remove any broken, obviously dead, or hazardous limbs. But heavy pruning after flooding can cause even more stress to your plants. Be prepared for more disease and insect pressure on flooded plants. Fungal diseases and root rot are common after flooding and excess rain. Additionally, flood stressed plants will be more susceptible to insects in general. Landscape shrubs and trees including redbud and dogwood, maple, and oak species will be more susceptible to attacks by ambrosia beetles and other woodboring beetle pests.
For professionals, the challenges presented by flood are not just about plant losses, they are about operational resilience. Watching your business, nursery, landscape, or garden flood can be heartbreaking. For some, the damage may be small, but for others, the losses can feel overwhelming. Still, even in the face of these challenges, nature has a way of showing us its strength and resilience. Preparation for the possibility of floods in your area may pay dividends later.
Additional Reading and Resources
Clatterbuck, W.K. 2005. Shade and Flood Tolerance of Trees. UT Extension SP656. https:// utia.tennessee.edu/publications/wp-content/ uploads/sites/269/2023/10/SP656.pdf
Oliver, J.B., N. Youssef, J. Basham, A. Bray, K. Copley, F. Hale, W. Klingeman, M. Halcomb, and W. Haun. 2012. Camphor Shot Beetle – a new nursery and landscape pest in Tennessee. SP-742. TSU and UT Agric. Ext. Serv., The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN. https://utia. tennessee.edu/publications/wp-content/uploads/ sites/269/2023/10/SP742.pdf
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