Applied Ecological Services, Inc.
Wisconsin Office
17921 Smith Road,
P. O. Box 256
Brodhead, WI 53520
Phone: 608.897.8641
Voicemail: 608.897.4898
AES Fax: 608.897.8486
TCRN Fax: 608.897.2044
Info@AppliedEco.com

Illinois Office
120 West Main St
W. Dundee, IL 60118
Phone: 847.844.9385
Fax: 847.844.8759

Kansas City Office
1904 Elm Street
Eudora, KS 66025
Phone 785.542.3090
Fax 785.542.3570

Minnesota Office
21938 Mushtown Rd
Prior Lake, MN 55372
Phone: 952.447.1919
Fax: 952.447.1920

East Coast Office
1100 E. Hector Street Suite #398
Conshohocken, PA 19428
Phone: 610.238.9088

The Promise of a Seed: Taylor Creek's growth results in increased seed production and lower prices

Greenhouse Supervisor Tara Hering (left)
and Nursery Manager Corrine Daniels take
inventory of native plants at Taylor Creek
Restoration Nurseries.

It takes a patient, organized, and downright meticulous horticulturist to conduct a physical inventory of 250,000 native prairie and wetland plants. Tara Hering rose to the challenge this spring as one of her first duties as greenhouse supervisor/propagation manager at Taylor Creek Restoration Nurseries, the sister company of AES.

Hering, who holds a master's degree in plant and soil science, joined the Taylor Creek staff in May in response to the nursery's recent expansion which includes a new greenhouse spanning 11,000 square feet.

The nursery expansion also included a new 16,000 square-foot seed processing facility, completed last November, just in time for the crew to clean last year's harvest. And clean they did, running two shifts all winter with the help of some invaluable new equipment: a fifth fanning mill to clean the seed, and 10 new drying bins.

The new greenhouse is double-paned and was constructed with a ridge-and-furrow design. Thoroughly modernized, it features a computer automated heating and cooling system, and independently controlled climate zones allowing for two different growing environments under one roof. Another state-of-the-art feature is the greenhouse's huge walk-in cooler designed for moist, cold stratification of seed and for storage of bare-root materials.

Overall, the expansion has enabled Taylor Creek (already one of the largest native plant nurseries in the U.S. with roughly 300 acres in seed production) to become even more efficient, increasing seed production while cutting costs. In 1999, the nursery yielded record harvest numbers: 79,000 bulk pounds of seed, compared to 47,000 bulk pounds in 1998.

Affordable restorations

Leslie Gillispie waters a crop of Prairie
dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum) in
Taylor Creek's new greenhouse.

Many people who may not have considered native restoration an affordable option in the past are finding it more and more cost effective now. Seed prices are going down, as Taylor Creek continues to adopt agricultural practices for greater efficiency.

Leslie Gillispie waters a crop of Prairie dock (Silphium terebinthinaceum) in Taylor Creek's new greenhouse. Many people who may not have considered native restoration an affordable option in the past are finding it more and more cost effective now. Seed prices are going down, as Taylor Creek continues to adopt agricultural practices for greater efficiency. "We still hand-collect seed from some species that aren't in great demand, but on most of our nursery beds, we're harvesting with a combine just like any other farmer," said Taylor Creek Nursery Manager Corrine Daniels.

"Also, in the last two years, we've begun to row-crop our forbs. When we're establishing new nursery beds, we install plugs in rows which enables us to cultivate the beds mechanically. That eliminates a lot of time and cost in hand-weeding."

"Most of our seed goes into the restoration projects planted by the AES Contracting Division, although we do sell considerable quantities to other nurseries, landscapers and other customers."

"One of the great things about our situation is that there is constant interaction between the AES ecologists and contracting crews and the Taylor Creek nursery staff. Advice we get from our consulting staff helps make our seed and plant products better; plus our consultants and field crews learn from our experience in the nursery too. There is an easy flow of information that makes our projects more successful, helps increase the diversity of species in our restorations, and just helps us operate more efficiently."

With Taylor Creek's new efficiencies, as costs go down, so do seed prices. As examples, Daniels cited Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), which has gone from $45/lb. to $25/lb. Side-oats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) has also dropped in price, from $48/lb. to $20/lb.

"When I first started in this business, I wanted to see our seed prices come down, to make restoration something that anyone can afford to do. And I think we are getting there now," added Daniels. "We have some really neat, desirable plants at a very good price."

The goal: One million plants

Looking ahead, the staff at Taylor Creek has several steps to take to reach the next big goal: to grow one million plants a year within the next two years. One step is to increase plant diversity, including more wetland and woodland species.

To increase their inventory of wetland species, Daniels and Hering are currently experi-menting with wetland beds constructed in-house of recycled plastic and wood, in which they are attempting to grow bare root material on a small scale. If successful, they will use this method to grow many emergent species in large quantities, including Wild iris (Iris virginiana shrevei), Sweet flag (Accrus calamus), Duck potato (Sagittaria latifolia), sedges and rushes.

To add to the inventory of woodland species, Taylor Creek staff will be constructing a wood-land environment on the nursery property. Woodland species (some of which are already available at Taylor Creek) include Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema atrorubens), Blood root (Sanguinaria canadense), Trout lily (Erythronium albidum), Dutchman's britches (Dicentra cuccularia), Jacob's ladder (Polemonium reptans), Woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata), Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), Wild geranium (Geranium maculatum), three different species of ferns, and a variety of woodland sedges.

To obtain the new 2000-2001 catalog from Taylor Creek Restoration Nurseries, please call 608-897-8641, fax 608-897-8486, or e-mail your request to info@appliedeco.com.

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