Growers Tour

Each year, the Growers Committee plans an event where attendees tour member grower facilities. This affords the opportunity for both members and non-members to learn more about the unique growing operations producing quality nursery stock right in our back yards. It has always been important to cultivate relationships with the people you are sourcing products from, so that you have what you need when it’s time to install the job. But with the demands of today’s fast-paced world and constantly changing customer expectations, your supplier relationships have never been more critical. Consider bringing your team to this year’s event so you can connect with our network of growers!

Itinerary

• 8:00-8:30am – Check-in/Networking/Light Refreshments
• 8:30-10:30am – Tour Fox Ridge Nursery
• 10:30-11:00am – Travel/Parking
• 11:00am-2:00pm – Tour Mariani Plants/Lunch/Hot Topics Discussion
• 2:00-2:30pm – Travel/Parking
• 2:30-4:30pm – Tour Doty Nurseries

Tour Stops

Fox Ridge Nursery is one of Illinois’ premier wholesale producers of field-grown, specimen trees, shrubs and evergreens. Every item grown on their 400-acre farm is meticulously grown, pruned and dug specifically for the client, which include re-wholesalers, landscape contractors and garden centers. They ship throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Colorado and the Eastern half of the United States. To learn more about Mariani Plants, visit https://www.foxridgenursery.com/

Site Hosts: Kevin Backus, Jimmy Origer, Brooke Kampwerth

Content to be covered during the tour at Fox Ridge Nursery:

• Receiving/Planting Liners
• Field Organization in relation to pest and disease control/chemical application
• Liner Growing timeline-Planting and general maintenance
• Inventory and Quality Control
• Order Processing/tagging/digging
• Shipping orders/loading semis
• Container tree and shrub production in grow bags

Established in 1992, Mariani Plants is a wholesale grower of trees, shrubs, and perennials located in Grand Prairie, Illinois. This location features the innovative Accelerator® container tree program, a 165-acre container/propagation facility and 40-acre evergreen nursery. Mariani Plants delivers ‘Better Plants – Better Service – Better Selection’. To learn more about Mariani Plants, visit www.marianiplants.com

Site Hosts: Mike Mennenoh, Jonathan Stickels, Cathy Schroeder, Krystal Flogel

Content to be covered during the tour at Mariani Plants:

• The evolution of our propagation and production practices
• Move from B&B to Accelerator container tree production
• Inventory management tools and philosophy
• Influences on our plant pallet – Branding, Trends and Custom Grows

Following lunch, attendees will be encouraged to participate in open discussion, guided by a member of the ILCA Growers Committee.  The following topics will be covered, in addition to other trending seasonal matters raised by attendees.

• How to combat current disease and insect issues
• Weed management strategies that work
• Fall planning, demand cycles
• Dealing with unpredictable and more extreme weather patterns

Doty Nurseries is a wholesale operation with two locations dedicated to providing a variety of proven, strong cultivars of trees, evergreens, shrubs and other plants to best serve the landscaping needs of their clients.  They have locations in Maple Park and Huntley, and a marketing partnership with Kaneville Tree Farms to offer their customers even more material, simplifying the purchasing process. To learn more about Doty Nurseries, visit www.dotynurseries.com

Site Hosts: Andy Ward, Alex Kiscellus, Ken Doty, Ryan Doty

Content to be covered during the tour at Doty Nurseries:

• Pruning practices for plants in the field
• Soil and Plant Care management
• Equipment use and Management
• Maintenance practices in a B&B holding yard
• Managing inventory across multiple locations
• Operations overview – what we’ve learned