Vans Pines Nursery, a family-owned and operated plant nursery in West Olive, Michigan, has been growing and selling evergreen trees and shrubs for over 35 years. Their dedication to quality and customer satisfaction has made them one of the top nurseries in the Midwest, and their growing success is due in part to their use of Jiffy Pellets in the production of young plants.
Jiffy Pellets are an innovative growing media that make it easy to produce high-quality plants quickly and efficiently. They provide a consistent and reliable growing environment that promotes healthy root development and vigorous plant growth.
Since adopting the Jiffy Pellet in the mid-’90s, Vans Pines has significantly improved its production and automated many processes, resulting in greater competitiveness in the market and achieving growing success.
Discover the Vans Pines story and how Jiffy Pellets help them produce some of the best conifers in the industry.
Embracing innovation for growing success
As its business grew, Vans Pines Nursery knew it needed to find ways to increase efficiency and reduce labor costs without sacrificing quality. That’s when it began to explore the use of automation and other innovative techniques to streamline its production process.
“We’re always looking for ways to improve and innovate,” says owner Evan Van Slooten. “By embracing new technologies and techniques, we’re able to produce more plants of higher quality than ever before.”
Vans Pines grows everything from seed in 36mm or 50mm Jiffy Pellets, and then transplants into the field, which has helped it accelerate the growth of the trees. For the bare-root programs, it transplants the one-year plugs into the field for one or two years.
The 36mm plug gives more compact spacing, perfect for indoor production. On the other hand, the 50mm plug gives a broader root base that allows it to carry the trees over into a second year.
Ideal for automation
The Jiffy Pellet offers the significant advantage by being self-contained, making it easier to handle. The ability to pick up the plugs, pull them out, and not disturb the plant’s root growth when it’s in the container has been a massive advantage for Vans Pines.
Using Jiffy Pellets and automated production systems, the nursery significantly increased its production capacity while reducing labor costs. This has allowed it to offer customers a wider selection of plants at more competitive prices.
As Vans Pines continues to develop more and more automation, and reduce its dependence on labor, it can produce more and more trees in Jiffy Pellets.
Quality first
Despite the use of automation and other innovations, quality has always remained Evan’s top priority. He takes great care to ensure that every plant he produces, meets his standards for health and vitality.
“We never compromise on quality,” confirms Evan. “Every plant undergoes a combination of automated and manual inspections to ensure it meets our high standards.”
Vans Pines’ commitment to quality has paid off. Its customers trust Vans to provide the best possible products and have attested to their quality, with many saying they’re the best trees they’ve ever received.
The survivability rate is also impressive, with only around 5% losses reported by customers, compared to the typical 20% losses before using Jiffy Pellets.
Looking to the future
Vans Pines is well-positioned for continued success in the years ahead. It is constantly exploring new ways to improve their production process, and provide even better products and services to their customers.
“At Vans Pines, we’re always thinking about the future,” says Evan. “We’re excited to continue growing and improving, and we’re confident that with our commitment to quality and innovation, we’ll be successful for many years to come.”
Let’s work together
Jiffy is a leading global supplier of premium growing media and solution thinking. We aim to serve you, our customers in plant propagation and cultivation, to achieve better results with fewer worries.
We do this by continually improving, innovating, and working toward our common goals, based on scientific research, teamwork, and decades of experience.
Let’s develop sustainable plant growing solutions together: Let’s start today!