A3B-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 16,1998
Teacher Program Tour Examines Specimen Trees, Greenhouse Flowers
(Continued from Pago A 36)
plex,” a material with vitamins and
minerals that “invigorates” the
plant, he noted. It helps the plant
with stress if uprooted, trans
ported, and replanted when in leaf.
An underground watering sys
tem was installed at the nursery.
The problems faced by the land
scape architects aren’t necessarily
the cooperation of the weather or
changing consumer attitudes.
The problem is, “we’re not seen
as farmers,” said Dußrow, who
pointed out some legal challenges
he experienced as a grower in New
Jersey.
Legal squabbles have cost
Dußrow thousands of dollars. But
the public is reacting more nega
tively to what some consider work
outside of farming greenhouse
and tree farms.
A major stress point, Dußrow
noted, in the last three years is
“defending what we do, M he said.
“We need in horticulture to have
some identify as an associate to
agriculture.” This way, the indus
try can bettor relate to other indus
tries and a public that increasingly
does not understand what they do.
The landscape industry,
Dußrow told the Ag In the Class
room participants, needs growers,
“grafters,” and other expots. The
jobs will be in the industry, andean
pay well “if you are into what you
do.” Dußrow said, “It’s healthy
work, it’s satisfying to grow trees.
It’s amazing the field of horti
culture and what it offers. It’s very
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The tour group also visited Lay
ser’s Flowers, a family business in
Myerstown, Tuesday evening.
Layser’s was started by Russell
Layser in 1939. In 1951 the busi
ness was purchased by Donald and
Frances Layser. Today it is man
aged by Donald, Steve, and Jeffery
Layser along with Rick Boltz and
Earl Brown in wholesale opera
tions and Connie Shaak in retail.
There are 14 acres of the green
house operation under cover, plus
associated service buildings.
Retails skies is comprised of an
8.000- foot area for tropical
foliage, 3,000 square feet for gifts
and plant accessories, and a
15.000- area for bed
ding plants and year-round flower
ing plant sales.
A second area is situated on Rl
645 about a half mile from the
headquarters. The area has six
acres under cover and includes
rolling flood benches, computer
ized environmental controls, and a
retractable roof curtain house.
There are more than 500,000
square feet under cover at the
locations.
About 18 percent of the material
sold goes to retail. The remainder
is in wholesale.
There are 40 full-time employ
ees at Layser’s and about IS part
time.
According to Steven Layser, the
principal crops include spring bed
ding plants, holiday flowers, and
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small foliage plants, in addition to
a large array of landscape
materials.
Donald Layser explained the
workings of the greenhouse. He
showed the various size “plug”
trays, including the 406’s and
288’s, that are used to grow plants
before they are transplanted to 4-
or 6-inch pots.
Rower baskets are sold to chain
stores, garden centers, flower
shops, and other stores.
Sheldon Dußrow demonstrates a caliper gauge on a seven-inch pin oak, one ofthe
feature trees on the actual farm near a house built In 1850 and restored In 1989.
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A big seller has been the
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In one seven to nine week per
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Some of the plants are grown
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in the summer.
About a half acre of the root
zone watering system is used dur
ing the winter. Layser noted.
Plants of all sorts are transported
to customers. The business main
tains about 20 trucks in all.
For the retail store, Layser
demonstrated their philosophy.
“Our concept is keep it Oiled
like a grocer fills a grocery store,”
he said. The shelves are restocked
(Turn to Pago A 39)
Counties
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