The Florida Grown Difference
At one time, Florida Grown Specialties, Inc was a subsidiary of Phillip Rucks Nursery, Inc, which was established by Phillip Rucks in 1997. With over 30 years of experience Phillip Rucks Citrus Nursery is the largest screened commercial citrus nursery in the US with propagations of one million trees annually. Florida Grown Specialties grows many specialty crops with a dedicated staff and facilities. Bamboo is our latest commercial crop in setting the standards in farming of bamboo shoots and culms to be developed into diversified markets for decades to come.
Today we have over 100,000 commercial asper plants ready to go into the field. We have created the relationships which will allow us to secure buyers for both the shoots and the culms insuring the highest possible price for the farmers harvest.
We have done the research to insure that proper plant spacing, proper nutrients and soil amendments, irrigation and advanced farm design is incorporated into the overall harvest plan for each aspect of the crop.
We have every aspect covered from our scientist who evaluate the best way to produce quality plants, to our agronomist and soul specialist that develop the first comprehensive printed guide on how to successfully grow and harvest bamboo that is based on both practical experience and scientific data to insure that every one of our farmer partners have the answers and support they need and deserve.
Explaining Tissue Culture
It all starts in our State of the Art Tissue Lab
Beth Lamb also helped create a state of the art tissue culture lab where she also oversees and amazing lab team.
When propagating Asper, and other types of Bamboo, selected plants are evaluated in the field or in the nursery, and cultures are started using tissue culture methods done inside Florida Grown Specialties clean-air laboratory.
Plant tissue culture is a collection of laboratory techniques to use to grow and maintain plant cells and tissues under sterile conditions on a defined nutrient culture medium. The environmental conditions inside FGS laboratory are kept stable and conducive to rapid year-round growth of micro propagated bamboo. FGS Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory, utilizes sterile culture methods to evaluate, maintain, and most importantly, reliably propagate vigorous juvenile young plants to support the nursery’s production of Asper bamboo which are correctly acclimated before taken to the field for planting.
Patent Pending Commercial Asper Bamboo
In order to have quality Asper Bamboo plants, you should start with clean source plants assuring its pathogen free and has no diseases. At Florida Grown Specialties, we make sure to have the proper protocols and strategies in place to ensure the best quality for our customers. Commencement in planting bamboo starts with “ Quality Bamboo Plants Return Optimum Yields”. Buy from Americans you know , not from people who you don’t know. Buy from “Florida Grown “.
Our Plants
Initial Nursery
The initial nursery is where the plants are cared for after they leave the tissue culture lab. Here we begin the process of getting the plants mature so they can handle everything mother nature and Floridas’ harsh climate can throw in their direction. They will spend a limited amount of time in the initial nursery and after the correct growing period is accomplished they will move to the acclamation house.
Acclamation House
The acclamation house is the final step in the growing process and is their final stop before they reach the field. In the acclamation house the plants mature and grow getting strong and healthy so they can be planted in the field.
In order to have quality Asper Bamboo plants, you should start with clean source plants assuring its pathogen free and has no diseases. At Florida Grown Specialties, we make sure to have the proper protocols and strategies in place to ensure the best quality for our customers. Commencement in planting bamboo starts with “ Quality Bamboo Plants Return Optimum Yields”. Buy from Americans you know , not from people who you don’t know. Buy from “Florida Grown “
Grading the Plants
Quality growers always grade out their plants. Plant grading is just as it sounds. Plants are grouped according to how they are doing in the nursery setting….Usually AB and C each group is graded and any decencies are addressed. Plant grade B and C are studied to see what care they need to advance to the A group. At Florida Grown Specialties only A plants are delivered to your field.
Some nurseries do not grade plants either because they are in too big of a hurry to move the plants or they are just ignorant on proper nursery practices. Usually these nurseries can be easily identified because they will have plants in the field that never grow right and they also have a very high degree of plant loss. We have seen some companies deliver plants and experience plant loss of 10, 20, 30, 50 and even 90%. This of course is unacceptable and a direct result of not grading the plants or propagating on too quick of a time period and not allowing enough time for the plants to heal!
Plants in the Field
Acclamation of plants and insuring the plants leave the nursery at their strongest level will insure success in the field. Of course, we have scientifically proven and time tested protocols for planting plants in the field so your planting will always successful.
