Many plants grown in North Carolina are not grown in soil at all. They are in containers filled with soil free growing media. The single most common factor in soils for nursery industry is drainage. Well drained soils are much easier to harvest plants from during the wet season. Sometimes the weather may be less than ideal.
Cold weather is a common problem for growers, especially when winter comes around.
When growers start planting, they must decide how they want to handle the production. Production of nursery stock is handled in many different ways. Four general areas include propagation, bare-root production, balled and burlapped production and container production. Plants may be propagated from seed by sowing the seed into rows, specially prepared seed beds, or containers filled with a soil-free growing mix. Another method of propagation involves taking cuttings from desirable plants and treating with a combination of mist, heat, shade or extended light until they produce a root system.