Bio·R works with a number of native plant growers around the state, including State Flora, Kersbrook Landcare Group and Trees for Life. These organisations have provided us with tens of thousands of seedlings over the last ten years.
However, the numbers of particular plant species we need cannot often be met, either because they are difficult species to grow, adequate amounts of viable seed cannot be sourced, or they are species that are in high demand from other groups undertaking revegetation projects.
As we scale-up our plantings in the coming years, these limitations will become even more apparent.
This prompted Bio·R to build a nursery to ensure we can secure adequate quantities of particular plant species for our plantings.
Bio·R has built a seedling nursery in Beaumont, Adelaide, with a 10,000 tubestock capacity. With this facility now up and running, the Bio·R team can focus on the hard-to-grow or hard-to-source species that are not often re-established in revegetation programs. However, these species are needed, and in sufficient numbers, to re-establish biodiverse and fully functional habitats at the regional scale.
The best germination and growing methods for many of our native plants, particularly the rarer species that can be hard-to-grow or hard-to-source, aren’t currently known, but these hurdles can be overcome.
With the help and expertise of dedicated horticultural volunteers, we will use the controlled environment of the nursery glasshouse, with a capacity of 2,000 tubestock, to undertake experiments to help crack the germination cues for some species. Some of these, like the native heaths, are particularly important habitat components for nectar-feeding wildlife. We hope to improve the productivity of our future plantings by growing and planting these important components of diverse floral habitats.