Cyberfair '02
Carpinteria, California, USA
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Flower Growers
Interview With Mr. Winfred VanWingerden owner of Maximum Nursery
Maximum Nursery
4575 Foothill Road,
Carpinteria, California 93013
805-684-4006
By Alex Huang, Renae Johnson, Christopher Martinez, Logan Walters and Holly Williams
Mr. Riley's 5th grade class went on a field trip to Maximum Nursery here in Carpinteria. We were able to interview Mr. VanWingerden and this is what we learned.
Maximum Nursery grows Gerber Daises. They are originally from Holland and Africa. The Gerber daises are grown by Oggard Gel, which contains nutrients. Once the plant has grown roots they import the plant into the Rockwool, which contains fiber, water and nutrients. The Rockwool gets put into a slab and once the plant has grown big enough they send it into the greenhouse. After they go into the greenhouse they are picked. Once they are picked the heel is cut off. Then they are taken into the Packing House. The flowers are put into water with bleach and sugar. The bleach is used to kill bacteria. The flowers are examined and the ones that are not perfect are thrown out. The ones that are perfect are the ones that get packed and shipped to the wholesalers. After the flowers are sold to the wholesalers they are then sent to the public.
Our Interview
* How much water do you use to water your flowers? 8,000 gallons a day!
* Do you use runoff water? Yes, we recycle our water which helps eliminate any discharge of nitrates or liquids into the creeks or groundwater.
* Do you use bugs instead of pesticides? Yes, but sometimes we do use a soft spray!
* How many flowers do you produce each year? About 6 million.
* Do you keep your flowers warm or cold? We keep our flowers at 48° Fahrenheit
* How long have you worked at Maximum? This is my 20th year!
* How long can flowers last without water? A flower can last 4 days or so.
* What inspired you to start Maximum? Destiny.
Maximum is a wonderful place to buy flowers! I love going and seeing how the flowers are developed. Maximum flowers are the best!
