Metrolina Greenhouse Tour

We had the pleasure of touring Metrolina Greenhouse in November.  The folks that work there could not have been more hospitable to our group and we greatly appreciate them working with us to coordinate this tour. 

The facility makes me speechless, and yet there is so much to say.  The fore thought and planning that they go through is astounding.  When they decide that it is time to expand they do choose whre that will be located but then they take into consideration what will be growing in that space so that they know how much power, water and heat the space will need.  Then they begin the planning of how to provide these elements.  I know that every business and even home builder has to consider these things but the water is the most important for Metrolina.  When we have gone through droughts in the past the public speculated about their water source.  News stations investigated and Metrolina actually won awards for their use and conservation of water.  That is incredible. 

We were very excited to see the facility and operations.  We planned our visit to coincide with Poinsettia season, so we were able to see production and shipping.  Our trip was an evening meeting and in November it gets dark early so our Poinsettia crops were lit by flash light but it was still very impressive to see and hear how many Poinsettias they are able to produce each year.  Our tour guide took us through each step of production starting with either seedling or cutting (depending on type of plant) all the way to labeling and shipping.  Almost every process is automated in some way and every is managed to make sure they have the best results possible for their customers.  It was an really information and fun experience, one that I hope we will be able to share with CGIN members again in the future.

Written by: Megan Ferguson