Amber Garden Centre have the catchphrase ‘not your average garden centre’ and with good reason. Based in Cambridge, this family-owned business has been thriving for over 42 years.
Behind the extensive plant range is a busy nursery team responsible for growing the majority of stock onsite.
We recently caught up with the team for a behind-the-scenes tour of the operation. They shared how nursery automation has helped improve efficiency, consistency, and productivity across the nursery.
Before automation, tray handling, potting and seeding were more labour intensive, while achieving consistent irrigation across large numbers of plants was a greater challenge. The team now enjoy the workplace efficiencies of a Da Ros Seeder LS7-3, Da Ros I3-P Potting Machine, and a Da Ros Double Rail Irrigation Boom.
For this article, we focused on the Da Ros Seeder LS7-3 and the Da Ros Double Rail Irrigation Boom.
Lyndie summed up the LS7-3 seeder perfectly, saying its speed and uniformity have been a game-changer. For Amber Garden Centre, this one machine has created a simple and efficient way to precision seed and water up to 160 flower trays a day, all with just one person at the helm. “I never want to manually seed again,” Lyndie adds. Changing over seeding bars and nozzles is effortless, and the level of precision was great to see.
What surprised Lyndie most about the equipment was its accuracy and ease of use. She expected it to save time, but didn’t realise how easy it would be to change between crops and how little seed wastage there is. What once took two people the better part of a morning can now be completed by a single operator in a fraction of the time.
Lyndie is a strong advocate for growers considering automation in their own nursery. Check out what she had to say and see the seeder in action here.
Key features of the Da Ros Seeder LS7-3
- Production capacity: 50–200 trays per hour
- Precision row-by-row electronic seeding system
- Suitable for naked and pelleted seeds
- Independent dibbling unit for accurate seed placement
- Adjustable seeds per hole, seeding speed and tray count
- Touchscreen control panel for full programming
- Dibbles, sows, covers, waters and stacks in one line
- Easy changeover of seeding bars and nozzles
We then moved to one of the greenhouses and caught the Da Ros Watering Boom in action as it gently watered hundreds of fragile seedlings in a matter of seconds. It was surprisingly quiet as it delivered uniform, edge-to-edge coverage across the growing area.
Consistent irrigation is critical during the early stages of plant development. Overwatering, underwatering, and uneven coverage can all impact germination and crop quality. The Da Ros Watering Boom helps ensure every tray receives the same level of watering, reducing variability and supporting more uniform plant growth.
Watch it in action here.
Key features of the Da Ros Irrigation Boom
- Strong, modular 120mm aluminium rail system
- Lightweight design with no stress on greenhouse structure
- Quiet operation with Vulkollan wheel system
- No sideways movement for uniform, even watering
- Clean design with no hanging pipes obstructing access
- Touchscreen control panel for easy programming
- Optional remote operation and fertigation dosing system
- Side nozzles for full edge-to-edge coverage
- Corrosion-resistant components for long-term reliability
Why more nurseries are embracing automation
Labour shortages, rising production costs, and increasing demand for quality plants are driving more nurseries to explore automation. Modern systems can help growers increase productivity, improve consistency, and free up valuable staff for higher-value tasks.
We then moved out of the nursery and into the retail arm of Amber Garden. The garden centre reveals the full story of this buzzing workplace. It’s easy to see the result of the work happening behind the scenes. Thousands of healthy plants grown onsite fill the displays and provide customers with an extensive range to choose from.
For Amber Garden Centre, nursery automation isn’t about replacing people. It’s about helping a skilled team work smarter, maintain quality, and continue growing a business that has served the Waikato community for more than four decades.
As labour challenges continue across the horticulture sector, equipment like the Da Ros Seeder LS7-3 and Da Ros Watering Boom demonstrate how automation can help nurseries prepare for the future.
If you would like to talk about how nursery automation can boost productivity in your workplace, please contact the team.
