Kraemer’s started out with 60 acres, but today encompasses 850 acres total: 650 in production, including 250 in ground and 450 in gravel can yards. “Almost everything goes out in a plastic bucket,” said Gregory. “Small fruits is a million-and-a-half-dollar business for us.”

We headed over to Kraemer’s propagation facility, where cuttings are processed.

All told, Kraemer’s operates three Cravo houses and 67 hoop houses, where they produce 10 million liners per year. “80% is propped here,” said Gregory.

Many attendees were intrigued by the Argus software system that controls the propagation house’s irrigation and venting systems. Used in conjunction with overhead sprayers, the propagation house environment allows the creation of mist and fog that benefits the young plants.

“It all starts in propagation,” said Gregory. “Right now we do 80%, shooting for 90%.” Picea, spruce, pines, and cedars are just a small sampling of the plants they propagate. “The majority goes to mass merchants, on a 5–7 year rotation.”

Questions from attendees ranged from, “Do you graft?” Yes, all Japanese maples and conifers are done in late fall and winter, to “Budding?” No, Gregory answered.

Interestingly, all small fruit goes to garden centers. “Putting a pot wrapping increased our sales by 50%,” said Gregory.

Next, we drove to the nursery facility, where rows of next year’s rhodies have been staged in pots.

Cesar Velazquez, grower coach at Monrovia, remarked that he’d like to know how they are able to keep their rhodies sitting out in the sun. “They must be using some kind of spray,” he wondered. “It would save so much labor, not having to move the plants in and out of the shade, from undercover into the sun.”

Gregory said they grow 500 varieties of plants on 180 acres, including an R&D area where production trials (for Ball Ornamentals and Plant Haven), as well as fertilizers and new herbicides take place. 

They also grow 12 cultivars of grapes. They are in the process of converting to all certified material: 6-7 varieties of wine grapes, and the rest in table varieties. Grapes grown for wine are heavily regulated, as is also the case for hops used in the manufacture of beer.

This is no small operation. Kraemer’s employs 270 people at their peak. Sales volume are around $25 million, placing them in the top 3 in volume among the likes of Monrovia and Walter’s. From their loading docks, 30 loads a day in the spring are shipped out. One of the Cravo buildings, which when built was the largest in the world at 21 acres. Kraemer’s owns its own shop to repair and maintain machinery, and a mixing shed that churns out hundreds of pounds of potting soil per day.

Gregory showed off the operation’s “30 wides,” houses which were named for their width in feet. Each structure is 600 feet long, and there are 99 houses total, offering winter, rain and snow protection for a wide range of plant material. “We want to keep product dormant. We use a fair amount of herbicides. Anything with yellow foliage doesn’t agree with herbicides. It’s impossible to do a place this size without chemicals,” Gregory said.

Kraemer’s has ground for more production. “But we all know what happened in 2008, so we haven’t laid down the gravel yet,” said Gregory.

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