Knox Nursery receives Veriflora certification

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Knox Nursery, a young plant producer and finished annual grower, recently received Veriflora Certification for its sustainable growing practices. The 150 million young plants and six million 4-inch annuals the company produces each year are now Veriflora certified.

"Knox Nursery is pleased to join the Veriflora program as a continuation of our commitment to environmental sustainability," said Bruce Knox, President of Knox Nursery.  "We started down this path over eight years ago when we realized our industry needed a solution to the significant problem of what to do with empty plastic pots. There were simply no environmentally friendly options for disposal, so we switched the bulk of our landscape business to production in Ellepots, a Veriflora Approved Input Material paper pot that quickly breaks down when planted in the soil. The Ellepot provides our customers a plant with a healthier root system that results in faster growth after transplant. We were one of the first operators to incorporate Ellepots into our production."

Since switching to the Ellepot Knox has stopped 40 million plastic pots going into the landfills. The Ellepot has also increased landscape installation productivity. The nursery, located on a 25-acre site in Winter Garden, Fla., employs over 100 people.

Veriflora certification is conducted by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), a global third-party certifier of environmental, sustainability and agricultural product quality claims. Certification requires growers to meet strict environmental practices addressing water resource conservation, energy efficiency, ecosystem protection, and integrated waste management, as well as fair labor practices that ensure a safe, equitable and healthy work environment.  In addition, Veriflora establishes industry-leading product quality requirements.

For more: www.veriflora.com or www.knoxnursery.com.