A Werribee South seedling grower has been recognised as having one of the country’s best green thumbs.
James Dickson is one of 24 finalists in line for a prestigious National Agriculture Award.
The head grower at Gro-Link Nursery said what he does is a combination of art and science.
“In my role at Gro-Link, I’m in charge of all aspects of growing the seedlings,” he said.
“What we do is supply vegetable and herb seedlings to farmers all through Victoria and interstate, selling an average of two million seedlings each week.”
Mr Dickson said he was nominated for the award because of his holistic approach to standardised nursery management.
“What this means is getting as close to a full understanding as possible of all inputs that interact with growing a healthy seedling.
“That’s right down to the seed quality you get from the seed companies, the quality of the potting media we use to grow the seedling in, all the sterilisation practises we do with the trays, right through to the quality of the fertiliser and the interaction with the weather patterns.”
“To understand the complexity, to then simplify, has taken me 20 years in the industry right across the country.”
Modest about his nomination, Mr Dickson said he doesn’t do the job for the accolades; he prefers to work behind the scenes. He thanked Gro-Link Nursery owners, the Fragapane family, for giving him a free rein at his job.
The head of award sponsor Syngenta Territory, Paul Luxton, said narrowing down the list of finalists had not been easy, so strong was the competition.
The winner will be selected by an independent panel, to be announced on December 1.
