R&D update: large reduction in plant losses - what changed at Shamrock Plants
24 June 2026
24 June 2026
Almost 10,000 growing-related plant losses in a single season. Wasted inputs, pressure on schedules, and a team spending more time reacting to problems than preventing them.
That was the reality at Shamrock Plants, a medium-sized wholesale nursery supplying Bunnings, landscapers and independent nurseries, before they overhauled how their operation runs day to day.
Within 12 months, losses fell by 78%.
The problem wasn't the plants
The issues traced back to pests, disease, hygiene and environmental conditions — small but compounding gaps that were quietly eroding crop health season after season.
"When you're growing short-term crops, little problems become big problems very quickly," said Callum, Business Improvement Coordinator at Shamrock Plants.
What the nursery needed was tighter systems underneath everyday growing decisions.
What they changed and why losses dropped
Working with the GrowConnex team, Shamrock Plants used NIASA best-practice systems as a practical framework, not a compliance exercise. The focus was on finding the real causes of losses and building systems to prevent them.
Nursery hygiene came first. In short-term potted colour crops, hygiene lapses create conditions where pest and disease problems spread fast. "We started with the basics, cleaning up the nursery floors, gravel areas and improving overall hygiene standards," Callum said. Tightening this up was one of the most immediate contributors to the drop in losses.
Water quality testing, including laboratory testing, identified issues affecting plant health below the surface. Testing at this level meant the nursery could find and manage water quality problems that weren't visible day to day but were consistently affecting crop health before losses occurred.
Improved spray recording turned chemical management into a diagnostic tool. Better records meant the team could look back across applications and spot patterns in timing, coverage and product performance that had previously been invisible.
Clearer accountability meant less falling through the cracks. Every team member had defined responsibilities. One casual staff member who took ownership during the process has since moved into an apprenticeship, now managing key responsibilities including media and water testing.
Digital systems replaced handwritten records and made everything work on the ground. "If there's an issue like a fire ant nest, we can create a job task immediately, assign it and keep a record of it," Callum said. "We would never go back to handwritten records."
The result
Losses dropped from roughly 10,000 in spring 2023 to around 2,200 in spring 2024. Staff are clearer on responsibilities, the nursery runs more consistently and customers have noticed the difference.
"There's so much in the system that can genuinely help your business. Once you understand how to use it properly, it changes the way you run your nursery."
Find out if it could work for your operation
For more information on accreditation and best-practice systems, contact the GrowConnex team at www.greenlifeindustry.org.au/talk-to-an-expert