Yes. It is very possible to build a fully automatic vegetable transplanter. We've actually achieved this objective, or goal, or whatever you want to call it. In our field tests we planted about 20,000 bell pepper seedlings. That was in 2003. Then why, in 2007, isn't this system available to commercial vegetable growers? In every discussion we've ever had about automatic transplanting, it always comes down to the trays. In our case, no one was sold on the benefits of the air-pruning tray system, which our planter made exclusive use of. The other factor was, of course, cost.

In our field tests the Air-Prune^® trays, developed by the late Dr. Barney Haung, performed above every ones expectations, including the grower and the greenhouse. In fact, the seedlings we used in our test ranged in size from 10" to 12" in length. They grew much quicker in the greenhouse than anyone anticipated. Because of this, we literally had to scrape the bottom of the tray with a putty knife to dislodge the root system. The plants propagated to the point where we were dealing with one big root-ball, which had attached itself to the tray. Far from optimal conditions for our test, but yet the planter performed remarkably well.

Using the Air-Prune^® tray also allowed us the advantage of being able to utilize a "bottom feed" methodology in our design of the planter. Being able to feed plants into the planting system through the bottom of the tray, using a vacuum, solves a lot issues when it comes to plant handling. There is no question in our mind that this is most practical approach.

From the beginning we realized that fully automatic transplanting could never be achieved, in any form. It always comes down to at least one operator, if not more, to feed the system with plant trays. In addition to the operator you have a tractor driver and a support crew on the trucks, keeping the planter stocked at row-end. In this business, no matter how automated you become, you'll never be able to eliminate the labor factor. You can reduce it temporarily, but doing so jeopardizes other operations. This begs the question, "Is fully automatic transplanting something we should be striving for?" Our conclusion is no. Not at this time. That said, every one should really take a second look at the Air-Prune^® trays.

Relative to the cost, we invested about $250,000 into the development of our automatic transplanter, and when push came to shove, the farm managers and hired help were afraid of it, and for good reason. It was a very complex machine, as you will see in the photo gallery linked to this page. It needed refinement, which we can do. But, at what cost? Unfortunately, we still have to gain the acceptance of the greenhouses. It's obvious that any effort to implement modern methodologies in the field needs to begin in the greenhouse, where the growing cycle begins. There has to be a local progression. Everything else, including an automatic transplanter, becomes secondary.

This is how I would sum up Automatic Transplanting. We're out of sync. It's a secondary support mechanism that the industry isn't ready for. We could throw another quarter-of-a-million into this planter and be no further along than we were back in 2003. Very much like a transplant itself, this needs to grow from the bottom up. Meaning, the Grower needs to get on board with this, and put some pressure on the greenhouses to re-tool, otherwise this isn't going anywhere.

So, here we are at the brink of 2008 and all I can show you are some pictures of what could have been. At least, the next time someone mentions fully automatic transplanting, you can tell them that you've actually seen one.

Very truly yours,

James K. Renaldo, Director of Sales & Marketing
Renaldo Sales & Service, Inc.

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