Nursery and garden industry

The Northern Territory (NT) nursery and garden industry includes wholesale and retail nursery businesses and manufacturers of potting mixtures.

Listed below are information sheets providing growing advice for nursery or garden businesses in the NT.

Growers should be aware of the myrtle rust outbreak. Read about pests and disease for more information.

Grower advice

Nursery and garden business operators should grow plants suited to their conditions.

You must be aware of quarantine requirements and best practice for hygiene and pest and disease management.

Pots and potting media should be sterile, plants should be kept on gravel or benches to avoid contact with soil pathogens.

Monitor plants regularly for signs of pests and diseases.

Read the information sheets listed below for helpful information and advice on a range of subjects affecting the nursery and garden industries:

• Soil solarisation PDF (27.6 KB)
• Palms and cycads in the NT poster PDF (878.7 KB)
• Growing palms PDF (77.1 KB)
• Lawns - establishment and maintenance PDF (68.2 KB)
• Lawn grasses suitable for the NT PDF (85.1 KB)

Pest and disease management

Insect pests

Visit the Northern Territory Insects Database to identify an insect pest and the damage it can cause.

Read the information sheets listed below about specific insect pests:

• Palm Leaf Beetle PDF (348.7 KB)
• Palm Leaf Beetle DOCX (638.7 KB)
• Monitoring and Control of Ginger Ants in Nurseries PDF (121.7 KB).

Diseases

Myrtle rust is a disease that attacks trees and shrubs in the Myrtaceae family of plants which includes Australian natives such as bottle brush, tea tree and eucalypts. Read about pests and disease for more information.

Research result

Search the department's online publication library to find the results of research regarding nursery products.

General information

To read a range of general horticulture advice and information go to general advice for fruit and vegetable growers.

Licensing and accreditation

If you are starting up a new plant nursery in the NT, the Australian Business Licence Information Service can provide you with details of all licences you might need to operate your business.

This includes Commonwealth and Local Government requirements. The service is provided free of charge. For more information, go to the Australian Business Licence Information  Service website.

The NIASA or the Nursery Accreditation Scheme Australia, is a voluntary set of nationally recognised standards for nursery and potting media businesses. The scheme recognises best practice and professionalism, the names of those businesses with NIASA accreditation can be found in the trade register.

Moving plant products interstate or overseas

There are strict rules about moving plants and their products - fruit, vegetables, flowers etc - between states and countries.

These rules control what you can move, where you can send it to and if it needs to be treated or inspected before it leaves the Northern Territory.

NT Quarantine handles the Interstate Certification Assurance scheme.

The Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources oversees the export of food, plant and plant materials to other countries. For more information go to the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources website.

Industry associations

For information about the plant nursery industry visit the Greenlife Industry Australia and NT Farmers website.