Drones Take Flight in the Nursery: How Two Disciplines Built Something Neither Could Alone (Part 1)

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EPISODE DESCRIPTION Sometimes the most interesting plant science doesn’t come from a plant person at all. In this special two-part episode, Ping sits down with two collaborators who’ve spent fifteen years figuring out how drones can work in nursery and greenhouse production — Dr. Jim Robbins, a retired University of Arkansas extension specialist who’s loved plants since he was fifteen, and Dr. Joe Maja, an engineer who freely admits he wasn’t a plant person before the two of them met. Their accidental partnership, sparked by a 2009 question about counting plants in a field nursery, is the thread that runs through the whole conversation. Part 1 is the grower’s field guide. What actually counts as a “drone,” and why does 55 pounds matter so much? Which license do you need — Part 107, Part 137, or both — and who regulates what? What are the five things a nursery can realistically do with a drone right now, from five-hundred-dollar marketing cameras to RFID inventory readers Joe is shrinking small enough to fly? And the question Ping keeps circling back to: does any of this actually pencil out, or should you just hire someone to fly for you? Whether you’re a commercial grower weighing your first purchase, a student curious about precision ag, or a plant lover who likes a good origin story, this one rewards a full listen. Part 2 takes the conversation deeper into the RFID inventory work itself. Listen Time: 66:20 Follow Along with the Transcript [https://bandbpod.com/pages/drones-take-flight-in-the-nursery-how-two-disciplines-built-something-neither-could-alone-part-1] IN THIS EPISODE GUESTS * Dr. James “Jim” Robbins — Extension Specialist and Professor in commercial ornamental horticulture (retired), University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. Twenty-three years supporting green-industry businesses in nursery production and woody plant evaluation; the past fifteen spent deep in drone work. * Dr. Joe Maja — Director, Center for Applied AI for Sustainable Agriculture, South Carolina State University. Engineer specializing in robotics, unmanned aerial systems, remote sensing, and applying AI to agriculture. MAIN TOPICS * Welcome and introductions (00:00) * Jim’s journey from a Wisconsin nursery to drone pioneer — and a serendipitous 2009 collaboration (03:01) * The 2009 inventory question that started fifteen years of work (04:45) * Why interdisciplinary collaboration matters in modern agriculture (10:38) * Introducing UAVs: the 55-pound line, multi-rotor vs. fixed-wing (15:24) * Licensing: Part 107, Part 137, and who regulates what (21:15) * A field guide to drone types and sensors (25:34) * The five drone applications — and where nurseries use them most (28:39) * The most-adopted application: simple images and video (34:36) * Greenhouse vs. nursery, and the case for a practice drone (36:08) * Putting a system together: equipment, payloads, and bundles (40:04) * From image to answer: software, services, and the economics (43:43) * A fact sheet on three ownership scenarios (49:09) * Liquid to granular: spray drones, fire-ant bait, and smart flight software (53:36) * The ornamental challenge: diversity, variability, and a software-smart future (60:16) * Closing (65:26) KEY HIGHLIGHTS * An origin story worth keeping. A field nursery in the Pacific Northwest asked Jim in 2009 whether inventory could be automated. That single question — and his surprise that manual counting was still the norm — led him back to Arkansas, to engineer Joe Maja, and to fifteen years of collaboration. * The 55-pound rule. When a drone plus its payload lifts off at under 55 pounds, the FAA calls it “small,” and licensing is very achievable. Cross that line — which spray drones do quickly — and you’re in a more involved regulatory category. * Five applications, ranked by realism. Marketing/sales imagery, asset tracking, plant inventory (RFID), aerial application (spray and spread), and crop monitoring. The two “low-hanging fruit” — still images and video — are affordable enough that Jim thinks every operation should own a small drone. * The economics is the real question. Jim and Joe co-wrote an extension fact sheet with an agricultural economist laying out three ownership scenarios — do it all yourself, a hybrid, or hire it out entirely — across a five-year return. * The ornamental handicap. Row-crop monoculture is far easier to automate than a nursery growing 300–600 different crops, each with its own spectral signature. Joe’s bet for the next decade: smarter software and AI, not new hardware. KEY QUOTES > “The choice shouldn’t be driven by the platform itself. It should be driven by the application. Whether it’s imaging, monitoring, or spraying, the key question is: what problems are you trying to solve?” — Dr. Joe Maja > “Think of your driver’s license — just a regular driver’s license. But if you wanted to be a certified CDL, it’s a much more expensive and involved process. And the same is true once we jump above 55 pounds.” — Dr. Jim Robbins > “The outdoor environment is very rough on engineered solutions.” — Dr. Jim Robbins > “I wasn’t a plant person before working with James, and my training was purely in engineering, so I approached everything from a systems and problem-solving perspective.” — Dr. Joe Maja > “I think the future solution is less about different hardware and more about smarter software.” — Dr. Joe Maja EDUCATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS * UAV vs. UAS. Both terms describe the same family of aircraft. If the payload is a sprayer or a sensor, you might call the whole thing an unmanned aerial system; if you’re just flying the aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicle. * Multi-rotor vs. fixed-wing. Multi-rotor drones (quadcopters, hexacopters) hover and maneuver precisely — ideal for the tighter, more variable space of a nursery. Fixed-wing platforms fly like airplanes, covering large areas efficiently but needing more room and offering less control in confined spaces. * Part 107 vs. Part 137. Part 107 certifies you as a commercial drone pilot — achievable even without an aviation background, with the exam covering airspace classification, weather, and operational safety. Part 137 is the additional, more paperwork-heavy certification required to apply pesticides or agricultural chemicals from the air, often involving state agencies too. * Who regulates what. Anything to do with flying an aircraft in the national airspace is the sole responsibility of the FAA. The moment you apply a chemical, a state agency — for example, Arkansas’s agriculture department, pest control division — may enter the picture. * The sensor toolbox. Drone imaging can use standard RGB cameras, multispectral sensors, thermal sensors, hyperspectral cameras, and even LiDAR, depending on the detail needed. Remote sensing can flag water stress, heat stress, weed infestations, or chemical damage before the human eye catches them. * Why bundles matter. A sensor needs its own power source, a trigger linked to the remote control, and a way to store and transfer data in flight. Pre-integrated bundles solve that electronic configuration so growers can focus on choosing the right setup rather than building from scratch. * The liquid-to-granular swap. Newer spray drones let you pull out the liquid tank and drop in an interchangeable granular tank with a cyclone spreader — a standardized mechanical and electrical interface that makes fire-ant bait application especially efficient, since bait doesn’t need overlapping passes and packs low bulk density. * Spectral signatures and “taxa.” Each plant species reflects light differently based on leaf structure, pigmentation, and canopy architecture, so a model tuned for one taxa may fail on another — the core reason ornamental automation lags behind monoculture row crops. RESOURCES & LINKS * Website: bandbpod.com * Extension fact sheet (the one Jim mentions): “Planning for Financial Risks Associated with Using sUAS in Agriculture” — University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, FSA6153 (Robbins, Rainey, Maja, Shew, and Weems, 2020). Lays out the three ownership scenarios — buy everything, buy the aircraft/sensor but outsource image processing, or hire it all out — with a first-year cost table and a five-year projection, using a vegetation-index (NDVI) objective as the worked example: https://www.uaex.uada.edu/publications/pdf/FSA6153.pdf [https://www.uaex.uada.edu/publications/pdf/FSA6153.pdf] * Companion fact sheet: “Drone Pilot Certification and Aircraft Registration” — University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service, FSA6150 (covers Part 107 and registration): https://www.uaex.uada.edu/publications/pdf/FSA-6150.pdf [https://www.uaex.uada.edu/publications/pdf/FSA-6150.pdf] * Plant-counting / plant-inventory software services — search “plant inventory software” for companies that process uploaded aerial images into plant counts * FAA Part 107 (commercial drone pilot certification) and FAA Part 137 (agricultural aircraft operations) ABOUT BLOOMS AND BEYOND Blooms and Beyond explores plant history, culture, and management through the lens of science. Whether you’re a commercial grower seeking practical solutions, a student exploring careers in horticulture, or simply someone who loves plants and their stories, there’s something here for you. Hosted by Dr. Ping Yu of the University of Georgia, each episode features interviews with experts who share enchanting stories, cutting-edge research, and practical wisdom from the world of horticulture. Your benefit: After each episode, commercial growers will have at least one useful tip for their operation, and plant enthusiasts will have an interesting fact to share. That’s how we spread plant power to more people and make our environment a little better. CREDITS Host: Dr. Ping Yu Producer: Rich Braman Guests: Dr. James “Jim” Robbins, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture (retired); Dr. Joe Maja, Center for Applied AI for Sustainable Agriculture, South Carolina State University Episode Release Date: June 21, 2026 Episode Length: 66:20 “Till next time, stay healthy and go plants!” 🌱

Drones Take Flight in the Nursery: How Two Disciplines Built Something Neither Could Alone (Part 1)

21. Juni 20261 h 6 min

It's Not Garden Therapy: The Real Science of Plants and People with Sheri Dorn

IT’S NOT GARDEN THERAPY: THE REAL SCIENCE OF PLANTS AND PEOPLE Ping calls it “garden therapy.” Dr. Sheri Dorn gently corrects her — and that correction opens up a whole world. EPISODE DESCRIPTION Ping sits down with her colleague and friend Dr. Sheri Dorn, who took on a new role at the University of Georgia in August as assistant professor of socio-horticulture and horticultural therapy. Within the first two minutes, Sheri lovingly catches Ping using the loose term “garden therapy” — and that small correction becomes the thread that runs through the whole conversation. There’s a real difference between horticultural therapy (a clinical setting with a therapist, a client, and a goal), therapeutic horticulture (the benefits of a group gardening session), and socio-horticulture (the big bucket that holds every economic, environmental, social, and health benefit plants give us). Sorting those terms out turns out to be the difference between a feel-good hobby and a documented science. From there the conversation ranges across Sheri’s path into the field — a childhood spent in an enormous inherited family vegetable garden, her mentorship under People-Plant Council pioneer Dr. Diane Relf at Virginia Tech, and the “plant magic” she first watched happen in community gardens. She walks through the research that explains why gardening lowers cortisol and blood pressure, why how often you garden matters as much as that you do it at all, and the landmark 1980s hospital-window study that showed surgery patients recovered faster when they could see a garden instead of a brick wall. If you’re a grower, there’s a marketing message here you can take to the bank. If you’re a plant enthusiast, there’s a clear, encouraging on-ramp: try a basil cutting, sow some lettuce, call your county Extension office, and build from there. And if you’ve ever joked that gardening is cheaper than a therapist, Sheri has thoughts about that very expensive tomato. Listen Time: 48:38 Follow Along with this Episode’s Transcript [https://bandbpod.com/pages/its-not-garden-therapy-the-real-science-of-plants-and-people-with-sheri-dorn] IN THIS EPISODE GUEST Dr. Sheri Dorn — Assistant Professor of Socio-Horticulture and Horticultural Therapy, UGA Department of Horticulture & State Botanical Garden of Georgia. Formerly the State of Georgia Master Gardener coordinator. Bachelor’s and master’s in horticulture from Virginia Tech (working under Dr. Diane Relf and the People-Plant Council), PhD from the University of Georgia. She is building UGA’s new horticultural therapy certificate program. MAIN TOPICS * Meet Dr. Sheri Dorn and her new role (00:51) * From a family vegetable garden to Virginia Tech (04:19) * Learning from a pioneer: Dr. Diane Relf and the People-Plant Council (06:02) * The “plant magic” of community gardens (08:02) * Defining the terms: therapy, therapeutic horticulture, socio-horticulture (09:45) * Why gardening makes us feel good — cortisol, blood pressure, memory (12:03) * The biggest misconception: not all gardening is therapy (15:17) * How often you garden matters (17:48) * The hospital window: Roger Ulrich’s landmark study (20:19) * The economic value of plants and landscapes (22:41) * Choosing plants around the client’s goals (25:03) * A marketing message for the green industry (28:12) * Post-pandemic trends in horticultural therapy (30:44) * What an effective program looks like + training and certification (34:51) * Getting started: simple activities for beginners (38:36) * Sheri’s vision for the program (44:15) KEY HIGHLIGHTS * Three terms, one correction. Horticultural therapy is clinical — therapist, client, goal, with horticulture as the pathway. Therapeutic horticulture is the looser group setting. Socio-horticulture is the broad umbrella for every human benefit of plants. Most of what people call “garden therapy” actually lives in the socio-horticulture bucket. * Frequency is the finding. Some of the most useful recent research shows the benefits of gardening track with how often you do it — like exercise. A one-off patio container won’t deliver the therapeutic payoff that a regular, recurring practice does. * The hospital window. In a study from the early ’90s, gallbladder-surgery patients whose rooms overlooked a garden had shorter stays and needed fewer pain medications than patients facing a brick wall. * Don’t forget the horticulturalist. Sheri’s recurring concern: as the medical community drives more horticultural-therapy research, the person who actually knows how to grow and troubleshoot the plants gets left off the team — and the work suffers for it. * The on-ramp is low. Root a grocery-store basil sleeve in a glass of water, sow lettuce, plant a paper white narcissus, and call your county Extension office. Small successes build the confidence (and the habit) that the science says matters. KEY QUOTES > “I like to say that my parents nearly killed my career in horticulture before it got started, because it was — honest to goodness, Ping — it was the family vegetable garden, and we had a huge one.” — Dr. Sheri Dorn (04:21) > “Those people, nine times out of ten, would not speak to each other if they ran into each other in the grocery store… But they have bonded over growing the plants.” — Dr. Sheri Dorn, on community gardens (08:55) > “I think the biggest misconception is that all gardening is therapy.” — Dr. Sheri Dorn (15:17) > “It was very clear that the patients that viewed the garden had a shorter hospital stay, took fewer pain medications, and they were less obnoxious, essentially… They were better patients, Ping.” — Dr. Sheri Dorn, on the Ulrich study (21:11) > “Don’t forget the people side of plants. We won’t have an industry if there aren’t people buying our plants.” — Dr. Sheri Dorn (30:19) EDUCATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS * Horticultural therapy — A clinical practice built on three things: a therapist, a client, and a goal (to heal, strengthen, recover, learn skills, or make social connections), with gardening as the pathway to that goal. It draws on cognitive science, psychology, counseling, and physical and occupational medicine — but the practitioner’s first training is in plants. * Therapeutic horticulture — A less formal, usually group setting where the gardening activity produces positive benefits without tracking individually prescribed goals. * Socio-horticulture — The broad term for all human benefits of plants: economic, environmental, social, community, health, and wellbeing. Self-directed gardening that simply makes you feel good lives here, not in clinical “therapy.” * Why the body responds — Gardening is associated with cortisol reduction and lower blood pressure. Scent from plants like rosemary, lavender, roses, and gardenia works through brain pathways tied to memory. Part of the relaxation comes from a shift out of the office’s intense, narrow focus into the gentler, fascinated attention the garden invites. * Attention restoration & the Ulrich study — Roger Ulrich (a psychologist) analyzed hospital records of gallbladder-surgery patients; those who could see a landscaped garden recovered faster and used fewer pain medications than those facing a brick wall — early behavioral evidence for what plants do for us. * The economic case — A landscape investment can return more at resale than a kitchen renovation; well-landscaped homes tend to sell faster and help establish a desirable “sense of place.” Sheri also notes the flip side: over-complex landscapes can overwhelm buyers, and rising desirability can push taxes up, so keep communities involved in the decisions. * Choosing plants by goal, not by species — Plant choice follows the client’s goal: non-toxic options for clients who put things in their mouth; scent, flower, or color to spark memory (Sheri’s lifelong snapdragon association with her mother); textured leaves like oakleaf hydrangea or a prickly holly for sensory work; easily propagated plants for vocational/production goals. * Certification — UGA is building a horticultural therapy certificate: at minimum 12 hours of horticultural therapy coursework layered onto a foundation in growing plants plus human-sciences training. It draws students and working professionals alike — horticulturalists, educators, nurses, occupational and physical therapists. * Beginner propagation win — A grocery-store basil sleeve placed in a vase of water will root in under a week — you’ve propagated a plant. Paper white narcissus bulbs (nose up, basal plate down) bloom in about five to six weeks. RESOURCES & LINKS * Website: bandbpod.com * Dr. Sheri Dorn — reachable through the UGA Department of Horticulture; a dedicated horticultural therapy program website is in development. Contact information is available on the department webpage. * People-Plant Council — the national group founded by Dr. Diane Relf (Virginia Tech) in the early 1990s. * UGA horticultural therapy certificate program — in development at the University of Georgia. * Your county Extension office — every county in Georgia has one; staff and Master Gardener volunteers offer research-based, unbiased horticulture guidance and publications. * State Botanical Garden of Georgia — partner in Dr. Dorn’s appointment, with a conservation and native-plant focus. ABOUT BLOOMS AND BEYOND Blooms and Beyond explores plant history, culture, and management through the lens of science. Whether you’re a commercial grower seeking practical solutions, a student exploring careers in horticulture, or simply someone who loves plants and their stories, there’s something here for you. Hosted by Dr. Ping Yu of the University of Georgia, each episode features interviews with experts who share enchanting stories, cutting-edge research, and practical wisdom from the world of horticulture. Your benefit: After each episode, commercial growers will have at least one useful tip for their operation, and plant enthusiasts will have an interesting fact to share. That’s how we spread plant power to more people and make our environment a little better. CREDITS Host: Dr. Ping Yu Producer: Rich Braman Guest: Dr. Sheri Dorn, Assistant Professor of Socio-Horticulture and Horticultural Therapy, UGA Department of Horticulture & State Botanical Garden of Georgia Support: American Floral Endowment Educational Grant Episode Release Date: June 7, 2026 Episode Length: 48:38 “Till next time, stay healthy and go plants!” 🌱

8. Juni 202648 min

Drones Take Flight in the Nursery: How Two Disciplines Built Something Neither Could Alone (Part 1)

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