GrowerTalks

November 2019 Issue

Vol. 83 No. 7

See the Digital Edition

This Month ...

Show & Tell

by Bill Calkins

Take our survey and win an iPad!

Our annual Wage & Benefit Survey is always highly anticipated and we appreciate all of those who take the time to participate. We’re asking you to be one of those people by taking this year’s 24th annual GrowerTalks Wage & Benefit Survey. If you enter your email at the end of the survey, you’ll be eligible for a drawing to win a 128GB iPad that’s compatible with Bluetooth keyboards and the Apple Pencil!

We appreciate our sponsor, Florasearch, for their support.

Nominate a Young Grower Today!

Congrats to the 2019 GrowerTalks/Nexus Young Grower Award Winner, John Terhesh from Willoway Nurseries, Inc., Avon, Ohio!

Do you know of an excellent, hard-working professional under the age of 35? You should nominate them for the 2020 GrowerTalks/Nexus Young Grower Award! For the last 16 years, we’ve recognized young horticulturists for standing out from the crowd in this tough business, who—for whatever noble reasons—have chosen to have a career in this industry.

After three finalists are chosen, each is asked to write guest editorials for the June issue of GrowerTalks, gets a free trip to Cultivate’20 and, while they’re in Columbus, attend a special dinner with Anna Ball and other industry luminaries. The winner is announced at the Unplugged event during Cultivate’20, will be the subject of our September issue cover story and serve as one of our judges for next year’s award.

An extra special thanks goes to Nexus and AmericanHort for sponsoring this year’s award!

VIDEOS

Watch More

Ball Seed Customer Day 2019

Ball Seed Customer Day 2019

Green workforce

Big Top plant-moving robot

Darwin Perennials Day 2019

Perennials: In or Out?

Jen Zurko Makes a Staghorn Fern Plank

Spring Trials 2019: Ball FloraPlant

Spring Trials 2019: Florist

Spring Trials 2019: Syngenta Drum Off

Spring Trials 2019: Proven Winners Annuals

Spring Trials 2019: Proven Winners Perennials & Shrubs

Bobblehead Bloopers 2019

Spring Trials 2019: Ball Ingenuity

2019 Spring Trials: PanAmerican Seed

2019 Spring Trials: Burpee

2019 Spring Trials: Darwin Perennials

Spring Trials 2019: Westhoff

Spring Trials 2019: Green Fuse

The new IDM-resistant impatiens

Introducing the Francis Kwong Center for seed processing

PanAmerican Seed's New Greenhouses

Heimos Poinsettia Trial 2018

NEWSLETTERS

Read and subscribe to a variety of Newsletters tailored to your industry interests.

COVER STORY

Chasing Efficiency: Benches vs. Floors

When planning production environments using benches or flood floors, there’s a lot to consider. From labor and product movement to irrigation and overall crop health, both systems are always in the running. Which option is best for you?

FEATURES

Being Flexible & Fluid

Specific growing programs will maximize your resources while also getting the most out of your crop.

Botrytis on Geranium Cuttings: What the Latest Research Shows

Julie Martens Forney

Do cuttings in boxes have to be a recipe for Botrytis? The answer is no—IF they complete their travels in two days. But if shipping time grows, anything can happen. Learn the latest on how to avoid Botrytis when shipping cuttings, courtesy of American Floral Endowment-funded research.

Duh! It’s All About the Water

Dr. Will Healy tells us how irrigation management is the cause of—and the solution to—all of your growing issues.

Getting the Best Out of Bios

Increasing organic-grown crop health with biological organisms.

Moving from Flowers to Food

Helping new lettuce and herb growers find success.

Hosting an open house at your greenhouse engages your entire team to build customer loyalty and showcases the things you do best. The results will last for years and could very well show up on your bottom line.

Wood Substrates: Supplies, Sources & Sustainability

Dr. Brian E. Jackson

This is the first article in a five-part series high-lighting various aspects of the development, use, commercialization, current status and future projections of wood substrates in horticultural crop production. This first article will address some aspects of forest resources, tree harvesting and wood feedstock selection, competing markets for wood supplies and the future outlook of wood resources.

CULTURE NOTES

Viking Begonia Conquers the Greenhouse & Landscape

Sakata’s new interspecific Viking Begonia series is sailing into the horticulture world.

Growing With Griffin

Scouting and control tips to combat the able aphid.

Growers Talk Production

Roger McGaughey

As in all walks of life, there are lessons to be learned.

PEST MANAGEMENT

Hungry, Hungry Caterpillars

Juang-Horng “JC” Chong

Caterpillars are sporadic pests in greenhouses and nurseries, but when they do occur, they often munch on foliage in large numbers and can be devastating to the crops.

COLUMNS

Finding Efficiency

Efficiency takes some experimenting, some trial-and-error. But once you’ve got a system in place, what once was a burdensome task can become a smooth process.

The One What Brung Ya

Treat everyone well and don’t show favoritism, but show consideration and loyalty to those who helped you get to where you are today.

Corr on Cannabis

Will the CBD Boom Become a Bust?

If demand is exploding, respected organizations are discussing its merits, reports are in the public discussion daily and distribution is ubiquitous, why do I suggest there may be a CBD bust?

Growers Talk Business

Update on Biological Controls

There are limitations to the beneficial program that must be respected or you’ll find yourself in an uncomfortable situation with potentially unsaleable plants.

Beacon: Shade’s Revenge Plant

Lauren Kirchner

Revenge plants take back what was theirs and look damn good doing it.

IN THIS ISSUE

Making an Impact in Washington

In mid-September, 100-plus greenhouse owners and other industry pros traveled to Washington, D.C., for AmericanHort’s Impact Washington event.

Withstanding the Test of Time

Anne-Marie Hardie

Nestled in the quaint oceanside town of Winthrop, Massachusetts, is Tewksbury Greenhouses—a family garden center that’s existed for more than a century.

GT IN BRIEF

AFE Raises Funds, Names New Trustees

AmericanHort Formalizes Partnership with Leading Consulting Firm

Ball to Shutter Nature’s Source

Bay City Flower Company to Close

Celebrating the Garden Mum

GreenTech Americas Coming to Mexico

Heimos Adds Hemp

In Memoriam: Irma Bodil Orum

In Memoriam: Professor Paul Thomas

Industry Icon Jim Nau Retires

Might We Get Orange Petunias Back?

COLUMNISTS

Heather Hydoski

Roger McGaughey

Abe VanWingerden

NEW PRODUCTS

Ball Seed
EDGE

Dosatron International Inc.
D400 Series

Nexus Greenhouse Systems/ RBI Greenhouses
Integrated Greenhouse Systems

Syngenta
Acelepryn

Green Fuse Botanicals Inc.
Rising Sun Chestnut Gold

Tesselaar Plants
Fairy Magnolia White