GrowerTalks

May 2019 Issue

Vol. 83 No. 1

See the Digital Edition

This Month ...

Sensing the N

by Ranjeeta Adhikari, Cheng Li & Krishna Nemali

Who will be this year’s Young Grower winner?

We’ll be awarding this year’s GrowerTalks/Nexus Young Grower Award at the Unplugged event during Cultivate’19. If you’re heading to Columbus, make some time to join us Monday night to see who will be on the cover of our September issue. There will be networking, trivia, a rooftop bar and your first drink is free!

WHEN: Monday, July 15 at 8:00 p.m.
WHERE: Callahan’s Columbus
520 Park Street, Columbus, Ohio

Finalists for the 2019 GrowerTalks/Nexus Young Grower Award:
Brian Austin — Dutch Heritage Gardens, Larkspur, Colorado
Tonya Diehl — Sunny Farms, Inc., Sequim, Washington
John Terhesh — Willoway Nurseries, Inc., Avon, Ohio

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

VIDEOS

Watch More

2019 Spring Trials: PanAmerican Seed

2019 Spring Trials: PanAmerican Seed

2019 Spring Trials: Burpee

Spring Trials 2019: Ball Ingenuity

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: Green Fuse

2019 Spring Trials: Selecta One

2019 Spring Trials: Darwin Perennials

Spring Trials 2019: Westhoff

Spring Trials 2019 - Suntory

The new IDM-resistant impatiens

Introducing the Francis Kwong Center for seed processing

PanAmerican Seed's New Greenhouses

Heimos Poinsettia Trial 2018

Ball Customer Day 2018

NEWSLETTERS

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

COVER STORY

The Point of Raising Prices

The cost of doing business has been going steadily higher, yet some growers are still reluctant to increase their prices. Why is our industry behind the pricing curve and what’s the best approach to asking your customers to pay more? We asked a few of your peers for tips based on how they’ve managed to raise their prices.

FEATURES

A Little Far-Red Light Goes a Long Way

Mengzi Zhang, Yujin Park & Erik Runkle

Part four of this series presents research-based information on how a relatively low intensity of far-red light influences seedlings grown in fully controlled environments, from a collaboration between Michigan State University and the American Floral Endowment.

Obvious—and not so obvious—ways you can save money on water, heating, plants and labor.

Daily Light Integral

Optimizing production by controlling the total daily light delivered to greenhouse crops.

Mycorrhizae 101

Ed Bloodnick & Troy Buechel

The relationship this beneficial fungus has with plant roots provides crops of all types the best start.

Reaping the Benefits

Being a member of AmericanHort doesn’t just include entry into the Cultivate show; this industry organization offers benefits that you may not even know about. For the next few issues, we’ll speak to some members to learn how they value being a part of AmericanHort.

Ranjeeta Adhikari, Cheng Li & Krishna Nemali

Estimating nitrogen content in plants using your smartphone.

CULTURE NOTES

Growing With Griffin

How to Manage Western Flower Thrips in Peak Season

Thrips have a well-earned reputation for developing resistance to pesticides. Practicing a sound rotation strategy is key to slowing the progression of pesticide resistance.

Growers Talk Production

The Joys & Sorrows of Trialing

Heather Hydoski

Trialing is an interesting, exciting, sometimes frustrating, and a very crucial part of the production process.

PEST MANAGEMENT

Thwarted by Thrips? This Could be Why.

Dr. Sarah Jandricic

For the last few years, astute growers and consultants have noticed that thrips biocontrol programs don’t seem to be working as well as they used to.

Ways to Manage Mealybugs

Stanton Gill, Brian Kunkel, Suzanne Klick & Rachel Ross

The worst nightmare of greenhouse growers or a conservatory manager is mealybugs in the greenhouse. Once this pest is established, growers are guaranteed to spend endless hours and lots of money trying to get rid of this pest group.

COLUMNS

The Pain of Prices

You know you’re old when you start comparing the prices of today to what they were when you were younger.

What Brian Said

I’ve been preaching the same thing Dr. Brian Corr said since the first mid-sized grower lost its big box business and the first large grower was acquired by a venture capital firm.

Corr on Cannabis

Change at Warp Speed

The changes in the cannabis industry make my head spin.

Growers Talk Business

It’s a “Process,” Not a “Project”

Abe VanWingerden

We get asked to wear many hats each day and too many times, we take a business problem and too quickly come to a solution.

Finding the Right Intern

There are students out there who are going to be knocking on our doors looking for jobs in the next couple years. What about the students who are already on the path to a career in our industry?

IN THIS ISSUE

Registration is Now Open for the Impact Washington Summit

Registration and hotels are now open for the Impact Washington Summit being held on September 16-19, 2019 in Washington D.C.

Investing in a Legacy

Anne-Marie Hardie

Brea Segger bought Ravenhill Herb Farm in 2014, turning the local landmark that had been there for close to a century into a place the community can get local herbs and produce.

GT IN BRIEF

2019 Farwest Show to Have Dr. Charlie Hall as Keynote

2020 SNA Conference Announced

AAS and NGB Elect New Officers and Directors

Basewell Now Available in Perennials

In Memoriam: Elisabeth “Jinx” Ecke

Just Our Cup of Tea

Nexus Founder Passes Away

PanAmerican Seed Purchases Indoor Veggies from Dalina

Proven Winners ColorChoice to Offer Ornamental Trees

UF Greenhouse Training Online Courses for 2019

Workshops and Tours You Can Take at Cultivate'19

COLUMNISTS

Heather Hydoski

Roger McGaughey

Abe VanWingerden

NEW PRODUCTS

Benary+
Pentas Graffiti 20/20 Series

The HC Companies Inc.
4.5-in. Square / 6-in. Azalea Pot

Premier Tech Horticulture
PRO-MIX BK25-V

Suntory Flowers Ltd.
Surfinia Purple Starshine

AmericanHort
Cultivate’19

PanAmerican Seed
Beacon Impatiens