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GROWERTALKS - June 2023 Issue (Vol. 87 No. 2)
Acres & Acres
I Think We’ve Answered the Question
Chris Beytes
In spite of the questionable economy, when the weather is good, customers are buying our products.
Cover Story
The State of the Horticultural Automation Sector
Dr. Alexandra Grygorczyk
Challenges, opportunities and the way forward.
Features
A Focus on DLI
Iro Kang & Roberto Lopez
Successfully rooting tropical foliage plants and succulents.
Features
At Home in Homestead
Jennifer Zurko
Eric Andersen’s deep familial roots in his local community provide the perfect environment to run a successful foliage business.
Features
Avoiding Tax Audits
Mark E. Battersby
The right way to reduce your chances of getting a call from the IRS.
Features
Ideas & Inspiration From Other Places
Jennifer Zurko
This year’s finalists for the 2023 GrowerTalks/Ball Horticultural Company Young Grower Award discuss where they find ideas and inspiration outside of the horticulture industry.
Features
Make It Tropical With Mandevilla
Massy Sanaei
One class that effortlessly transports any backyard garden to the tropics is mandevilla.
Features
Other Options
Andrew Pidgeon
Because of its many benefits for plants and the environment, cocopeat is becoming an increasingly popular alternative to traditional peat moss.
Features
Remote Controlled
Bill Calkins
Technology improvements in remote environmental sensors and data loggers are taking monitoring a range of factors to a new level. Here are reasons to consider adding them to your toolbox and a look at some of the products available.
Growers Talk Business
The Labor Dilemma
Amy Morris
I believe our industry has its fair share of employment challenges, but there are ways we can combat some of those issues.
Growers Talk Production
The Post-Season Greenhouse Blues
Albert Grimm
Whether we admit it or not, we find excitement, pleasure and gratification in the continuous mental and physical overload that engulfs us during the seasonal rush.
GT in Brief
BioWorks Introduces Product Compatibility Tool
JC Chong
BioWorks has a new tool to help folks determine if other pest management products are compatible with BioWorks’ products.
GT in Brief
California Enacts Tough Rules for New Glasshouses
Chris Beytes
The Golden State, effective January 1, has introduced new requirements for greenhouses aimed at increasing their energy efficiency and thus reducing their energy use.
GT in Brief
HydraFiber Receives UL Solutions Certification
Chris Beytes
Profile Products has received the Recycled Content Environmental Claim Validation (ECV) from UL Solutions, a global leader in applied safety science, for its HydraFiber advanced substrate.
GT in Brief
In Memoriam: Sinclair Adam
Jennifer Zurko
Penn State University Flower Trial Director Sinclair Adam, Jr. passed away suddenly just before midnight on Sunday, April 9.
GT in Brief
Just in Time for Tulips
Jennifer Zurko
In early May, days before the annual Tulip Time festival was being held in Holland, Michigan, I climbed the stairs of the large windmill at Windmill Island Gardens to look out over four of their tulip fields on a blustery, spitty, 45-degree day.
GT in Brief
On The Move
Jennifer Zurko
Bailey; Eason Horticultural Resources; ForemostCo; HilverdaFlorist; Plantpeddler; Profile Products; Westbrook Greenhouse Systems
GT in Brief
Outback Plants, Ball Horticultural Join Forces
Chris Beytes
Outback Plants of Melbourne, Australia, has joined forces with Ball Horticultural Company.
GT in Brief
Regis Berger Honored by Peat Industry
Chris Beytes
Congratulations to Mr. Regis Berger, who was recently awarded the Medal of Honor from the New Brunswick Peat Producers Association.
Guest Column
Bolster Your Marketing & Boost Profitability With AAS & NGB
Alicain Carlson, Ph.D.
Think of these non-profit organizations as trialing, marketing and PR firms working on behalf of the horticulture industry—our industry’s only non-profit brand ambassadors and influencers!
Guest Column
The Nuances of Lavandulas
Lowell Halvorson
For lavender, money isn’t made at the national level, it’s made regionally.
Inside Look
A Balancing Act
Jennifer Zurko
A way to maintain a good balance is to look toward the future, while also using the lessons you learned in the past.
JZ on D.C.
Legislative Effort Seeks to Reverse H-2A Wage Rule
Jennifer Zurko
As previously reported, on February 28, 2023, the Department of Labor (DOL) amended its regulations concerning the determination of required wages for H-2A workers and any U.S. workers performing duties in common.
Paul's Pointers
Can You Adapt?
Paul Pilon
Plans will always change—are you willing to adapt and change with them?
Pest Management
The Effects of Insecticides on Two Beneficial Insects
Nathan J. Herrick & Raymond A. Cloyd
The direct and indirect effects of insecticides and miticides should be considered to avoid disrupting the ability of biological control agents to manage insect or mite pest populations.
Pest Management
Thrips parvispinus: An Emerging Invasive & Regulatory Pest in the United States
Muhammad Z. Ahmed, Cindy McKenzie & Lance S. Osborne
A team of researchers have been actively working on the emergency situation in Florida and other places nationally and internationally.
TRENDING NOW
Evaporative Plastic Cooling Pad System
Lubing USA
TRENDING NOW
EZ Potter Super Max
Mitchell Ellis Products
TRENDING NOW
Gothic Premium Greenhouses
GrowSpan Greenhouse Structures
TRENDING NOW
Hortiblock 162/28
Beaver Plastics Ltd.
TRENDING NOW
Petchoa Caliburst Yellow
PanAmerican Seed
TRENDING NOW
TerraGrow Liquid
BioSafe Systems LLC