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GROWERTALKS - January 2025 Issue (Vol. 88 No. 9)
Acres & Acres
Welcome to the Future
Chris Beytes
Cars may not yet fly, but time sure does.
Cover Story
The Challenges of Off-Shore Production
Jennifer Zurko
Breeding companies and their production farm partners in Mexico go to great lengths to make sure that you and your customers get all of your geranium cuttings consistently and disease free. And it’s getting much more difficult to do so.
Culture Notes
Marigolds: A Versatile Option for Multiple Seasons
Michael Wiebe
While marigolds hold fame among a loyal audience for certain holidays in various times of the year, they’ve seen a recent surge in popularity as decorations for late summer all the way through late fall.
Features
Cultivating the Ideal Culture
Rayne Gibson
Building a positive work culture in the green industry.
Features
Fourth Time’s the Charm
Chris Beytes
Occasionally, GrowerTalks likes to reveal little-known details about the birth, growth or success of a well-known horticultural business. This month, Dümmen Orange North America, which celebrates 25 years in 2025, a period that includes the launches of two innovative products: daylength-neutral petunias and multi-species liners.
Features
Know Your Nitrogen
Josh Henry
We all know nitrogen is one of the most important nutrients for commercial floriculture crop production, but how often do you think about how it’s being used and how it impacts plant growth?
Features
Relearning How to Grow: Substrates
Patrick Veazie & Brian Whipker
With recent challenges in substrate availability growers must modify their watering, fertility and growing practices to optimize plant growth.
Features
Right Plant, Right Time, Right Source
Bill Calkins
Creating and executing your perennial plan requires teamwork from start to finish. Partner with Ball Seed to optimize your assortment and drive success.
Features
Taking Control Early
Troy Buechel
Tips for building strong roots in young plants.
Features
The Root of Long-Term Engagement
Harrison Downing
We continue our series on hiring trends with a deep dive into onboarding a new hire.
Features
What’s Underneath the Surface?
Jennifer Polanz
Researchers are taking a much closer look than they ever have before at the microbial level related to soilless media and the results are fascinating.
Growers Talk Business
The Mission to Reduce Labor Costs
Stan Vander Waal
As business owners, we must consider the financial implications that translate into business viability.
Growers Talk Production
Growers Growing Growers
Stephanie Saccomano
Welcoming new talent is more than hiring someone and tossing them into the deep end.
GT in Brief
CAST Registration Now Open!
Jennifer Zurko
The website to register for any or all of the stops in one place is now live.
GT in Brief
Congrats to FCI founder Debbie Hamrick
Chris Beytes
Former colleague Debbie Hamrick, who was once editor of GrowerTalks, was presented with a Silver Carnation Award for her services to the international floral industry as founder of FloraCulture International (FCI) magazine.
GT in Brief
Eight AAS Winners for 2025
Chris Beytes
The National All-America Selections (AAS) winners for 2025 include four flowers and four vegetables.
GT in Brief
Grown & Raised in Mexico for Mexico
Jennifer Zurko
The State of Morelos in Mexico has become a popular place for breeding companies to produce their young plants off-shore, with four different farms growing stock plants and harvesting cuttings at multiple locations around the area. But the first company to plant roots, so to speak, was Floraplant.
GT in Brief
In Memoriam: Bert R. Hybels
Chris Beytes
Bert R. Hybels, a well-known and beloved figure in the Kalamazoo, Michigan, community and a pioneer of the bedding plant industry, passed away on November 2. He was 84.
GT in Brief
In Memoriam: Jan Hoek
Chris Beytes
Jan Hoek, a successful chrysanthemum breeder who founded Royalty Administration International, passed away on October 25. He was 87.
GT in Brief
In Memoriam: Richard Lindquist
Chris Beytes
Dr. Richard Lindquist, the popular and prolific professor of entomology at The Ohio State University, passed away in September.
GT in Brief
On The Move
Jennifer Zurko
Bailey; Dummen Orange; PanAmerican Seed; Proven Winners; Rimol Greenhouse Systems
GT in Brief
Sakata America Holding Company Unveils New Headquarters
Jennifer Zurko
Sakata America Holding Company, Inc. (SAH), a major subsidiary of Sakata Seed Corporation, had the grand opening of its new headquarters, the Sakata Woodland Innovation Center, on September 12, 2024.
Guest Column
Why Zinnias Have Zing
Lowell Halvorson
Seed-to-retail speed is a major part of zinnias’ popularity. They offer fast turns for firms looking to convert houses to cash in short, swift cycles or tuck a crop into an idle greenhouse.
Inside Look
The Complications of Instant Gratification
Jennifer Zurko
We are in the age of instant gratification where we can get pretty much anything we want anytime we want it.
JZ on D.C.
Floral Industry Braces for Tariffs
Jennifer Zurko
On November 25, President-elect Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he would sign an executive order on Inauguration Day to put a 25% tariff on products from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% tariff on imports from China.
Pest Management
Cold Chain Management of Biologicals
Heidi Doering
Biologicals should be held at the appropriate temperature, which differs from product to product across a broad range of species.
TRENDING NOW
AGTIV FORTIFY, AGTIV DEFEND and AGTIV REACH
Premier Tech Growers and Consumers
TRENDING NOW
Bloombux Blush Rhododendron
Bloomin’ Easy Plants Inc.
TRENDING NOW
Decades of Color
Wave
TRENDING NOW
Garden Gerbera Garvinea Sweet Blaze
HilverdaFlorist
TRENDING NOW
Mainspring Xtra
Syngenta Ornamentals
TRENDING NOW
Soil Moisture Sensor
Sensaphone