Bloom Beat Live
I had the opportunity to attend Ball Publishing’s Bloom Beat newsletter Editor-at-Large Lindsay Daschner’s presentation at the Great Lakes Expo in Grand Rapids, Michigan, last week. This was the first time I met Lindsay in person and she is an absolute rock star. (Or should I say flower star since I don’t know if she sings or plays any instruments?)
Lindsay owns a small cut flower farm (
Forget Me Not Farms) in Ottawa Lake, Michigan. She gave a wonderful presentation on “Producing High-Quality Anemone and Ranunculus in Michigan.”
Like many things in life, growing plants can be fun and rewarding, but Lindsay showed us how successfully growing cut flower anemone and ranunculus can come with a few challenges, but offered several tips and guidelines to make these crops both fun and profitable. Here’s a just a snippet of the information Lindsay presented.
Pre-sprouting Anemone & Ranunculus
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Soak for four to eight hours
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Preventative fungicide treatment during the last 15 minutes of the soak
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Cooling treatment: 40F (4C) for seven to 10 days in mesh bags
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Anemone: After the cooling stage, scatter corms in an open flat and cover with an inch or so of growing mix. Many sources suggest placing the corms pointy side down, but Lindsay says they'll sprout well even when they're placed on their sides.
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Ranunculus: After cooling, place the corms with the fingers pointed down. 50-cell or larger sized plugs work well. Cover them with an inch or so of growing mix.
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Once the corms begin showing a few roots, they can be kept in the trays until they're more mature or planted directly into the finishing beds.
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the great information Lindsay shared. Unfortunately, Tater (Lindsay's four legged companion and co-owner) couldn’t make the trip, but perhaps I’ll meet him in person someday.
MSU Trial Gardens
Besides attending Lindsay’s presentation, I spent most of the two days I was there partaking in the great educational sessions the Great Lakes Expo offered. One of them was the “Best-Performing Plants in the 2023 Michigan Garden Plant Tour” session. In this presentation, each of the trial locations (MSU Trial Garden, DGI Propagators, Four Star Greenhouse, Mast Young Plants, Raker-Roberta’s Young Plants and Walters Gardens) shared highlights of their 2023 trials.
The trial sites had hundreds of flowering annuals and herbaceous perennials on display. Below are few of the perennials that stood out in the MSU trial gardens this summer.
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Agastache Meant to Bee Royal Raspberry
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Echinacea Artisan Red Ombre
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Phlox Luminary Backlight
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Rudbeckia Goldblitz
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An Icon Passes
I was saddened to learn about the passing of another industry icon. After battling lung cancer for two years, Rick Schoellhorn passed away on November 25. Rick was an incredible person. You’ve likely heard him give a lively presentation, read one of his trade articles or may have been lucky enough to know him over the years. I knew Rick and can’t possibly tell you how awesome a person he was.
Rick left us too soon at the young age of 66, however, he lived a life full of passion and enjoyed sharing his knowledge with the industry. His interest and love for plants began at a young age. He obtained a BS in Horticulture from Colorado State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Florida where he became a professor.
During his time at UF, Rick became a well-known garden consultant, author, speaker, television host and community volunteer. After a decade in academia, he joined Proven Winners as Director of New Products where he continued to do what he truly loved: sharing his love and knowledge of horticulture with professional colleagues, plant breeders and growers across the world.
He was semi-retired, but continued writing and doing social media work for Proven Winners. Rick also enjoyed spending time cultivating begonias and was working on interviewing begonia breeders for a book on the history of begonia cultivation.
Rick, thank you for sharing your passion for plants with the world and for being such a positive individual. Though you have left us, your legacy will remain forever. Rest peacefully, my friend.
MSU's Online Learning Programs—Last Call!
Michigan State University is offering two opportunities to earn educational certificates through its upcoming online learning programs.
College of Knowledge
MSU Extension offers its award-winning online College of Knowledge training program once yearly during the winter months. The self-paced, pre-recorded courses are being offered December 1, 2023 through March 15, 2024 this year.
Who is the College of Knowledge for?
Although anyone can attend, the program is really designed for greenhouse growers that are either new to the industry or who are interested in brushing up their horticultural knowledge. The online courses provide basic training to growers across the country in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
What courses are being offered?
There are four self-paced courses being offered this winter. All the courses are available both in English and Spanish.
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English Courses |
Spanish Courses |
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Abiotic Disorders of Greenhouse Crops
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Trastornos abióticos de cultivos de invernadero
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Biological Control for Greenhouse Growers
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Control Biológico para Cultivadores en Invernaderos
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Greenhouse and Horticultural Lighting
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Iluminación para Horticultura e Invernaderos
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Root Zone Management
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Manejo de la Zona Radicular
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These four non-credit courses are pre-recorded and registrants have three months to complete them. Students in the program will take a pre-test and a final exam to gauge their learning on the topics. Registrants can also complete optional self-assessment quizzes during the learning process to better engage with the course content.
How to enroll:
Visit
MSU’s College of Knowledge website for complete descriptions of the courses and for registration links. Each course is $129.
Plant Health Professional Certificate
The second opportunity to earn educational certificates from MSU is through its joint Plant Health Professional Certificate program. MSU has teamed up with the University of Florida and several other leading universities to offer a new qualification in plant health management for greenhouse and nursery growers.
Growers must pass five of six courses, which include:
Upon successful completion of five of these courses, students will receive a certificate of completion from University Extension to recognize their training skills and dedication as a Plant Health Professional. The certificates are a great way to help build your résumé and grow your career.
How to enroll:
Thanks for reading this edition of Perennial Pulse. My email is paul@opelgrowers.com if you have any comments, article suggestions or if you'd just like to say hello.
Best regards,
Paul Pilon
Editor-at-Large—Perennial Pulse
Director of Growing—Opel Growers
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