Greenhouse Management magazine

08/30/2024

Poinsettias are susceptible to several insect and mite pests, so it's important to effectively manage them before bract formation — very few insecticides and miticides are labeled for poinsettias when in bract.

Learn more from Dr. Raymond Cloyd at K-State Department of Entomology (Kansas State University) about the damage associated with each pest and protection strategies to keep your poinsettia crop healthy and damage-free:

https://www.greenhousemag.com/article/poinsettia-pest-management-insects-mites/

08/28/2024

Should you buy, lease or rent your equipment, vehicles or buildings? Not too surprisingly, the answer depends on your operation’s situation.

The question gets even more complex when you add new rules governing the accounting treatment of leases that make them more transparent to potential lenders and investors.

The decision should be made on a case-by-case basis, so learn more about how you can make that decision here:

https://www.greenhousemag.com/article/greenhouse-equipment-lease-rent-buy-decision-guide/

08/27/2024

Learn more about employee retention and development in this free webinar TODAY hosted by our sister magazine, Garden Center Magazine!

You can register at the link below. And if you can't attend live today at 2 p.m. ET, you'll get emailed a link to watch it on your schedule!

https://gie-net.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_rSTlLEGHTgmQ6GwiRQn3Cg #/registration

https://gie-net.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_rSTlLEGHTgmQ6GwiRQn3Cg #/registration

REMINDER! Our free webinar on employee retention and development is TOMORROW!

Our next webinar in the Fertile Ground Webinar Series, with platinum sponsor Proven Winners, features Tina Lee from DeWayne's and Karen Van Duyvendyk from Dutch Growers, who will discuss how positive efforts in professional development, incentives and company culture can lead to improved employee retention and increases in productivity, performance and morale.

Register here:

https://gie-net.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_rSTlLEGHTgmQ6GwiRQn3Cg #/registration

08/26/2024

If you're a greenhouse owner or manager, we want to hear from you!

Each year, we take the pulse of the industry through our most comprehensive research project, the State of the Industry survey.

The survey only takes about 10 minutes to complete. To show our appreciation for your time and insight, you can enter to win one of three $50 Visa gift cards!

You have until Friday, Sept. 6 to take the survey at the link below:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GMSO124

08/23/2024

Substrate supply and cost continue to be volatile, causing uncertainty among growers that use traditional, soil-based horticulture methods.

The lack of availability and financial pressure could be enough to make growers seek an off-ramp into soilless hydroponic growing methods.

Commercial-style hydroponics can be used in virtually any growing structure, from relatively inexpensive high tunnels to fully automated multi-acre greenhouses.

Here are some crucial considerations to ensure a hydroponics system provides the best yields for the least cost and effort:

https://www.greenhousemag.com/article/soilless-growing-hydroponics-without-soil-tips/

08/22/2024

Who in the industry has inspired you?

Nominate them for a 2025 Horticultural Industries Leadership Award!

Each year, Greenhouse Management and Nursery Management honor green industry professionals who exemplify the leadership qualities needed to inspire and empower those around them and who work toward the betterment of the entire industry.

We start accepting nominations for the HILA Class of 2025 on Sept. 16, so start thinking about who you'd like to nominate!

In the meantime, read about the past seven years of honorees here:

https://hila.hortgroupevents.com/

08/21/2024

Discover cutting-edge technologies and strategies from the Resource Innovation Institute that are reshaping irrigation practices to help enhance your water efficiency and boost crop yields.

Staying ahead of the curve is not just an ecological good for a commercial greenhouse producer — it’s an economic necessity:

https://www.greenhousemag.com/article/greenhouse-irrigation-water-circularity-best-practices-resource-innovation-institute-cea/

08/20/2024

This webinar from our sister magazine, Garden Center Magazine, starts in less than 20 minutes! If you're a grower-retailer, register for free now!

https://gie-net.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zOHXNbm5QKi6Dj6TPPoKag #/registration

(And if you're seeing this after the webinar, you can watch a recording here: https://www.gardencentermag.com/tag/webinars/ )

REMINDER! The next session in our Fertile Ground Webinar Series is at 2 p.m. ET tomorrow!

This webinar will explore how your IGC can move from a broad digital marketing strategy to the daily tactics across digital platforms that will entice your customers and increase sales.

Thank you to Rob Sproule — co-owner and marketing director of Top 100 IGC Salisbury Greenhouse and owner of Dig Marketing — for hosting and Plantista and Bobbex, Inc. for sponsoring!

Register here:

https://gie-net.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_zOHXNbm5QKi6Dj6TPPoKag? #/registration

08/20/2024

The textured, leathery leaves and dark green veining of Mythic ‘Dragon Scale’ provide allure for the fingers and the eyes.

Learn more about this jewel alocasia, part of the leafjoy houseplant collection from Proven Winners, in our Culture Notebook:

https://www.greenhousemag.com/article/alocasia-baginda-mythic-dragon-scale-jewel-leafjoy-houseplants-proven-winners-culture-notebook/

08/19/2024

Elevated water alkalinity doesn’t just affect substrate pH — it can also result in having to deal with hardness.

Learn what water hardness is, how to measure it and how to manage it in production:

https://www.greenhousemag.com/article/greenhouse-water-alkalinity-irrigation-substrate-ph-production-pointers/

08/16/2024

Editor Patrick Coleman reflects on his first year in the industry:

https://www.greenhousemag.com/article/editors-letter-patrick-coleman-anniversary/

08/15/2024

Meet the 2024 Cut Flowers of the Year from the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, Inc.:

🌼 Bulb Cut Flower of the Year: Daffodil ‘Cheerfulness’
🫐 Woody Cut of the Year: Brandywine Viburnum from Proven Winners ColorChoice Flowering Shrubs
🌸 Fresh Cut Flower of the Year: Snapdragon Potomac Appleblossom from PanAmerican Seed
🍃 Cut Foliage of the Year: ​Thornless raspberry ‘Joan J' from Burpee Gardening

https://www.greenhousemag.com/article/association-specialty-cut-flower-growers-flowers-year-2024-fresh-bulb-woody-foliage/

08/14/2024

Meet the Breeder: Sarah Brewer is eager to make her mark on Ball Horticultural’s ornamental breeding program.

With past experience working on bamboo, berries and tropical fruit, she jumped at the chance to pivot to flowers as an ornamental plant breeder in Ball's PanAmerican Seed division.

Brewer leads breeding programs for four ornamental annual crops: vinca, osteospermum, double petunia and petchoa, an intergeneric hybrid between petunia and calibrachoa. She breeds both for seed and vegetatively propagated products.

“As ornamental plant breeders, we’re able to focus on so many things besides just yield,” she says. ‘’We have license to think about flower size, color, branching, heat tolerance and so much more.”

https://www.greenhousemag.com/article/sarah-brewer-panamerican-seed-ball-horticultural-ornamental-plants-breeding-meet-breeder/

08/13/2024

Endwalls are usually the most difficult segment of the greenhouse to construct. They have curved surfaces, doors and vents, and the glazing needs to be fitted to different surfaces.

Here are a few things to consider when building one:

https://www.greenhousemag.com/article/greenhouse-endwalls-tips-design-tech-solutions/

08/12/2024

The National Garden Bureau is now managing California Spring Trials!

An event website will launch this fall, and registration for CAST 2025 will open in early 2025:

https://www.greenhousemag.com/news/california-spring-trials-2025-cast-website-registration-national-garden-bureau/

08/09/2024

Our sister publication, Garden Center Magazine, is hosting the free six-part Fertile Ground Webinar Series, covering topics from digital marketing to HR.

If you're a grower-retailer operation, you don't want to miss it!

The first session is at 2 p.m. ET this Tuesday, Aug. 13: Recruit Talent to Your Garden Center for Today and Tomorrow.

Register here:

https://gie-net.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_o8fLxTBLTtKpkQzBEBfN3w #/registration

Our Fertile Ground Webinar Series starts next week! This free six-part series will guide you through the biggest issues facing IGCs today, from digital marketing to HR.

Our first session — at 2 p.m. ET Tuesday, Aug. 13 — is Recruit Talent to Your Garden Center for Today and Tomorrow, hosted by Paige Franks and Ben Molenda from Best Human Capital & Advisory Group.

The state of the labor market, especially in the green industry, means we must change our thinking about recruiting for our industry. If you're concerned with building your talent bench for now and into the future, this session is for you.

Topics discussed will include:

👩‍🌾 How to recruit and onboard your employees, promoting retention.
🏢 Organization structure, development and social capital (culture).
🎱 How to develop career paths and strategically plan for succession.
💰 Compensation: lead, match or lag.

Thank you to First Editions Shrubs & Trees for sponsoring!

Register here:

https://gie-net.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_o8fLxTBLTtKpkQzBEBfN3w #/registration

08/09/2024

The Perennial Plant Association's 2025 Perennial Plant of the Year is...

Pycnanthemum muticum!

Find out more about this perennial, also known as clustered mountain mint 🌿

https://www.greenhousemag.com/news/perennial-plant-association-2025-plant-year-pycnanthemum-muticum-clustered-mountainmint/

08/08/2024

With the increasing popularity in foliage crops, have you reconsidered your fertilization approach?

While there are similarities to well-established practices in floriculture crop production, there are some key differences as well.

Take a look at how to adjust more traditional flowering crops’ fertilization plan to better suit containerized foliage plants:

https://www.greenhousemag.com/article/foliage-flowering-crops-fertilizer-production-pointers/

08/07/2024

With thousands of their plants showcased in home and commercial landscapes, golf courses and amusement parks, as well as on retail garden center shelves across Florida, Brad’s Bedding Plants employs both Pageant® Intrinsic® brand fungicide and Empress® Intrinsic brand fungicide from BASF Plants US.

https://www.greenhousemag.com/article/passion-grows-progress-jun-2024/

08/06/2024

Greenhouse Management Editorial Director Kelli Rodda caught up with Anthony Christiaanse, the new CEO of Dümmen Orange, North America / Dümmen Orange EU, to find out more about his new position and his vision for the company:

Read their conversation here:

https://www.greenhousemag.com/article/dummen-orange-new-ceo-anthony-christiaanse-interview/

08/05/2024

Our August issue is here! On the cover:

While landscape contractors and plant suppliers rely heavily on each other’s success, their relationship isn’t without imperfections. Often, the culprit is a breakdown in communication.

We spoke to Farmside Landscape & Design and SiteOne Landscape Supply to identify the major challenges plaguing this symbiotic partnership and explore solutions that foster mutual growth and success 🤝

https://www.greenhousemag.com/article/greenhouse-growers-plant-suppliers-landscape-contractors-relationship/

08/02/2024

A high-tech glasshouse at Plantpeddler includes a mobile bench system, LEDs, shade cloth system and integrated heat. It’s an ideal area for helping unrooted cuttings develop strong roots, according to the grower.

08/02/2024

Plantpeddler has three sticking robots but they still stick plants by hand, including begonias (due to directionality) and poinsettias (due to hollow stems). Each machine does 2,000 cuttings an hour. They require two people to operate.

08/02/2024

We’re in Cresco, Iowa, at Plantpeddler Variety Day!

We got a good look at Plantpeddler’s mobile bench system. It drives efficiency in planting and allows the grower to be nimble and plant in a comfortable environment.

08/02/2024

Meet the Chicago Botanic Garden's new ornamental plant breeder: Justin Lombardoni.

With a bachelor’s degree in plant science from Cornell University/College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University and a doctorate in plant breeding and genomics from Rutgers University/Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Lombardoni relies on traditional breeding methods at the Chicago Botanic Garden, where he hand-crosses plants when possible and sometimes resorts to open pollination.

He's also experimenting with chemical mutagenesis to introduce new variations into the program, which works exclusively with herbaceous perennials:

https://www.greenhousemag.com/article/justin-lombardoni-chicago-botanic-garden-ornamental-plant-meet-breeder/

08/01/2024

Growing space is expensive. One excellent way to reduce production cost per plant is to make better use of greenhouse space.

The cost of providing heating and cooling is the same, whether you utilize 50% of the space or 100%. Every square foot that has plants means additional dollars of income.

We have 10 ways to increase your production space without adding greenhouses:

https://www.greenhousemag.com/article/increase-greenhouse-production-space-tech-solutions/

07/31/2024

We're at the Perennial Plant Association's 2024 National Symposium in Asheville, North Carolina!

We're on today's "Growing in the Mountains" tour visiting nurseries and gardens in Weaverville, about 10 miles north of Asheville.

Our first stop was mountain nursery Willow Creek Nursery and Landscaping 💚

With a strong focus on growing native plants and plants that attract pollinators and wildlife, the growers — a mother and daughter team — enjoy providing a wide selection of sun and shade perennials, ferns and grasses, including many new introductions.

07/31/2024

Seth Marrero, head grower at Brad’s Bedding Plants, manages more than 20 acres of greenhouses. The Florida-based grower specializes in annuals, and rotation is one of the foundations of his IPM program. Learn how he uses Intrinsic® brand fungicides from
BASF Plants US:

https://www.greenhousemag.com/article/passion-grows-progress-jun-2024/

12/06/2023

Happy December! This month's cover story is all about the gardening habits of Gen Z (aka "Zoomers") and how growers can capitalize on current trends
Read it here: https://www.greenhousemag.com/article/the-z-factor-gen-z-gardening/

11/16/2023

Want to learn about incorporating plastic recycling into your hort business? Read this whitepaper from East Jordan Plastics for info about the role of plastic recycling in sustainability.
https://www.greenhousemag.com/form/why-plastic-recycling-is-vital-for-horticultural-sustainability/