GrowerTalks - Green Profit - Inside Grower

11/05/2025

INSIDE GROWER E-NEWS FOR CEA GROWERS IS OUT! Read & subscribe at https://www.inside-grower.com/Newsletters/View/?article=5091

Topics include:

💡 Talking to Plants (Sort of)
LI-COR’s LI-6800 can measure both gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence — giving researchers a direct window into how efficiently plants photosynthesize. Imagine greenhouse systems that listen to plants instead of chasing setpoints. The potential? Real-time, plant-driven climate control.

🤝 Priva x Gardin Partnership
Two industry leaders are joining forces to integrate real-time chlorophyll fluorometry into greenhouse control systems. This could unlock a new era of smart, data-connected growing environments.

🔧 Atlas Scientific Automation
DIY growers and researchers, take note: Atlas Scientific’s monitoring and dosing kits let you build custom control systems for hydroponics, aquaponics and more — affordable, modular and WiFi-ready.

🥬 Campo Caribe Success
Puerto Rico’s Campo Caribe is scaling local leafy green production with a 5-acre high-tech greenhouse and distributing through major retailers like Walmart. A standout example of tropical CEA done right!

🎓 ADVANCEA Academy Course
Registration is open for the 2026 online course Introduction to Greenhouse Environmental Control for Crop Production — a 13-week deep dive led by CEA experts from Ohio State. Perfect for growers, students and tech pros alike.

🧪 Jiffy Gel Plugs
Meet Jiffy’s new biodegradable growing media — mixable on-site, customizable, and ready to shape the future (literally) of propagation.

11/03/2025

GREEN PROFIT'S buZZ! E-NEWS IS OUT! Read & Subscribe at https://www.greenprofit.com/Newsletters/View/?article=5090

Topics include:

🚀 GCG & BoomerWrangle Partnering for the Future
Big news! The Garden Center Group and BoomerWrangle are teaming up in 2026 to bring digital solutions, ecommerce tools, and data-driven decision-making to independent garden centers. Think connected systems, smarter business tools, and an ecosystem built for the digital age.

🌼 Just Like Family
Fairview Greenhouses & Garden Center, founded by Jo Ann Dewar in 1974, continues to thrive as a three-generation, family-run business. With beautiful displays, homegrown plants, and even a custom mobile app, Fairview shows how authenticity and innovation can grow side by side.

💳 Holiday Spending Outlook
Despite economic uncertainty, consumers plan to spend 25% more this holiday season—and 41% say they’ll shop small. Small businesses that embrace AI, optimize for mobile, and connect personally with customers are set to thrive.

🤖 AI & the New Shopping Experience
Instant checkout through AI chat platforms is here—allowing shoppers to buy directly within chat conversations. The future of retail is frictionless and immediate. Garden centers will need to lean into experiences and community to stay competitive.

📰 AI & Earned Media
AI doesn’t just surface ads—it surfaces conversations. Brands getting real attention are the ones being talked about. Authenticity, creativity, and cultural relevance now drive visibility more than paid ads ever could.

🌱 Seed Your Future Year-End Campaign
Seed Your Future kicks off “From Classroom to Career: Growing Green Futures,” raising funds to provide teachers with free horticulture career materials. Even small donations can inspire hundreds of future plant professionals.

🎨 The Last GMG Trend: “Faded Petal”
Garden Media Group’s 2026 Color of the Year is Faded Petal—a soft, romantic blush kissed by ash. Muted, nostalgic, and nature-inspired, it’s all about authenticity and quiet sophistication.

10/31/2025

ACRES ONLINE E-NEWS IS OUT! Read & subscribe at https://www.growertalks.com/Newsletters/View/?article=5089

Topics include:

🌱 How to Succeed in CEA (With a Greenhouse, Apparently)
Vertical farms keep folding, but CEA greenhouses are thriving. Little Leaf Farms just opened its fourth 10-acre lettuce greenhouse in McAdoo, Pennsylvania—nearly a fifth the size of the whole town. Proof that controlled environment ag under glass works when done right.

🤖 The Cobots Are Coming
AI isn’t replacing growers—it’s helping them. Viemose DGS and 4XROBOTS are teaming up to bring “collaborative robots” into greenhouses. These cobots handle repetitive tasks so people can focus on quality, innovation, and crop care. Smart, safe, and scalable.

💡 Wisdom > Knowledge
AI can process data—but it can’t care. Great leadership means turning information into understanding, and understanding into purpose. The best leaders know when to prune, when to wait and how to help others grow.

🎄 Poinsettia Trial Season Is Here!
Two must-see trials this year: Hoffmann Heimos near St. Louis on November 20 and Plantpeddler in Iowa on December 4. Expect hundreds of varieties, real-world production conditions and plenty of poinsettia passion.

🌸 Congrats to Judy Laushman!
ASCFG co-founder Judy Laushman has earned the 2025 John H. Walker Award from SAF for 35 years of visionary leadership in the cut flower world. Well deserved!

🌳 Nature: Doctor’s Orders
Doctors are starting to “prescribe” time outdoors to lower stress and boost health. Turns out, getting outside really is good medicine.

📅 Mark Your Calendar
• Indoor Ag-Con 2026 — Las Vegas, Feb. 11–12
• IPM Young Entrepreneurs Day — Germany, Jan. 28
• IGCA Congress — Munich, Aug. 16–22

10/31/2025

Happy Halloween and Feliz Dia de los Mu***os! Here's what you'll find in the Tech On Demand newsletter for Week 44.

Read: https://www.growertalks.com/Newsletters/View/?article=5087

Subscribe: https://www.growertalks.com/Newsletters/Signup/?newsletter=techondemand

10/27/2025

In episode 206 of the Tech On Demand podcast, host Bill Calkins sat down with Susannah Ball, fourth-generation owner of Ball Horticultural Company, and Seth Reed, Ball’s Global Sustainability Manager, for an inspiring conversation about what it really means to “do better” when it comes to sustainability in horticulture. The conversation is also available as a video—ALL LINKS BELOW!

Susannah and Seth break down how a 120-year-old global company focuses on people, community and the planet—from aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to empowering the launch of impactful initiatives at Ball companies around the world. You’ll hear how teamwork drives innovation, how smart sustainability can lead to resilience and why Ball chose this moment to release its 2025 sustainability report titled “Sowing Sustainability.”

Whether you manage a greenhouse or garden center, lead a team or just want to make your business more future-focused, this episode offers practical insights and plenty of inspiration to grow greener and stronger—together.

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/NzC_c_00-KM?si=BGTCYgupBDxCz90U

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/2KIut9nP7cIfU8263KmOTW?si=bd4e777250504dc4

APPLE PODCASTS: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tech-on-demand-brought-to-you-by-growertalks/id1523055762

In this episode of the Tech On Demand podcast, host Bill Calkins sits down with Susannah Ball, fourth-generation owner of Ball Horticultural Company, and Set...

10/24/2025

NEW Wave petunias for 2026 from PanAmerican Seed!

10/24/2025

Don’t forget the new Besties series of osteospermum from Danziger for next spring!

10/21/2025

PESTTALKS E-NEWS IS OUT! Read & Subscribe at https://www.growertalks.com/Newsletters/View/?article=5077 - topics include:

🦠 Virus-Resistant Tomatoes!
NRGene and Philoseed have introduced tomato seeds with resistance to ToBRFV—great news for growers fighting this tough virus.

🐛 What’s Bugging Growers?
The latest IR-4 survey highlights top pests: thrips, mites, scales, and aphids. Powdery mildew, Fusarium and Botrytis lead disease concerns.

🔬 IR-4 Sets 2026–2027 Research Priorities
Top national targets include Phytophthora, Botrytis, thrips, and herbicide safety for hydrangea and cut flowers.

🕷️ Broad Mite Control Updates
Experts confirm Neoseiulus cucumeris and A. swirskii are top choices for broad mite management—cost-effective and reliable.

🎓 Disease Management Course
UF/IFAS offers an online greenhouse disease course starting Nov. 10—perfect for plant health pros.

🐝 A Useful Wasp Rescued
Meet Larra bicolor, a helpful wasp controlling mole crickets across the South.

10/20/2025

In case you missed ACRES ONLINE E-NEWS last week, here are some highlights! Read & subscribe at https://www.growertalks.com/Newsletters/View/?article=5072

💥 Proven Winners + Staple Street Capital
A major consolidation! Four Star Greenhouses and Pleasant View Gardens have partnered with private equity firm Staple Street Capital to form one unified Proven Winners company. The goal? Stronger growth, better service, and a single voice for the iconic brand.

🇳🇱 Schneider Young Plant Bankruptcy
Following the recent closure of Bunnik Plants, another major Dutch grower, Schneider BV, has declared bankruptcy — but is actively pursuing a restart. Market pressures, energy costs, and oversupply continue to challenge European producers.

🌼 Ball for Fall Debuts
Ball Seed hosted its first-ever “Ball for Fall” trials in West Chicago, showcasing mums, pansies, and fall color genetics. Growers loved the side-by-side comparisons and voted on their favorites — including standout varieties like Spicy Pumpkin Orange and Cosmic Fireball Red.

🌸 And Finally … LEGO Botanicals are Blooming at Costco!
From hibiscus to Japanese maples — they’re labeled “18+,” but we say: buy them for the kids and the plant nerds in your life. 🌺

10/17/2025

Here's what you'll find in the Tech On Demand newsletter this week.

Read: https://www.growertalks.com/Newsletters/View/?article=5076

Subscribe: https://www.growertalks.com/Newsletters/Signup/?newsletter=techondemand

10/13/2025

GREENTALKS E-NEWS IS OUT! Read & subscribe at https://www.growertalks.com/Newsletters/View/?article=5070

🐛 Vermicompost Insights: A new study shows that while heat-treating worm compost changes its microbes, it doesn’t hurt lettuce seedling growth—but too much compost can increase salinity and slow emergence.

♻️ Reusable Trays in Action: Royal FloraHolland is testing Europe’s Euro Plant Tray to cut single-use plastics and meet new EU packaging rules.

🐝 Pollinator Research: Scientists found different insects need different levels of natural habitat—hoverflies need 6%, bumble bees 18% and butterflies a whopping 37%! Quality habitat matters just as much as quantity.

⚡ REAP Uncertainty: USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program remains in limbo amid a partial government shutdown, leaving renewable project funding unclear.

🌾 Montana Outpost Reflections: Jennifer White reminds us that sometimes the best thing we can offer—whether to customers or ourselves—is permission to slow down, do less and simply be.