Expanding Your PGR Toolbox Part 1
Greenhouse Product News
December 2006
By Brian Whipker, Ingram McCall, Brian Krug and James Gibson
Insight gained through extensive trials conducted at North Carolina State University will help you learn about using flurprimidol with potted plants.
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Reducing PGR Liner Dip Variables
Greenhouse Product News
July 2006
By Rebecca Schnelle and Jim Barrett
New research from the University of Florida will help you eliminate
some of the guesswork when using liner dips to apply growth regulators.
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Achieving Your Goal With Pest Control
Greenhouse Product News
November 2005
Raymond Cloyd
It is that time of year in which we discuss the new, the old and the soon-to-be-registered pest control materials. Pest control materials, including insecticides and miticides, are relied upon by greenhouse growers to manage plant-feeding insects and mites (arthropods).
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The Year Combos Came To Town
Greenhouse Product News
November 2005
By A.R. Chase
One of the ways to avoid overanticipation in the future is to only talk about the products the companies themselves are talking about — but this assumes they are better at guessing than anyone else.
Perennials: The New Frontier
Greenhouse Product News
November 2005
By Joyce Latimer
PGRs are used as a last resort for those difficult crops and even then on a prescription basis. As Doong explained, one group of impatiens may be treated with a PGR, while another group with the same planting date will not be treated.
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Streamlining New Guinea Impatiens
Greenhouse Product News
October 2005
By Jim Faust, Kelly Lewis and Renee Keydoszius
In a perfect world, New Guinea impatiens would all flower at the same time, but that doesn’t happen. This Clemson University research will help you determine when your New Guinea impatiens will flower.
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Crop cultivation: PGR Bulb Dips
Greenhouse Product News
October 2005
By William Miller, N.K. Damayanthi Ranwala and Anil Ranwala
Now that you have learned the basics of bulb soaks, from page 44, find out, with this Cornell University research, if plant growth regulator dip solutions “wear out” with repeated use.
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Sumagic on Bedding Plants
Greenhouse Product News
April 2005
By Cathy Whitman, Mike Olrich and Erik Runkle
Usage of this highly active PGR on bedding plants
is a risky move; find out how to use it, when it’s best used and how much is recommended
based on this MSU research.
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Five Keys to Quality Spring Plants
Greenhouse Product News
February 2005
By Roger Styer By Roger Styer
Days are full of transplanting, watering, moving crops, spraying and other needed duties; however, sometimes growers can forget about some key factors in growing quality plants.
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Organize Crops by Nutrition
Greenhouse Product News
January 2005
By Paul Fisher and William Argo
Because the wide range of plant species we grow differ in nutritional needs it is often difficult to grow multiple crops with a one-size-fits-all fertilizer program.
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Progress Toward New Products Slows
Greenhouse Product News
November 2004
By Jim Bethke
Unfortunately, “not much” was the typical response from my contacts in the chemical industry this year when I asked if there was anything new.
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Late-Season Whitefly Control
Greenhouse Product News
October 2004
By Daniel Gilrein
Whiteflies damage a number of crops: verbena, fuchsia, regal geranium, lantana, nicotiana, ageratum and of course poinsettia.
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Feeding For Growth
Greenhouse Product News
October 2004
By Roger C. Styer
What the grower was concerned about was losing control of growth by using too much ammoniacal nitrogen feed.
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The Two Mildews
Greenhouse Product News
September 2004
By A. R. Chase
Don’t forget that powdery mildew fungi attack more than leaves.
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Managing Perennial Stock Plants with Florel
Greenhouse Product News
August 2004
By Janelle Glady, Suzanne Lang and Erik Runkle
Michigan State research determines whether Florel can be used as a tool to keep perennial
stock plants vegetative and increase the number of cuttings harvested for six perennial species.
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Taming the Beasts!
Greenhouse Product News
July 2004
By Roger C. Styer
Getting vegetative annuals from cutting to retail can seem like a battle for supremacy — but not with the right PGR techniques.
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Store Pesticides Safely
Greenhouse Product News
May 2004
By John Bartok Jr.
With heightened security awareness and the potential for vandalism and theft, it is important to keep the pesticide storage locked when not in use.
It’s Back
Greenhouse Product News
March 2004
By M.K. Hausbeck
Although downy mildew diseases look the same, they are quite different microscopically with each preferring a particular plant.
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The New Pesticide
Greenhouse Product News
February 2004
By Ron Oetting
We have been waiting for this registration for some time, and it is really exciting to finally have it available for growers to use in their rotation for greenhouse pests.
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Control of Botrytis and Sclerotinia on Ornamentals
Greenhouse Product News
January 2004
A. R. Chase
The first article I wrote for GPN was on Botrytis prevention and control, and it appeared in October of 1998. Five years is probably long enough to wait to do an update since we have maintained an active research program in fungicide control of Botrytis on ornamentals trials each winter. During the past two years, we also started working on Sclerotinia blight on petunia.
Preventing Premature Bud Drop
Greenhouse Product News
December 2003
Susan Han
1-methylcyclopropene (MCP) is a newly registered plant growth regulator that is an organic gas with anti-ethylene effects, currently available commercially under the trade name EthylBloc (Floralife, Inc.). In impatiens, growers often encounter premature bud and flower drop induced by environmental or cultural conditions, and it would thus be critical to evaluate the possible use of MCP for protection under these circumstances.
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Insecticides and Miticides: What’s new? What’s old?
Greenhouse Product News
November 2003
Jim Bethke
With the merging of so many companies and the continued growth of government regulations, there appear to be fewer competing laboratories in the search for new insecticides. Generics, forged from patent expiration, will become the next wave of registered pesticides. This means nothing really new. However, an unanswered question remains. Will pests that are difficult to control already, become more difficult to control due to enhanced pesticide tolerance?
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PGR Rates and Timing for Plug Production
Greenhouse Product News
November 2003
Catherine Whitman and Erik Runkle
Catherine Whitman is a research technician and Erik Runkle is an assistant professor in the Department of Horticulture at Michigan State University, East Lansing. Erik may be reached by phone at (517) 353-3761 or E-mail at runkleer@msu.edu
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Growth Regulators: New Approaches
Greenhouse Product News
November 2003
Jim Barrett
What's new in growth regulators? The answer is changes occurring with old chemistry. However, the changes are bringing new applications and options to growers. Let's review where we are.
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The Latest in Disease Control
Greenhouse Product News
November 2003
Margery Daughtrey
The flower industry is conservative about switching to new materials for disease management. Sometimes this heel dragging stems from contentment, sometimes from misinformation and sometimes from fear or frugality. But if you're reading this article you are doing exactly what you ought to be doing: learning about what is available and what is coming, so you are not caught without any knowledge of options when a particular need arises. File this away so you can drag it out the next time you want some additional guidance on an intriguing chemical.
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Subirrigating Seed Geraniums with Bonzi
Greenhouse Product News
August 2003
Douglas Cox
The Bonzi (paclobutrazol) label has been expanded to include a number of "chemigation" methods including injection through overhead sprinklers, fog systems, spaghetti tube systems and watering in with dosing equipment or application by ebb and flow subirrigation systems or saucers. Application of PGRs by subirrigation has not been widely researched despite the existence of permissive labeling.
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Pest Control and Herbs
Greenhouse Product News
April 2003
Raymond Cloyd and Nina Cycholl
Similar to other greenhouse-grown crops, herbs are susceptible to a diversity of insect and mite pests, including aphids, whiteflies, thrips, fungus gnats and spider mites. The number of pest control materials registered for herbs, however, is limited because of liability and the fact that herbs are considered a minor or specialty crop.
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Maximizing Chemical Growth Retardants
Greenhouse Product News
March 2003
Roger C. Styer
Growers need to use chemical growth retardants to produce quality plants that can be held in the greenhouse if needed, shipped properly, look appealing in the stores and grow out well for the end consumer.
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The Clone Wars: Aphids!
Greenhouse Product News
March 2003
Jim Bethke and Richard A. Redak
According to the literature about aphids, every plant on the planet can be fed upon by one or more aphid species. However, when one considers that there are more than 4,000 species of aphids described worldwide, there are relatively few that are ornamental pests.
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Painted-Pot Technology: A Novel Method of PGR and Pesticide Application
Greenhouse Product News
February 2003
Steve Nameth and Claudio Pasian
Steve Nameth is professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and Claudio Pasian is associate professor in the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science at The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. They may be reached by phone at (614) 292-8038 or via E-mail at nameth.2@osu.edu.
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Tank-Mixing PGRs
Greenhouse Product News
February 2003
Jim Faust and Kelly Lewis
B-Nine and Cycocel tank mixes have been effectively used by growers for many years. However, there are still many growers who have not yet taken full advantage of this useful tool. The primary advantage of the B-Nine/Cycocel tank mix is that it provides a medium-activity product, comparable to A-Rest, that is easy to apply.
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Using Topflor, Part II: Perennial Plants
Greenhouse Product News
February 2003
Joyce Latimer, Holly Scoggins and Velva Groover
We have had the opportunity to test the Topflor formulation of flurprimidol on several perennials and have some very promising results to present to you.
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Grower 101: Managing Weeds in Outdoor Cut Flowers
Greenhouse Product News
January 2003
Tina Smith
Weeds compete for water, nutrients and light, resulting in reduced flower yield and increased threat of serious insect and disease problems. A successful weed management program utilizes cultural practices such as cultivation and mulching, or a combination of cultural and chemical measures, taking into consideration labor costs and the cost and availability of materials.
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Slugs and Snails: Constant Nemeses of Ornamentals
Greenhouse Product News
January 2003
Ron Oetting
There are many more species of land snails than slugs, and most do not cause noticeable damage to ornamental plants. However, the many that do are among the most damaging pests in the greenhouse, garden and landscape. Control is a major problem in all habitats. There are many things that can be done to reduce the potential of a problem occurring.
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Using Topflor, Part I :Bedding and Potted Plants
Greenhouse Product News
January 2003
Brian Whipker, Ingram McCall, James Gibson and Todd Cavins
Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are commonly applied to container-grown plants to control stem elongation and produce high-quality, compact plants. Flurprimidol is a "Type 2" PGR, which is similar in its mode of action to A-Rest, Bonzi and Sumagic. Flurprimidol has been labeled as Cutless for turf use in the United States and commercially introduced as Topflor in Europe for greenhouse crops. Cutless has been trialed extensively by Auburn University researchers on nursery crops such as butterfly bush, holly and Mexican sage with growth control comparable to Bonzi and Sumagic.
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The Sixth Annual State of the Industry Report
Greenhouse Product News
December 2002
Catherine Evans
Year after year, the Annual GPN/Summit Plastics State of the Industry Report provides the most comprehensive data available about the past year in floriculture. And now ladies and gentlemen, The Sixth Annual State of the Industry Report.
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Fungicides on the Horizon
Greenhouse Product News
November 2002
Ann Chase
One of the more interesting aspects of the new products is their diversity. They range from newer, better strobilurins (and their close relatives) to really old (from the 1960s) chemistry being tried in a new arena. Some of the products are already registered on turf, and we should see ornamental labels soon. For those that are not even registered in this country, the wait may be longer, although everyone is looking for reduced-risk products, and that significantly shortens the wait.
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Update on Insecticides and Miticides for the Ornamental Market
Greenhouse Product News
November 2002
Jim Bethke
In Ann Chase's description of a list of fungicides she provided last year in her column, she said, "The majority of the products included are currently labeled somewhere in the United States, though you should check the label to see if they are registered for use in your area." I completely agree, and that's the approach I will take in this discussion.
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Growth Regulators in Transition
Greenhouse Product News
November 2002
Jim Barrett
The lack of evolution in PGR products has actually been good for growers since they have had the opportunity to become very familiar with the products they use without having to learn new ones. However, changes in the available chemicals started a couple of years ago and will continue for at least a couple of more years.
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Getting a Handle on Pesticides
Greenhouse Product News
October 2002
Bob Decker
Pesticides used today are less toxic and used less frequently than several years ago. Nevertheless, they can be a serious hazard to employees if not stored and used properly.
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Using Florel Effectively
Greenhouse Product News
October 2002
Roger C. Styer
Many of the new vegetative annuals are quite vigorous and designed for use in larger containers. However, growers are also producing them for individual sale in smaller pots as well as mixed planters. Whether you buy rooted or unrooted cuttings, the problems are the same ? get plants to branch early to fill out the pots faster and control the growth late.
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Late-Season Bonzi Drenches: Northern & Southern Perspectives
Greenhouse Product News
September 2002
Jim Faust and Royal D. Heins
By the late 90s, late-season Bonzi drenches became a standard practice for many Southern growers, while many Northern growers were still appropriately cautious. Currently, late-season Bonzi drenches have been sufficiently tested that both Northern and Southern growers can safely use this technique, provided that the proper guidelines are followed.
Taming the Wild Calibrachoa
Greenhouse Product News
July 2002
Erika Berghauer, Jim Barrett and Rick Schoellhorn
As with many vegetatively propagated items, producing Calibrachoa hanging baskets does not come without challenges. Taming vigorous growth to produce a more attractive basket, facilitate shipping and keep plants untangled in a high-density growing situation are concerns. At the University of Florida, we have evaluated the use of growth regulator drench applications to slow the growth of Calibrachoa, which should make this high-value crop more appealing to growers.
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B-Nine + Cycocel: The advantages for poinsettias and pansies
Greenhouse Product News
July 2002
Kelly P. Lewis, Jim Faust and James D. Sparkman IV
Growers have different methods of determining the best B-Nine/CCC combination to use. Our approach was to apply a range of B-Nine (0-4,500 ppm) and Cycocel rates (0-1,500) to identify the interactive effects of these two products when applied as a tank mix. We applied 14 combinations of B-Nine/CCC (see Table 1, page 60) to poinsettias and pansies with the goal of identifying the optimal tank mix combination.
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Scouting for Mites, Part II
Greenhouse Product News
June 2002
Kevin Donovan
One of the keys to a successful scouting program is being able to accurately identify the pests and diseases you come in contact with. The following is a review of the most prevalent greenhouse mites.
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Choosing an Open Roof Greenhouse
Greenhouse Product News
June 2002
Sven E. Svenson
One of the main advantages of a retractable roof system is that the size of the structure is not limited by the restrictive capacity of mechanical ventilation systems, resulting in a more uniform growth response from the entire crop. Originally designed for snow protection of forest seedlings in the 1970s, retractable roof systems are now used for all types of horticultural production, with five types to choose from.
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Using PGRs on Spring Bulbs
Greenhouse Product News
May 2002
Bill Miller
In many cases, the real issue for growth regulation of spring bulbs does not come during production but during postharvest. Spring bulb growth regulation is often a case of PGR application in the greenhouse for growth control in the low light and warm interior environment.
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Virus Diseases of Petunia
Greenhouse Product News
May 2002
Steve Nameth
The purpose of this article is to bring the reader up to speed on the subject of petunia viruses and the diseases they cause in this popular ornamental crop.
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Grower 101: Scouting for Mites, Part I
Greenhouse Product News
May 2002
Kevin Donovan
To effectively implement a mite management program, you must first identify the mite species, understand its life cycle and determine whether populations are at an economically damaging threshold. This is accomplished through a scouting plan that is performed routinely and in a systematic manner.
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Fungicides for Leaf Spot Diseases of Ornamentals
Greenhouse Product News
April 2002
Ann Chase
Fungal leaf spots are the most common and obvious diseases present during ornamental crop production. In most cases, they are easily noticed, and the temptation to guess specific causes is great. While certain characteristics may often be present with each type of leaf spot disease, there are no hard and fast rules about diagnosing by the “seat of your pants.” Most serious diagnosticians recognize the need to culture the pathogen before making a recommendation for the best treatment.
Advanced Height Control of Perennials
Greenhouse Product News
April 2002
Paul Pilon
Unlike most greenhouse crops, perennials consist of a diverse array of plant species (literally thousands of them). Until recently, relatively little research has been conducted with perennials; therefore, the availability of high-quality cultural information is almost nonexistent. Consumer popularity, increased competition and stricter quality specifications have helped make controlling the height of perennials a real challenge for today’s growers.
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Using PGRs on Plugs
Greenhouse Product News
February 2002
Roger Styer
Chemical growth regulators will still need to be used on many crops. The key is to understand which growth regulator works best on which crop, under what circumstances and at which levels. Knowing when to apply the right chemical for a particular crop is usually learned by painful trial and error. Varieties may react quite differently to the same chemical.
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What Really Causes Stretch?
Greenhouse Product News
January 2002
Paul V. Nelson, Chen-Young Song, and Jin-Sheng Huang
Does ammoniacal nitrogen cause stretch in plants, or conversely, does the alternative nitrogen source, nitrate, cause compactness? What does your experience indicate? Do you have all of the facts?
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What’s Going On With Insecticides?
Greenhouse Product News
December 2001
Richard Lindquist
This is the time of year when the editors of GPN ask for information on what has been happening with insecticides and other related chemicals and predictions for where they are headed in the near future. Based on recent events, it’s difficult to make general predictions, so I’ll confine my efforts to insect and mite management.< This is the time of year when the editors of GPN ask for information on what has been happening with insecticides and other related chemicals and predictions for where they are headed in the near future. Based on recent events, it’s difficult to make general predictions, so I’ll confine my efforts to insect and mite management.
PDF Version
Ornamental Disease Control Products —2002 Update
Greenhouse Product News
December 2001
A. R. Chase
Last year, for the first time, GPN published a table, summarizing efficacy results for fungicide and bactericide ornamental trials at Chase Research Gardens. This year, we decided to do the same thing as an annual update.
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Some Aphids Go Deep, Others High
Greenhouse Product News
November 2001
Stanton Gill
Most growers are familiar with aphids, but did you know there are aphids that attack the roots of plants? Yes, the roots. You may be used to looking for aphids on foliage and stems, but with these aphids, you need to pull off the pot and look closely at the root system.
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Solving the Perennial Problem
Greenhouse Product News
October 2001
Gary Hickman
More and more growers are supplementing their bedding plant mix with perennials, and they are learning that with this new crop comes many of the same old problems. Research from the UC Cooperative Extension points growers in the right direction for height control on many common perennials.
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Grower 101: Disease Primer, Part II; Root Rots
Greenhouse Product News
October 2001
Jim McLaughlin
The most dangerous threat to roots and stems, root rots can be stopped with proper care and treatment. Here is an outline of what to look for and how to terminate and prevent these diseases.
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Strobilurn Fungicides Update
Greenhouse Product News
September 2001
A.R.Chase
This "new" chemical class continues to gain usage among growers. Below are the latest developments in strobilurn research.
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Fighting the GWSS With Science
Greenhouse Product News
September 2001
Beth Meneghini
This second update on glassy-winged sharpshooters (the first appeared in April 2001) details how California researchers and scientists are waging a desperate effort to stop the onslaught of this new threat to both the wine and horticulture industries.
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Figuring Out Fertilization
Greenhouse Product News
September 2001
Marc van Iersel, Bodie Pennisi and Paul Thomas
Understanding how to perform a few simple tests can help your fertilization program from interfering with your crop schedule and save your margins.
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Size Control for Lantana
Greenhouse Product News
September 2001
Jim Barrett and Rick schoellhorn
Lantana may be gaining popularity with consumers, but its spreading habit is causing headaches for growers. Here are some treatments to stop lantana spread.
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