Read The Latest From McGregor Plant Sales, Florexpo, Hamilton Engineering, Hummert and Oglesby
McGregor, Florexpo Introduce Grass Program
McGregor Plant Sales Inc., Carlsbad, Calif., and Florexpo, Cartago, Costa Rica, have announced a new grasses program designed to help growers save on plant costs and bench time. The program is also intended to save money on plant starts with clean bare root divisions.
After dividing the plants, Florexpo adds another nine weeks on rooting benches. This builds larger, stronger bare root plants that finish fast. Many varieties can finish in a 1-gal. container in 9-12 weeks when double sticking.
Doug McQueen, vice president at McGregor Plant Sales, reported that growers are pleased in the size of the divisions. He commented that the taller, more mature divisions save time over seed and smaller liner options. The larger divisions give rooting stations an option to add ultra-fast liners to their offerings.
Hamilton Engineering Changes Product Line
Hamilton Engineering, Livonia, Mich., recently announced it would no longer offer its EVO II line of large condensing boilers. The balance of Hamilton’s EVO family product line provides for an immediate, higher horsepower replacement for the discontinued models. The company plans to continue servicing and supporting all units manufactured under the EVO II brand name.
Jeff Deal, president of Hamilton, said the EVO II line was produced with an external vendor, and recent design changes were the reason for this move. He believes the change to be in the best interest of his greenhouse industry customers.
Contact Hamilton Engineering at (800) 968-5530 for more information.
Hummert To Distribute Media Amendment
PBH growing medium material, the new rice hull growing media amendment from Riceland Foods, Inc., Stuttgart, Ark., is now available from Hummert International. Earth City, Mo.
Hummert will concentrate on providing PBH from Earth City and Springfield, Mo., Topeka, Kan., and Cuernavaca, Mexico, in capacities necessary for small to large growers. Riceland Foods will still service growers and media producers directly.
PBH is a processed and sterilized rice hull product with the physical size, shape and bulking properties to produce air-filled pore space, water-holding capacity and drainage in container media. PBH can be blended with peat, bark and coir to produce environmentally friendly substrates.
Oglesby Adds Grading Technology
Continuing efforts to reduce costs and improve plant quality, Altha, Fla.-based Oglesby Plant International has created a prototype grading station that advances current methods. In the Oglesby laboratory, microcuttings are moved on a mini conveyor and passed under a digital camera and photographed. The camera controls air jets that move the microcuttings from the conveyor and sorts them into one of nine grades.
President Gary Hennen said his company has an obligation to customers to continue their quest for higher efficiency, especially when it comes to standards and reduction of labor.
For more information, go to www.oglesbytc.com.
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