View All: Articles
February 28, 2003
If not managed properly, algae will have a direct impact on the bottom line of your business. It takes more than chemicals to solve the problem. It takes an understanding of how algae develops, grows and spreads, and the chemical and non-chemical...
January 28, 2003
Slippery! Slimy! Creepy things, yuck! This pretty much
describes the general opinion of what a slug or snail is. These pests fall
under the general responsibility of entomologists when it comes to who has to
deal with calls and questions concerning...
January 28, 2003
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...
December 31, 2002
Tulip forcing in 2002 has been difficult. In many
greenhouses, tulip crops were uneven and, overall, very short. Upon flowering,
many pots had one or more stems with blind shoots, where the bud may have been
aborted at a relatively late stage (...
December 31, 2002
Downy mildews have gained a strong foothold in the horticultural industry throughout the United States and Canada over the past few years. During the fall-winter of 2002, we experienced a severe outbreak of pansy downy mildew across the United...
November 07, 2002
An accurate diagnosis of disease is important for several reasons.
Bacterial diseases are not controlled with fungicides, and some bacterial
diseases are easily mistaken for fungal diseases. Some fungicides have a narrow
spectrum of activity. In...
November 05, 2002
I've been kidding around at some of the recent conferences
by polling the audience to determine its makeup. First, I ask how many in the
audience work in greenhouses, then how many work in nurseries or both since
many nurseries have associated...
November 05, 2002
It seems like only a short while ago since I was trying to
write this article for 2001. Now it is 2002, and I wonder what has changed in
the past 12 months. Although we have seen registrations for new fungicides
during the past couple of years,...
October 10, 2002
Fungus gnats are common pests in greenhouses. Their larvae feed
on the roots of many different crops, which can cause direct damage to the
crop. The root damage caused by the larvae also makes it easier for fungal
pathogens to enter into and infect...
October 10, 2002
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.
Storage
Store pesticides in a room located away from eating areas,
boiler...
August 22, 2002
The Native American perennial heuchera has become one of the hottest, most must-have perennial plants for today's gardens. Heucheras belong to the family Saxifragaceae, which includes many other popular perennials such as astilbe, berginia,...
August 22, 2002
We have been plagued with resistance problems in the ornamental
industry for several years. My first exposure to resistance was when the
leafminer, Liriomyza trifolii, became resistant to the broad spectrum of
insecticides used in greenhouse...
August 22, 2002
The good guys, spray wand in hand, have finally chased away
the deadly monsters. They have won the battle and are catching their breath
when all of a sudden the monsters reappear, and they are off again, fighting
for their livelihoods. Like the...
August 20, 2002
Have you every walked into a greenhouse early in the morning
on a cool, crisp spring or fall day, slammed the door behind you and found
yourself soaking wet? You look up to try to find the source of this indoor
precipitation and see rows of big, fat...
August 09, 2002
Whiteflies can be very damaging to greenhouse crops and
field and greenhouse-grown cut flowers because of their broad host range,
resistance to insecticides and potential to vector a variety of plant virus
diseases. High populations of whiteflies...
August 09, 2002
No, whiteflies are not flies. Flies like the typical housefly
belong to the order Diptera, which has only two wings. Whiteflies are in the
order Homoptera and have four wings. The order Homoptera also include cicadas,
planthoppers, treehoppers,...
August 09, 2002
Though it presents some unique challenges, disease control
of perennials is very similar to that of herbaceous annuals. Number one is
knowing what diseases are important and how to identify them. Before you plant
anything, be sure that the material...
August 09, 2002
With restricted re-entry intervals, and fear of resistance development,
many growers are looking for alternative methods for controlling whiteflies,
and some of them are turning toward biologicals. The most interesting new
developments in biological...
July 09, 2002
Well, believe it or not, it’s time for another
poinsettia season! Some of you are already tired of poinsettias, having done
poinsettia stock plants since last spring. Other growers are just rooting
bought-in cuttings and potting up finished...
July 09, 2002
The high cost of human health care, especially prescription
medications, has led many of us to that very question. Can I use the generic,
less-expensive product or must I purchase the name brand? Although we do not
have true generics available for...
