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June 11, 2002
There are over 30 cultivars of ornamental peppers available.
Many of the older cultivars like ‘Filus Blue’ or ‘Bolivian
Rainbow’ are tall-growing and make excellent background plants in the
landscape. Plant breeders at the USDA in Beltsville, Md.,...
June 11, 2002
Are you looking for a new potted plant that doesn’t
need pinching or disbudding; a fast crop for hanging baskets; an unusual plant
to make your container gardens stand apart from the competition; top-quality
plants that are easy to grow with no...
June 11, 2002
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.
Two-spotted Spider Mite (Tetranychus urticae):...
June 11, 2002
Phytophthora is one of the special group of plant pathogens
termed “oomycetes” — Pythium and the downy mildews are close kin.
Analysis of their DNA has indicated that these organisms are more closely
related to algae than to fungi. This is the...
May 07, 2002
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...
May 07, 2002
Petunia x hybridia Hort.
is one of many members of the family Solanaceae grown primarily as an
ornamental plant, and the most economically important ornamental member of this
family due to its horticultural value. It is a popular bedding plant —
the...
April 02, 2002
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...
March 18, 2002
What is the function of a growing structure? To control the environment or to assist the grower with manipulating healthy plant growth? Should the grower and the plants be forced to adapt to the environment the greenhouse provides, or should the...
March 18, 2002
I think this crop is a fantastic example of what our
industry can do when it puts its mind to it. Six years ago, Angelonia angustifolia was a good little summer annual in the South, but unreliable both in hardiness and in vigor; it was also pretty...
March 18, 2002
Commercial, field-grown cut flower production encompasses an
incredible array of plant materials, including fresh, dried and preserved
flowers, stems and berries. A large portion of fresh and dried cuts in North
America is grown outdoors. Cuts are...
March 18, 2002
By the time you read this article, Easter lilies will have
been planted, and flowering and height control are likely the major issues
remaining for a successful conclusion of this crop. This year, Easter will be
on March 31, 2002, and most plants...
March 18, 2002
The management of insecticide resistance is a somewhat
controversial subject, and not because we are ignorant of the problem. In fact,
scientists have a good handle on the mechanisms of pesticide resistance
development. It is controversial because...
March 01, 2002
Two stars of the booming vegetatively propagated bedding
plant market are petunias and calibrachoa. These closely related species offer
consumers rapid growth, a wide range of colors and durability. The vigor of
petunias and calibrachoa, while great...
February 18, 2002
One new development important to our understanding of
Pythium species comes from the findings of molecular geneticists. We have long
thought of Pythium as a “water mold fungus”— now it has been
reclassified according to information gained from...
January 11, 2002
What are the advantages of insect screening?
Properly installed insect screening restricts the entry of
insects and pests and reduces pesticide use.
What are the disadvantages of insect screening?
The disadvantages of insect screening include...
January 11, 2002
The natural human tendency when confronted with a problem is to spring into action. For the ornamental producer, this means you want to spray something on the disease. It is hard to stop and take the time to understand the situation, but reflection...
December 28, 2001
The most important goal in the application of agricultural pesticides is to get uniform distribution of the chemicals throughout the crop foliage. Underdosing may not give the desired coverage and control needed. Overdosing is expensive as it wastes...
December 28, 2001
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.
This chart represents five...
December 28, 2001
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...
December 03, 2001
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...
