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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
Mechanization is normally defined as the replacement of a human task with a machine. Automatic transplanters are an example of mechanization. But, true automation encompasses more than mechanization. Automation involves the entire process, including...
March 18, 2002
Four sets of information are important when assessing the
nutritional status of greenhouse crops and developing corrective procedures.
First, determine irrigation water quality prior to developing the location. Do
this during a wet and a dry period...
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
Debuting in 2001 with ‘Nu Blue’, ‘Burgundy
Chrome’, ‘Shades of Pink’ and ‘Peach Glo’, the
Ramblin’’ series’ determinate plant habit won’t take
over the bench or garden bed,...
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 11, 2002
The only reason for a grower to automate is to improve their overall operation — an improvement that can be more than cost reduction. Improvements can also increase quality and response time. With all the equipment available in the marketplace today...
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...
March 01, 2002
With the introduction of so many new and unique poinsettia cultivars, it has become impractical for a grower to evaluate them all. In conjunction with the breeding companies, we organized these trials several years ago to screen the new...
March 01, 2002
Here it is, the middle of the plug season, and plug growers
are wondering how to keep their plugs from stretching or flopping. With short
days and low light conditions in much of the country during this time of the
year, small seedlings want to...
February 18, 2002
With all the well-deserved attention that coleus hybrids are
receiving for their landscape and interiorscape performance, it seems like a good time to take a look at some of the closer relatives of coleus that have the same strong characteristics...
February 18, 2002
What are greenhouse curtains? Greenhouse curtain systems are called shades, screens and even
blankets. They consist of moveable panels of fabric or plastic film used to
cover and uncover a greenhouse. Curtains may cover an area as small as a single...
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...
February 18, 2002
The following poinsettia cultivars are recommended for
growers to consider. The recommendations are based on university trials and
observations of commercial crops. Primarily, this list includes cultivars that
the authors have grown at least two...
February 18, 2002
The following are the cultivars that we judged to be the best of the 2001 trials. In most cases, they are newer cultivars that offer a new characteristic, an improvement over current cultivars or fill a void in availabilities. A few are older...
January 16, 2002
James E. Faust
Assistant Professor, Clemson University, Clemson, S.C.
About 12 years ago, I heard Michigan State professor Dr.
Will Carlson argue for regionalization of floriculture research. He suggested
that we don’t need to be duplicating...
January 16, 2002
As we have seen in the last couple of years, growers and
gardeners alike were far more interested in the many new vegetative cultivars
introduced than they were in new seed cultivars. This trend seems likely to
continue for the foreseeable future;...
January 16, 2002
Hybrid lilies are excellent cut flowers due to the
availability of flowers with various colors and shapes. Extensive inter-species
hybridization has resulted in numerous cultivars, and many new cultivars are
introduced to the market each year. While...
January 16, 2002
With the coming of the new year, people commonly spend time
reflecting on the past year — what were the biggest events, who were the
most important people. Rather than immerse ourselves in history, I want to
encourage everyone to plan the future,...
