If you’re anything like me, you might be having trouble keeping track of all of the resources related to managing Covid-19 on your farm.
To help, OMAFRA has created a landing page with a list of resources relevant to Ontario farmers.
Continue reading “COVID-19 Resource List for Growers.”
Although “floriculture” is in the title, the sensors and apps Dr. Krishna Nemali from Purdue University will discuss have applications across all avenues of controlled environment agriculture. Keep reading for details on the webinar, and how to register.
This is the 6th article in a series about water sanitation. The goal of this series is to get you reflecting on your own irrigation system before a problem occurs.
If you’re following our series on water sanitation, you saw that previous posts covered where problems are likely to occur in your greenhouse, the types of pathogens found in water, where and how to sample your water and getting and interpreting a DNA test for pathogens in your water.
This post covers water treatment options, and was written by C. Dayboll with input from Phytoserv and Soil Resource Group.
Continue reading “Water Treatment: What System Should I Choose?”This post was written by S. Jandricic and A. Wylie.
This is the fourth article in a series about water sanitation. The goal of this series is to get you reflecting on your own irrigation system before you are faced with a problem. The first post covered where problems are likely to occur in your greenhouse ; the 2nd covered the types of pathogens found in water and the 3rd covered where and how to sample your water.
Once you’ve got your water sample, this post will cover why water DNA tests are useful, and how to interpret the results. This is the next step towards identifying and then treating your water issues to prevent unnecessary fungal or bacterial disease in your greenhouse crops, and potentially save you thousands of dollars in crop losses or fungicide applications.
These posts make good refresher resources, so make sure to bookmark them!
Continue reading “Water DNA Tests: Pros, Cons and Interpreting Results”
Here at OMAFRA, we’re always happy to promote work done by our colleagues in floriculture extension, including Michigan State University Extension!
The Fall edition of their popular Bug Bites! Webinar Series features talks on onion thrips and thrips identification (by yours truly), as well as talks on nematode application, biopesticide interactions with beneficals, and supplemental nutrition for bios! It’s jam packed! Keep reading for all the details.
Continue reading “Upcoming Floriculture Pest Management Webinars”
It’s that time of year again where you have to make a choice with your poinsettia. Do you stay the course with natural enemies, or abandon your bio program and spray for whitefly? And spray with WHAT?
This post has tips on how to test pesticides NOW, so that when it comes down to the wire, you’ll know what is – and isn’t – working.
Continue reading “The Whitefly “Tipping Point”and Testing Pesticides in Poinsettia”
Ontario continues to make tremendous progress in its vaccine rollout. Keeping your greenhouse safe during reopening is a priority for the sector, and having a vaccinated workforce is a key measure in this effort. Receiving a vaccine is a voluntary and personal choice: read on for resources to enable your greenhouse staff to make informed decisions.
Continue reading “Safely transitioning your greenhouse operation into Step 3”
T’is poinsettia sticking season once again, and the question always comes down to the same thing: do I use chemicals to control Bemisia whitefly and hope it works this year? Or do I switch to biological control? Here we show some head to head comparisons that can help you decide.
An in-depth discussion of this topic was also captured by MSU’s “Bug Bites” last year, and I’ve included the video below.
Continue reading “Comparing Biocontrol to Pesticides for Bemisia Whitefly Control in Poinsettia”
Poinsettia cuttings being rooted. Photo courtesy of Ohio State University.
Now that poinsettias are safely tucked into their prop trays and the threat of Erwinia (Pectobacterium) is almost over, it’s time to think about other poinsettia issues.
Root rots, nutritional issues, environmental stress and PGR mistakes can all be costly in this high-value crop.
Read on for common pitfalls and how to avoid them, and for some great video resources on poinsettia production.
This post on poinsettia problems was contributed to by Drs. Chevonne Dayboll and Sarah Jandricic.
When poinsettias get problems, they always seem to hit hard and fast. Things like whitefly, Lewis mite, root rots, and nutritional issues can all quickly derail a quality crop. This is why scouting might be more important in this crop than any other.
Here’s a month by month guide on what you should be looking for to prevent small problems from becoming big issues.
Continue reading “Poinsettia Problems: Your Monthly Scouting Guide, 2021”
Need a refresher on specific pests of floriculture, and what to do about them? Want to see how Canada – a world leader in biological control in ornamental crops – does things?
Then the following IPM training videos, made by specialists and consultants in Ontario, are for you!
Keep reading to learn how to access these videos, and the topics they cover.
Continue reading “NEW: Free Online IPM Training for Greenhouse Staff”