Points for Points! Production Pointers for 2024 Poinsettias

This post was contributed to by Abigail Wiesner, Drs. Sarah Jandricic, and Chevonne Dayboll.

Christmas in July? Not quite, but poinsettias are making their way into greenhouses across Ontario, and they always arrive at the hottest time of the year.

Nutritional issues, environmental stress, PGR mistakes and early diseases can all be costly in this high-value crop. Read on for common pitfalls and how to avoid them, as well as links to pest management information in early production.

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Pesticide Rotation Guide for Thrips parvispinus in Canadian Greenhouses

By Sarah Jandricic (OMAFA) and Judy Colley (Plant Products)

*A female (left) and male (right) Thrips parvispinus on a mandevilla flower.*

With the arrival of mandevilla, dipladenia and hibiscus cuttings, now is the time to start planning your management program for Thrips parvispinus. Unfortunately, it looks like this pest is here to stay in North America, and in the tropical plant industry at large.

In this post, we’ll focus on pesticide rotations to manage pesticide resistance, as well as a few tips and tricks to make sure your pesticides stay working.

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Garden Mums 2024 – Tips, Tricks, and Production Bits

This post was contributed to by Abigail Wiesner, Drs. Sarah Jandricic, and Chevonne Dayboll.

As we feel temperatures rising, summer is on its way – and so are garden mums! This post has updated information to help you optimize your irrigation, fertilizer, pest management programs and more in garden mum production.

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Introducing Ontario’s Crop Protection Hub – Your One Stop Shop for Pesticide Information for Greenhouse Crops

Are you a Canadian floriculture grower Planning your IPM program for Spring crops soon? Then look no further! Ontario’s new Crop Protection Hub combines pesticide data from a plethora of sources and combines them into one convenient location.

Types of data (for both chemical and microbial insecticides/fungicides) include:

Allowable pesticides by crop type (e.g. cut flowers, potted crops, unrooted cuttings)
Rates, REIs, and maximum allowable sprays per crop
Compatibility information with beneficial organisms
Efficacy ratings of pest management products for specific greenhouse pests
Recommendations for best use of products for each pest
Link to the most current pesticide label

Keep reading to find out how to access this new application.

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Poinsettia Pest Management Pointers 2023: Receipt Through Potting Up.

Poinsettias are here! In the next few posts we’ll be breaking down production into into 4 key growing periods: Receipt/Propagation, Early Production, Late Production, and Finishing.

This post on propagation will cover things you can do now to treat pests and diseases in your cuttings to prevent BIG problems later. And make sure to check out Dr. Chevonne Dayboll’s previous post on ensuring cutting quality.

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Poinsettia Pest Management Pointers: Receipt Through Potting Up.

Poinsettias are almost here! Instead of covering the whole crop cycle, this year we’re breaking posts down into 4 key growing periods: Receipt/Propagation, Early Production, Late Production, and Finishing.

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NEW: Free Online IPM Training for Greenhouse Staff

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.

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Can We Reduce Pest Pressure in Floriculture by Adjusting Plant Nutrition?

Subirrigation in a dutch tray of gerbera plants

Producing high-quality ornamentals while decreasing pesticide use requires finding creative ways to reduce pests across your whole production system.

Are you interested in learning more about the role fertilizers and biostimulants can play in plant health — both in terms of plant quality and pest levels?

This upcoming and FREE webinar provides and overview of a current project between the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, OMAFRA and industry partners on this unique topic.

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Preventing Issues in Your Spring Crops: Sanitation, Dips and Bio Tips.

P1010595 With the holiday season almost upon us, it’s time to turn our attention to Spring bedding crops. Although here for a brief window, the diversity of these crops means you’re bound to encounter some sort of disease and insect problems.

One way you can head off issues is to plan and prepare now. This post from January 2020 has important tips on sanitation for common spring crop diseases, dips and early sprays to prevent key pests, as well as tips on where to spend your biocontrol dollars.

Continue reading “Preventing Issues in Your Spring Crops: Sanitation, Dips and Bio Tips.” →

Dipping Poinsettia Cuttings to Reduce Whitefly 101: 2020 Edition

dipping cuttings — Dipping poinsettia cuttings to help lower Bemisia numbers was investigated and perfected by the Biocontrol Lab at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in Ontario.

Although we’ve been talking for years here in Canada about dipping your poinsettia cuttings in low-risk pesticides, some growers have yet to take the plunge.

This preventive technique improves efficacy of BOTH biocontrol and pesticide programs for Bemisia, since it lowers your starting pest pressure.

If you’re still unsure of how or when to apply cutting dips, check out the rest of this post.

Continue reading “Dipping Poinsettia Cuttings to Reduce Whitefly 101: 2020 Edition” →