Growers in Ontario continue to struggle with Thrips parvispinus on tropical crops like mandevilla, anthurium and schefflera. Unfortunately, reports out of Europe also indicate this invasive pest species can also attack poinsettia.
Read on for what you need to watch out for, and potential management strategies.
Continue reading “Parvispinus on Poinsettias? It’s Possible.”
Calling the Canadian greenhouse sector! Public review for a technical specification called Biosecurity for Robotics in Greenhouses is open until March 21, 2024. Learn how you can provide comments by reading on.
In a previous blog post, we talked about which pesticides can control Thrips parvispinus if you end up with an infestation from imported plant material.
But how do you figure out if this invasive pest is in your facility in the first place? And, if so, what’s the best way to monitor their populations?
After working with this pest for the last 1-2 years, researchers like myself have figured out which monitoring methods are most effective. This can help you identify the problem early, begin a management plan, and monitor the efficacy of your controls.
Continue reading “Got Tropicals? How to Detect and Monitor for Thrips parvispinus.”
Hopefully you’ve read our previous post on pest management in propagation. Now it’s time to cover poinsettia IPM during early production.
This post will cover the first signs of root rots, as well as whitefly and Lewis mite monitoring and management. As healthy plants are better able to defend themselves from pests and diseases, we’ll also give a quick nutrient refresher.
Continue reading “Poinsettia Pest Management Pointers: Early Production 2023”
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.
Continue reading “Poinsettia Pest Management Pointers 2023: Receipt Through Potting Up.”
It will soon be that time of year again, when Japanese beetle (JB) adults begin to fly! However, there have been some changes to acceptable control products for JB growers need to be aware of in order to be in compliance with certification programs for this pest.
This post highlights changes to treatments and also provides an updated infographic for JB control for those exporting to non-JB areas (both domestically and to the United States).
Continue reading “Japanese Beetle Control 2023: Changes to Allowable Pesticides and Updates to Infographic”
I’ve written about the tropical pest Thrips parvispinus, now being called “pepper thrips”, infesting certain tropical ornamentals in Canada before. But it appears this pest has become widespread in Florida.
As Ontario sources much of its plant material from Florida, it’s a good idea to exercise caution, even on non-tropical plants. The known host range of this pest is evolving, and thrips have the potential to hitch-hike on less-preferred plant hosts and spread to more preferred hosts in your greenhouse.
Read on for information on the situation in Florida and what you can do to help protect your greenhouse from this pest.
Continue reading “Thrips parvispinus (“Pepper Thrips”): The Importance of Inspecting Plants and Dipping Cuttings from Florida”
The recent boom in tropical plant production over the past few years means growers are encountering different and more challenging pests in greenhouses. Please join me and Judy Colley (Biological Technical Rep for Plant Products) for an upcoming webinar with Michigan State University Extension, where we talk about how to manage the “usual suspects” on various tropicals, as well as some of the more unique problems!
Keep reading for more information on registration.
Continue reading “MSU Webinar: “The Trouble with Tropicals” – March 16th”This post was co-written by A. Summerfield (Vineland Research and Innovation Centre) and S. Jandricic.
Increases in global trade, along with decreased use of harsher broad-spectrum pesticides makes it easier for insect species to move around the world. Because of this, it is becoming more common to find unusual pests coming in on plant material. It’s important that we are prepared and know what to do when something like a new thrips species makes an appearance.
The tropical thrips species Thrips parvispinus has been popping up in various parts of the globe in recent years and was intercepted on plant material in two Ontario greenhouses in 2021/2022. Read on to learn what we know about this species and what you should do if you suspect you have them.
Continue reading “Tropical Thrips Species Intercepted on Plant Material in Ontario: Be Aware – But Don’t Panic.”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.
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 post from last week, on ensuring cutting quality.
Continue reading “Poinsettia Pest Management Pointers: Receipt Through Potting Up.”