In Case You Missed It: Two-Spot Cotton Leafhopper – a New Pest of Hibiscus.

*Fig. 1.* *Two-spot cotton leafhopper. Photo by A. Revynthi, University of Florida.*

Just when we think we have Thrips parvispinus under control, a new pest is threatening tropical ornamentals. The two-spot cotton leafhopper (Amrasca biguttula) is mainly a pest of – you guessed it, COTTON – but also attacks hibiscus. Growers in Ontario should be aware of this pest if importing hibiscus cuttings from the Southern U.S., where this pest has currently invaded.

There’s been lots of good information shared on this pest recently. Read on for a summary relevant to ornamental growers, including what to look for, effective pesticides and what actions you should take NOW.

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Common Issues and Practical Solutions: Disease Prevention & Crop Uniformity

Welcome to this blog series, where we will discuss common production issues and practical solutions you can consider implementing in your own greenhouse.

In this post, we’ll focus on preventing disease and increasing crop uniformity. We’ll discuss two key practices that can help both issues: selecting the right growing media and maintaining greenhouse sanitation. Small changes in these areas can reduce the risk of disease and shrink, while promoting more consistent growth across your crop and prevent things like plant stunting.

Throughout this post I’ll use Kalanchoe production as an example. Even if you are not a Kalanchoe grower, there will relevant information that you can apply to your own crops. Read on for more details.

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2025 Poinsettia Refresher: Practical Tips for a Tough Crop

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 and PGR mistakes can all be costly in this high-value crop. Read on for production tips and how to manage this seasonal favourite in the greenhouse.

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Lewis Mites 2025 – a Poinsettia Problem that’s Here to Stay?

*Lewis mite damage on poinsettia. Photo by OMAFA.*

Let’s face it: although Lewis mites (Eotetranychus lewisi) used to be more of a cyclical pest, this mite has been consistently bad in poinsettia the last few years. As regular Lewis mite infestations now seem to be the new normal in poinsettia, this week is the time to to start thinking about your pest control plan for Lewis mite.

Whether you choose the preventive route or the wait-and-see approach, knowing which strategies and chemicals are working is critical. Read on for tips on dipping to prevent mites along and what we learned from last year‘s chemical approaches.

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June 24, 2025: Japanese Beetles Have Started to Emerge!

Japanese Beetle (Popillia japonica) adults were caught in pheromone traps yesterday in Vineland, ON, by Cassie Russell, OMAFA’s Nursery and Landscape Specialist. Read on for what the start of the adult emergence period means in terms of pest management for outdoor nursery and floriculture crops.

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Garden Mum Refresher 2025: Insect Pest and Disease Management

In case you missed it, earlier this week we talked about nutrient management and growth regulation/tracking for garden mums.

This post will focus on which pests most often affect garden mums in Ontario, and preventative actions you may want to take. Keep reading to learn more.

*A tarnished plant bug feeding on a bud of chrysanthemum, which can cause petal distortion. Photo by OMAFA.*

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Garden Mum Refresher 2025: Managing Nutrients, Size Tracking, and PGRs

This post was contributed to by OMAFA’s Greenhouse Floriculture Production Specialists past and present: Kathryn Russell, Abigail Wiesner, and Dr. Chevonne Dayboll.

As we feel temperatures rising, summer is on its way – and so are garden mums! Although generally an easy crop, there are several tweaks you can make to help save headaches AND money. This post has updated information to help you optimize your nutrient management and growth regulation/tracking in garden mum production.

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In Case you Missed it: UofF Webinar on Latest Thrips parvispinus Research

On March 12th, 2025, Dr. Alexandra Revynthi’s lab (University of Florida) gave an amazing update on what they’ve been working on with regards to Thrips parvispinus. A lot of this was important basic knowledge about their biology, such as development time and survival at high temperatures. There were also quite a few lab and small greenhouse trials looking at potential biocontrol agents.

Some of this will be information we build on to create effective IPM programs for Parvi in the future. But some of these findings, you could put into use right now.

You can go watch the full webinar using the link in the full blog post, or read my summary notes and see what I thought were the important take-aways.

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Producing Million Bells – 2025 Update

Content contributions from Chevonne Dayboll.

With Million Bells (Calibrachoa) having filled up the greenhouse, it’s a great time to revisit our production practices and explore new ideas. This post contains some back to the basic’s information and new innovations for our favourite spring crop.

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Managing Million Bells: 2025 Updates

It’s that time of year again, when Million Bells (Calibrachoa) are being started in the greenhouse.

This post will discuss common insect and disease pests, such as aphids, thrips and black root rot and viruses.

Stay tuned for an upcoming post about production tips and tricks for this popular spring favourite.

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