Where Do Most of Your Thrips Come From? The Answer May Surprise You.

Are your thrips numbers on the rise?

(This post was co-written by S. Jandricic and A. Summerfield.)

Sometimes your thrips biocontrol program is working great. Other times, it seems to get completely overwhelmed.  Thrips often get out of control in Summer, when fall crop production is ramping up. But why is this?

Several factors can contribute to rising thrips numbers, but the major reason involves HOW and WHEN thrips like to invade your greenhouse. Read on to learn about this, and what you can do to stay on top of thrips this summer!

Continue reading “Where Do Most of Your Thrips Come From? The Answer May Surprise You.”

Can We Improve Pesticide Application in Greenhouse Ornamentals?

As anyone battelling whitefly on poinsettia this season can attest to, good pesticide coverage in ornamental crops can be challenging. Hydraulic sprayers are the industry standard, but does that mean they’re the best option? Where does sprayer technology need to go in the future to get growers better results?

This summer, Dr. Jason Deveau, OMAFRA’s official “Spray Guy”, and myself did a trial at a local greenhouse with some experimental equipment to try and answer these questions. The results were intriguing, to say the least.

For all the details on this trial, check out the link to Jason’s blog post, below.

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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.

Continue reading “Can We Reduce Pest Pressure in Floriculture by Adjusting Plant Nutrition?”

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

P1010595With 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.”

New Chemical Control Option for Thrips and Whitefly

Thrips-tabaci-female-1-1024x683A new pesticide is available  for greenhouse ornamental production in Canada that has shown potential for effective suppression of difficult-to-control thrips and whitefly species.

But to keep this new tool effective, growers will have to use this chemical wisely. Keep reading for  efficacy data on ornamental crops and best management practices for incorporating this chemical into your IPM toolbox.

Continue reading “New Chemical Control Option for Thrips and Whitefly”

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

P1010595With the holiday season over, 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 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.”

What you NEED TO KNOW about Thrips and Whitefly Control: September Update

thrips and whiteflyIt’s that time of year again where two of our biggest crops cross over: fall pot mums and poinsettia. This means growers have to simultaneously keep an eye on the two biggest pests in the industry: thrips (usually western flower thrips) and Bemisia whitefly.

Here’s how things are shaping up with these pests and where they might be going.

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Garden Mums – 2019 Production and Protection Tips

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

Summer is in full swing, and so too are garden mums.  As you get ready for the next few months, here are a few tips to keep your crop on track.

Drip line irrigation can be a more efficient way of delivering water and nutrients to outdoor crops.

Irrigation method matters!

There are plenty of options for irrigation in potted outdoor crops, but not all are created equal if you are trying to maximize your water efficiency.  Overhead irrigation by boom, or sprinkler is not efficient if your pots are not spaced tightly.  Canopy sizes in the later months of production may make this impossible, especially if you choose to go with final spacing when pots first move outside.  These methods of irrigation can also lead to pots that are too dry (not watered) or too wet (over watered). Plants can only use water that makes it into the pot, so low volume drip line or tape is a more effective way to delivering usable water to your outdoor crops.

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Which Thrips are in Your Flower Crops (Part II): How to ID and Control Onion Thrips

Thrips-tabaci-female-1-1024x683
Thrips tabaci, or Onion thrips. Photo courtesy of Thrips-ID.com.

If you were at the Canadian Greenhouse Conference (or are regularly reading this blog!) you’d know we’ve recently identified Onion thrips as a pest of floriculture crops in Ontario (see this post).

Outside of Ontario?  Well, this still may apply to you, as a recent study in France also indicated that up to 47% of pest thrips in floriculture greenhouses were Onion thrips.  So, this issue could be wide-spread.

My last post covered the extent of the problem in Ontario’s industry.  This post will help you identify if YOU are dealing with Onion thrips (OT) along with Western flower thrips (WFT), and what to do about it.

 

Continue reading “Which Thrips are in Your Flower Crops (Part II): How to ID and Control Onion Thrips”