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.
Continue reading “2025 Poinsettia Refresher: Practical Tips for a Tough Crop”
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.
Continue reading “Lewis Mites 2025 – a Poinsettia Problem that’s Here to Stay?”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.
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.
Continue reading “Garden Mum Refresher 2025: Managing Nutrients, Size Tracking, and PGRs”
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.
Continue reading “In Case you Missed it: UofF Webinar on Latest Thrips parvispinus Research”
This post was written by Abigail Wiesner, Acting Floriculture Production Specialist, with 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.
Continue reading “Producing Million Bells – 2025 Update”
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.
Continue reading “Managing Million Bells: 2025 Updates”
For those of you relying on chemical control for aphids in spring crops, some of you might have observed that Beleaf (Aria in the U.S.) has not been working as well recently, especially in green peach aphid (Myzus persicae).
This post will fill you in on what we know about potential resistance to flonicamid in aphids, and which chemicals are working.
Continue reading “Is Beleaf Still Working for Aphid Control? What We Know So Far and Alternative Chemicals for Spring 2025.”Originally published on the ONgreenhousevegetables blog on by Cara McCreary
They may be pretty, but they aren’t our friends. Spotted lanternfly (SLF) is an invasive sap-feeding planthopper with potential to harm agriculture and forestry in Ontario.
But I only grow greenhouse fruits and vegetables, so why does it matter to me, you ask? Read on to learn more about why this pest matters to everyone.
Continue reading ““COMMUNITY” PEST ALERT: Spotted Lanternfly”