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?”
Lewis mite is one of those pests that seems to go in cycles – some years we don’t see it at all, and some years I get reports as early as August.
This year there seems to be scattered reports. Given that Lewis mite populations can ramp up in a warm fall and rear their ugly heads in October, it seemed like a good time for an update on what’s working, and what’s not.
Poinsettia are being potted up and pest issues are already popping up! Read on to see what pests growers in Ontario are seeing, and what to do about them.
Continue reading “Poinsettia Pests 2024: Whitefly, Mealybugs and Other Pests”
This post was contributed to by Abigail Wiesner and Chevonne Dayboll.
As we move through production for fall and winter crops a refresher for nutrient deficiencies feels appropriate.
No matter where you are in a cropping cycle, nutrition problems can be tricky to figure out. The good thing is they can be differentiated from disease or pest issues based on a few key observations:
Keep reading to learn more about different nutrient deficiencies and how to spot them in poinsettias and other crops.
Continue reading “Deficiencies Got You Down?”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.
Continue reading “Points for Points! Production Pointers for 2024 Poinsettias”
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.”
It’s that time of year again, when problems early in the crop may have caught up with you. This includes root rots, Lewis mite, and Bemisia whitefly.
Now, you’ll be forced to make a choice with your poinsettia crop. Do you stay the course with a biocontrol program? Or spray for pests? And, as always, the question is “spray with WHAT”?
This post has tips on pest management decision making when it comes to common poinsettia problems in October.
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.”