Join our LAST Thrips Identification Workshop on March 4th in SIMCOE!

As control measures differ depending on the thrips species you’re dealing with, the very FIRST step in learning how to manage thrips effectively is proper species identification.

If you’re interested in having someone in your greenhouse operation learn how to do this (so you don’t have to rely on technical reps or government specialists), then keep reading!

This will be our LAST in-person workshop, so make sure to take advantage of this free learning opportunity!

Read on for more details and how to register.

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Missed our Thrips Identification Workshop? “How-to” Videos are Now Available Online!

*Characteristics needed to identify thrips to species.*

Although greenhouse growers’ thoughts in late summer tend to turn to pests of poinsettias, thrips are never fully forgotten (being the #1 pest and all).

Ever since a bunch of new thrips began invading North American greenhouses a few years ago, proper thrips identification has become a necessary evil. If you missed our Vineland/OMAFA Thrips Identification Workshops in 2024, have no fear. Ashley Summerfield from the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre has compiled much of the workshop content in a series of easy-to-follow videos. Keep reading for what you’ll need and links to the videos.

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Which Microscope Should you Buy for Your Greenhouse?

With new invasive species popping up, the need for growers to more closely inspect pests and damage is at an all time high. This has led to interest in on-farm pest identification.

When it comes to thrips identification, specifically, investing in a microscope is a necessary evil. But a decent microscope is now a LOT cheaper than it used to be. Here, we’ve provided a video to walk you through what features to look for.

The full post will also provide you with model numbers and links, to make microscope shopping easier!

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In Case You Missed It: “Scouting your Ornamental Crops like a Pro” Webinar is Now Up!

If scouting has been a challenge for you or your employees in the past, you’re a new IPM scout, or you feel like you could use a refresher, then this webinar is for you!

This recorded webinar is applicable to garden retail centres as well as ornamental and some nursery crop producers. I cover topics such as how best to spend your time, tools of the trade, what data you should be recording, as well as tips and tricks from the pros!

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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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High Quality Photos for Thrips Identification: Rating Phone Attachments.

This is a guest post by Avery Johnson (former OMAFA summer student and current M.Sc. student studying Thrips parvispinus) and S. Jandricic.

Having difficulty identifying thrips on sticky cards and need clear photos to send to your consultant or extension agent? Don’t want to invest in a microscope? Well, you’re in luck, because we’ve done the legwork to find some good alternatives to get high quality photos.

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Deficiencies Got You Down?

This post was originally written by Abigail Wiesner, Acting Greenhouse Floriculture Production Specialist, with contributions from 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:

If the damage is uniform and crop wide, it’s most likely a nutritional issue
If the damage is localized or more random, it’s most likely a disease or pest issue

Keep reading to learn more about different nutrient deficiencies and how to spot them in poinsettias and other crops.

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Points for Points! Production Pointers for 2024 Poinsettias

This post was originally written by Abigail Wiesner, Acting Greenhouse Floriculture Production Specialist, with contributions from 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.

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“How-to” Video of the Week: Plant Washes and Other Tools to Make Detecting Parvispinus Easier

*OMAFA Summer Student Avery Johnson demonstrating plant washes on-farm.*

In this week’s “how-to” video, we’ll explore using plant washes on-farm.

Plant washes are a simple but effective method to detect low levels of critical pests, such as Thrips parvispinus.

Once you’ve washed out your pests, we’ve also developed a quick “decision tree” to help you easily determine if you’re dealing with Thrips parvispinus or another thrips pest.

Keep reading to find the link to the video and additional resources.

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Potted Chrysanthemums 2024: Dips, Thrips and Threats

Every year at this time, growers start to think about strategies to minimizing western flower thrips on their chrysanthemum crops. This year, Thrips parvispinus is causing extra concern, given that chrysanthemum is one of its reported hosts.

Although there have been no reports yet of Parvispinus damaging chrysanthemums in North America, it’s still good to exercise a bit of caution. However, jumping the gun and spraying chemicals will likely just disrupt your biocontrol program for western flower thrips, leaving you with a bigger mess on your hands.

This post contains information on things you can do to put your mind at ease about all sorts of thrips this chrysanthemum season.

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