Garden Mums – 2021 Production and Protection Tips

This post was contributed to by Drs. Sarah Jandricic, Andrew C. Wylie and Chevonne Dayboll.

Summer is getting underway, and so too are garden mums! Although generally an easy crop, there several tweaks you can make to help save headaches AND money.

This post has updated information to help you optimize your irrigation, fertilizer and pest management programs in garden mums.

New Resources for Mum Production

Hit your exact ship size on your ship date using Graphical Tracking

Track and even out the growth of your mums using a graphical tracking tool with a few easy steps:

Continue reading →

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

P1010595 With 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.” →

Dipping Poinsettia Cuttings to Reduce Whitefly 101: 2020 Edition

dipping cuttings — Dipping poinsettia cuttings to help lower Bemisia numbers was investigated and perfected by the Biocontrol Lab at the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in Ontario.

Although we’ve been talking for years here in Canada about dipping your poinsettia cuttings in low-risk pesticides, some growers have yet to take the plunge.

This preventive technique improves efficacy of BOTH biocontrol and pesticide programs for Bemisia, since it lowers your starting pest pressure.

If you’re still unsure of how or when to apply cutting dips, check out the rest of this post.

Continue reading “Dipping Poinsettia Cuttings to Reduce Whitefly 101: 2020 Edition” →

Garden Mums – 2020 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! Although generally an easy crop, there several tweaks you can make to help save headaches AND money.

This post has information to help you optimize your irrigation, fertilizer and pest management programs in garden mums.

Continue reading “Garden Mums – 2020 Production and Protection Tips” →

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

P1010595 With 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.” →

Now’s the Time for Whitefly Prevention: Registered Products for Poinsettia Dips

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA Here in Canada, we’ve been talking for years about research on the highly effective method of dipping your poinsettia cuttings in low-risk pesticides to reduce starting whitefly populations.

Thanks to Dr. Rose Buitenhuis (VRIC), Cary Gates (FCO) and BioWorks, the label for BotaniGard WP has now officially been expanded to include dip applications. This now adds to our arsenal (see below for more dip products).

Read on for the current BotaniGard label and how dipping can help improve your Bemisia whitefly program this year, whether you’re using pesticides or biocontrol.

Continue reading “Now’s the Time for Whitefly Prevention: Registered Products for Poinsettia Dips” →

Worried About Whitefly? Control Strategies in Poinsettia for 2018.

Bemisia 4_SJ.JPG — Bemisia whitefly (Bemisia tabaca) adults on poinsettia. In high pressure years, poinsettia plants can quickly become unsellable due to this pest.

The floriculture industry in Ontario seems to have mostly avoided heavy aphid AND thrips pressure this spring/summer. But from everything I’ve been hearing, we are NOT going to be that lucky with whitefly on poinsettia this year.

This post goes over preventative measures that should be taken as soon as cuttings come in the door, biocontrol programs for whitefly on poinsettia, and WHEN and WHAT to spray for this so you can avoid resistance issues.

Continue reading “Worried About Whitefly? Control Strategies in Poinsettia for 2018.” →

May IPM Refresher: Effectively Controlling Thrips in Mums

ChrysInProp3 — IPM in potted mums can be challenging at times, but Ontario has lots of strategies for thrips control in this crop.

New to a thrips biological control program for chrysanthemums, or just need a refresher on the most effective strategies currently being used in the industry? Then watching the Greenhouse Canada Webinar, “Tips for Thrips Control: From Propagation to Pocketbook” is a good place to start.

Keep reading for the webinar link and some chrsysanthemum IPM tips for 2018.

Continue reading “May IPM Refresher: Effectively Controlling Thrips in Mums” →

Christmas in July: tips for controlling whitefly in poinsettia. (Hint – start now!).

BemisiaAdult5 — Juvenile and adult Bemisia whitefly (*Bemisia tabaci*). There are 2 biotypes of this pest (“B” and “Q”) which look identical; however, their response to chemicals is very different.

Poinsettias cuttings are here! Unfortunately, they will likely arrive with unwanted “presents” in tow. This includes Bemisia whitefly, a pest that can be hard to control with natural enemies and can ALSO be resistant to pesticides. So what’s a grower to do?

By implementing some preventative measures RIGHT NOW, and understanding WHEN it’s appropriate to spray, you can help save yourself a lot of headaches later.

Continue reading “Christmas in July: tips for controlling whitefly in poinsettia. (Hint – start now!).” →

Webinar Detailing Thrips Control Strategies Now on the Web.

thrips infographic_no title For those of you that missed my webinar on “Thrips Control: from Propagation to Pocketbook”, it is now available for free on the Greenhouse Canada Magazine website.

Keep reading for more details and a link to the talk. Continue reading “Webinar Detailing Thrips Control Strategies Now on the Web.” →