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.
Thrips often get out of control in summer, when fall crop production is ramping up. But why is this?
Although some thrips enter your greenhouse via plant material (think tropical thrips like Parvispinus), common thrips like western flower thrips and onion thrips mostly enter your greenhouse through vents and doors.
Continue reading to learn when your thrips are likely to spike in your greenhouse, as well as how to effectively use mass trapping to combat thrips and other pests.
It’s no secret that recent outbreaks of thrips species other than western flower thrips (WFT) have made producing greenhouse crops in Ontario harder than usual. This includes species such as onion thrips, Thrips parvispinus, and chrysanthemum thrips.
As control measures are different depending on the thrips species you’re dealing with, the very FIRST step in learning how to manage these pests 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 government specialists), then keep reading!
It turns out thrips and I have something very important in common – we both like to change up our look depending on the season!
Although you (probably) have no trouble recognizing me with a change of hair colour, different colour morphs within certain thrips species can throw growers for a loop when it comes to identification.
Read on for which thrips like to shake it up seasonally, so you don’t get fooled.
This post was written by Dr. S. Jandricic (OMAFRA) and A. Summerfield (Vineland).
This post was jointly written by Dr. Chevonne Dayboll and Dr. Sarah Jandricic
It’s hard to believe, but as the first snow hits the ground here in Niagara, that means its time to think about spring crops again!
This post gathers some of the most important things to plan and prep for in the greenhouse, including ordering inputs, preventative maintenance, and your pest management and PGR plans!
Think of this post as your “to-do” check list for the month of December, as the time to plan all this is NOW, before your spring production begins.
We’ve also linked to some helpful videos we’ve recorded from our GrowON webinar series that are relevant to spring crops. They’re worth a re-watch – or a first watch – if you haven’t seen them before!
(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!
This post was co-written by A. Summerfield (Vineland Research and Innovation Centre) and S. Jandricic.
Figure 1. Thrips parvispinus is generally dark coloured (though the head and thorax can be lighter than the abdomen), has bright red ocelli and clear patches at the top of its wings.
Increases in global trade, along with decreased use of harsher broad-spectrum pesticides makes it easier for insect species to move around the world. Because of this, it is becoming more common to find unusual pests coming in on plant material. It’s important that we are prepared and know what to do when something like a new thrips species makes an appearance.
The tropical thrips species Thrips parvispinus has been popping up in various parts of the globe in recent years and was intercepted on plant material in two Ontario greenhouses in 2021/2022. Read on to learn what we know about this species and what you should do if you suspect you have them.
This post was jointly written by Dr. Chevonne Dayboll and Dr. Sarah Jandricic
It’s time to think about spring again! This post gathers some of the most important things to plan and prep for in the greenhouse before your spring production begins in earnest.
1. Make sure your inputs are ordered
We can’t emphasize this one enough. COVID-19 and container boat issues are still causing shipping delays that are affecting many industries including greenhouses. Make sure you order potting mixes, plastic trays and pots, fertilizers, and production inputs well ahead of when you will need them. If you are planning on doing greenhouse upgrades in between seasons make sure you confirm delivery and installation timelines with your contractors. Many of them are facing delays too!
2. Now is the time for preventative maintenance
Heat loss from an older (left) and newer, more efficient boiler (right). (Photo credit: OMAFRA)
Now is a great time to schedule preventive maintenance for your boiler, irrigation and shading systems. Make sure that all motors and alarms are working before you need to rely on them. No one wants to find out that their temperature alarm failed on a cold February morning! Ensure you are getting the pressure you expect all along your irrigation system. If you rely on propane heaters for early spring production make sure they are venting properly. Damage from improper venting can present as stunted growth or leaf burn.
Take some time to inspect the greenhouse for wear-and-tear. Repair cracked poly and broken glass to keep heat from escaping. Make sure old torn energy curtains are replaced. A heat sensitive camera can help to identify areas of energy loss and help you plan for energy efficient upgrades in the future.
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.
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 managementprograms 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:
