REMINDER! GrowON Webinar Thursday July 27th: Comforting Lies and Unpleasant Truths about Pesticide Application

Ever wonder why you spray the label rate of a pesticide, and you just don’t see good control? Does it have to do with your application method? Your crop? Or something to do with the label rate? According to Dr. Jason Deveau, OMAFRA’s Application Technology Specialist, the truth lies somewhere in between…

Join our latest GrowON Webinar on Thursday, July 27th, where Jason discusses the pitfalls behind generating pesticide labels, and how growers of horticultural crops can help improve pesticide efficacy on-farm.

This is a great webinar for growers of greenhouse floriculture, greenhouse vegetable, nursery and cannabis crops.

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Upcoming GrowON Webinar: Comforting Lies and Unpleasant Truths about Pesticide Application Methods

This is a great webinar for growers of greenhouse floriculture, greenhouse vegetable, nursery and cannabis crops.

Continue reading →

Pesticides for Parvispinus: Results of an On-Farm Trial

*Female T. parvispinus (left) on a mandevilla flower; a smaller male (yellow, right) can also be seen.*

Although the invasive pest Thrips parvispinus continues to threaten tropical ornamental crops, the good news is that the sky isn’t falling. Producing crops like mandevilla, schefflera and hoya is still possible, at least in a closed greenhouse setting.

Although developing a reliable biological control program for this pest is probably a few years off, a suite of pesticides is available in the U.S. and Canada to successfully manage T. parvispinus.

This post covers these pesticides, their relative efficacy and demonstrates outcomes when used in an 8 month on-farm trial in mandevilla.

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REMINDER: “Potential Solutions for Parvispinus” Webinar TOMORROW!

Join us for a GrowON webinar tomorrow (Tuesday May 30th) on potential solutions for Thrips parvisipinus from “boots on the ground” folks. This includes technical reps, industry consultants, and extension specialists.

Read on for more information and how to register.

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Upcoming GrowON Webinar on May 30th! “Potential Solutions for Parvispinus: Lessons from the Field”

Webinars on Thrips parvispinus are coming fast and hard lately, as scientists and extension agents try to get you the very latest information on this serious pest of ornamentals and peppers.

Join us for a GrowON webinar next Tuesday on potential solutions for this pest from “boots on the ground” folks. This includes technical reps, industry consultants, an your friendly neighborhood extension specialist in Ontario.

Read on for more information and how to register.

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Japanese Beetle Control 2023: Changes to Allowable Pesticides and Updates to Infographic

It will soon be that time of year again, when Japanese beetle (JB) adults begin to fly! However, there have been some changes to acceptable control products for JB growers need to be aware of in order to be in compliance with certification programs for this pest.

This post highlights changes to treatments and also provides an updated infographic for JB control for those exporting to non-JB areas (both domestically and to the United States).

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Should you Tank Mix Your Pesticides? The Answers are “Mixed”.

Will tank mixing pesticides give you better efficacy? Save you money? Can tank mixing HURT your crop in any way? How do you know if two products are compatible? And, how do you know if you’re legally ALLOWED to tank mix two products?

This post covers all these questions and more, with some great links to other resources to boot!

This article was written by Jason Deveau (OMAFRA Application Technology Specialist) and Mike Cowbrough (OMAFRA Weed Management Specialist – Field Crops). The original post can be viewed on the Sprayers 101 website. New guidance on Health Canada’s federal tank mixing policy can be found here.

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New Tool to Fight Mites and Bemisia Whitefly in Greenhouse Floriculture: Magister SC

As growers are continuously battling new pests, as well as old nemeses, any new tool is a welcome addition in the pesticide toolbox.

The Pest Management Regulatory Agency recently registered an interesting new product: Magister SC (fenazaquin), which is a miticide, insecticide AND a fungicide!

Although registered against powdery mildew in some crops, only the miticide/insecticide use pattern is allowed in greenhouse ornamentals. More information on this product is available below.

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Protected Agriculture Standard: Important Information about Dye Test Audits for Growers

We’ve written before about the National Protected Agriculture Standard and what it means for greenhouse floriculture growers. The standard, which is administered by CropLife Canada, comes into effect January 1, 2024. The goal is to keep plant protection products where they are applied.

In order to purchase pesticides going forward, your farm will need to be certified under the program as of January 1, 2024. All greenhouse growers who self-identify as having a recirculating (closed-loop) irrigation system need to register and complete an audit by December 31, 2023 to be certified. Open system growers will need to obtain an exemption in order to continue purchasing products. Greenhouse grown cut flowers and hoop houses that do not recirculate their water are currently out of scope, but they will be added to the standard in the near future.

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Battling Broad Mite in Spring Crops

Broad mite, *Polyphagotarsonemus latus*. Photo credit: USDA BARC

I’ve hearing a lot lately about Broad Mites (Polyphagotarsonemus latus) in spring crops, especially Reiger begonias and New Guinea impatiens. Other crops that are commonly affected include torenia, exacum, ipomea and gerbera.

Broad mite are often difficult to detect and control. Read on for tips on monitoring and the latest management strategies for this pest.

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