Efficacy trials are key to keeping growers informed about which chemicals currently work and which don’t for Bemisia whitefly.
Entomologists at the University of Maryland and Delaware recently did such a study, and included newer pesticide registrations. If you missed the article in the July issue of Grower Talks magazine, keep reading for the link to their results and a Canadian take on the study.
Continue reading “Which Pesticides are Effective for Whitefly?”
Japanese Beetle (Popillia japonica) adults are starting to take flight in southern Ontario. They have been spotted in Hamilton and Niagara this week. Read on for an updated post on WHAT and WHEN to spray for JB to meet certification requirements if you ship product outside Ontario.
Continue reading “Japanese Beetles are in Flight! How to control JB under the new GCP regulations.”
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”
T’is poinsettia sticking season once again, and the question always comes down to the same thing: do I use chemicals to control Bemisia whitefly and hope it works this year? Or do I switch to biological control? Here we show some head to head comparisons that can help you decide.
Continue reading “Poinsettias: To Spray or Not to Spray, that is the Question”
See the original post by Jen Llewellyn at ONnurserycrops.wordpress.com.
It’s almost that time of year again – time for Japanese beetles to begin their flight and make exporting ornamental plants from Ontario more difficult.
But this year, we have a new biological insecticide is available for managing both the larval and adult stages of Japanese Beetle.
Read more on it’s use and availability.
Continue reading “A new (biological!) tool to tackle Japanese Beetle.”
As suspected, it’s turned out to be a heck of year for Poinsettia. Many growers faced Erwinia, others had rooting issues, and all faced significant pressure from Bemisia whitefly from infested cuttings.
As the time approaches for the plants to go out the door, this post covers whitefly control successes/failures in 2018, and what to do with remaining populations.
Whitefly and other poinsettia issues are also being discussed at the Niagara Poinsettia Open House on Tuesday, November 20th. This will take place at Jefferys Greenhouse (Plant II) starting at 10 am. See the latest issue of Greenhouse Canada Magazine for more information (pg. 28). Hope to see many of you there.
Continue reading “2018 Poinsettia Wrap Up: Whitefly and Pesticides”
If you were at the Canadian Greenhouse Conference (or are regularly reading this blog!) you’d know we’ve recently identified Onion thrips as a pest of floriculture crops in Ontario (see this post).
Outside of Ontario? Well, this still may apply to you, as a recent study in France also indicated that up to 47% of pest thrips in floriculture greenhouses were Onion thrips. So, this issue could be wide-spread.
My last post covered the extent of the problem in Ontario’s industry. This post will help you identify if YOU are dealing with Onion thrips (OT) along with Western flower thrips (WFT), and what to do about it.
The Japanese beetle season is upon us once again! Adults were spotted this week in Southern Ontario.
Shipping outside Ontario or need to meet the requirements of the JB module for the Greenhouse Certification Program? Not sure what’s required?
This post contains a treatment “decision tree” and a JB product “cheat sheet” to help growers of greenhouse ornamentals.
Continue reading “Japanese beetles are in flight! WHAT and WHEN to spray.”
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.”
Navigating the guidelines for exporting plant material out of a Japanese Beetle (JB) zone such as Ontario can be tricky business, especially with upcoming changes to the Greenhouse-Grown Plant Certification Program (GCP; formerly CGCP).
Also not helping is the general lack of information out there regarding proper timing of JB control products. For example, did you know that NO products are considered effective between May 15 and June 15? This could create problems if you’re shipping outside Ontario in the next month and haven’t treated yet.
To make things easier, I’ve created a treatment “decision tree” and a JB product “cheat sheet” for growers of greenhouse ornamentals.