Category: Plant production

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.

Continue reading “Points for Points! Production Pointers for 2024 Poinsettias” →

Garden Mums 2024 – Tips, Tricks, and Production Bits

This post was contributed to by Abigail Wiesner, Drs. Sarah Jandricic, and Chevonne Dayboll.

As we feel temperatures rising, summer is on its way – and so are garden mums! This post has updated information to help you optimize your irrigation, fertilizer, pest management programs and more in garden mum production.

Continue reading “Garden Mums 2024 – Tips, Tricks, and Production Bits” →

How-to Video of the Week: Greenhouse Sanitation

Now that Victoria Day weekend has come and gone, many floriculture greenhouses find themselves with a rare period of empty compartments or benches before fall crops go in. Similarly, many vegetable greenhouses extending their growing period are facing their first crop clean out. Now is the perfect time to consider a thorough cleaning of your greenhouse to prevent pest issues going forward into the new crop. But this can seem like a daunting task.

OMAFRA and the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre have produced a how-to video on greenhouse clean-out and disinfection that can help you know where to start.

Continue reading “How-to Video of the Week: Greenhouse Sanitation” →

Save On Energy Webinar: Battery Energy Storage System Safety for Greenhouses

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

Join Save On Energy, offered through the Independent Electricity System Operator (ISEO), for an upcoming webinar exploring the safety of battery energy storage systems on May 14th 2024 from 1:00pm to 2:00pm. Keep reading to learn how to register.

Continue reading “Save On Energy Webinar: Battery Energy Storage System Safety for Greenhouses” →

Changes to Retrofit Program

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

Increases to non-lighting incentives this fall plus Instant Discounts program for lighting launching in December.

Updates to the Save on Energy Retrofit program‘s prescriptive incentives increase most non-lighting measures. The new incentives will come into effect on October 30, 2023.

Continue reading “Changes to Retrofit Program” →

Effect of Light Abatement Curtains on the Greenhouse Environment

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON ONGREENHOUSEVEGETABLES.CA on  by Fadi Al-Daoud

Learn how light abatement curtains can be used and their effect on the greenhouse environment.

Click the image below to access the article on Ontario.ca.

Is Lowering Fertilizer Right For You?

This guest post was written by Jessie deHaan, Research Technician at Vineland Research and Innovation Centre (Vineland).

Four chrysanthemum varieties growing side by side at 75ppm (left side of benches) and 250ppm of N (right side of benches) of N in a Vineland trial.

Economical and high quality plant production has always been a balancing act between fertilizer, light, irrigation and other input costs.  

Unfortunately, supply chain issues caused by the pandemic slow-down, and exacerbated by the subsequent war in Ukraine, have negatively affected the global supply of fertilizer and plant nutrients. These supply issues are leading to rising fertilizer prices for growers.

As input costs rise, how can growers respond and save money, while still producing first-rate products?

Continue reading “Is Lowering Fertilizer Right For You?” →

Poinsettia Pest Management Pointers: Early Production 2023

Hopefully you’ve read our previous post on pest management in propagation. Now it’s time to cover poinsettia IPM during early production.

This post will cover the first signs of root rots, as well as whitefly and Lewis mite monitoring and management. As healthy plants are better able to defend themselves from pests and diseases, we’ll also give a quick nutrient refresher.

Continue reading “Poinsettia Pest Management Pointers: Early Production 2023” →

Cleaning Out Your Greenhouse Today can Save You Pest and Disease Headaches Tomorrow.

Now that Victoria Day weekend has come and gone, many floriculture greenhouses find themselves with a rare period of empty compartments or benches before fall crops go in. Similarly, many vegetable greenhouses extending their growing period are facing their first crop clean out. Now is the perfect time to consider a thorough cleaning of your greenhouse to prevent pest issues going forward into the new crop. But this can seem like a daunting task.

OMAFRA and the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre have produced a how-to video on greenhouse clean-out and disinfection that can help you know where to start.

Continue reading “Cleaning Out Your Greenhouse Today can Save You Pest and Disease Headaches Tomorrow.” →

A Dark Start to 2023

This post was originally written by Sophie Krolikowski Acting Greenhouse Floriculture Production Specialist.

The winter months can always be a challenge for floriculture producers. But have you found this winter to be unpredictably dark? Has this affected your crop?

Read on to see if this year is unusual, or part of a trend, and how this may influence your production decisions (and energy costs) in years to come.

Continue reading “A Dark Start to 2023” →