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POINSETTIA FERTILIZATION TRICKS FROM THE MAY 2023 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY LYNN GRIFFITH NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS   EXCERPT: Stock plants of almost any kind need more magnesium inputs than production plants. There are a couple of reasons for this: 1) Among the primary functions of magnesium in plants is that it’s in the middle of the chlorophyll molecule; and 2) it’s a mobile element.

HEATING IN YOUR WINTER GREENHOUSE FROM THE OCTOBER 2022 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY PATRICK MAHONEY NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS   EXCERPT: Fortunately, there are a number of ways for growers to improve their greenhouse and limit expenses during winter. To get the most out of their structure, operations will want to look at the key factors that impact heating efficiency, starting with the greenhouse’s ability to retain heat and the effectiveness of its heating system.

PAYROLL 2023 STYLE FROM THE MARCH 2023 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY MARK BATTERSBY NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS   EXCERPT: Payroll, typically the biggest expense of a business, has come a long way since its creation in 1913. The 16th Amendment to the Constitution gives Congress the “power to lay and collect taxes on incomes.” The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 established the minimum wage, overtime, recordkeeping and youth employment standards, further complicating payrolls.   Obviously, understanding the basic rules for withholding payroll taxes—and paying over withheld amounts—on the wages of all employees in the commercial growing or retail business is a good start. Guidance and advice from a competent, qualified advisor is virtually a necessity.

SHOULD YOU HIRE A CONSULTANT FOR YOUR GREENHOUSE? FROM THE JUNE 2022 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY ALBERT GRIMM NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS   EXCERPT: Most of us are simply not aware of any mistakes we make or else we would avoid them. If we’re unaware of our flaws and deficiencies we cannot improve upon them, and therefore, honest critique is the most valuable professional gift that anybody can present us with. If you’re ready to accept critique, you’re ready for a consultant.

This audio is from a recent Trending Now video. You can find the video version at https://youtu.be/DYmksCn2HfI    Tech On Demand podcast host and GrowerTalks Senior Editor Bill Calkins talks to John Bonin, the substrate mix product manager and senior account manager for Jiffy Group, about the iconic company’s new Flexistart specialized growing media. John takes you through a bit of Jiffy’s mission and the importance of high-quality substrates before explaining why Flexistart is a reliable product for professional young plant producers looking to drive performance, speed and precision, while reducing waste and labor costs.   More Resources: Plant propagation systems | Blends quality substrates | Jiffy Group Jiffy substrates and mix for professional use | Jiffy Group‘ Meeting the Challenge of High-Quality, Cost-Efficient Substrates (jiffygroup.com) Jiffy Flexistart - Hear what clients are saying! - YouTube Jiffy Group International The Netherlands Jiffy Group –Sustainability

HOW MUCH ARE YOU LOSING TO WASTE? FROM THE JANUARY 2023 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY STAN VANDER WAAL NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS   EXCERPT: Let’s talk realistically about waste, and for this discussion, break waste into two parts: First, production—which, to me, is from the buying of the product to delivery at the store. I would suggest producers can be as low as 2% and as high as 10% in this area. Second is shrink, or what we refer to as sell-through at retail.

WHEN USING YOUR LAND DOESN’T GO AS PLANNED FROM THE OCTOBER 2022 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY MATT STURZEN NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS   EXCERPT: Unless they’re actively involved in local government or kept up to date on land use issues, many individuals and businesses are unaware of their rights or restrictions as it relates to real property. This is especially true for those in the agricultural and nursery industries, since operations can go years without undergoing significant land use changes. However, land use issues can quickly arise and become complicated as time passes by. This is because land use plans are ever-changing, especially as urban and suburban development increases.

VISA PROGRAM PRIMER FROM THE DECEMBER 2022 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY SHAWN PACKER NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS   EXCERPT: Many employers turn to the temporary foreign guestworker visa programs like the H-2A and H-2B visa—so much so that we’re seeing record numbers of applications. In 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) certified 317,619 H-2A temporary agricultural visas and 181,451 H-2B temporary non-agricultural visas. That’s up from a DOL certified 200,049 H-2A visas and 133,985 H-2B visas in 2017.    Here are five things you should consider before embarking on this journey of hiring workers under these programs.  

THE SPLITTING OF IMPATIENS FROM THE JANUARY 2023 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY LOWELL HALVORSON NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS EXCERPT: When analyzing impatiens sales these days, we can see that the category has split into two distinct segments, each with its own sweet spot and market focus. Wholesale price lists show this breakout regularly. They often follow “Impatiens” with “Impatiens, Hybrid” or perhaps “Impatiens, SunPatiens.” This division reflects the new normal and, looking under the hood, we can also see each segment is shifting under different breeder and buyer pressures.

TRENDS IN BIOCONTROLS   FROM THE FEBRUARY 2023 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE   WRITTEN BY JULIE MARTENS FORNEY   NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS   EXCERPT: With biocontrols, it’s not an either/or approach when it comes to using chemicals, but a both/and. A combination of biology and chemistry delivers great success. For instance, “you can use biologicals up front to keep pest issues in check all through a crop if the weather is just right,” Dr. Michael Brownbridge explained. “That lets you save chemistry until the last few weeks of production so you can clean things up prior to shipping.”   The flip side is true, too. “If you have high pest and disease pressures, you can use chemistry first like a battering ram to knock down the problems and follow up with biologicals to mop up and provide protection to the plant,” he continued.   When it comes to diseases, he pointed out “there’s an increasing body of scientific evidence that if you use a combination of biology and chemistry you get better disease control.”

TECH IN THE GREENHOUSE FROM THE APRIL 2023 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY JENNIFER ZURKO NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS   EXCERPT: Most of the new tech we’re seeing boils down to one reason: lack of resources. There aren’t enough servers to bring your food or enough cashiers at the grocery store, so those industries have had to figure out how to alleviate the problem while still providing those services to their customers. In the growing biz, it’s no different. We’re experiencing a lack of resources, too—and have been for years—so it’s expected that some of the technology that we’re seeing in other industries to address labor shortages have made their way into the greenhouse. But if you step back, you realize that the focus hasn’t just been on the lack of hands—growers are also looking for new ways to continuously improve on quality in a shorter and shorter amount of time.

How to effectively manage VPD. This is the third and final episode in a series of podcasts looking into an important greenhouse production topic, vapor pressure deficit or VPD. Host Bill Calkins talks to guest Dr. Will Healy in an attempt to make some fairly complex information understandable and usable in this conversation about VPD, relative humidity and water loss. They are following up on a print article ran in the January issue of GrowerTalks magazine that walked readers through some definitions related to VPD, as well as why it is an important measurement to use and how it can specifically benefit young plant production. This podcast (and the others in the series) goes quite a bit deeper into the topic.   Dr. Healy has more than three decades of experience working with greenhouses of all shapes and sizes and around the world to implement the best strategies for their unique situations. Will retired recently from Ball Horticultural Company but continues to think about ways to improve horticultural production.   In this podcast, Dr. Healy continues the discussion of total moisture control my walking you through misting strategies from Stage 1 through 3 of rooting, including optimum VPD set points and values from hydration of URCs through root development. He shares exactly why you and your team need to establish rooting groups, identifying the specific needs of each crop and grouping them accordingly, because we all know each crop needs a specific environment for maximum performance. Will spends time on VPD frequency and mist duration, based on real-world greenhouse applications before closing the miniseries with thoughts on controllers (from simple to sophisticated) and the data collected by sensors that’s both critical and nice to have.   If you haven’t listened to PARTS 1 & 2 in this series, jump back in the archives and check it out because it sets the stage well for this cast.   RESOURCES: Learning Curves & Data Curves, GrowerTalks January 2023 by Bill Calkins (article): https://www.growertalks.com/Article/?articleid=26085 Plant Empowerment (book): https://www.plantempowerment.com/in-practice/the-book/ Tech On Demand—Training Your Team to Water Properly (video): https://youtu.be/SCPPT0IXlLY

WHEN is Vapor Pressure Deficit critical in greenhouse production? This is the second in a series of podcasts looking into an important greenhouse production topic, vapor pressure deficit or VPD. Host Bill Calkins talks to guest Dr. Will Healy in an attempt to make some fairly complex information understandable and usable in this conversation about VPD, relative humidity and water loss. They are following up on a print article ran in the January issue of GrowerTalks magazine that walked readers through some definitions related to VPD, as well as why it is an important measurement to use and how it can specifically benefit young plant production. This podcast (and the others in the series) goes quite a bit deeper into the topic.   Dr. Healy has more than three decades of experience working with greenhouses of all shapes and sizes and around the world to implement the best strategies for their unique situations. Will retired recently from Ball Horticultural Company but continues to think about ways to improve horticultural production.   In the second episode of the series, Will and Bill discuss when VPD is most critical in greenhouse production. Using VPD to schedule irrigation is a much more scientific approach versus “watering every Tuesday and Thursday” because it takes into account how much water has been lost by plants. Will shares details about VPD accumulation and why this matters, as well as when in production VPD management can help reduce the risk of pests and diseases.   If you haven’t listened to PART 1 in this series, jump back in the archives and check it out because it sets the stage well for this cast.   RESOURCES: Learning Curves & Data Curves, GrowerTalks January 2023 by Bill Calkins (article): https://www.growertalks.com/Article/?articleid=26085 Plant Empowerment (book): https://www.plantempowerment.com/in-practice/the-book/ Tech On Demand—Training Your Team to Water Properly (video): https://youtu.be/SCPPT0IXlLY  

This is the first in a series of podcasts looking into an important greenhouse production topic, vapor pressure deficit or VPD. Host Bill Calkins talks to guest Dr. Will Healy in an attempt to make some fairly complex information understandable and usable in this conversation about VPD, relative humidity and water loss. They are following up on a print article ran in the January issue of GrowerTalks magazine that walked readers through some definitions related to VPD, as well as why it is an important measurement to use and how it can specifically benefit young plant production. This episode (and the others in the series) goes quite a bit deeper into the topic.   Dr. Healy has more than three decades of experience working with greenhouses of all shapes and sizes and around the world to implement the best strategies for their unique situations. Will retired recently from Ball Horticultural Company but continues to think about ways to improve horticultural production.   In the first podcast of the series, Will and Bill focus on clarifying the importance of VPD and Relative Humidity (RH), as well as explaining the process of Evapotranspiration. The episode sets the stage for upcoming presentations covering when VPD is most critical and ways to manage this integral piece of your greenhouse environment puzzle.   RESOURCES:   VIEW THIS PRESENTATION AS A VIDEO WITH SLIDES: https://youtu.be/MGb8RjLV3U0 Learning Curves & Data Curves, GrowerTalks January 2023 by Bill Calkins (article): https://www.growertalks.com/Article/?articleid=26085 Plant Empowerment (book): https://www.plantempowerment.com/in-practice/the-book/ Tech On Demand—Training Your Team to Water Properly (video): https://youtu.be/SCPPT0IXlLY

In this episode of Tech On Demand brought to you by GrowerTalks, host Bill Calkins is joined by PanAmerican Seed president Anne Leventry, celebrating the company’s 75th anniversary. With so much history, ground-breaking products and innovative breeding, this conversation is divided into two parts. Be sure to check out part 1, as well, to get the full story!   Companies that survive and thrive for decades are nimble enough to maneuver trends and fads but consistent and focused enough to chart a thoughtful and successful course amidst constant change. This is certainly the case with PanAm, who’s celebrating an impressive anniversary and making innovative moves to grow for decades to come.   In this episode, the conversation turns to plants—breeding goals, Anne’s favorite varieties, underused and underappreciated products and floriculture’s future. It’s a mix of entertaining plant talk and an insight into PanAmerican’s strategic vision.   Because Anne has been on PanAmerican Seed’s global leadership team for many years, her personal stories and behind-the-scenes insights offer a unique look into PanAm and floriculture’s evolution from a macro perspective.   You’ll want to listen all the way to the end of this episode and if you haven’t listened to part 1, it would be best to jump back in the archives and check it out before starting this one, because the information builds throughout. In the first part, Bill and Anne discuss the evolution of PanAmerican Seed, company growth, breakthroughs and industry challenges not yet solved.   Resources:   PanAmerican Seed: https://www.panamseed.com Wave Petunias: https://www.wavegardening.com/en-us Beacon Impatiens: https://www.beaconimpatiens.com/ Dragon Wing Begonias: https://www.panamseed.com/plant_info.aspx?phid=009202294005863  Gryphon Begonia: https://www.panamseed.com/plant_info.aspx?phid=009205186024979 Cool Wave Pansies: https://www.wavegardening.com/en-us/Flowers/PlantInformation?phid=046706339012223 Solarscape Hybrid Impatiens: https://www.panamseed.com/plant_info.aspx?phid=119909505049271 Seed technology & enhancements: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QyuBqI3i2o  First-Year-Flowering Tool: http://www.firstyearfloweringtool.com   BE SURE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE TECH ON DEMAND PODCAST ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP SO YOU NEVER MISS AN EPISODE!  

In this episode of Tech On Demand brought to you by GrowerTalks, host Bill Calkins is joined by PanAmerican Seed president Anne Leventry, celebrating the company’s 75th anniversary. With so much history, ground-breaking products and innovative breeding, this conversation is divided into two parts. Be sure to check out part 2, as well, to get the full story!   Companies that survive and thrive for decades are nimble enough to maneuver trends and fads but consistent and focused enough to chart a thoughtful and successful course amidst constant change. This is certainly the case with PanAm, who’s celebrating an impressive anniversary and making innovative moves to grow for decades to come.   In this episode, the topics at hand include industry history, corporate leadership, overcoming horticultural obstacles and the importance of reliability. These dynamics are critical when applied to the horticultural industry, and topics that impact all greenhouse professionals.   Because Anne has been on PanAmerican Seed’s global leadership team for many years, her personal stories and behind-the-scenes insights offer a unique look into PanAm and floriculture’s evolution from a macro perspective.   You’ll want to listen all the way to the end of this episode and the next, because the information builds throughout! In part 2, Bill and Anne turn to plants—PanAm’s breeding goals, game-changing plants, “sleeper crops” and the future of floriculture.   Resources:   PanAmerican Seed: https://www.panamseed.com Wave Petunias: https://www.wavegardening.com/en-us Beacon Impatiens: https://www.beaconimpatiens.com/ Dragon Wing Begonias: https://www.panamseed.com/plant_info.aspx?phid=009202294005863 Gryphon Begonia: https://www.panamseed.com/plant_info.aspx?phid=009205186024979 Cool Wave Pansies: https://www.wavegardening.com/en-us/Flowers/PlantInformation?phid=046706339012223 Solarscape Hybrid Impatiens: https://www.panamseed.com/plant_info.aspx?phid=119909505049271 Seed technology & enhancements: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QyuBqI3i2o  First-Year-Flowering Tool: http://www.firstyearfloweringtool.com   BE SURE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE TECH ON DEMAND PODCAST ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP SO YOU NEVER MISS AN EPISODE!

We’ve heard about plant parents (folks who care for plants the same as pets and even children) and the younger generations of gardeners (as well as plenty of others in the same houseplant tribes) flocking to garden centers, urban plant shops and even farm markets in search of the same interesting houseplants they see on Instagram and Tick Tock. Wholesale growers and retailers who’ve been riding the trend have seen significant growth in terms of both interest and sales. Thankfully the trend doesn’t seem to be fading, so if you’re not yet in the game, you haven’t missed the wave. On the other hand, the hot plant of the day does seem to change rapidly so staying aware of different genera and having a wide range of different plants available seems pretty critical.   Host Bill Calkins is joined in this episode by Andrew Britten, the tropicals and foliage technical and sales manager at Ball, to help us all understand the most common genera available and run through a pretty long A-Z list to help you understand how to produce them with success. Andrew has an impressive resume built as a head grower, production manager, technical advisor and sales manager for some of the largest and most cutting-edge greenhouses in North America. He’s produced and grown dozens of genera and is here to share everything from plant origins and varieties available to types of starter material and brief cultural best practices.

For those of you new to producing tropical and foliage plants or interested in learning more about the category, it can be a pretty steep learning curve. Maybe you have a long history in bedding plants, spring annuals and veggies or perennials and ornamentals. Well, what I’ve learned is that the tropical and foliage market is quite different. There’s certainly overlap, from a greenhouse production standpoint, but the differences are numerous.   You may know him from previous podcasts covering pests and diseases on tropicals, but this time Andrew Britten is here to walk us through different types of starter material from which you’ll begin your crops.   Andrew has a ton of experience producing tropical plants from a diverse range of starter materials and has gone through the growing pains required for successful growing to finish. He’s a true tropical plant production expert who’s been a head grower, propagation manager, sales manager and technical manager focused on tropicals for the last two decades or so. These days, he’s the technical sales manager for tropicals and foliage at Ball.   Here are the types of starter material discussed in this short but critical podcast:   Unrooted Cuttings (URC) Tissue Culture (TC) Calloused Cuttings (CC) Rooted Cuttings (RC) Air Layer (A/L) Canes Stumps   Past Episodes with Andrew Britten: Preventing & Managing Disease on Tropical Plants: https://techondemand.podbean.com/e/preventing-managing-disease-on-tropical-plants/   Controlling Insects on Tropical Plants: https://techondemand.podbean.com/e/controlling-insects-on-tropical-plants-with-andrew-britten/

Host Bill Calkins is joined by Andrew Britten, a greenhouse and nursery technical expert with a wide range of experience from large-scale production and propagation to technical services and even sales of foliage and tropical plants. He’s been a head grower, young plants manager and production manager at some of the largest and most well-respected operations in North America. Interestingly, Andrew was GrowerTalks’ Young Grower Award winner back in 2005. Andrew joins the podcast again to discuss the most common diseases you might encounter when finishing tropical and foliage crops across North America. He goes one by one through more than 10 diseases, sharing causes, how to identify and finally, control strategies. The goal with this podcast is to help you produce your best crops ever and send clean, healthy tropicals and foliage to market. If you haven’t listened to the previous podcast covering insect identification and control on tropicals, jump back in the archives and check it out. Throughout the podcast, Andrew and Bill reference photos and slides, which you can find at: https://www.slideshare.net/bcalkins/tech-on-demand-preventing-and-managing-disease-on-tropical-plants BE SURE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE TECH ON DEMAND PODCAST ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP SO YOU NEVER MISS AN EPISODE!

Host Bill Calkins is joined by Andrew Britten, a greenhouse and nursery technical expert with a wide range of experience from large-scale production and propagation to technical services and even sales of foliage and tropical plants. He’s been a head grower, young plants manager and production manager at some of the largest and most well-respected operations in North America. Interestingly, Andrew was GrowerTalks’ Young Grower Award winner back in 2005. Andrew joins the podcast to focus on insects, because they’re something a lot of growers struggle with when they finish tropical and foliage crops across North America. He begins with an overview of the most common pests dealt with in tropical plant production and what kinds of damage to look for when identifying them. These “usual suspects” include aphids, spider mites, mealybug, whitefly and thrips. Then, he turns his attention to managing and controlling these pests, talking about both conventional chemical and biological controls. Throughout the podcast, Andrew and Bill reference photos and slides, which you can find at: https://www.slideshare.net/bcalkins/tech-on-demand-controlling-insect-pests-on-tropical-plants BE SURE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE TECH ON DEMAND PODCAST ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APP SO YOU NEVER MISS AN EPISODE!