The Physiology of Photosynthesis: Implications for Supplemental Lighting

Supplemental lighting is often required to produce high-quality plants in a timely manner. However, the costs associated with that supplemental lighting can be high. For the profitable production of high-quality crops, it is important to assure that the crops can use supplemental lighting efficiently. To develop to most cost-effective lighting methods possible, we decided to start with the basics: quantify how efficiently different crops can use light and use that knowledge to develop smarter lighting strategies. In this article, we will focus on perennials. There are of course many species of perennial plants, so we decided to focus on 10 popular species.Light Use Efficiency of PerennialsThe first two questions we wanted to answer were simply: 1) how efficiently do different…

Impact of Irrigation and Fertilization Practices on Herbaceous Perennial Growth and Flowering

The visual appearance of plant materials is an important purchasing factor for consumers. Uneven growth, poor branching, wilting, and nutrient deficiencies can reduce the salability of plants. Insufficient irrigation and fertilization can impact various aspects of growth including height, internode length, and leaf area. Over-irrigation and over-fertilization can also result in unfavorable growth responses. Excessive growth often results in leggy, floppy plants with uneven growth; these plants have a greater potential for damage during shipping or in the retail setting. Reduced irrigation and fertilizer inputs can lessen the environmental impact of production by reducing the nutrient-laden coming from the production area. Reduced irrigation also has the potential to be used as a method of plant growth control in place of…

Introducing Research and Outreach Project LAMP: Lighting Approaches to Maximize Profit

Figure 1. Black-eyed Susan seedlings exposed to the same DLI as photoperiod increased from 12 to 21 hours. Plants receiving 21 hr of lighting had a 30% higher shoot dry weight than 12 hr plants.IntroductionSupplemental lighting provides quicker crop turns, higher yields, and increased quality for the $6.5 billion a year greenhouse floriculture and vegetable industry. But it comes at a steep cost, especially when growers adopt LED technology. Electricity for lighting can account for 20-30% of operating costs and lighting has been estimated to cost the controlled environment agriculture (CEA) industry $600 million annually. Enter Project LAMP. They are a research and outreach team funded by a grant from the USDA Specialty Crops Research Initiative. The study’s mission is to…

Prime Your Plants for Success with Biostimulants

Read More >> This article was originally published on Greenhouse Grower.

Successful Poinsettia Packing, Shipping, and Handling

Preparing Your Poinsettias for Shipping and Retail Display Begins at Bract ColorIt is hard to believe that the first poinsettias will be shipped to retail stores in just 4–5 weeks and shipments will continue until near December 20. Life becomes hectic in poinsettia greenhouses as the season progresses so it is prudent to establish handling and shipping practices now that will ensure that quality poinsettias are shipped, and quality poinsettias are received. In the past, growers would ‘harden off’ crops to prepare them for the entire handling, shipping, and handling programs by reducing watering and fertilizer and lowering temperatures. Today, poinsettia performance is best when plants are grown with strong root systems and are grown lean in the final four weeks…

Best Practices for DIF on Poinsettias

Read More >> This article was originally published by GrowerTalks.

Growing Impatiens More Safely—A Plant Pathologist’s View

One important lesson that we’ve learned together as an industry is how to manage bacterial blight disease of geraniums. We’ve figured out that exquisitely careful sanitation procedures are critical at the upper levels of production, with constant checking for any breaches in safety measures. We’ve learned that growers should keep geraniums from different suppliers separate, and should grow hybrid seed geraniums separately from the cutting-grown geraniums. We know it is the vegetatively-grown geraniums that bring the risk of introducing the dreaded Xanthomonas hortorum pv. pelargonii (or Ralstonia solanacearum) into the greenhouse. By separating the crops with the highest risk of disease from those with much less risk, the potential economic loss is minimized. Now we’re applying these same principles in…

Robotics, machine vision, and automation – The Future Reality of Flower Production

The new realityIt would be very hard to argue against the notion, that a wide range of technologies will lead to marked changes to horticultural production systems in the coming decades. Many (possibly all!) other industry sectors are facing the same reality:1) Automation – It is all about labor savings and efficiency!  Robots are becoming less expensive, smaller and lighter, more robust, easier to use and program, more agile – all leading to robots being able to solve more problems and handle a wider range of specific tasks.2) Batteries are lasting longer, faster to recharge, and less expensive – enabling airborne drones and ground-based rovers to operate longer and carry larger payloads. And, with longer battery life, there may be…

Growth Promotion by Bacteria-based Biostimulants

How can biostimulants promote growth and crop quality?The most common active ingredients in biostimulants are beneficial microorganisms (fungi and bacteria). These fungi and bacteria can increase the availability of essential macro and micronutrients that would otherwise be leached from the container. Increasing nutrient uptake and use efficiency improves plant health and tissue nutrient content while reducing the cost of fertilizer inputs.The result is larger plants with greener leaves and more developed root systems, as well as finished plants with more and/or larger flowers.Production timing may be reduced due to faster growth and earlier flowering. Growth promotion from biostimulant applications will be less obvious if plants are already growing under optimal water and fertility levels. Microbial-biostimulants can be used to reduce…

Greenhouse Training Online Courses for 2020

The University of Florida’s Greenhouse Training Online professional development courses for 2020, sponsored by AFE, have been announced, and include a new course on hydroponics.  The first course for the 2020 schedule is Greenhouse 101, and begins June 1.The price is $199 per course, but a 20% discount code is available for AFE supporters. The discount code for our community is AFE20. Click Here for more information about each course, and to register. Course nameDatesLevelaGreenhouse 101Jun 1 – Jun 26 2020•Nutrient Management 1 (Intro)Jul 6 – Jul 31 2020••Nutrient Management 2 (Advanced)Aug 31 – Sep 25 2020•••Disease ManagementSep 28 – Oct 23 2020••Weed ManagementOct 26 – Nov 20 2020••Hydroponic Vegetable ProductionNov 9 – Dec 11 2020••Costing & ProfitabilityNext course 2021•••Water Quality…

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