Optimizing Nighttime LED Lighting to Accelerate Flowering of Long-Day Plants

Growers often face the challenge of promoting early flowering in long-day plants during seasons with short natural daylight hours. A recent study by Dr. Qingwu Meng and Thomas J. Kramer from the University of Delaware, supported by AFE, offers practical insights into how different types and durations of nighttime LED lighting can enhance flowering in crops like snapdragons and petunias. By adjusting lighting strategies, growers can reduce production cycles, save costs, and improve plant quality. Key Findings The study revealed that the spectrum of light plays a significant role in influencing flowering in long-day plants. Snapdragons and petunias showed distinct responses to warm-white (WW) and red + far-red (R+FR) LEDs. Snapdragons flowered up to 28% earlier under R+FR LEDs due…

2025 Grow Pro Webinar Series Lineup

We are thrilled to announce the 5th year of free educational training and programming through our Grow Pro Webinar Series!  Designed for growers, this series has become a cornerstone resource for navigating the industry's evolving challenges. In the past year, monthly registration numbers have continued to climb, with many sessions attracting over 500 registrants.  Nationally recognized researchers and industry experts present timely, practical insights based on AFE-funded and other cutting-edge research each month. The 2025 lineup of webinars will address key industry challenges and advancements, including webinars on pest management, automation, sustainability, postharvest handling, and innovative solutions for improving profitability. Each webinar also includes a live Q&A session, allowing participants to speak directly to industry experts. “The Grow Pro Webinars…

Meet Our 2024 Travel Grant Recipients!

Every year, we award travel grants to support continued education and help industry professionals overcome financial barriers to attend educational events, like conferences, workshops, and programs. These opportunities allow them to learn cutting-edge techniques and trends to bring back to their businesses, benefiting their teams and communities. This year, we are thrilled to celebrate three exceptional grant recipients who have been awarded funding through the Arizona Retail Florist Travel Grant and the Retail Florist Continued Education Travel Grant. These individuals showcase a passion for learning and a dedication to advancing the floral industry. These grants are made possible by generous individuals who started the funds and grow each year with industry support. The Arizona Retail Floral Education Travel Grant was…

From the Field: That’s a Wrap! 2024 in Review

Well, it’s December already! Like many of you, I’m marveling at how quickly the year has flown by. It feels like we just sent out our last newsletter, and here we are closing out another year. Speaking of our last newsletter, I had mentioned that we had recorded the disease management sessions from Jim Faust and Francesca Hand at the ASCFG Regional Conference in Boulder, CO. We posted the recording, and you can view it here! As I look back at 2024, some things were fairly typical—consistent challenges, rhythms, and successes that come with growing—but there were also moments that stood out as unique.  We’ll start with one that hit home personally for me as someone who lives in the…

An Interview with Lindsay and Tater from Bloom Beat

I’m sure many of you reading this newsletter have heard of Ball Publishing’s Bloom Beat, written by co-editors Lindsay Daschner and her four-legged companion Tater. Lindsay and Tater are the owners of Forget Me Not Farms in Ottawa Lake, Michigan, a wholesale flower operation catering exclusively to florists and event planners.  Lindsay’s journey with Tater is a reminder of the passion, spirit, and creativity it takes to succeed in the floral industry. At the American Floral Endowment, we’re dedicated to supporting growers like Lindsay by providing research, resources, and educational opportunities tailored to the unique challenges of flower farming. Whether it’s funding groundbreaking studies on crop production, offering webinars and other resources to help optimize production systems, or connecting growers…

Celebrating a 25-Year Partnership with Equiflor/Rio Roses

For 25 years, Equiflor/Rio Roses has proudly served as AFE’s Annual Event Flower Sponsor, generously providing stunning roses year after year. Their unwavering support reflects a deep commitment to advancing and supporting the floral industry. Even during the pandemic, Rio Roses continued their dedication by donating a year’s worth of roses to the #AFEandMe contest winner as part of our first-ever fully virtual campaign which helped raise over $80,000 to support floral advancements. Equiflor, a privately-owned company with over three decades of excellence, is a leading grower and distributor of fresh flowers. Established in 1986 as a family business, it has grown into a renowned brand recognized across the US and Canada. Their nationally branded fresh cut “Rio Roses” are…

Valentine’s Day 2025: Prep Tips & Trends

This article on Valentine’s Day 2025 comes from guest writer Gina Tarquinio, a floral designer based in the Philadelphia Suburbs and a member of our Young Professionals Council. This piece contains photos of some of Gina’s designs—you can see more here! Each year, Florists begin preparing earlier for the biggest day of the floral year: Valentine’s Day. This holiday is widely known for celebrating love and romance, with the most popular gifts to give being greeting cards, candy, and flowers. Flowers are our focus, which means finding ways to add other top sellers to the sale is a win-win situation for you and your customer. Your average order value will increase, and the customer can get all of their Valentine’s…

Gus Poesch Research Fund Supports the Next Generation of Researchers

The floral industry is constantly evolving, and supporting the next generation of researchers and leaders is essential to its continued growth. AFE programs strive to empower young industry members with opportunities to attend educational conferences where they can learn, network, and share their work with the wider floral community. Juan Quijia Pillajo, a member of our Young Professionals Council (YPC) and a Graduate Research Associate at The Ohio State University, recently received a grant from our Gus Poesch Research Fund that allowed him to travel to the American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) Annual Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii. AFE also proudly sponsored two key competitions at the event through educational grant funding, the Graduate Student Floriculture Oral Competition and the…

STEM-it Up²: An Immersive Professional Development Program Helping Agriscience Teachers Bloom

Floriculture is a popular course taught in school-based agricultural education (SBAE) programs across the nation. While most teachers associate floriculture with teaching their students how to design beautiful cut flower arrangements and bouquets, there is much more to the course — including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. STEM-it Up², a program funded in part by an American Floral Endowment educational grant, bridges the gap between STEM education and the floriculture industry by helping agriscience teachers learn how to integrate plant science technical concepts into innovative classroom curricula that highlight the benefits and career opportunities associated with the green industry. The SIU2 program is directed by Dr. Catherine DiBenedetto of Clemson University and Dr. Natalie Ferand of Virginia Tech.…

Bringing Floral Fragrance to New Heights

In the world of flowers, fragrance plays a huge role in providing a unique and special sensory experience. However, as we’ve bred flowers for color, longevity, and other desirable traits, fragrance has often been left behind. Many modern flowers, especially those grown in greenhouses or sold in floral markets, lack the intensity of fragrance that older varieties once had. Yet fragrance remains a highly valued trait, enhancing consumer enjoyment and satisfaction. Recognizing this, Dr. Thomas Colquhoun and his team at the University of Florida have turned to synthetic biology to enhance floral fragrance. In a recent breakthrough, researchers identified a gene from Caladium that can be used to enhance floral fragrance in other species. Caladium? Isn’t that a foliage plant?…

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