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Industry Honors Dr. Paul Thomas through AFE

Paul especially loved mentoring students and helping them embark on horticultural careers. For more than 20 years, he was a professor at the University of Georgia, where he taught greenhouse management, horticultural business practices and interiorscaping classes. A key component of his program was facilitating experiential learning through industry internships. Thomas served as the State Extension Specialist in floriculture. In this position, he planned and implemented regional and state programs involving greenhouses and the florist industry. He had recently retired from UGA and, just this month, started work as the American Floral Endowment’s ambassador for internships and scholarships. He was traveling between universities when he passed away. Prior to his new position, he reviewed research grants and scholarship applications for…

AFE Celebrates 60 Years of Providing For the Floral Future

The American Floral Endowment (AFE) is excited to announce the celebration of its 60th anniversary in 2021. AFE is the leading charitable organization supporting floral and horticulture advances and growth through scientific research, scholarship and internship programs, and educational grant funding to support and provide for all segments of the industry.   AFE will kick off a full year of success stories, acknowledgments, and events, giving special recognition to those who have financially supported the Endowment, benefitted from funded programs, and volunteered their time and talents toward its 60 years of success. The Endowment is currently funding 12 research projects and over 30 annual scholarships totaling over $800,000 in research initiatives, educational grants, scholarships, and internships. Every donation helps support…

Memorial Tribute Established in Memory of Paul Daum

Paul’s greatest achievement was his impact on thousands of families in Latin America and beyond who even today have better lives because of the floral industry. Families and small communities have developed amid the industry which Paul helped to establish. Since childhood, Paul Daum has shown a passion for and interest in flowers. His early agricultural experience was in the temperate climate; however, most of his adult life was spent in the semi-tropical climates of Florida, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Paul received a master’s degree in Plant Physiology from Ohio State after his service during WWII. Paul was a proud veteran of WWII. Paul enlisted with the US Navy-Submarine Service and was involved in both the Pacific and the…

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…

‘BCAs are your little employees, treat them like that’

Dr. Mette Nielsen on how different aspects of greenhouse climates affect BCAs and the efficacy of IPM “Biological control agents can be seen as the grower’s little employees and just like people, there are things they need to enable them to work effectively.” This was the opening line from a recent IPM webinar hosted by Autogrow and featuring guest expert Dr. Mette Nielsen, Ph. D. MSc Plant Protection from the Plant and Food Research Institute of New Zealand. In Combating Harmful Pests Without Spraying More Chemicals, Dr. Nielsen discusses how different aspects of greenhouse climates affect biological control agents (BCAs) and the efficacy of Integrated Pest Management. IPM is Primarily About PreventionWe’ve all heard the adage, “prevention is better than…

Give the Gift that Keeps on Giving

Consider a year-end gift to the floral industry this holiday season. By making a donation to AFE, you are supporting the continued success of our industry through programs and resources aimed at solving challenges and promoting opportunities in floriculture.  Donate Here

AFE’s Research Accomplishments – Past, Present, and Future

In 1843, Charles Dickens introduced the world to the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. The visits by these spirits transformed Scrooge from being a miser to someone who treated everyone with kindness, generosity, and compassion. This same type of generosity has allowed AFE to help the industry through the years. The support given to AFE goes directly towards helping our floral community overcome challenges and further grow.As the Ghost of Christmas Past would note, the floral industry has been providing funds to the American Floral Endowment for nearly 60 years. AFE-funded research has led to successful advancements in flower production, care and handling, shipping, marketing, and pest/disease challenges.Present AFE research focuses on eliminating thrips and botrytis, lighting advances,…

Consumer Valuation of Plants Project: Intercept Interview Results Preview

A small introductory qualitative study was completed to set the stage for the plant valuation research project and inform upcoming quantitative studies. Intercept interviews (n=44) were conducted at three garden center locations in Southern Ontario as well as one location in British Columbia and one in Saskatchewan in September 2020. Shoppers were intercepted on their way to the cash register and interviewed regarding their purchase decision-making process and the role of pricing in their decision. It was found the majority of shoppers mainly focus on plant attributes when making a choice and only look at price as an afterthought. Although most stated they noticed the price and made a qualitative judgment that it was “fair”, only around 30 percent made…

Preparing for Valentine’s Week 2021

How Do I Love Thee? Let’s Me Count the Dollars!Indeed, we’re all reciting love sonnets to the success of Valentine’s Week 2021, as 2020 has dulled so many financial arrows! In 2020, Valentine’s Day fell on a Friday, and in 2021, Valentine’s Day will move to the end of a weekend – SUNDAY! Yikes!  In the retail floral business, this is equal to kissing a frog!But Cupid’s not the only one with arrows in his quiver! How do we hit our financial bull’s eye and convert the pigeons of discontent into the bluebirds of happiness? With the Valentine’s holiday holding court as the first- or second-largest sales week of the year, and generating 30 percent to 40 percent of the…

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