Successful greenhouse production starts in propagation. This webinar will explore the essential techniques for the successful propagation of unrooted cuttings starting the moment the cuttings arrive at your business. Handling methods, sticking protocols, rooting hormones, mist control, and the propagation environment will all be discussed in detail.

With concerns of energy conservation and costs continuing to rise, what can growers do to make sure that they are being as efficient and effective in their production systems as possible while still maximizing profits? Dr. Both will explain a variety of considerations and options growers can look at to effectively manage energy usage in their greenhouses, including energy curtains, heating, lighting, and maintenance.

Flowering plants, including potted plants, perennials, and bedding plants can be affected by viruses. The viruses may be transmitted from plant-to-plant, bulb-to bulb, or in seeds. The transmission of viruses may be by insects, from the parent plant/bulb to the next generation of cuttings, or seeds. The presence of viruses in flowering plants is expressed by necrotic spots, stunted growth, and leaf mottling. This webinar will help educate growers and reduce concern for latent plant viruses that are in plants but cause no ill effects.

Perennials have become a popular plant among gardeners since they do not have to be replanted each year. Additionally, they offer a wide range of flower types and flowering times during the growing season. The diversity of plant materials is great for consumers but can be maddening to growers since photoperiod, cold requirements, growing medium, and nutrition differs with each type of perennial. The guidance provided by Dr. Erwin in this webinar will simplify perennial plant production.

Producing the best poinsettias requires special attention throughout the crop. The production practices used in the final four to five weeks of the crop will have a significant impact on the success in shipping your plants and the ability for the plants to withstand the display and consumer conditions. In this webinar, you will learn the details and best practices to finishing your crop successfully.

Effective insect control requires the use of the proper insecticides for each pest and the rotation of pesticides to avoid the development of resistance to the insecticides. Proper pesticide rotation requires an understanding of the ‘mode of action’ of each pesticide. Insecticides function in different ways to kill insects so rotation programs must select insecticides that work differently than the ones being used prior to rotation. Dr. Chong will explain how to select and develop effective insect control programs.

Commercial poinsettia buyers place tight restrictions on poinsettia height and width. Additionally, they expect uniformity for all varieties and container sizes. Precision control of poinsettia height can be accomplished with plant growth regulators or altering the day and night temperatures during crop development or a combination of both methods. Dr. Heins will provide guidance in use of day/night temperature to control height and graphical tracking to guide the temperature changes necessary throughout the crop.

Pesticides are most commonly transported in water. Excess irrigation water returns to the surrounding environment mainly via irrigation return flow (IRF- surface runoff and subsurface infiltration). As growers face more challenges about the quality of wastewater and potential risk of pesticides in the water, it is important to understand the factors affecting pesticide levels in surface and subsurface irrigation water. In this webinar, you will learn about irrigation management practices that effectively limit pesticide movement, particularly highly mobile compounds.

Bemisia whitefly on poinsettia is one of the most challenging pests growers of ornamental crops can face. Can it really be managed without relentless pesticide applications? Learn how Canadian growers have successfully tackled this pest using a combination of biological control, careful monitoring, and a few well-timed pesticide applications. The economics of using biological control for Bemisia management versus conventional control with pesticides is discussed.

This webinar explains the steps to start clean and stay clean in poinsettia production. The goal is to build and maintain a biological control program against Bemisia tabaci whiteflies as long as possible in order to prevent issues due to pesticide resistance. The main tools presented are dips of unrooted cuttings and early establishment of biocontrol agents. Regardless of whether you are just dipping your toes into biocontrol or if you have been doing it for years, this webinar is of interest to everyone.