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Free workshops on Spotted Lanternfly in Niagara Next Week!

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A version of this post was originally posted on the ONnurserycrops.com blog, written by Cassie Russell. Landscape Ontario and OMAFA are partnering to provide two more FREE Spotted Lanternfly workshops this fall. The first will be in Niagara next week. The next will be in the Windsor area in November. Have burning questions about SLF? Not sure how SLF may affect your green industry business or clients? Come attend the workshops. Continue reading for details. What Will I Learn In This Workshop? This free hands-on workshop will provide you with the confidence to correctly identify all life stages of SLF, how to look for it in the landscape, knowledge of current management practices, plus how to report this new invasive pest if you see it. The workshop is relevant for garden centre and nursery staff, landscapers, arborists, grounds maintenance, municipalities, and all green industry personnel. Session #1: Niagara Area October 21st, 10:00 AM Rittenhouse...
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Second Intake of the Food Safety and Growth Initiative Opens October 19th, 2026 to March 1st, 2027

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The governments of Ontario and Canada are offering $2 million to small businesses to improve their food safety programs. Are you a grower who produces ready-to-eat minimally processed fruit and vegetables and/or ready-to-eat bagged salads, leafy greens, or herbs? If so, you may be eligible. Read on for program details and key dates. Purpose Eligibility Applicant Eligibility Project Eligibility Funding Available Key Dates Purpose The purpose of the Food Safety and Growth Initiative Intake 2 is to stimulate sector growth by enabling eligible small agri-food businesses to strengthen their food safety and traceability systems , promoting public trust. The initiative supports risk mitigation and resiliency, allowing businesses to respond to market demands and improve their competitiveness. Funding for the Initiative comes from the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP). Up to $2 million has been allocated for the Initiative. Eligibi...
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Thrips parvispinus Webinar 3: Attacking Parvi from All Sides

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IPM Staff at a local greenhouse inspecting mandevilla flowers for Parvi. This post was written by Jessie deHaan (Research Technician, Vineland Research and Innovation Centre) and Dr. Sarah Jandricic (Greenhouse Floriculture Specialist, OMAFA). Part 1 of the three-part webinar series on Thrips parvispinus focused on controlling incoming thrips on cuttings, while Part 2 shared the interesting behaviour and ecology that we’ve learned about Thrips parvispinus (Parvi) that could help us better manage this pest. The final webinar is all about exploring Parvi IPM in greenhouse trials. Combining biologicals, chemical applications and other IPM interventions throughout plant production may help give you the best footing against Parvi – and other concurrent pests – while avoiding pesticide resistance. Read on for the link to the webinar and for our written summary. FCG Parvispinus Webinar 3: Recorded July 2026 Are All Parvi Made Equal? Biocontrol Control Tests Ag...
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Introducing OMAFA’s New Acting Floriculture Production Specialist

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Kyle Hendricks, the new Greenhouse Floriculture Specialist at OMAFA. Some of you may be aware that Kathryn Russell, OMAFA’s Greenhouse Floriculture Specialist, is on leave. She’s working on a little propagation project of her own Please join me in welcoming Kyle Hendricks as the Acting Greenhouse Floriculture Specialist for the next 12 months, starting October 5th. He’ll be moderating at CGC this year (on his 3rd day on the job!). If you see him running around the conference centre, make sure to say hi and make him feel welcome. Kyle will be handling all things related to ornamental production, including nutrients, lighting, substrates, and the greater greenhouse environment . He will also be contributing to policy and programming behind the scenes. Read on for more information about Kyle’s experience and how to get in touch with him. Kyle Hendricks joins us from the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre , where he worked as a Senio...
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IPM in Mandevilla: Part 3 – Reducing Costs in Early Production.

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Over the past few months, I’ve posted a series on IPM in Mandevilla – now one of our more challenging crops, thanks to Thrips parvispinus ! This week I’ll be going over strategies we’ve used at a few farms to decrease costs of IPM in Mandevilla NOW , in early production, which can creep up under weekly spray programs. I’ll also be incorporating some case studies from growers, to better illustrate what’s working in the real world. I’ve included an updated chart for IPM of Mandevilla pests in this post that is a bit cleaner. Lastly, stay tuned for Part 4, which will cover how to save money in late production. In This Post (or Novella?): Reducing Costs in Early Production A NEWER New Mandevilla IPM Chart Treating Propagative Material to Reduce Starting Populations Systemic Pesticides Early in the Crop Choose Chemicals that Target More Than One Pest Make Use of Cultural Controls Handling Susceptible Varieties: Clean up...
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Rose Export Rules to the U.S. – CORRECTION

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In a post that went up on Tues this week, I erroneously stated that an Additional Declaration was required for roses being exported to the U.S. from Canada. Please note that you do NOT need an A.D. under the GCP program for roses. It is up to each country to determine if RS R3bv2 is present. Additionally, a specific pest module for RS R3bv2 is NOT required under the Greenhouse Certification Program (GCP), as roses are asymptomatic for this disease. You can read the UDSDA-APHIS and CFIA notification surrounding this issue here. Read on for the full blog post about RS R3bv2 and the new export regulations that came into effect in May 2026. In the efforts to prevent a quarantinable strain of Ralstonia from entering the United States, USDA-APHIS has changed importation rules for rose material for planting. This includes rose material coming from Canada. Under the new federal order, roses (Rosa spp.) grown in Canada must now have been grown entirely within Canada or...
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Growing Roses? Export Rules to the U.S. Have Changed – September 2026 UPDATE

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In the efforts to prevent a quarantinable strain of Ralstonia from entering the United States, USDA-APHIS has changed importation rules for rose material for planting. This includes rose material coming from Canada. Under the new federal order, roses (Rosa spp.) grown in Canada must now have been grown entirely within Canada or the U.S. . This includes root stock and graft material. This is to reduce a potential pathway for Ralstonia solanacearum Race 3 biovar 2 (Rs R3bv2) into the U.S., which can devastate solanaceous crops such as potato and tomato, as well as geraniums. Note that as of September 16th 2026, UDSDA-APHIS and CFIA have released a notification that a specific pest module for RS R3bv2 is NOT required under the Greenhouse Certification Program (GCP), as roses are asymptomatic for this disease. Only an Additional Declaration (AD) specifying the origin (Canada or U.S.) of the plant material is needed. Read on for more details about RS R3bv2 and the new...
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