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A Grower’s Guide to On-Farm Trials

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An on-farm trial comparing different brands, types and colours of sticky traps done by OMAFA. This is a guest post written by Jessie deHaan (M.Sc.; Research Technician, Biological Crop Protection at Vineland Research and Innovation Centre). Now that it’s halfway through spring bedding plant season, you may be considering changing some of your current IPM or production practices for next year that just aren’t working as well as they could. Conducting on-farm trials is an easy way to evaluate how well a new product, process or technology will work in your operation. Before making any large-scale changes, it is important to test things on a small scale first . Read on to learn how you would go implementing a small on-farm trial to get you results that are meaningful. The Basics of On-Farm Trials Because this is a long post, we’ve put in this table of contents so you can quickly refer back to a section if you’re setting up your own trial in the future! The Basics of On-Far...
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Upcoming Greenhouse, Nursery & Floriculture Biosecurity Workshop in March

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OSCIA is offering a free two-part webinar will explore practical steps growers can take to strengthen biosecurity in greenhouse and plant production operations. A technical expert will highlight key practices that help reduce risk and protect plant health. Participants will also learn about potential cost-share opportunities and will receive a Greenhouse Biosecurity workbook  to help develop a biosecurity plan. Workshop details Tuesday, March 24, 2026 – 7:00 to 9:00 PM Tuesday, March 31, 2026 – 7:00 to 9:00 PM Participation in both sessions is required . Growers can register here: https://workshops.osciaportal.org/workshop/registration/48?workshopEventId=2225 To help with planning, we encourage participants to register by March 17 . Questions can be directed to Jenn Nash, East Central Region Field Representative. You can reach her at 705-991-3909 or jnash@ontariosoilcrop.org
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Controlling Parvispinus, Oleander Aphid and Spider Mites in Mandevilla: Part 2 – Spider Mite Resistance Management.

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Last week, I posted an updated IPM plan for Mandevilla that balances Thrips parvispinus (“Parvi”) control while taking into consideration other pests , as well as costs . The last post covered propagation in detail , including biocontrols and chemicals. This week I’ll be going over the best way to balance control of Thrips parvispinus (“Parvi”) and two-spotted spider mite (TSSM) in production. I’ll provide a working Parvi spray program that gives you high-quality plants by sale, but also makes sure spider mites don’t walk away with your crop (or your wallet!). New IPM Program Incorporating TSSM Control TSSM in Early Production: The Perfect Time for Biocontrol TSSM and Parvi Control After Spacing: Microbials to the Rescue? Spring Nights Bring More Mites: And Biocontrol Again? Crop Clean Up for TSSM: The Big Guns Take Home Messages From Part 2 New IPM Program Incorporating TSSM Control If you missed it in the last post, the PDF below contains the proposed new IPM...
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How To Manage Parvispinus, Oleander Aphid and Spider Mites Effectively in Mandevilla: Part 1 – Propagation.

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When Thrips parvispinus first came on the scene in Ontario, our one goal was to knock back this pest any way we could. Four years later, we are suffering the effects of an all-chemical program . This includes high costs, along with insecticide resistance developing in two-spotted spider mite, which used to be managed biologically before Parvipsinus came along. Based on OMAFA’s work with commercial farms, along with input from technical reps from biocontrol companies, we’ve come up with a more refined IPM program for Mandevilla that balances Parvispinus control while taking into consideration other pests, as well as costs. I’ll be going over this program in detail over a 3 part series , so buckle up! There’s going to be a lot of content in these posts, so I’m including a handy-dandy table of contents if you want to skip to a specific section: Original Spray Program for Parvispinus IPM Program for Parvi, Aphids and Mites in Mandevilla New Plan in PDF Form Treating Cuttin...
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