savage garden

Check out the one-of-a-kind incentive program from Enbridge. Offering 3 times the standard rate for energy efficiency projects. Read on to see how you qualify. Enbridge offers a range of incentives for projects that deliver on farm energy savings. Check out their website for all the Greenhouse specific programs , applicable whether you are growing flowers, vegetables, or fruit. The latest incentive, just announced at the recent Flowers Canada Ontario AGM, offers three times the standard incentive rating, meaning $0.3/m 3 for a retrofit project that focuses on increasing your natural gas efficiency. This deal is exclusive to customers with less than 2,000,000 m 3 annual natural gas consumption in the previous year and the retrofit project must be completed by July 1, 2025. Not sure if you qualify? Contact your local Energy Solutions Advisor or reach out through energyservices@enbridge.com .

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness – Agriculture Development Branch in Vineland Station is seeking highly motivated, enthusiastic and energetic students to apply for our summer positions! These summer student positions will provide an excellent opportunity for those interested in early career experience in horticulture production, pest management, plant pathology, entomology, research or the agricultural service sector. Read on to know how to apply. Position Details: This position working with  greenhouse floriculture crops  will provide the opportunity to learn about insect pests and production practices while also helping to develop key digital tools for the ornamental sector. You can find the job posting here: https://www.gojobs.gov.on.ca/Preview.aspx?Language=English&JobID=223816 KEY JOB INFORMATION Organization:  Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness Division/Branch:  Economic Development Division / Agri...

Still unfamiliar with Ontario’s Crop Protection Hub (fondly referred to as “Crop Hub”) and want to know more about it? Then join me (the Greenhouse Floriculture IPM Specialist) and Cara McCreary (Greenhouse Vegetable IPM Specialist) for a LIVE demonstration Thursday, Dec. 12 at noon ! This demo will be applicable to greenhouse vegetable, floriculture growers. Nursery crop growers that grow crops in greenhouses may also find this useful. During this webinar, we’ll walk you through examples on how to: Quickly access rates and REIs of greenhouse pest-control products Compare efficacies of pesticides and fungicides for Ontario pests Look up compatibility of chemical products with natural enemies Access the legal label easily for more infomation Read on for more details about this webinar. Upcoming Webinar on Crop Hub: What: Planning your spring IPM program with Ontario’s Crop Protection Hub Who: Sarah Jandricic (Greenhouse Floriculture IPM Specialist for OMAFA) and...

There were some technical issues with the blog post going out over email today. Let’s try this again… Fungus gnats and shoreflies will always be a nuisance in greenhouse crops and, at high levels, potentially damage roots and transmit certain plant pathogens. Recently, key pesticides for these pest have been lost, either through de-registration or via production decisions from manufacturers. Read on to see options for controlling fungus gnats in greenhouse crops. Insecticides for Fungus Gnats and Shoreflies A shorefly at rest in an ornamental crop. Photo by S. Jandricic, OMAFA. Previous products available for fungus gnats and shoreflies in Canada included Citation (cyromazine), Dimilin (diflubenzuron) and Vectobac (BT israelensis). Citation was no longer allowed for use on cut flowers in Canada in 2021 and Citation fell out of production in 2023 . Similarly, Vectobac and Dimilin are no longer being produced by chemical manufacturers as of 2023/2024. There is little to no in...

Re-imagine what your substrates can do! Read on to learn about the benefits of trialing new components for your media mixes. For the last few decades, growers in North America have been reading headlines about the steady decline of peat used for horticultural purposes across multiple European countries. Majority of the peat extracted in European countries is retained for domestic use. Additionally, commercial ornamental trade also remains between European countries, creating a closed circular market. North America has its own circular market. With Canadian sources of peat, and trade primarily between the United States, local growers haven’t been severely affected by global changes in peat use and reduction trajectories. Even though Canadian growers haven’t seen the same reduction of peat use in the local market, it doesn’t mean we can’t learn from Europe’s goals, decisions, and success stories. Raw material options Research continues to expand the options of raw materials ava...

In case you’re not in the know, Greenhouse Product News (GPN) Magazine has a great plant health webinar series (sign up for it using this link! ). This month, I recorded a webinar for them taking a deep dive into predator-prey interactions between thrips and their natural enemies. If you’ve ever wondered why IPM specialists like myself recommend multiple biocontrol agents at once for optimal thrips control, or why rates of natural enemies need to be so high , then this webinar is for you. GPN Plant Health Management Series What: Predator-Prey Interactions in the Greenhouse: Secrets of Biocontrol When: Watch on Demand now (free). Recorded August 2024. Description: Biocontrol is not a one-and-done option for effective pest control in the greenhouse. In this on-demand session, the greenhouse floriculture IPM specialist at Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA), Sarah Jandricic, goes deep into the predator-prey interactions that occur when using biocontr...

Originally published on the ONgreenhousevegetables blog on  October 15, 2024  by  Cara McCreary A spotted lanternfly adult. Photo by APHIS. They may be pretty, but they aren’t our friends. Spotted lanternfly (SLF) is an invasive sap-feeding planthopper with potential to harm agriculture and forestry in Ontario. But I  only  grow greenhouse fruits and vegetables, so why does it matter to me, you ask? Read on to learn more about why this pest matters to everyone. SLF: The Issue Although not considered a huge threat to our greenhouse crops, we can still do our part in our communities. If you enjoy the benefits of orchards, vineyards, agroforestry or nurseries or you have neighbours, friends or family that produce these commodities, then you are part of this community. There are currently NO ESTABLISHED POPULATIONS of SLF in Canada, but interceptions have occurred at several border crossings, so this is an imminent threat. Spotted lanternfly is a quarant...