savage garden

Monday was a beautiful spring day (not that it won’t turn cold and rainy again and maybe even snow), and I went out for a walk around the premises, looking for new life. But paradoxically, I fell in love with the winter garden all over again, and decided to take you on one last tour. It’s all being cut down tomorrow. I came to the front flower beds just as the glorious rays of the sun were slanting their golden evening light over everything. This hollyhock came back years after Jason pulled all the plants out because they had become diseased. Surprise! I had to wait a couple months to see what color it would be (white). I’m not sure hollyhocks go with the current garden plan, but I do like a surprise, and I’m hoping it will bring a few friends along this year. These yellow coneflowers are maybe not as tall as they appear in this shot, but I love how they are shooting for the sky, even after a long winter. Myself, I was desperate for Daylight Saving Time to begin. This is Baptis...

Kathryn Russell, the new Greenhouse Floriculture Specialist at OMAFA. I’m thrilled to announce that Kathryn Russell will be joining me as my partner in crime as OMAFA’s new Greenhouse Floriculture Specialist . She will be handling all things related to ornamental production, including nutrients, lighting, substrates, and the greater greenhouse environment . She will also be contributing to policy and programming behind the scenes. (We hope to start a quarterly newsletter soon, to help growers in Ontario understand exactly what it is we do for you, whether we are in your greenhouse or not!) Kathryn has a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo and a Diploma in Ecological Restoration and Rehabilitation. Kathryn joins us after several years working in two large-scale floriculture greenhouses in the Niagara region. At these facilities , she conducted research on new plant materials and ensured optimal health on a wide array of ornamentals while applyin...

Ever feel like you’re taking too much time scouting your crops for insects or diseases? Or, maybe you feel the opposite – you’re willing to spend the time, but you keep missing critical pests. If scouting has been a challenge for you or your employees in the past, or you feel like you could use a refresher, then this webinar is for you! Although the aduience for this talk is Garden Centres, the talk is also highly applicable to ornamental and nursery crop producers. Read on for details on how to register for this free webinar. Upcoming Webinar: Scouting Ornamental Crops Who: Sarah Jandricic (Greenhouse Floriculture IPM Specialist for OMAFA) Dr. Sarah Jandricic is the Greenhouse Floriculture Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Specialist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Agribusiness (OMAFA). She works directly with Ontario growers to help manage pest issues and find research solutions. She has worked continuously in floriculture IPM for over 25 years.  D...

Content contributions from Chevonne Dayboll. With Million Bells (Calibrachoa) having filled up the greenhouse, it’s a great time to revisit our production practices and explore new ideas. This post contains some back to the basic’s information and new innovations for our favourite spring crop. Nutrients From a nutritional standpoint, the best thing you can is keep the pH of your calibrachoa in its ideal range ; between 5.5 and 6.0. Not only can improper pH lead to stressed, lower quality plants but it can also impact disease susceptibility and further nutrient issues. A pH higher than the optimal range can inhibit nutrient uptake , especially micronutrients such as iron. Iron deficiency can be difficult to distinguish from other issues (like Black Root Rot – see previous post), but iron deficiency typically leads to yellowing of new growth. Leaves may only show chlorosis between the veins, or it may be spread throughout the leaf. This is different from nitrogen deficiency wher...

Still unfamiliar with Ontario’s Crop Protection Hub (fondly referred to as “Crop Hub”) and want to know more about it? This recorded webinar tells you everything you need to know. In this video, we’ll walk you through examples on how to: Look up products for specific pests Compare efficacies of pesticides and fungicides for Ontario pests Look up compatibility of chemical products with natural enemies Print out lists of products for a specific IPM plan Continue to the full blog post to watch the embedded video now, or go to https://youtu.be/v2SeHnd9qY0 ! Demo of Crop Hub for Greenhouse Ornamental Crops: Description: This recording illustrates Crop Hub as a tool to look up pesticide products to help plan a comprehensive IPM program in spring crops and beyond. We encourage everyone to follow along with the video on Cropprotectionhub.omafra.gov.on.ca, so you can become familiar with the look and feel of the Hub. Relevant examples to floriculture and vegetable crops will...

After my previous post outlining how Ontario growers may be experiencing resistance to Beleaf (flonicamid), several growers are experimenting with alternate aphicides (chemicals that control aphids) this spring. These growers tested products on small batches of crops at high rates, to look for phytotoxicity , and have passed on their results to share with the rest of you. Keep reading to see which products are affecting which crops, and how you can help mitigate issues with phytotoxicity from insecticides. Phytotoxicity: The Usual Suspects and Typical Symptoms For anyone that grows plants commercially, you’re well aware that pesticides, plant growth regulators, and fertilizers can all sometimes cause unwanted effects or damage to crops (phytotoxicity). Products used for greenhouse sanitation, such as those used to clean biofilm from water lines, can also be a source of unexpected phytotoxicity (or “phyto”), if used incorrectly. Classic leaf margin burn on Cyclamen from phytot...

It’s that time of year again, when  Million Bells (Calibrachoa ) are being started in the greenhouse.   This post will discuss common insect and disease pests, such as aphids, thrips and black root rot and viruses. Stay tuned for an upcoming post about production tips and tricks for this popular spring favourite. Disease Issues: Anyone who’s grown million bells knows they are  highly susceptible to   Black Root Rot  ( Thielaviopsis ) – I’ve seen this take out a good chunk of a crop, especially in crops that are grown mainly on the floor or on landscape cloth, where resting spores of this disease can hide . Symptoms include: Stunting of foliage and roots Plants in a tray will have uneven heights Black areas on roots Yellowing of leaves Yellowed plant growth (yellow circle) and dead plugs (orange circle) on a plug tray of Callibrachoa from black root rot. Prevention  is worth a pound of cure with this disease, as it is  diffic...