TECH ON DEMAND brought to you by GrowerTalks

Finishing “Common” Seed Petunias with Dr. Will Healy

Retired Ball technical manager Dr. Will Healy joins host Bill Calkins to share protocols for finishing more common types of seed-raised (multiflora and grandiflora) petunias as part of the Tech On Demand series covering crop culture for key annuals and perennials. From media selection and nutrition to water, light and temperature, finishing crops requires careful attention to avoid losses and send high quality product out the door on time. In this discussion, Will focuses on turning crops quickly by transplanting induced plugs, keeping night temps above 65F and photoperiods longer than 10 hours.

 

FINISHED CROP PRODUCTION VIDEO—FULL PLAYLIST

Get That Flower Feeling! (A Roundtable Discussion)

Members of the Marketing Committee of That Flower Feeling join GUEST HOST Joan Mazat (Business Manager—Cut Flowers at Ball Seed Company) to share why this movement is so important to the cut flower industry. Join a dynamic group for an equally dynamic discussion about how and why industry leaders are actively working to motivate more consumers to view fresh flowers as a central part of their everyday routines, thereby raising overall floral integration and consumption.

Guests:
Karen Oie—Director of Sales, Smithers-Oasis North America
Lisa Nason—Director of Marketing, Kennicott Brothers
Carmen Marquez—Marketing Director, Ball SB

That Flower Feeling is an industry-wide cooperative effort to encourage consumers to purchase more flowers regularly. The philosophy is simple: As long as people are bringing home flowers regularly, it’s considered a success. The initiative aims to make the experience of having fresh flowers a part of daily life, challenging the notion that flowers should be reserved for special occasions.

Resources:

• Learn more about That Flower Feeling at https://thatflowerfeeling.org/
• Ball Seed Cut Flowers: https://www.ballseed.com/cutflowers/

 

A Biological Approach to Spring IPM ft. Koppert’s Heidi Doering

This Tech On Demand podcast episode is all about spring pest control, integrated pest management and implementing biocontrol strategies that work. Host Bill Calkins is joined by Heidi Doering, the National Ornamental Team Lead and Technical IPM Consultant for the Midwest Region with Koppert. Koppert is a global market leader specializing in biological crop protection and Heidi has not only been with Koppert for almost 10 years but has a broad range of horticultural experience from greenhouse production to product management and sales, which means she has a unique perspective and breadth of knowledge to find unique IPM solutions for growers wherever they’re at on the continuum of chemical, biological and hybrid approaches.

 

In this episode Bill and Heidi discuss what she’s seeing and hearing as spring production ramps up across North America, her role as a “greenhouse CSI” when walking into a facility and meeting with owners and growers, common spring pests and potential prevention and management strategies, education and planning as they relate to biological IPM, the importance of relationships and her thoughts on Thrips parvispinus, the pepper thrips hitchhiking their way North on tropical plants. Be sure to listen all the way to the end of this fantastic discussion!

 

RESOURCES:

Koppert U.S. 

Koppert Consultants & Locations

Koppert Crop Protection Products

2024 GrowerTalks Biosolutions Guide

 

Audio Files: Reducing the Risk—Optimize Your Insurance Policy

REDUCING THE RISK

FROM A 2025 INSIDE GROWER MAGAZINE WEB-EXCLUSIVE ARTICLE

WRITTEN BY TRACI DOOLEY

NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS

 

EXCERPT: An increase in the frequency of severe weather events, reduced market capacity, higher labor, material, and equipment costs, and unusually high jury awards are all causing insurance premiums to rise across industries. For horticultural businesses, as the cost and frequency of your risk increases, your insurance must account for them to help keep your livelihood protected.

Understanding these changes will help you make informed strategic decisions, including how best to mitigate your total risk to help offset several of these costs in the coming year.

Here are five key trends that will affect your agribusiness risks and coverage in 2025, along with practical steps you can take to reduce risks and manage your policy expenses.

 

Read the web-exclusive article at Inside-Grower.com: https://www.inside-grower.com/Article/?articleid=27227

Finished Zinnia Production: Managing Stretch, Disease and More!

Whether you’re finishing Zinnia Elegans, Marylandica or Angustifolia crops, Dr. Will Healy has the “rules of the road” to avoid or manage stretch (… if you turn your back on the crop, it’s going to stretch!) and mitigate disease risk. Zinnias are a true classic when it comes to home gardens and breeding has brought this crop a long way, with new varieties, colors and flower forms still wowing customers generation after generation. But sending high quality out the door to landscape customers and garden centers requires close attention throughout production.

 

WATCH THE VIDEO: https://youtu.be/vYpzo65kFCU

 

RESOURCES:

 

(VIDEO) At Risk Crops—Zinnia: https://youtu.be/XzX2dXs9584?si=fJnwFhfr9nNIrkwb

 

GrowerTalks’ Grower Guides: https://www.growertalks.com/GrowerGuides/

Cool-Season Nuances! Optimize Finished Dianthus Production

There’s a lot of “Sweet William” going on in this video … Tech On Demand host Bill “Sweet William” Calkins is joined once again by Dr. Will “Sweet William” Healy to discuss tips and tricks for finishing amazing dianthus crops at a time of year that can be challenging. From receiving plugs in cold weather and starting dianthus under long days to soil considerations and phosphorous deficiency risks, Will has plenty of advice to share so you and your team can be successful.

 

WATCH THE VIDEO: https://youtu.be/7RcXvyFTdMo 

 

Finishing Impatiens Walleriana—Watch Your Moisture & Temps!

Impatiens walleriana might be the most-recognized garden plant—certainly the favorite for shade gardens and landscapes. Ball’s recently retired technical guru Dr. Will Healy joins us once again to share tips and tricks for finishing key seed annuals. When you’re producing impatiens, there are plenty of best practices to follow to avoid issues like stretch, tip abortion and guttation. Will has tons of experience to share to help keep you and your production team on track with impatiens!

 

WATCH THE VIDEO! https://youtu.be/iLWlxDOKJyw

 

RESOURCES:

 

VIDEO: Impatiens 2.0: https://youtu.be/ZYlEcrqWO5Q?si=eoa5u01KZfJrCmk7

 

VIDEO: At-Risk Crops—Impatiens: https://youtu.be/3o7CyRb-jUE?si=_s_dj8vRCiUkqff_

 

GrowerTalks’ Grower Guides: https://www.growertalks.com/GrowerGuides/

 

Audio Files: Embracing Technology & Sustainability for Growth

EMBRACING TECHNOLOGY AND SUSTAINABILITY FOR GROWTH

FROM THE FEBRUARY 2025 ISSUE OF GREEN PROFIT MAGAZINE

WRITTEN BY AVIVA LeSHAW

NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS

 

EXCERPT: Shoppers today want more than a good deal on plants. They’re looking for an experience—something seamless and personal. Research from the Square Future of Retail Report: 2024 Edition shows that a full 100% of retail businesses prefer automation for tasks like tracking inventory or ordering out-of-stock products, highlighting the growing demand for efficient, technology-driven solutions. For garden retailers, meeting these demands is essential.

 

Read the digital edition of Green Profit Magazine—February 2025: https://www.ballpublishing.com/magazine/gp_25_02/index.aspx

Be the Local King or Queen of Tomato Production!

Every garden center—big and small—offers tomato plants for home gardens. Your key differentiators are varieties, container sizes and quality. Be the top wholesale supplier in your market by following Dr. Will Healy’s tomato production advice! In this Ball Tech On Demand crop-specific episode, he takes you through all the key factors necessary to finish high-quality tomato plants and send them to retail ready to sell. Tips for avoiding stretch and building root mass are covered in detail, as well as plenty more strategies Will has helped growers put into practice over many decades.

 

WATCH THE VIDEO! https://youtu.be/Zc4-LGfMTA0

 

RESOURCES:

 

VIDEO: At-Risk Crops—Tomato: https://youtu.be/aCBmuleuVXU?si=JV1wA7tF4ua6NRLb

 

GrowerTalks’ Grower Guides: https://www.growertalks.com/GrowerGuides/

 

Audio Files: Onboarding—The Root of Long-Term Engagement

THE ROOT OF LONG-TERM ENGAGEMENT

FROM THE JANUARY 2025 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE

WRITTEN BY HARRISON DOWNING

NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS

 

EXCERPT: Just as early root health is the foundation of explosive plant growth in its influence on a plant’s ability to develop properly and produce high yields, so is the importance of a thorough onboarding program for new hires in a company. 

 

Read the digital edition of GrowerTalks Magazine—January 2025: https://www.ballpublishing.com/magazine/gt_25_01/index.aspx