TECH ON DEMAND brought to you by GrowerTalks

Growing Cut Flower Chrysanthemums ft. Dr. Alicain Carlson

Syngenta Flowers’ Dr. Alicain Carlson joins host Bill Calkins to discuss some key components of successful cut flower mum programs. Dr. Carlson starts by discussing some of the reason cut mums are so popular before highlighting some key varieties in the Syngenta Flowers portfolio. Then she jumps right into cultural and technical tips and tricks for sending high-quality flowers to market.

 

From the start, you’ll need to follow some best practices when receiving and handling young plants—planting immediately, protecting the crop in hoop houses when planting them in summer, using support netting to reduce losses and more. Once they are in production, lighting and temperature are critical, and understanding the impact of photoperiod is necessary for optimum flower timing. Alicain covers all of this, as well as strategies for pinching and bud removal to enhance branching and create different forms (single bloom vs. a spray of flowers). Then she wraps up with when to harvest and tactics for postharvest care.

 

RESOURCES:

 

WATCH THE VIDEO! https://youtu.be/sSURz16OGng

 

SYNGENTA FLOWERS CUT FLOWER ASSORTMENT & CULTURE GUIDES: https://www.syngentaflowers-us.com/cutflowers

 

CHRYSANTHEMUM AGRONOMIC PROGRAM: https://www.greencastonline.com/programs/pdf/mumagronomic.pdf

 

ALL ABOUT SUNFINITY (VIDEO): https://youtu.be/FkNh4yDCTU8

 

GROWING CUT FLOWER DAHLIAS (VIDEO): https://youtu.be/ddd680snZM8

Finishing African Marigolds: Follow the Rules!

Retired Ball technical services manager Dr. Will Healy joins host Bill Calkins to discuss the ins and outs of finished African marigold production as part of the Tech On Demand series covering crop culture for key annuals and perennials.

 

Will says African marigolds and French marigolds are like oranges and grapefruits when it comes to production protocols—meaning they’re similar (like the two citrus fruits) but very different in many ways. He takes you from plug transplant to shipping, with a particular focus on iron toxicity related to phosphorous deficiencies, tips for minimizing stretch to avoid the need for too many PGRs, nutrition to keep them growing strong and how to avoid Botrytis in the flower heads. Will has worked with many growers dealing with leaf spots and his advice on phosphorous is based on hundreds of crops and decades of experience.

 

Will also spends plenty of time on fall production of African marigolds for Day of the Dead sales, which is certainly a growing market and newer sales opportunity for many of you.

 

WATCH THE VIDEO! https://youtu.be/nfA66OczRQM

Finishing French Marigolds: Stop Stretch & Turn ‘Em Quick!

Retired Ball technical services manager Dr. Will Healy joins host Bill Calkins to help growers finish French marigolds for quick turns as part of the Tech On Demand series covering crop culture for key annuals and perennials.

 

If elementary school kids can grow French marigolds in Dixie cups, they must not be too difficult … But finishing professional-quality crops requires attention to detail—especially pH, nutrition, moisture management and lighting. Will is here to explain all the nuances so you can avoid stretch and turn them quickly to maximize profits.

 

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

Finishing Top-Quality Lantana Crops with Chris Ferguson

Ball Technical Services specialist Chris Ferguson joins host Bill Calkins to talk finished lantana production as part of the Tech On Demand series covering crop culture for key annuals and perennials.

 

From transplanting best practices and nutrition strategies to irrigation management and container selection, there are plenty of nuances to be aware of and Chris is here to help.

 

Resources:

 

Watch the VIDEO! https://youtu.be/Gqoz00MIr7M

 

GrowerTalks Insecticide, Miticide & Fungicide Guide: https://www.growertalks.com/pdf/2025_IMF_Guide.pdf

 

GrowerTalks Insecticide, Miticide & Fungicide Guide (Spanish): https://growertalks.com/pdf/2025_IMF_Guide_Spanish.pdf

 

GrowerTalks Biosolutions Guide: https://www.growertalks.com/pdf/BioSolutions_Guide_0624.pdf

Lantana Propagation Strategies for Success with Chris Ferguson

Ball Technical Services specialist Chris Ferguson joins host Bill Calkins to share best management practices for propagating lantana from unrooted cuttings as part of the Tech On Demand series covering crop culture for key annuals and perennials.

 

From receiving, prioritizing and handling through all stages up until transplant, Chris is going to help you reduce risk and produce top-quality liners.

 

WATCH THE VIDEO! https://youtu.be/Tff-o5FfZ9U 

Grow Pansies & Violas Like a PRO with Dr. Brian Krug

Syngenta Flowers technical lead Dr. Brian Krug joins host Bill Calkins to discuss two new series—Pansy Delta Pro and Viola Penny Pro—sharing tips and tricks for maximizing production of these breakthrough new varieties. The Delta Pro pansy series was released a couple years ago as a comprehensive upgrade to Delta, an industry leader for more than 30 years and Penny Pro violas are new for 2025. When such iconic series are completely retooled, it shows that the breeders have been hard at work and truly identified improvements that can be brought to growers and end users.

 

Brian explains exactly why both Delta Pro and Penny Pro offer major benefits for growers, including Delta’s super-short timing window (all colors bloom within 10 days!), reduced need for PGRs and huge 3-inch blooms; and Penny’s flower power, non-stretching habit and vigorous root system.

 

After taking you through the key features, Dr. Krug dives deep into best practices when propagating and finishing both Delta Pro and Penny Pro. Although your production of these new series will look a lot like typical pansy and viola plans, there are a few nuances to note. Breeding for compact habit in production dictates lower PGR needs and the tight bloom window for Delta Pro means you don’t have to stagger these pansies to ship the full color range in flower. Brian also shares some tips and tricks learned throughout the years working with pansy and viola growers that will no doubt benefit your team. NOTE: Delta Pro was bred for Spring OR Fall production, which is fantastic, and Brian touches on this in his presentation, as well as some regionally-specific advice to help growers across all of North America.

 

RESOURCES:

Delta Pro—Produced for Precision: https://www.syngentaflowers-us.com/deltapro

 

Penny Pro—Produced for Performance: https://www.syngentaflowers-us.com/pennypro

 

Syngenta Technical Library: https://www.syngentaflowers-us.com/techlibrary/search/techlibrary

 

WATCH Delta Pro Grow—Comparison Trial Time Lapse Video: https://youtu.be/PnChUHNehcE?si=NVe-8QVNQe0XmZ_Z

Finishing Amazing Vegetative Coleus ft. Josh Henry

Ball Technical Services specialist Josh Henry joins host Bill Calkins to take vegetative coleus to the finish line as part of the Tech On Demand series covering crop culture for key annuals and perennials.

 

From transplanting and pinching to selecting media and producing for a range of finished container sizes, there are certainly best practices to follow when growing coleus. Josh covers all of this and more, including nutrition, light, temperature and PGRs to help you create a winning production plan. Then he touches on pest and disease management with an emphasis on reducing risks associated with coleus downy mildew.

 

Resources:

 

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/cVbRSj7K7dM 

 

GrowerTalks PGR Guide: https://www.growertalks.com/pdf/PGR_GUIDE_2023-24_Annuals.pdf

 

e-GRO Coleus Disorder Guide: https://www.e-gro.org/pdf/2022-11-06.pdf

Vegetative Coleus Propagation BMPs ft. Josh Henry

Ball Technical Services specialist Josh Henry joins host Bill Calkins to share best management practices for propagating vegetative coleus from unrooted cuttings as part of the Tech On Demand series covering crop culture for key annuals and perennials.

 

From receiving, prioritizing and handling through all stages up until transplant, Josh is going to help you reduce risk and produce top-quality liners.

 

Resources:

 

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/G32TupPcTF4 

 

e-GRO Coleus Disorder Guide: https://www.e-gro.org/pdf/2022-11-06.pdf

 

Avoiding Diseases in Propagation: https://www.growertalks.com/Article/?articleid=24435

Growing F1 Anemone Gemstone from Seed ft. Bob Croft

In this comprehensive discussion covering a key cut flower, Ball Seed’s cut flower business manager Joan Mazat and Sakata Seed America’s product technical manager Bob Croft discuss F1 Anemone Gemstone (seed-raised anemone) and share tips and tricks for selecting and producing top-quality crops.

 

Bob shares his experience with this F1 seed series—from germination to transplant and on to finishing and post-harvest care. He helps cut flower growers and flower farmers manage all factors of plant growth (light, water, nutrition, temperature and gas exchange), offers strategies for controlling pests and diseases and explains the benefits of starting anemone from seeds versus corms.

 

RESOURCES:

Anemone Gemstone from Sakata: https://sakataornamentals.com/plantname/gemstone/

 

Ball CutFlowers: https://www.ballseed.com/cutflowers/

 

Tools from Ball CutFlowers (presentations & literature, market trends, videos, podcasts, Dave’s newsletter, industry resources): https://www.ballseed.com/cutflowers/Resources/

Stay Hydrated: The Key to Uniform Rooting of URCs

Ball Technical Services specialist and culture research manager, Dr. Nathan Jahnke, joins Tech On Demand host Bill Calkins to share research-based best practices for rehydrating unrooted cuttings before sticking.

 

Cuttings can (and will) lose water at multiple points in the supply chain—arriving at greenhouses dehydrated by as much as 20%. As soon as harvest occurs, dehydration begins and although offshore farms have greatly improved harvest and handling processes in recent years, your young plants go through a lot before they land on your benches, ready to grow. Wilted cuttings can negatively impact production from the earliest stages, resulting in shrink and losses.

 

Dr. Jahnke walks growers through potential dehydration points in the supply chain and the challenges that result from dehydrated cuttings before explaining why water loss occurs and some of the ways farms are working to improve cutting hydration and handling. Then he moves quickly into ways growers can rehydrate cuttings before sticking, from good (misting) to better (dipping) to best (fogging) practices. From arrival to inspection and staging, protocols are offered to help production teams manage cuttings effectively.

 

RESOURCES

 

Article: Tech On Demand Best Management Practices for URC Hydration https://ballseed.com/PDF/TechOnDemand-URC-Hydration.pdf

 

Article: Rehydrating Unrooted Cuttings https://www.growertalks.com/Article/?articleid=26603

 

Article: Tips for Rooting Difficult or Slow-to-Root Cuttings https://www.e-gro.org/pdf/2020_904.pdf

 

Article: Swish-Swish—Dipping Unrooted Vegetative Cuttings to Reduce Incoming Pest Populations https://www.e-gro.org/pdf/2024-13-05.pdf

 

Article: Improve Your Success with Unrooted Cuttings https://www.growertalks.com/Article/?articleid=24307

 

Article: Stick & Die—How to Avoid It https://www.growertalks.com/Article/?articleid=25582

 

Article: Tech On Demand Poinsettia URC Action Guide https://ballseed.com/documents/Poinsettia-URC-Shipping-Performance-ActionGuide.pdf

 

Video Playlist: The Importance of Vapor Pressure Deficit https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8NX3KFjAfBn48BahYB5oaQpfb-jRy_3C&si=DXEDmuI0lNLxeq4K

 

Video Playlist: BMPs to Enhance Rooting Uniformity https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8NX3KFjAfBkUFpE72nX37ByIG9mjqg_o&si=giBR0RLmBDPd4cAO