Episodes
Tuesday Dec 26, 2023
Achieving Uniform Germination & Flowering in Petunia Production
Tuesday Dec 26, 2023
Tuesday Dec 26, 2023
As we’ve discussed in other Tech On Demand videos and podcasts, the key to successfully producing high quality crops often starts at the very beginning. How you and your team approach the earliest stages of germination and propagation sets the stage for uniformity down the line. We’re pleased to welcome back frequent guest Dr. Will Healy. Will recently retired as Senior Manager of Ball’s technical services group but continues to think about ways to share his knowledge and decades of experience working with growers of all shapes and sizes. This time, he's here to focus on seed-raised petunias.
FULL VIDEO LINK: https://youtu.be/ulOD0qDeePs?si=AOe9KD4UCF8VvmQM
Will begins by explaining the germination process, defining terms and talking about the importance of melting the coating on pelleted seeds (like petunias). After establishing the importance of proper moisture management melt pellets effectively, he digs deeper into flat filling and seeding best practices including properly centering the seed in each cell and NOT BURYING PETUNIA SEED, which can be more challenging than it sounds. Then the discussion turns to building a strong root system and avoiding “root running” or failure to root. As cotyledons begin to emerge, attention must be paid to the goal of achieving uniform petunia stands and again, it comes back to irrigation to prevent drying. By day 8 in the germination process, your petunias should be off to a strong start, setting the crop up for success.
Resources:
Training Your Team to Water Properly (VIDEO): https://youtu.be/SCPPT0IXlLY?si=qh5wqFp7dF8Xmx1q
Mystery Solved! Slime, Moss and Algae (VIDEO): https://youtu.be/Qjh0BcwkqqI?si=2pftpc_IEgJHLO-S
Starting Strong with Seed Propagation (VIDEO): https://youtu.be/cH-lbXGn24U?si=2wRz6VsYM7_NDJMS
Thursday Dec 21, 2023
100th Episode! Telling Stories with Chris Beytes
Thursday Dec 21, 2023
Thursday Dec 21, 2023
Can you believe it’s the 100th episode of the Tech On Demand podcast? Well, it is—and this is going to be a special one!
For the 100th episode, host Bill Calkins wanted to have some fun while also digging into a wide range of topics related to horticulture. His guest is none other than Chris Beytes, the editor-in-chief of Ball Publishing. Get ready for a fun conversation with a guy who’s one of the best storytellers around and someone who knows a little about a lot of things and a lot about plenty more. Chris has been in the industry for decades and you probably know him best as the bossman at Ball Publishing and GrowerTalks magazine. But did you know he and his wife owned a greenhouse in Florida before he entered the world of trade journalism?
Over the next 30 or 40 minutes, get ready to learn even more as Chris tells some stories … stories of that greenhouse business in Florida, going fast on a skateboard, how some of his most memorable interviews came about, being stranded in a German train station, thoughts on the future of the floriculture industry, his quest for a two-pronged pitchfork and plenty more.
Yes, this podcast covers A LOT in 30 minutes—it’s a wild ride from beginning to end. Sit back and enjoy.
RESOURCES:
GrowerTalks Magazine: https://www.growertalks.com/
Acres Online E-News (latest edition): https://www.growertalks.com/Newsletters/View/?article=4402
Acres Online E-News (subscribe): https://www.growertalks.com/Newsletters/Signup/?newsletter=acresonline
Ball Redbook: https://www.ballpublishing.com/BallRedBook/
Monday Dec 18, 2023
Audio Files: The Importance of Transparent Communication
Monday Dec 18, 2023
Monday Dec 18, 2023
THE IMPORTANCE OF TRANSPARENT COMMUNICATION
FROM THE DECEMBER 2023 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE
WRITTEN BY AUSTIN BRYANT
NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS
EXCERPT:
The challenge lies in placing plants with similar watering, spray requirements and lighting together while considering the available square footage. This complex juggling act continues as salespeople manage prebooked orders, adjusting contracted versus speculative material. It’s a dynamic process that unfolds until the last cutting and plug finds its way into the soil or until space runs out. Ideally, the former happens before the latter, as no one enjoys making that call to a customer to cut a prebook.
Read the digital edition of GROWERTALKS Magazine—December 2023: https://www.ballpublishing.com/magazine/gt_23_12/index.aspx
Monday Dec 04, 2023
Audio Files: Train to Retain
Monday Dec 04, 2023
Monday Dec 04, 2023
TRAIN TO RETAIN
FROM THE DECEMBER 2023 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE
WRITTEN BY BROCH MARTINDALE
NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS
EXCERPT:
… there are numerous ways technology has changed even the simplest of tasks. As we hire and train the next generation of growers, it’s important to keep up with technology. Or are we waiting for the evening news to tell us what we’re doing tomorrow?
Read the digital edition of GROWERTALKS Magazine—December 2023: https://www.ballpublishing.com/magazine/gt_23_12/index.aspx
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
Horticulture in an Omnichannel World ft. Rich Christakes
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
In a conversational episode, host Bill Calkins and his guest (and friend) Rich Christakes cover an extremely wide range of topics related to the modern greenhouse and garden center industry rooted in the goal of providing perspective and opportunities for action. Rich, CEO of Alsip Home & Nursery (a grower-retailer with two locations in Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland) and founder of the Ship My Plants online marketplace, has a unique perspective on garden center retail, variety selection, business management, the importance of peer groups and creating exceptional customer experiences.
Bill and Rich start by covering spring 2023 and new ways to meet the needs of today’s shoppers and then start talking plants—focusing on improvements to best sellers and the importance of new breeding. Then they change gears and address labor. Rich shares how Alsip has benefited from H2A and H2B labor sources and the importance of training and staff development. He explains some recent shift in Alsip’s purchasing strategies and ways they’ve set new goals for buyers and managers, which has resulted in significant revenue gains.
Then Rich and Bill spend time talking about ways to inspire key emerging customer bases by allowing them to shop however they prefer, from in-store and traditional delivery to online and even on Amazon. New shopping approaches provides a perfect segue into Ship My Plants, an innovative online platform for buying and selling plants. Think of it as “DoorDash or Uber Eats for plants” because it’s a multi-vendor marketplace that allows shoppers to order plants from local garden centers. This means garden centers maintain their store name and brand while engaging new customers and gaining another avenue for sales.
Before closing, Rich and Bill express how thankful they are to work in an industry that reflects positivity at a time when it’s so needed. Plants make people happy, benefit the Earth and improve mental health—and as green industry professionals, there many reasons to be proud and extremely grateful.
Be sure to listen all the way to the end of this episode! There are a ton of actionable ideas for everyone.
RESOURCES:
- Ship My Plants: https://www.shipmyplants.com/
- Ship My Plants Director of Business Development, Clint Albin: clint@shipmyplants.com
- Alsip Home & Nursery: https://www.alsipnursery.com/
Monday Nov 20, 2023
Audio Files: Sanitation & Preparation—Starting Strong
Monday Nov 20, 2023
Monday Nov 20, 2023
SANITATION & PREPARATION: STARTING STRONG
FROM THE FEBRUARY 2021 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE
WRITTEN BY PAUL PILON
NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS
EXCERPT:
Many growers take for granted the benefits of having a strong start, and when less-than-ideal conditions are present from the beginning, they often struggle to stay ahead of these issues throughout the crop or the entire spring season. A strong start likely has different meanings for different growers, but here’s a few methods I like to employ to get my growing season started off the right foot.
Read the digital edition of GROWERTALKS Magazine—February 2021: https://www.ballpublishing.com/magazine/gt_21_02/index.aspx
Monday Nov 13, 2023
Audio Files: Vertical Farm Site Selection
Monday Nov 13, 2023
Monday Nov 13, 2023
VERTICAL FARM SITE SELECTION
FROM THE NOVEMBER 2023 ISSUE OF INSIDE GROWER MAGAZINE
WRITTEN BY DAVID KUACK
NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS
EXCERPT: A major consideration when starting an indoor farm is site selection, which can have a direct bearing on efficiency and profitability. There are lots of factors to take into consideration, from the physical location to the utilities available, nearby neighbors and more. Here we break down what to think about before your next retrofit or build.
Read the digital edition of Inside Grower Magazine—November 2023: https://www.ballpublishing.com/magazine/ig_23_11/index.aspx
Monday Nov 06, 2023
Audio Files: Common Propagation Mistakes
Monday Nov 06, 2023
Monday Nov 06, 2023
COMMON PROPAGATION MISTAKES
FROM THE NOVEMBER 2023 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE
WRITTEN BY LYNN GRIFFITH
NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS
EXCERPT:
Horticulture is an art as well as a science. Propagating plants vegetatively is even more of an art than growing in general. Sure, there’s research data on propagating the more common ornamental plants. However, variables such as variety, season, geography and structures can make large differences in what works and doesn’t work.
Read the digital edition of GrowerTalks Magazine—November 2023: https://www.ballpublishing.com/magazine/gt_23_11/index.aspx
Monday Oct 30, 2023
Audio Files: Floral Packaging Evolved
Monday Oct 30, 2023
Monday Oct 30, 2023
FLORAL PACKAGING EVOLVED
FROM THE OCTOBER 2023 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE
WRITTEN BY SARA EVENSON
NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS
EXCERPT:
I’ll be the first to admit that navigating sustainability is complicated. It’s not enough to depict mountains of legal documents I’ve gotten lost under while trying to decipher the best path forward. Is it better to recycle or better to compost? What does post-consumer content even mean? What can I recycle at my house? I’ll even admit I spent the better part of two years tossing a container in my recycling bin only to later discover it wasn’t on the shortlist of items my city recycled. I, an ardent supporter and passionate advocate for all things “recycling and sustainability,” was guilty of contaminating the recycling stream! With so much stacked against us, how do we choose the best path forward?
Read the digital edition of GrowerTalks Magazine—October 2023: https://www.ballpublishing.com/magazine/gt_23_10/index.aspx
Thursday Oct 19, 2023
Audio Files: Poinsettias, The Final Step—Shipping
Thursday Oct 19, 2023
Thursday Oct 19, 2023
POINSETTIAS: THE FINAL STEP—SHIPPING
FROM THE OCTOBER 2010 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE
WRITTEN BY DR. P. ALLEN HAMMER
NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS
EXCERPT:
Poinsettia growers have a responsibility for the post-production longevity of the plants we offer to consumers. Growers can’t afford to simply be happy to have the plants out of the greenhouse door. Satisfied poinsettia consumers make for repeat customers. As a poinsettia producer and marketer, you can do a great deal to maintain the potential postharvest beauty and longevity built into the modern poinsettia cultivars.
Read the digital edition of GrowerTalks Magazine—October 2010: https://www.growertalks.com/Article/Archive/Publication/?pubid=619