TECH ON DEMAND brought to you by GrowerTalks

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

Oil-Based Pesticide Solutions ft. Emily from Kemin Industries

This episode is all about a cutting-edge approach to insect and disease control—the use of botanical oil-based pesticides within IPM programs. Host Bill Calkins is joined by the director of research and development with the crop technologies division at Kemin Industries, Emily Fuerst. Emily is a highly accomplished scientist with more than 15 years’ experience merging science with agricultural insights to drive innovation across product categories and her passion for insects and expertise in the science of essential oils has led to the launch of a wide range of products responding to grower needs and agriculture challenges.

 

In this episode, the conversation starts by getting to know Kemin, a family-owned company operating since the 1960s producing science-based ingredients found in the food we eat and supplements we use, as well as nutrition for healthy livestock, poultry, aquaculture and more. Since about 2018, Kemin has been focusing a lot on our industry, bringing innovative solutions to the greenhouse and nursery markets.

 

As Emily and Bill move into the topic of oil-based biopesticides, you’ll learn why essential oils have the potential to keep pests and diseases under control while minimizing the use of standard chemical pesticides in an IPM program, all supported by scientific trials and success stories. Research and application show these products not only prevent or control greenhouse pests and disease to the same or greater levels compared to conventional chemistries but can be much safer for workers with low to no REI.

 

Some of Kemin’s leading products such as Romivex DIP (contact miticide and insecticide ideal for cuttings dips), PathoCURB (thyme-oil based fungicide and bactericide) and TetraCURB (miticide-insecticide for TSSM and soft-bodied insects) can not only prevent and solve common greenhouse problems but also extend the effectiveness of conventional chemistries when used in IPM programs and rotations.

 

It's truly a fun and informative conversation, so be sure to listen all the way to the end!

 

RESOURCES:

 

Kemin Crop Technologies: https://www.kemin.com/na/en-us/markets/crop-tech

 

Kemin’s Greenhouse & Nursery Products: https://www.kemin.com/na/en-us/markets/crop-tech/greenhousenurserysolutions

 

Kemin Team Blog: https://www.kemin.com/na/en-us/blog/crop-tech

 

LinkedIn—Kemin Crop Technologies: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/kemin-crop-technologies/

Finishing Stunning Seed Coleus with Dr. Will Healy

Retired Ball technical manager Dr. Will Healy joins host Bill Calkins to share protocols for finishing seed-raised coleus 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. Will is going to help reduce your risk in this process.

Finishing High Quality Seed Begonias with Dr. Will Healy

Retired Ball technical manager Dr. Will Healy joins host Bill Calkins to share protocols for finishing seed-raised begonias (semperflorens and interspecific) 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. Will is going to help reduce your risk in this process.

 

VIDEO: Achieving Uniformity in Begonia Germination

VIDEO: Training Your Team to Water Properly

More Tech On Demand Videos on YouTube

 

 

All About Sunfinity with Dr. Jamie Gibson

Syngenta Flowers’ Dr. Jamie Gibson joins host Bill Calkins to discuss just about everything you need to know when producing amazing crops of both Sunfinity Yellow Dark Center (from seeds or plugs) and Sunfinity Double (from unrooted cuttings or liners). This sunflower broke into the industry as a gamechanger not long ago and after multiple years wowing shoppers at retail and in landscape installations, the Syngenta team debuted Double Sunfinity at California Spring Trials this year. Yellow Dark Center and Double are very different crops—from their form (seed vs. vegetative) and how they need to be produced. Dr. Gibson discusses both in detail, including all of the nuances for growers to remember when adding these sunflowers to the mix.

 

Jamie shares research-based tips and tricks for scheduling, culture and production, positioning for optimal sales during three seasons and even gives a sneak peek into what’s coming next in the Sunfinity lineup. The team at Syngenta has conducted extensive research and trials with Sunfinity and you’ll definitely benefit from all of this work, so be sure to listen all the way to the end of this discussion to set your team up for success.

 

RESOURCES:

Sunfinity—The Next Generation of Sunflowers: https://www.syngentaflowers-us.com/portfolios/sunfinity

 

Sunfinity Inspiration: https://mysunfinity.com/

 

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

 

Growing Cut Flower Dahlias from URC with Dr. Alicain Carlson

Syngenta Flowers’ Dr. Alicain Carlson joins host Bill Calkins to discuss some key components of successful cut flower dahlia programs when starting from unrooted cuttings (URCs). Traditionally, most dahlia crops have been started from tubers, which were dug up and stored each year before replanting. Now, with beautiful dahlias available from URC, many growers are taking advantage of the benefits that come from this form of production. When buying from a reputable supplier, these inputs are virus and disease free with excellent uniformity across the crop, as well as simplified scheduling and potential cost savings. Dr. Carlson digs into the pros and cons of stating from URCs, as well as highlighting some key varieties in the Syngenta Flowers portfolio before moving into culture and production strategies.

 

Here's what you’ll learn throughout the discussion:

 

• Propagation tips for rooting into 50- or 105-cell trays
• Importance of long-day lighting in prop
• Rooting hormone trials and recommendations
• Why NOT to pinch young plants
• Winter dahlia production strategies
• Protocols for maximizing flower quality and “double-ness”
• Trial results from temperature research specific to dahlias
• How and when to perform a “hard pinch” after transplant
• Irrigation and nutrition in the field
• Pest and disease management in finished crops
• Postharvest care of dahlias

 

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