TECH ON DEMAND brought to you by GrowerTalks

Audio Files: Two Tobamoviruses to Keep an Eye Out For

TWO TOBAMOVIRUSES TO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR

FROM THE FEBRUARY 2023 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE

WRITTEN BY DR. ANN CHASE & DR. MARGERY DAUGHTREY

NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS

 

EXCERPT: Virus symptoms are notoriously hard to identify just by looking. They can be mimicked by genetic variegation, or by certain other diseases or disorders, even spray injury—especially from overspray or drift from herbicides. One virus disease can easily be mistaken for another.

 

Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) are two very closely related viruses that you may encounter on many different greenhouse crops. Identifying ToMV or TMV may start by looking for mottling or mosaic in leaves, yellowing or browning of veins, leaf strapping, stunting or dieback of plants.

 

Read the digital edition of GROWERTALKS Magazine—February 2023: https://www.ballpublishing.com/magazine/gt_23_02/index.aspx

Audio Files: The Rise of Vertical Farming

THE RISE OF VERTICAL FARMING

FROM THE FEBRUARY 2023 ISSUE OF INSIDE GROWER MAGAZINE

WRITTEN BY DANIEL PILSWORTH

NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS

 

EXCERPT: The sky is the limit: In 1999, Columbia professor Dickson Despommier used the term “vertical farming” to describe a system of agriculture in which crops are grown indoors on vertically stacked platforms. His students imagined skyscrapers with lush greens, bursting from the sides of city buildings and providing hyper-local produce to dense urban centers.

In the two decades since then, vertical farming has grown up in unexpected—yet promising—ways. In fact, according to the most recent P&S Intelligence report, the total vertical farming market size in 2021 was $3.98 billion and this number is expected to grow 25.2% annually to reach $30.2 billion by 2030.

 

Read the digital edition of Inside Grower Magazine—February 2023: https://www.ballpublishing.com/magazine/ig_23_02/index.aspx

Audio Files: Rehydrating Unrooted Cuttings

REHYDRATING UNROOTED CUTTINGS

FROM THE JANUARY 2024 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE

WRITTEN AND NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS

 

EXCERPT:

Fact: Dehydrated cuttings root non-uniformly. This means in the earliest stages, unless rehydration strategies are in place, you run the risk of getting off to a weak start. Poor moisture management at the beginning of the process will cause problems throughout production.

 

In a recent Tech On Demand video, Ball technical managers Dr. Will Healy (now retired) and Dr. Nathan Jahnke shared tips and tricks for choosing the best rehydration methods, based on trials and research. This article summarizes their key points in an effort to help you make the best decisions when cuttings land on your loading dock.

 

Read the digital edition of GROWERTALKS Magazine—January 2024: https://www.ballpublishing.com/magazine/gt_24_01/index.aspx

Achieving Uniform Germination & Flowering in Petunia Production

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

 

100th Episode! Telling Stories with Chris Beytes

Can you believe it’s the 100^th episode of the Tech On Demand podcast? Well, it is—and this is going to be a special one!

 

For the 100^th 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/

 

Audio Files: The Importance of Transparent Communication

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

Audio Files: Train to Retain

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

Horticulture in an Omnichannel World ft. Rich Christakes

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/

 

Audio Files: Sanitation & Preparation—Starting Strong

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

Audio Files: Vertical Farm Site Selection

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