Lessons from this past poinsettia season and trial standouts to watch for. By: Melhem Sawaya | 24
Scouting apps that identify, record, analyze and report. Image credit: IPM Scoutek | Pg. 14
Hot buggers
These pests love the lush foliage of tropicals.
BY SUZANNE WAINWRIGHT-EVANS
Trialled and true Top varieties in their categories from Ontario trials. BY
RODGER TSCHANZ
Mistaken identity
How to tell these pests apart. BY
DR. RAYMOND CLOYD
If you’re a long-time reader of Greenhouse Canada, you may remember an annual grower survey that we carried out once a year around this time.
Well, it’s back.
Having gone through such an unprecedented year, gaining a snapshot of the industry is more important than ever. And the results don’t simply end up on a page in the magazine, they help the greenhouse sector track changes from year to year. Plus, they reveal trends, gaps and opportunities for those supporting the sector to better tailor their work towards what’s needed. For growers, this forms a good benchmark – where are you among the pack?
For flower and vegetable greenhouse operators, head to greenhousecanada.com or watch for an email in your inbox. To thank you for your time (approx. 10 minutes), you could be one of 12 winners of a $25 Tim Hortons gift card. The odds are much better than winning the lottery. Growing cannabis? We’re partnering with sister magazine Grow Oppor-
ticated and accessible, with a good deal of technical support and ongoing updates.
“Everyone and everything are going digital and scouting is no exception,” says Shannon Impens, Koppert’s scouting supervisor. “Gone are the days of scouts inspecting crops while carrying a wide array of items, such as paper maps, clipboards, calculators and pens.”
With scouting being the backbone of effective pest management, anything that can lower the hurdles to completing the task, is welcome.
“The easier it is to collect and record scouting results, the more likely growers are to use those results for planning efficient and cost-effective pest management programs,” says Dr. Elizabeth Lamb, of the NYS Integrated Pest Management Program, Cornell University. “While handwritten scouting notes are still helpful, the ability to input and access scouting data electronically means a grower is much more likely to track their pest populations.”
This forms a good benchmark – where are you among the pack?
tunity to run a survey with slightly different questions. Be sure to watch for that in the next few months.
You’ll notice there’s a running IPM theme to this issue. The message is clear: you have to know what you’re up against to tackle them, and that means regular scouting.
The old paper-and-pen method may be most familiar and comfortable, but what happens when all those records wind up in a binder, lost in a pile, forgotten? New apps are rapidly becoming more sophis-
As you’ll see in the feature (pg. 14), these scouting apps not only save time, but they analyze the data to help growers take the next steps.
“We as growers value our time in the greenhouse rather than in the office,” says Sébastien Leroux of Ipsum Vision Inc., “and we need data to make better decisions.”
Correction: In the Dec. 2020 article, Taking on pests and diseases in cannabis: The propagation stages, there was an error. Dipping is not yet on the Suffoil-X label for cannabis – only ornamentals at time of print. Until this is approved, the author cannot recommend this use pattern for cannabis just yet.
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Syngenta Flowers is collaborating with McLeod Valley Greenhouses of Whitecourt, Alta., to breed and develop begonia genetics.
“McLeod Valley’s breeding is truly cutting edge and sets a strong foundation for Syngenta’s continued growth in the begonia class,” says Mark Schermer, global head of Syngenta Flowers. “We are so excited to take this next step to represent this breed worldwide with Cathy Knoblauch and Grant McDonald of
McLeod Valley Greenhouses.”
“We look forward to many years of collaborative efforts to bring to the market a range of easy-to-grow, versatile and beautiful new begonia hybrids,” says Knoblauch, owner of McLeod Valley Greenhouses.
This vegetative breeding collaboration will complement existing seed begonias at Syngenta Flowers. The aim is to launch their first varieties in the coming seasons, as research and trialing are completed.
Most Canadians want temporary migrant workers to remain in Canada, according to a 2020 Nanos Research poll.
Commissioned by Senators Ratna Omidvar and Rob Black, the poll found that more than eight in 10 Canadians would support (40 per cent) or somewhat support (41 per cent) providing a way for temporary migrant workers to remain in Canada.
“We need more
concrete and equitable improvements to our migrant worker programs. Since the workers are essential to our well-being and safety, then the safest, prudent and the most humane way forward is to provide them with more permanent residency options”, says Omidvar.
Although temporary foreign workers pay into the same benefits as domestic workers, in some situations they have
Albuna Farms has installed LED interlighting for its mini-cucumber crop in Ruthven, Ont.
This first phase involved 4.7 hectares of Philips GreenPower LED interlighting. Albuna expects the new system to provide a consistent and economical way to grow and harvest mini cucumbers throughout the winter months, while decreasing energy consumption by 50 per cent compared to conventional lighting systems.
“[LEDs]are more energy-efficient than highpressure sodium lights (HPS) and they also last five to 10 times longer than HPS,” says Udo van Slooten, business leader of horticulture at Signify.
Honey Electric supervised the installation, which was completed in December 2020.
The farm also has LED toplighting on more than 2,100 square metres of strawberry crops.
difficulty accessing these benefits, due in part to the precarious nature of their immigration status.
The poll also showed that the vast majority of Canadians agree (71 per cent) or somewhat agree (22 per cent) that temporary migrant workers are essential contributors to the agricultural sector in Canada, and that they should be entitled to the same benefits and protections as any other worker (51 per cent agree, 28
per cent somewhat agree).
The sector is highly dependent on these temporary migrant workers as they account for 17 per cent of the total employment in the sector.
“The pandemic has highlighted the fact that temporary migrant workers and seasonal agricultural workers are essential to Canada,” says Black. “We are calling on the Government of Canada to look for pathways to permanency for essential workers, should they so desire.”
Consumer food gardening
51% grew at least one fruit or vegetable in a garden
Of those, almost 1 in 5 started growing food at home in 2020
67% of new food gardeners say the pandemic influenced their decision
70% of home food gardeners grow some of their produce in front and/or backyards
18.6% grow some on balconies
Only 1.7% of home food gardeners can supply all of their fruit and vegetable needs
An exceptional mid-tolate poinsettia variety for almost all regions, Christmas Bells provides vibrantly rich, deep redcoloured bracts against dark green foliage. A very strong, upright and narrow V-shaped habit works well with no rings in larger containers. One of the best lateseason choices for Northern growers, with excellent post-harvest performance. 8.5 weeks response time. selectanorthamerica.com
Very similar to the original Polly’s Pink, this new poinsettia offers a saturated, vibrant pink colour that cannot be missed. As its name suggests, the variety is just earlier for growers, allowing sooner delivery to retail. The vigour makes it suitable for both mid- and largesized containers. 8 weeks response time. dummenorangena.com
This new variety delivers smooth, mediumsized pink bracts on top of well-branched plants for a compact habit. It’s well-matched with Robyn Red for early-season finishing. Excellent heat tolerance with strong performance in all climates. 7 weeks response time. beekenkamp.nl
Ideal for the late November and early December sales window, this new standout showcases bright, fiery red bracts on top of a dark, almost charcoalblack foliage. Its tight V-shaped habit paired with strong branching makes it suitable for
This medium-vigour poinsettia by Lazzeri boasts large, showy bracts, against mediumgreen foliage. Its midseason timing makes
Superba an ideal choice among glitter varieties on the market. 8 weeks response time. selectanorthamerica.com, syngentaflowers-us.com
high-density production. A more vigorous grower, Imperial fills out medium-to-large containers with ease and can handle a later transplant than comparable varieties for the same finish time. 8 weeks response time. dummenorangena.com
A new, early to midseason variety by Lazzeri, very large and showy snow white bracts cover the foliage. Bracts are larger than Alaska and Alpina.
A Rinehart poinsettia, Pure White offers a strong V-shaped plant with very upright stems and bracts, as well as a vigorous growth habit. This new variety tolerates low light conditions of the
North. For production, a standard 6-inch pinched schedule is recommended. Expect to see vigorous growth and the need for PGRs early in the crop. 8 weeks response time. danzigeronline.com
V-shaped habit boasts strong, thick stems. This medium-vigour variety is best grown in pots 6 inches or larger. 7.5 to 8 weeks response time. syngentaflowers-us.com
For a recap of the 2020 poinsettia season and trial standouts, see page 24.
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When people think of sustainable food gardens, they tend to picture raised garden beds stretching over a backyard. While those with ample space tend to grow more produce, it is still possible to grow food in an apartment or condo, particularly as smaller living spaces rise in popularity.
So how can you help your condo-dwelling customers successfully start a garden? They can
Just as smaller-space dwellings are growing upwards, so too are vertical gardens.
use the vertical space around their living quarters, instead of the horizontal – this is known as vertical gardening.
Vertical gardening often uses wooden or metal structures that have been customized with drainage systems for water runoff and soil. While the produce output isn’t as great as it would be with a horizontal outdoor garden, they can still be plentiful enough for a small family or single person.
Ensure that your staff are equipped to help advise customers on some of these common vertical gardening problems.
• Not enough of a slope for water drainage, so plants became soggy and refuse to grow: There should be holes punched into the bottom
of the shelving, pails or pots to help water run off. Don’t want water pouring onto the street below? Suggest installing pails at various intervals, then properly disposing of the runoff or filtering it to use as fresh water for the plants.
• Not enough sun exposure, leading to weak plants that didn’t live very long: Suggest that the customer pick a spot that will have sun exposure for the better part of the day. If this isn’t an option or their vertical garden is indoors, they should consider investing in heat or grow lamps to counter this problem.
• Not enough room for garden maintenance –weeding, watering, etc.: The customer should try building their shelves so they can be removed from the structure or swing out a couple of inches to perform garden maintenance. If this isn’t an option, they should ensure that there is space between each shelf for completing gardening tasks. This has the bonus advantage of allowing the plants to grow to their full size without being stunted.
When it comes to vertical gardens, the sky’s the limit! As long as the garden features a watering system, ample sun and a way to catch soil, water runoff and debris, then they are set.
Some will use pallets to create their vertical garden’s support system, while others may repurpose metal shelving. Another popular option, especially for flowers and vines, is a gardening trellis where the plants wrap delicately around the posts of the structure for an elegant look. Flower pails can also be hung from nails on the trellis to keep the delicate plants out of harm’s way.
A vertical garden requires the same nutrients, watering and sun exposure as a horizontally raised garden bed. To help your customers succeed, ensure that their garden is in the path of sunlight, especially during daylight growing hours, and a well-thoughtout watering system that doesn’t require dragging buckets or watering cans up flights of stairs every evening. They should consider an irrigation system that uses rain water and look into liquid fertilizers over solid ones for convenience.
Timothy Moore is the lead editor of Backyard Boss and a lifelong backyard enthusiast.
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Weekly monitoring of greenhouse crops is essential for the success of integrated pest management programs. This includes both pest incidence and severity. Here are some key steps and how best to carry them out for effective monitoring.
The first step in a scouting program is setting up small sticky monitoring cards to detect flying insect pests, including thrips, whiteflies, winged aphids and fungus gnats.
Depending on the size of your greenhouse, use a minimum of one monitoring card per 100
Yellow monitoring cards are a good way to detect flying insect pests, such as thrips, whiteflies, winged aphids and fungus gnats.
to 200 square meters. Sticky cards should ideally be changed every two to four weeks to ensure accurate insect counts and maintain stickiness, depending on pest pressure.
Good recordkeeping of card counts is important, including the numbers of pests and flying beneficials caught on the cards, corresponding plant observations such as damage, and whether counts follow a general trend or indicate a sudden influx of pests.
When inspecting vegetable crops, scan plants as you move down the row, flip leaves over at random intervals and check the flowers. Gently shake the heads of tomato crops to flush out whitefly. Be sure to inspect the entire stems and roots of unhealthy looking plants.
In ornamental crops, scan the benches as you walk down the aisles. Pick up five to 10 per cent of the pots on each bench at random and check the undersides of leaves, growing points and stems to look for aphids, whitefly, mealybug and disease issues. Remove the pot and look at the roots of any wilted plants to check for disease. Plant taps are a great way to determine thrips pressure per plant.
In addition to insect and mite pests, look for unusual colouring of leaves, stems or roots, wilting foliage, unusual lesions and insect droppings including frass, cast skins or honeydew. When insect and mite pests or suspected diseases are found, mark the plants using different coloured flags or flagging tape to indicate different pests, then flag the end of the row and record the week number on the flag. This helps you return to problem areas to determine if management strategies are working.
Pheromone traps are another important monitoring tool. For example, a large yellow sticky trap can be baited with a chemical lure that is attractive to adult pepper weevils. Indicator or trap plants that are particularly attractive to certain pests can also be used to detect pests at low densities. Examples include marigolds or verbena for thrips, eggplant for whitefly and beans for spider mites. These can be used in vegetable or floriculture crops.
Once you’ve recorded observations from card counts, plant inspections and traps, use software to help visualize and track your data. Scouting records help you notice recurring trends in each crop, such as frequent hot spots and seasonal timing of key pests. This data can help you make evidence-based management decisions, which improves plant health and can save you time and money.
For more details, watch the five-minute video demonstration on greenhouseipm.org. This is one in a series of videos generously funded by the Canadian Greenhouse Conference, with support from Greenhouse Canada and Flowers Canada (Ontario).
Cara McCreary is the greenhouse vegetable IPM specialist, and Dr. Sarah Jandricic is the greenhouse floriculture IPM specialist at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). Ashley Summerfield is a senior research technician, and Dr. Rose Buitenhuis is the research scientist in biological control at Vineland Research and Innovation Centre.
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Emerging digital scouting apps help monitor and keep track of where pests in the greenhouse occur and when.
BY DON HORNE
The battle against greenhouse pests has meant a mountain of paper records that would put any librarian to the test.
Enter 21st century technology and digital apps. While it may be difficult for some to part with binders containing decades of valuable information, the shift to digital tracking is inevitable and much more efficient, effective and usable.
“Don’t leave your data on a page,” says Cara McCreary, greenhouse vegetable IPM specialist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). “There is so much you can learn from it. Not just in the moment, but throughout the production cycle and from year to year.”
Many of these apps aim to minimize the tedious parts of scouting, offering pre-populated pest records and customizable templates for faster recordkeeping.
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But that’s not all. Electronic records allow growers to more easily identify areas prone to higher pest pressure, whether during specific times of the year or triggered in part by particular weather events.
By gaining insight into pest occurrence and growth, timing of biological control applications and efficacy of biocontrol agents and pesticides, use of these apps can help reduce costs while increasing the efficacy of management techniques. The results can lessen the need for pesticides and increase crop health and yield.
When evaluating apps, McCreary suggests looking for key features that may fit a greenhouse’s needs. “Is it easy and quick to enter data? How would the speed compare to writing something on paper?” she asks. Other areas to look for include additional language options or graphics to overcome language
Scouting apps are improving in sophistication and capabilities. They can replace binders full of data and even generate insights to help greenhouses make decisions. Pictured: IPM Scoutek’s dashboard.
barriers, customizability of the app, and options to generate targeted reports.
IPM managers, owners, scouts, growers – each person is looking for different pieces of information at a different level of detail, says McCreary. Can the app generate a detailed report, as well as a brief overview?
With rapid improvements in app capabilities over the past few years, the next step is to maximize the possibilities offered by artificial intelligence.
“The more we get used to digitizing and sharing data, the better these apps will be at predicting and making accurate management recommendations,” says McCreary.
Here’s a look at some notable and emerging apps being used by Canadian greenhouses to combat pest problems.
In collaboration with leading greenhouse growers, technology innovators Brian Hendel and Carrie Izsak created IPM Scoutek, a scouting app and management interface that produces comprehensive pest and disease insights.
“This software improves the speed and accuracy of scouting, pest management and the traceability and cost of sprays and biologicals,” says Izsak, co-founder and CEO IPM Scoutek, based in Windsor, Ont.
Suitable for all greenhouse sectors, the app enables growers to more easily and accurately record pest and disease pressures. Growers can instantly identify risks to their crop using live pest pressure maps, then take action. The software also helps track the movement and density of biological control agents and measures their impact.
IPM Scoutek focuses on creating software that growers will want to use.
To make sense of the data, advanced reporting generates reports showing scouting efficiency, pest trends, and comparative analyses in costs and efficacy. A greenhouse mapping function allows for highly detailed and flexible crop configurations.
For seamless communication, customizable scouting and crop protection assignments can be instantly updated and shared. User-specific access is available, from scouts to owners. Pest, disease and product libraries can also be tailored, and label searches linked to Health Canada.
“While most software companies build software that check functional boxes, we create software that people want to use, from its well-architected interface, to its visual appeal, to the relentless struggle for fewer clicks and less user work,” says Izsak.
Focusing on the software as the main product rather than an add-on service, the team actively troubleshoots with clients and incorporates feedback from greenhouse owners and growers in building new features. “The result is a very low friction, low barrier-to-adoption solution.”
Available in English and Spanish, plans are in place to roll out other languages commonly used in the greenhouse.
First released in July 2019 by Ipsum Vision Inc., the BugVision app helps decipher data collected into digital records, collating information from the old-school method of pen and paper as well as the newer format of Excel scouting sheets.
“Our pest management strategy is based on planning rather than action triggered by
scouting numbers,” says Sébastien Leroux, owner of Ipsum Vision and developer of BugVision. Scouting and monitoring thresholds are set to check that the strategy is working. “And when required, a curative plan is triggered to get pest infestations under control.”
The grower starts by selecting from pre-populated lists of pests, bugs, traps and plants, then creating and mapping locations in the software to reflect the greenhouse layout.
From this, says Leroux, growers can prepare templates for regular monitoring and data input, then finetune their needs from there. This is all part of the quick start procedure that helps users get up and running in less than half-an-hour.
“You can set up thresholds for each crop/pest pair and be notified,” says Leroux. The dashboards highlight two major pieces of scouting information, namely the trends of the different pests and locations of their hotspots. Customizable reports and charts are presented here, which include filters that allow the operator to drill down for a finer analysis and to help make decisions.
For specific crops and situations, such as crop stages, environment, and time of year, Leroux says that his team at BugVision works alongside greenhouse operators to implement a preventive plan that will keep pests under control.
BugVision’s data is available remotely and access is customizable to four different levels, with varying degrees of permission.
“You can invite your favourite consultants to participate and provide you with remote advice,” says Leroux.
APRIL 14, 2021 / CANNABIS
Presented by
JUNE 22, 2021 / FLOWERS AND VEGETABLES
Presented by
MEET WITH EXPERTS AND GROWERS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY, AND DISCUSS THE LATEST IN RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGY AND PRODUCTION PRACTICES DURING THIS TWODAY VIRTUAL EVENT, HOSTED BY GREENHOUSE CANADA AND GROW OPPORTUNITY.
DAY 1 APRIL 14
CANNABIS
DAY 2 JUNE 22
FLOWERS AND VEGETABLES
SPOTLIGHTS ALL THINGS CANNABIS CULTIVATION, INCLUDING TRENDS AND ISSUES THAT IMPACT CANADA’S LICENSED CANNABIS PRODUCERS.
HIGHLIGHTS NEW TRENDS, TACKLES ISSUES FROM A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE AND PROMOTES DISCUSSION AMONG FLOWER AND VEGETABLE GROWERS TO ADVANCE THE INDUSTRY.
Version 2.0 is being prepared for launch during the first quarter of 2021, and is set to include features that will lighten data input tasks. Language-wise, French and Spanish are in the works.
Koppert Biological Systems replaced their previous software with the Natutec Scout app, which received the GreenTech Innovation Award in 2019. It has two parts: a mobile app and a dashboard.
The app offers customizable templates to start. Once the user selects the crop, scouting options for pests and diseases appear, and the data is all linked to location. What’s impressive is the app’s ability for image recognition, which currently identifies and counts thrips and whiteflies using photos taken of Horiver sticky cards.
The dashboard then uses this data for oversight of pests and diseases. Capable of creating detailed maps, reports and comparisons for specific locations in the greenhouse, information can be whittled down to the post level in real-time.
“It is wonderful to now have an app on your cell phone that has all the maps for your farm at your fingertips to input all your findings at their exact location within each range,” says Shannon Impens, Koppert’s scouting supervisor. “One is no longer left to guess where the pests, hotspots or diseases were located, or where to place the biologicals. It’s now all right there on the screen for us to see.”
The user can also add treatments and download reports analyzing the efficacy of biological and chemical applications.
“Now we can click a button and compare data week-to-week, month-to-month, year-by-year, etc. and it’s so much easier and more convenient,” says Impens.
With the dashboard accessible remotely, a grower or a consultant can immediately see the uploaded maps from each scouting session from wherever they are. A monitoring function emits alerts when pests have reached or exceeded harmful thresholds. This allows the chance to make quick decisions on what is needed to rectify issues in problem areas.
“Natutec Scout offers extensive analysis, graphs, alerts, providing optimal timing for starting biological solutions resulting in a healthier crop,” says Impens. “Centrally stored data is accessible from anywhere you are remotely and fully customizable to use with not only vegetable crops, but also in ornamentals and cannabis crops.”
A help button in the app connects the user with a Natutec Scout Program
Manager. The app is currently available in seven languages: English, Italian, French, Spanish, Russian, Dutch and Polish.
Cornell University’s Pocket IPM Greenhouse Scout is a mobile app that combines pest and biological control information with an interactive system for collecting scouting and application data.
The app covers the primary insect pests of greenhouse floriculture crops – including aphids, fungus gnats, shore flies, thrips, whiteflies, mites, scales and mealybugs, and leafminers – and the beneficial insects used to manage them. Though not customizable per se, the pre-populated library is designed to be flexible in expanding to a broader range of crops, including vegetables or cannabis. Developers can add new insect pests on request.
As a reference guide, the app provides information on identification of insect pests and beneficials, which are cross-linked
for easier reference. Pest pages include damage caused, life cycles, and how to monitor for the pest along with pictures. Pages on beneficials include information on best environments, methods for using the organism, how to check for viability, and interactions between pesticides and the biocontrol agent. Growers should double check with the PMRA before using any listed crop protection products, as not all will be registered in Canada.
As a scouting tool, users create ‘locations’ where they would like to scout – be it a sticky card, a crop or a bench – and choose insects and beneficials to include in their counts for that location. The app creates a QR code for each location, which can be printed and used to mark the location or crop. Using a smart device, the QR code leads to a scouting page with the selected insects and date already loaded.
A user can also add information on applications of biological control agents and pesticides used to manage pests, linked to location by the same QR code.
“Scouting and application data is recorded and graphed by location and date so that the grower can see the effect of pest management actions,” says Dr. Elizabeth Lamb, of the NYS Integrated Pest Management Program, Cornell University. “From the website, graphs or raw data can be viewed directly or downloaded, if they really want to keep those three-ring binders!”
For technical support, both Lamb and the programming company are on hand to address them. Efforts are underway to acquire funding for translating the app into Spanish, with the potential for other languages in the future.
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The lush foliage of tropical plants attracts both wanted and unwanted attention. Here are key pests to look out for in the greenhouse and at retail.
BY SUZANNE WAINWRIGHT-EVANS
Anytime you have plants, there’s always a risk of insects or mites feeding on them. Tropical plants have particularly lush foliage that are very nutritious to many pests. That’s why it is important to know which pests you have, so you can target them using the best possible solutions. Sometimes, the solution is a pesticide spray program or a biocontrol program. Other times, it may be a combination of both. If you’re using a combination program, make sure you work closely with someone who is well-versed in the biological control agents’ pesticide compatibility. Keep fungicides in mind because some can have negative impacts on biological
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control agents, and they’re easy to overlook when developing a program. Here are some key pests you might come across when working with tropical plants.
One of the more common pests of tropical plants is the twospotted spider mite (TSSM, Tetranychus urticae). It is considered a cosmopolitan pest; meaning it’s found in many parts of the world. It can feed on a number of tropical plants like dieffenbachia, alocasia, assorted palm species, and crotons.
TSSM feed by sticking its mouth parts into the plant cells of the leaves
The striped mealybug (Ferrisia virgata) can be a pest of tropicals. Be sure to check the trunks and stems of hibiscus where they are often found.
and sucking out the contents. This is what causes the typical light-coloured speckling on damaged leaves. However, not all plants react in the same way to feeding damage. On crotons, the feeding damage actually causes the plant to turn red.
TSSM are easy to scout for; simply look at the undersides of leaves. You not only want to look for adults, but also their eggs. Once detected, TSSM can be managed using biological control agents or pesticide applications. You will need to look at your specific situation to decide which option is best for you.
In a controlled environment like a greenhouse, pesticides may be an effective option as long as you can get good spray coverage and the TSSM are not resistant to the miticide. Because tropical foliage plants can grow very dense, good spray coverage is very important. Most miticides either work on contact or are translaminar, moving just a short distance in the leaf. When selecting a miticide, make sure you take note of which life stages are actually controlled by the product. Some products will only kill immature stages and adults, while others will also target their eggs.
As getting good spray coverage can be a challenge, many growers of tropical foliage opt to use predatory mites to control this pest. The predatory mites can climb down into the plants’ canopy, finding all life stages of the TSSM and stopping them in their tracks. They also work 24/7.
There are many species of predatory mites on the market that feed on TSSM, so it’s best to work with someone who can help guide you to the best species for your situation. The most commonly used species are Phytoseiulus persimilis and Neoseiulus californicus because they specifically target TSSM, are easy to obtain and are economical.
There are many insects that like to feed on tropical foliage. Some are pretty obvious, like caterpillars, where you can see the chewing damage. But we do not see a lot of caterpillar damage in tropical production areas. Other pests that have piercing / sucking mouthparts can be a little more challenging to diagnose and are more common.
Aphids, whiteflies and scales all have piercing sucking mouthparts. Their mouths are like straws that stick into plant material for sucking out the sap. Because of this, they can produce excessive amounts of sugars which they excrete,
leaving a sticky substance on the plant. As aphids feed, they can cause distortion in new plant growth and leave white cast skins on the plant. These are often mistaken for whiteflies. It’s always important to check and make sure you have a live active population of a pest before treating it, and not just the remaining dead bodies from an old infestation.
Aphids: There are many species of aphids found on tropical crops, so best to get them identified if you find them. They have a pretty wide host range, including
hibiscus, which is growing in popularity. If you can get good spray coverage, contact pesticides may be one option for control. But because coverage is often an issue, growers typically want to use systemic pesticides. These can be effective as long as the pest is not resistant to the product. There are also more limitations on systemic use due to pollinator issues. Biological control is another option for aphids, but this is more for use on the production side, not for remediating a problem in a holding area or retail
environment. Biological control is also designed to be used as a preventative treatment, not necessarily a curative one. There are many species of parasitoids and predators for aphid management on the market today. If you have an aphid issue, talk to your biological control supplier and see if beneficials would work for your particular situation.
Whiteflies are not super common on tropical foliage, but they have been a problem for Ficus plants in recent years due to the specific species, ficus whitefly (Singhiella simplex). This species is specific to Ficus and does not move into other foliage crops. It can be treated with pesticides, but there are no commercial biological control agents for this species.
Scales are a bit more common on tropical foliage, and are found on palms, ficus, schefflera as well as other plants. The scales can either be soft or armoured. Soft scales are the ones that produce a sticky substance called ‘honeydew’, while armoured scales do not.
Horticultural oils have proven to be very effective in managing scales, but keep in mind that once the scale is dead, the body will still remain on the plant material and may need to be physically removed. In addition to oils, insect growth regulators and systemic pesticides have also been proven to work well in the management of this pest. Unfortunately, there are no good biocontrol agents for scales on the market at this time.
Mealybugs have become one of the biggest pests in tropical foliage in recent years. Mealybugs are actually a type of soft scale. They have the same piercing / sucking mouthparts and will produce honeydew. There are many different species, but their biology is somewhat similar.
The challenge can often be finding them on plants because they can hide well, tucked into leaf petioles. There are even species of mealybugs that live on roots of plants. For mealybugs that are exposed, horticultural oils and insecticidal soaps can perform well on contact. Because they’re often tucked into folds, contact products have a hard time reaching them and systemic pesticides are needed.
Sometimes you need to take a hard look at the economics of control. You may decide that it’s cheaper to just get rid of the infected plants. When it comes to biological control, it’s typically not very economical to use beneficials for mealybugs on tropical foliage. Yes, there can be exceptions, such as in botanical gardens, specimen plants, or very long-term crops.
In the long run, pesticides are often less expensive and more effective for mealybug control in production or re-wholesale situations.
Thrips: Another pest we may see are thrips. Their mouthparts are a little different from piercing / sucking insects. Instead, thrips have rasping mouthparts that scrape the leaf tissue. The ones found in tropical foliage are usually a different species. Thrips found in other floriculture crops tend to be the western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis). On tropical foliage plants, we see species like chilli thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis), poinsettia thrips (Echinothrips americanus), and greenhouse thrips (Heliothrips haemorrhoidalis), among others.
Thrips can prove to be a challenging problem to manage because they lay their eggs inside the plant tissues where pesticides cannot reach them, not even systemics! Some species also pupate in the soil, so a conventional spray program cannot target this life stage.
If you are considering biological control, be aware that not all of these thrips species can be managed through augmented biocontrol (i.e. buying and releasing beneficials). The poinsettia thrips is an excellent example, and it feeds on a lot more than just poinsettia. This thrips species is very good at defending itself, and the predatory mites normally used to manage other thrips species cannot get them under control. Poinsettia thrips does not pupate in the soil, so beneficials that we often use for managing thrips, like beneficial nematodes, do not work. Beneficial nematodes live in the soil and
poinsettia thrips completes its entire life cycle in the plant canopy. This is why it’s important to first identify the thrips species you are dealing with before attempting to manage it.
For managing thrips, many growers have found success in using combination programs of pesticides and biological control agents. Many of the newer pesticides (including microbial products) tend to be more compatible with biological control agents than pesticides of the past. Management choices will depend on which specific species you’re dealing with.
Fungus gnats: Another industry-wide pest is the fungus gnat. Tropical foliage tends to require more irrigation, often resulting in a nice, damp environment for fungus gnat larvae to live in. Normally, fungus gnats are merely considered a nuisance in larger plants, but they can vector plant pathogens. If these plants are destined for a retail environment or an interiorscape, fungus gnats need to be managed because they can become an annoyance to customers. Luckily these gnats are easy to manage.
Many growers are already using beneficial nematodes (Steinernema feltiae). They’re easy to apply, economical, and you do not have to worry about resistance issues. There is also no re-entry interval (REI) when using them as they are exempt from pesticide regulations, just like the predatory mites, predators and parasitoids. There are other biological control agents that can be applied to media, like Stratiolaelaps scimitus (mite) and Dalotia coriaria (beetle). These help provide control of fungus gnat larva and manage other soil-dwelling pests.
It is really important to have a good scouting program for detecting pests early. If you’re bringing in tropical foliage, make sure you have a good protocol in place for inspecting incoming plant material. This should include all plant parts, along with the growing media. It is also wise to have a quarantine area for temporarily holding incoming plants, just to make sure that pests did not arrive with the new plants. Preventing the spread of an incoming pest to the rest of your facility is much easier than trying to control them later.
Suzanne Wainwright-Evans is a horticultural entomologist and owner of Buglady Consulting. She can be reached at Info@Bugladyconsulting.com.
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Small changes could reduce risks and improve profit margins.
BY MELHEM SAWAYA
“If all the factors that took place last year are repeated in the next, and all the suggestions in this article are taken, then growing poinsettia could be profitable.” This was the final sentence of last year’s poinsettia recap article for the 2019 season.
In 2020, all of the factors were repeated, with a few additional improvements. But still, it seems there were some systemic traditions that we did not yet have the courage to change.
Ontario’s poinsettia season ended well this past year, even though almost 60 to 70 per cent of the charity fundraisers and church sales did not happen due to COVID-19. On the other hand, there was at least a five per cent reduction in poinsettia production due to some growers who stopped
producing the crop entirely and others who reduced their production volumes. If production numbers from 2019 had stayed the same in 2020, we could have avoided slight shortages in some sizes.
The reason why some growers stopped growing poinsettia was the small profit margin relative to the risks of growing the crop, which makes it a very questionable crop. This is not a new realization, but to my knowledge, it has been this way for the past 43 years. So, why is one of the largest known flowering potted crops grown grudgingly?
The answer always comes back to low profit margins compared to risks taken.
In the 80s and 90s, we used to think that growing more per square foot would be the solution
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to the problem because heating costs would then take up the highest percentage of the total cost. We countered that by growing plants suspended in the air as well as smaller sized plants, but that led to overproduction and a drop in selling price. Desperate for ways to get rid of a crop we had invested in, it became a buyer’s market that took advantage of the oversupply.
Correction to the oversupply began in the 2000s when production was cut by at least 20 per cent. Production started to become somewhat in line with demand. In the years that followed, the mantra, “grow to only what is ordered” took hold.
In the meantime, labour costs started climbing drastically, and mechanization began to be taken more seriously. It was not just potting machines and rollers, but the entire greenhouse infrastructure, such as taking out benches and installing flood floors so machinery could handle moving product and robots could take the night shift and space pots. All these changes came with a cost that required a higher profit margin to survive, and they worked, only to be eaten up by rising shipping costs.
For the last 10 to 15 years, poinsettias have been sold on prices previously agreed upon with hardly any price cuts. But that price was not negotiated. Rather, it’s been forced on by the big buyers, with no understanding of how the product can be improved in quality and presentation and still be economical for the consumer, the buyer, and the grower.
Production technology is always progressing, but adopting it takes a little more time for some growers because of the mentality “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.” This thinking only works until the whole process of growing the plants becomes so backwards that there is no way to compete at the level of the other growers who have been improving little by little all along. This goes for all other crops, too.
With that in mind, try to be open to new ideas. Small changes in production practices could reduce the risks and improve the profit margins on poinsettias. Here is a recap of the 2020 season, along with some suggestions to help improve your bottom line for 2021.
If I thought last year’s weather conditions were optimal for flower initiation and bract colouring, this year’s were even better. With slightly cooler nights and bright sunshine for 10 to 12 days towards the end of October, it was a perfect environment for producing a perfect crop.
Micro drenches of Bonzi can be used at any stage of production. It will not reduce the bracts to unsalable conditions. Proper applications of Bonzi will produce a much better-quality product.
Here some guidelines to consider when you are using Bonzi:
• PGR applications should be uniform, especially if you are using a drip system, in which case, use lower rates with high volumes so the whole root ball is evenly wet. This is also important for non-PGR irrigation with drip systems.
• Treatments are more effective when the plants are in the fastgrowing stage. This goes for using any growth regulator. You should track the height of the plants right after pinching.
• Avoid any Bonzi applications overhead, but if that is the only way you can apply it, then rinse with clear water using your sprayer and not the watering nozzles.
• Timing is the best growth regulator. Having said that, you cannot delay planting to have shorter plants because the bracts will not colour properly in low light conditions.
• If a later crop sale date is required, grow a later flowering
variety in its own section. That way, you can control the temperature without affecting other cultivars. Some crops shipped later in the season, but were not programmed for it, showed signs of Botrytis on the bracts as well as cyathia drop.
If you are spraying Cycocel, be aware of your clear water EC. Cycocel normally has a high EC. When mixed with high EC water, this leads to phytotoxicity for the plants, and not just for poinsettias.
Overall, the best forms of Botrytis control are still lower humidity without drastic fluctuations in temperature.
The best crops are grown when all aspects of production are completed on time. Yes, I am saying it again and it will not be the last time: When growing crops, 15 per cent is knowledge, 15 per cent is knowing how to apply this knowledge and 70 per cent is completing everything on time.
Timing is a major part of growing green because fewer or no
chemicals treatments are needed that way.
There are many new promising poinsettia varieties these days.
At the open house at Cherry Creek Greenhouses this year, we saw remarkable varieties of interest that were improvements over the older genetics. You can choose among them to fit a certain pot size or shipping date.
Varieties suitable for one size may not necessarily be good for other sizes without changing the timing and culture. This also goes for shipping dates.
There are varieties that flower by November 10 without any blackout. They can be grown in any size by adjusting the scheduling. The time between pinching and short days determines the desired final size. Short varieties or vigorous varieties can be manipulated to be grown into any size, as long as you know the time of the year for flower initiation and adjust accordingly with sticking and pinch dates. The longer the length of time between pinching and short days, the taller the finished size, as long as all other factors are the same.
In Canada or any region north of the 42nd parallel, we can only grow varieties that initiate flowers by Sept. 30 in order to produce vibrant bracts. That is, unless the crop is finished under high intensity lights during the day. Poinsettia bracts or any other flowering bracts need specific temperatures and light intensities to colour properly.
The cuttings for the trials this year arrived in much less than optimal condition. Due to timing and shipping logistics, the cuttings took much longer than normal to root, which delayed production schedules. To compensate, the crop was lit until Sept. 29 for extra vegetative time. This meant no growth regulators applied. The result was less than optimal, but it was still an excellent trial where we could clearly see the differences between a doctored crop and a normal crop with proper timing.
Here were some of the promising varieties:
- Red: Christmas Bells, Mirage, Imperial, and Ferrara Red. These varieties have V-shaped habits that eliminate the need for rings and have excellent breaks, good centres and strong branches.
- White: Alaska, Frozen, Biancaneve, J’Adore White Pearl, and Princettia Pure White. These pure white varieties have different growing habits but are excellent once growers become familiar with them.
- Off-white: Candy Wintergreen, Christmas Beauty North Pole, Wintersun White.
- Pink: Early Polly’s Pink, Christmas Joy Pink, Carina Hot Pink.
- Novelty: Superba New Glitter, J’Adore series, Princettia series.
Red poinsettias account for at least 93 percent of the total poinsettias grown, with four per cent white, two per cent pink and one per cent miscellaneous
Remember, new varieties are only for you to try. If you like how they grow and they meet consumer tastes, then increase production and get rid of the varieties that they can replace.
Regardless of which variety you grow, ensure that the planting media is not flush with the pot rim. This gives stores and homeowners a reservoir to be able to water the plants more effectively.
Almost all growers experienced zero issues with any kind of disease, except for a small number of Erwinea incidents that were directly related to plant stress from delays in shipping.
There were no issues with root problems and no preventative fungicides were applied. Diseases generally do not want anything to do with happy plants, and happy plants do not welcome diseases.
Proper watering, checking for EC’s and pH’s along with proper environmental conditions, set the stage for plant health with no need for fungicides.
Whitefly was not an issue this year for the following reasons:
• Stock producers are doing a much better job at shipping cleaner cuttings.
• Almost all cuttings are receiving a dip treatment, which takes care of any hidden whitefly adults or eggs.
• The dip can neutralize residual chemicals applied by the stock producers, so the bios work more effectively.
• Almost 98 per cent of the growers are dipping the cuttings again before planting, because the dip is more effective on
hatched eggs that could be carried on the cuttings.
• The same 98 per cent of growers used bios as their first line of defense
• There was no need for a second line of defense, though some growers applied certain chemicals as insurance. At the end of the season, here was the consensus on how to control whitefly in poinsettia.
1. Before propagation and planting, the planting areas are to be cleaned thoroughly with no pet plants or other crops around.
2. Open the boxes in a cool room and dip cuttings in the Botanigard solution. Put them in a cool room at 10 degrees Celsius overnight, or at least 4 hours before sticking, making sure the cuttings are never dehydrated.
3. Before sticking, dip cuttings in an insecticidal soap.
4. Before planting, dip the cuttings in a mixture of Botanigard and horticultural soap.
5. Start bio treatment soon after, until around Oct. 10 to 15.
6. Shift to chemicals if needed at finish. All this is essential to achieving a profitable crop, but there are new issues around extra costs including labour, shipping, price of cuttings (which have doubled compared to 10 years ago), bio treatments to achieve green production, and greenhouse expansions now cost at least 30 per cent more compared to what they were only three years ago. If these costs are not reflected in the selling price, then we are on a slippery slope that could severely reduce the number of growers producing poinsettia.
Here were some of the key takeaways from this past season.
- Grow varieties that you are familiar with and try new ones on a small scale.
- Calculate your costs for any required specs and do not forget about packaging and shipping.
- Take an order when there is still some profit margin and not just dollar sales.
- Never grow on pure speculation.
- If you run out of plants at the end of the season and you need to buy more, that is when you are starting to make headway profit-wise.
- Do not cheat on what the crop needs to grow properly. It will cost you much more at the end if you do.
- Discuss your actual costs with your buyer and all the increases you are
facing, especially if they want you to be able to continue supplying them with quality product.
- Start a study group with the growers in your vicinity. If you are around southwestern Ontario, join us by sending me an email. That was impossible due to COVID-19 last year. Hopefully, this year will be different. And finally, if all the factors that took place this year are repeated again next year, then growing poinsettia could be profitable.
Next year, the poinsettia trials will
take place at the newly relocated Sawaya Gardens. We will look at different ideas on how to present a better-quality product at an economical cost. At the same time, we will work with some buyers and breeders to better reflect their requirements. This way, all facets of the industry, as well as the consumer, can be successful.
Melhem Sawaya of Focus Greenhouse Management is a consultant and research coordinator to the horticultural industry. He can be reached at mel@ focusgreenhousemanagement.com.
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Landscape and container trials reveal standouts in each category.
BY RODGER TSCHANZ
BELOW
These varieties excelled in their categories at the Guelph and Milton trials in 2020.
It is fortunate that plants can always provide us with moments of pleasure and joy in the face of pandemic gloom and uncertainty.
In spite of COVID-19 restrictions and protocols, the University of Guelph was able to host a small open house at the Landscape Ontario and Guelph Turfgrass locations during the second week of August in 2020. Approximately 520 annuals and perennials were trialed in beds and containers, where appropriate.
In this article, I will highlight particular plants which exhibited unique ornamental displays and above average garden performance in the 2020 trials. The elevated temperatures of early summer, in combination with spotty, but at times intense rain and wind, had a significant impact on the performance of each individual trial entry.
In the small-sized bloom category of petunias (approx. 3 cm diameter), two particular entries stood out: Supertunia Mini Vista Pink Star from Proven Winners and Dekko Banana from Syngenta.
Measuring 28 cm high and 100 cm in spread, Supertunia Mini Vista Pink Star [1] had the same vigour as others in the Mini Vista series with mounds of pink striped, white blooms. Supertunia Lovie Dovie had a similar colour and star pattern to Mini Vista Pink Star. When planted alongside each other, Lovie Dovie had a noticeably whiter hue than M.V. Pink Star, which may be of potential interest to
landscape and container designers.
Dekko Banana [2] had deep yellow blooms, sometimes with hints of orange. Trailing stems reached lengths of 80 cm by summer’s end in containers. The bloom on Dekko Banana rebounded well from pounding rains, and sometimes exhibited a cupped bloom shape in response to stress.
In the medium-sized bloom category (4.5-6 cm diameter), of special interest were the Durabloom series from Dümmen Orange and Bee’s Knees from Ball.
First introduced in 2019, the Durabloom series continued to show resilience in the face of challenging climatic conditions while introducing new colours to the marketplace. The colours Watermelon [3a], Hot Pink and Purple [3b] showed very well in our 2020 trials in both containers and landscape. Expect a mounding habit in the garden with heights ranging from 20 to 30 cm and spread of 50 to 80 cm.
Bee’s Knees [4] from Ball FloraPlant received a lot of media attention in the past months and for good reason. Some of its key features include climatic resilience and a deep yellow colour that doesn’t fade as the bloom ages. In a separate container trial, we compared Bee’s Knees with two other “yellow” petunia cultivars. Bee’s Knees exhibited
noticeably better drought and rain tolerance than the comparisons. Our observations would also suggest that the yellow colour deepens with cooler temperatures later in the summer. With Bee’s Knees, expect canopy heights ranging from 20 to 30 cm and spread of 50 to 90 cm by the end of the summer.
Two new geraniums stood out.
The new Caldera series of interspecific geraniums from Syngenta caught a lot of attention from trial garden visitors in the containers and in landscape. The colours trialed were red, pink, and salmon [5], and all displayed ivy-like foliage and self-cleaning flower heads. Measuring 40 cm high by 70 cm wide, the loosely upright growth habit made it suitable for both container and landscape applications. Individual bloom diameters were ~5 cm and the overall inflorescence was 12 to 14 cm. Caldera demonstrated good heat tolerance and bloomed well all through the summer. Another Syngenta geranium offering was Rosalie Antique Salmon [6] with its double, rosebud-shaped bloom. The individual flowers had an average diameter of 4 cm and cluster diameter of 9 cm. Its overall vigour was moderate with flower heights of 27 to 40 cm and
plant spread of 30 to 40 cm. This plant seemed to perform best in the container trial compared to the landscape trial.
Many days in June and July exceeded 30°C, allowing heat-loving plants such as the zinnia to truly show their magnificent bloom potential.
With a spectrum of eight different colours, the Preciosa [7] series of Zinnia elegans from American Takii was a highlight wherever it was planted in the landscape. The colours in the series were well-matched in bloom time and growth habit. By the end of the Ontario growing season, its dimensions in the landscape were 60 cm high by 60 cm spread. Like most members of the Z. elegans species, powdery mildew became evident late in the summer as nighttime temperatures dropped, but the disease did not take away from the show of blooms that lasted until the killing frost. Bloom diameter for this series ranged between 7 and 8 cm.
On an exciting note, All-America Selections (AAS) announced its most recent Gold Medal winner, and the first since 2004. An AAS Gold Medal winner will have received the highest marks possible from a majority of AAS judges across Canada and the United States.
The winner is a new addition to the Profusion zinnia series by Sakata. Profusion Red Yellow Bicolor [8] was entered into the 2020 AAS ornamental seed judging trial, which included the Ontario judging sites at the University of Guelph and William Dam Seeds. The newly opened flower petals have a dark red centre and a contrasting dark yellow perimeter. What makes this bloom so unique is that, as it ages, the young petal colours transition to shades of pink and salmon. From our observations in Ontario, it would seem that the colour change in older blooms is intensified by cooler, late summer temperatures. Like all members of the Profusion series, it is resistant to powdery mildew and has a growth habit well-suited for container and landscape applications; garden heights reached 34-39 cm with 33-48 cm spread. This zinnia selection also received the 2022 Fleuroselect Gold Medal award.
Brainiac from Benary is a new series of dwarf cockscomb celosia. We trialled four individual colours in the series: Raven Red [9a], Lightning Yellow [9b], Think Pink and Mad Magenta [9c]
Although not trialled in 2020, Robo Red is also available as a single colour, and the colour Orange is available as part of a seed mix. The creative naming of the series and of the colours will certainly help with marketing, but so will its container performance. In containers, this entry was a standout and picked as a favourite of those visiting the 2020 open house. Because of its diminutive size at 15 to 20 cm in height and width, this celosia seemed to get lost in our landscape plantings, and rain-splashed soil further diminished its ornamental value. In contrast, this compact habit was well suited for container applications.
The Sol series of celosia from PanAmerican Seed offers a different ornamental experience where the foliage is the focus, at least in the early part of the season. We trialed Sol Gekko Green [10a] (2021 Fleuroselect Gold Medal winner) with its green and dark purple bicoloured foliage, as well as Sol Lizzard Leaf [10b] which developed deep red wine foliage in full sun. The upright growth habit, balanced branching and semi-glossy leaves make for an attractive foliar addition to a sun garden or as a container component. Garden heights were in the 45 to 55-cm range with similar dimensions in spread. Flowers did eventually emerge on both Sol selections in August, but the foliage continued to have ornamental dominance into September. The Sol series performed well in both containers and the landscape.
The addition of White Green Leaf [11] to the BIG series of Begonia benariensis from Benary is of special note for the coming season.
Until now this large, vigorous waxy leaved begonia series with versatility in both shade and sun locations had a limited flower colour palette. Flower options ranged from red to various shades of pink, paired with bronze to greener leaves. This new addition displays white flowers among true green leaves, even after full sun exposure, furthering the potential for landscape design in the BIG series. Container-grown trial plants for this cultivar reached almost 55 cm in height by mid-October. In the landscape, trial bed heights were closer to 40 cm with a similar spread.
New salvia releases are always of great interest because of the genera’s typical tolerance to drought and heat, as well as its appeal to pollinators.
Lancelot [12], a new Salvia canariensis from PanAmerican Seed has all of these attributes along with some unique foliage for the salvia group. Lancelot’s triangular leaves with soft white hairs produced a grey appearance that dominated the first half of the summer. As the season progressed, lavender-coloured blooms appeared above the foliage. This selection is suitable for both container and landscape applications. Expect the flowering stalks to reach garden heights of at least 72 cm with similar spread for the foliage.
Open house week is planned for August 9-13, 2021 at the trial gardens in Milton and Guelph, with a formal Open House date set for August 12. We hope you can visit to see the 2021 offerings for yourself.
Rodger Tschanz is the trial garden manager for the University of Guelph and Landscape Ontario. For more information about the trial plants and trial program, contact Rodger at rtschanz@uoguelph.ca
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BY DR. RAYMOND A. CLOYD
Proper identification of insect and mite pests, along with the plant damage they cause, is an important component of plant protection and pest management. Some of the most commonly misidentified insect and mite pests in the greenhouse are mistaken for one another due to similarities in appearance of the pest or the damage they cause. Here are some key culprits.
Let us first discuss damage. Because twospotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae), western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis), and leafhoppers all have piercing-sucking mouthparts, the damage they cause may appear similar, though not identical.
Twospotted spider mites use their stylet-like mouthparts to pierce and feed on individual
ABOVE
plant cells, which results in damage to the spongy mesophyll, palisade parenchyma, and chloroplasts. Symptoms of feeding damage include leaves that are bleached and stippled with small silvery-gray to yellow speckles (Figure 1). In addition, the upper leaf surface will be mottled. Leaves heavily infested with twospotted spider mites will have webbing on the underside along the mid-rib, and molting (cast) skins will be present (Figure 2). Leaves will be bronzed, turn brown, and eventually fall off plants.
Western flower thrips feed on the mesophyll and epidermal cells of leaf tissues using a single stylet in the mouth that punctures plant cells. They then insert a set of paired stylets that lacerate and damage cell tissues, which allows western flower thrips to imbibe cellular fluids. Symptoms
Twospotted spider mites: Leaves appear stippled or speckled (Figure 1) with molting (cast) skins and webbing present, especially when infestations are extensive, on the leaf underside (Figure 2). In addition, leaves may appear bronzed or bleached.
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Western flower thrips: The upper leaf surface appears silvery (Figure 3) with sunken tissues on leaf undersides. Black fecal deposits (“thrips poop”) may be present on the undersides of leaves in the sunken tissues (Figure 4).
Leafhoppers: Nymphs and molting (cast) skins of nymphs will be present on leaf undersides, but no fecal deposits (Figure 5).
of feeding include a silvery appearing leaf (Figure 3), leaf scarring, distorted growth, sunken tissues on the undersides of leaves, and deformed flowers. Black fecal deposits (“thrips poop”) may be present on the undersides of leaves (Figure 4)
Leafhoppers are another insect pest that can cause plant damage similar to twospotted spider mite and western flower thrips. Leafhoppers feed within the vascular tissues of plants including
the phloem (food-conducting tissues) and xylem (water-conducting tissues). Their feeding results in leaves appearing speckled or bleached. Nymphs and molting or cast skins of the nymphs will be present on the leaf underside (Figure 5). In addition, no webbing or black fecal deposits (“thrips poop”) will be present on the underside of leaves.
Although plant damage may appear somewhat similar among the three pests, you can use a 10x or 16x hand lens
and look on the leaf underside for the presence of the actual culprit.
Now let us look at pests similar in appearance. Although fungus gnat and shore fly adults may look alike when they are flying around or are present on plants, they are very distinct in appearance.
Fungus gnat (Bradysia spp.) adults are winged, about 3 to 4 mm (0.011 to 0.015 inches) in length, with long legs
and antennae resembling a mosquito. In addition, each forewing has a ‘y-shape.’
Shore fly (Scatella spp ) adults, on the other hand, resemble a housefly, Musca domestica, except they are smaller, 3.1 mm (0.125 inch) long, black, with short legs and antennae. Moreover, each forewing has at least five light-coloured spots
For comparison, Figure 6 shows a fungus gnat and shore fly adult captured on a yellow sticky card.
If you still require verification regarding proper identification of twospotted spider mite, western flower thrips, leafhoppers, fungus gnats, or shore flies, then you can submit samples or specimens (live preferred) to an extension agent or independent plant diagnostic clinic. Below is a listing of educational material, which will help you identify all the major insect and mite pests that are encountered in greenhouse production systems:
• Identification of insects and related pests of horticultural plants (Lindquist, R. K., and R. A. Cloyd). 2005.
• Plant protection: managing greenhouse insect and mite pests (Cloyd, R. A). 2007.
• Greenhouse pest management (Cloyd, R. A). 2016.
• Integrated pest management for floriculture and nurseries (Dreistadt, S. H.). 2001.
• Pests & diseases of herbaceous perennials: the biological approach (Gill, S., R. A. Cloyd, J. R. Baker, D. L. Clement, and E. Dutky). 2006.
Raymond A. Cloyd is a professor and extension specialist in horticultural entomology/plant protection in the Department of Entomology at Kansas State University. He can be reached at 785-5324750 or rcloyd@ksu.edu
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GARY JONES | Gary.Jones@kpu.ca
Back in November 2020, I was fortunate to enjoy an evening at the BCLNA 2020 Virtual Awards Gala. For the first time the event had not been held in-person, I have to say it was just great. The BCLNA team and MC’s (Bill MacKenzie of Inline Nurseries and Lynda Krabbendam of West Creek Farms) did a lovely job, treading that fine line between ‘respectable event formality’ and an evening enjoyed simply being (online) with friends. With Christmas decorations adorning the desk space of many ‘there’, and festive beverages of choice being enjoyed in comfortable homes, it was a decidedly much-needed holiday and celebratory mood that prevailed.
Before the event proper, everyone was welcome to the ‘Pre-Show Happy Hour’, during which Brian Minter (Order of Canada) of Minter Country Gardens and host of countless radio and TV gardening shows west of the Rockies, presented his views on ‘2021 Gardening Trends’. Brian is always a delight to listen to, and close to 70 attendees soaked up his pearls of wisdom ahead of another season.
Of course none of us, not even Brian, have a foolproof crystal ball. We learned that early in 2020. Brian was quick to point out the vast array of unknowns, one of which is the hot topic of product availability. Will we actually have enough material to supply consumers’ needs next spring?
do more of it, and they especially liked learning about (1) growing flowers, (2) growing shrubs and (3) growing food (specifically vegetables), in that order. 46% of survey respondents apparently said that they found gardening to be ‘meaningful’. This is fabulous news in this year of all years, and will hopefully translate into many new long-term gardeners, not just those here in the ‘blip’.
If you’re interested in learning more about retail trends for horticulture in the COVID-19 era, be sure to check in on Peter Chapman (SKU Food, Hammond Plains, NS) as he speaks to marketing issues. He presented at the (virtual) Pacific Agriculture Show and LMHIA Growers’ Short Course on ‘How Growers Need to Adapt to Satisfy Retailers and Consumers in a COVID-19 World’. His aim was to help growers “understand what they need to do differently because how, why and where food is being bought has changed since the onset of the pandemic.”1 A recording of his presentation is available to those registered, and proceedings will be made available at a later date.
Will we have enough material to supply consumer needs?
Brian highlighted in particular a shortage of roses, novelty products (e.g. Daphne), large trees/shrubs in containers, specimen trees (people are at home more and want instant trees for renovated yards), ceramic pots (for container gardening) and, believe it or not, soil (growing medium). Brian says that we are “seeing an amazing opportunity for the industry” and suggested that horticulture can be a big piece of the solution to many people’s needs for space, therapy and environmental connections, hopefully for years to come. Those who were not in the horticultural retail sector this year will surely be moving into it.
Brian referenced the Axiom survey of US gardening in 2020-21, (and a similar study done by Scotts), which says that 80-87% of the people who gardened this year plan to continue doing so next year. A full 47% said they planned to
Returning to the theme of what’s been good this year, I mustn’t forget to celebrate the 2020 recipient of the BCLNA ‘Lifetime of Outstanding Service’ Award: John Folkerts of Linnaea Nurseries. John has been a big part of the BC Nursery industry for a long time, since establishing Linnaea with his partners Nirmal Grewal and Paulus Vrijmoed in 1997. John’s industry contributions go further back than that, having cultured a great working ‘relationship with his partners when they all worked at Reid, Collins Nurseries Ltd. in Aldergrove, only 15 km. from the current location’2 Typical of John’s nature, in his thank-you speech, he was quick to thank those friends, family and colleagues around him and of course, John’s humility shone bright. Thank you, John.
1 Short Course Program at https://www.agricultureshow.net/ media/lmhia/2021/2021_draft_program.pdf
2 Linnaea Nurseries ‘About Us’, at https://linnaeanurseries.com/ about-us/
Gary Jones is faculty member of the School of Horticulture at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Langley, BC. He sits on several industry committees and welcomes comments at Gary.Jones@kpu.ca.
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