Top 4 Under 40
The future looks even brighter in the hands of these visionaries | 16
Meet and greet Q & A with Ontario’s new greenhouse floriculture specialist | 24
Playing it cool
Managing greenhouse tomatoes through the heat of summer | 36
CAST ’25: BRINGING THE BUZZ
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Spring trial preview
Explore the standout varieties from breeders at CAST 2025 that will appeal to both producers and consumers north of the 49th parallel.
Correspondent Rodger Tschanz captured this shot of a hummingbird sampling some of Dümmen Orange’s lavender at the 2025 California Spring Trials. More on Page 8.
Helping growers grow
Q & A with Kathryn Russell, the new greenhouse floriculture specialist at OMAFA.
BY GREENHOUSE CANADA
Subtle sustainability
The climate-smart greenhouse blends traditional methods with modern tech.
BY J LYNN FRASER
Hot house
Tips and tricks for managing greenhouse tomatoes through the heat of summer.
BY DR. MOHYUDDIN MIRZA
How are we doing at the half-way point?
We’re at the half-way point of 2025 and for many this year has gotten off to a rocky start. We are feeling the pinch of the political maneouvrings of our neighbour to the South; the outcome of our recent federal election did more to underscore the deep divisions in our country than unite us; and the unpredictability of today’s geopolitics breeds increased uncertainty and trepidation.
Not a great environment to be conducting business in, eh?
Despite these clouds hanging over the horizon, Canada’s horticulture industry has a proven track record of effectively navigating and overcoming challenges such as those mentioned above. The sector is full of organizations, associations, businesses and individuals who turn problems into solutions. In fact, in this issue of Greenhouse Canada, we are highlighting the work of four individuals who did just that: they saw challenges and they worked tirelessly to address them. This year’s Top 4 Under 40 recipients come from very different places in the industry but they represent the ingenuity, passion
Tschanz, travelled to the sunshine state this year and comes back with some interesting insights on some of the new and improved plant genetics on display. Check out the gorgeous photos and read Rodger’s observations starting on Page 8.
On the subject of flowers, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA) welcomed a new greenhouse floriculture specialist into the fold earlier this year. Kathryn Russell, who has extensive experience in the greenhouse floriculture sector, particularly in the Niagara region, is featured on Page 24 in a Q & A about her new role and her outlook on the industry.
As we move into the hot days of summer, our own Dr. Mohyuddin Mirza has some important tips for managing greenhouse tomatoes to prevent common and sometimes costly production issues. See what he has to say on Page 36.
This month, we also dive into the basics of a ‘climate-smart’ greenhouse and what growers can do inside and out to improve sustainability and save money in the long run. On Page 30,
‘The sector is full of [people] who turn problems into solutions.’
and positivity that makes the sector dynamic and resilient. Read up on these exceptional professionals who are really only just getting started on Page 16. A huge thank you goes out to Paul Boers and Prins for their ongoing sponsorship of our Top 4 Under 40 program – thank you for continuing to support the future of this industry.
In this issue, we also explore some of the highlights from the 2025 California Spring Trials (CAST). Longtime correspondent, Rodger
read up on how a mix of traditional methods and modern technology can be to your advantage.
As always, we round out this issue with insights from our own Gary Jones. This month marks a special milestone: it is the 200th edition of ‘Inside View.’ Happy Anniversary, Gary! And on behalf of Greenhouse Canada and its readership, thank-you for providing wisdom and inspiration to so many people all these years!
Farm groups welcome new agriculture minister, call for urgent action
Farm groups are welcoming the appointment of Heath MacDonald as Canada’s new minister of agriculture and agri-food.
In a recent release, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) said it looks forward to working closely with the new government and minister, particularly in light of ongoing international trade disputes.
In his new role, MacDonald will represent 190,000 Canadian farm families.
The Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC) also congratulated the minister in its latest release and emphasized that Canada must act decisively to protect its food supply.
“The best way to safeguard food security for Canadians is to ensure Canadian growers have the tools they need to stay competitive — at home and abroad,” said Massimo Bergamini, FVGC executive director.
MacDonald was first elected to the P.E.I. legislature in 2015 representing the district of CornwallMeadowbank.
He served in the provincial cabinet, first as tourism minister and later as finance minister.
He resigned from provincial politics in 2021 to run federally and held Malpeque, P.E.I., for the Liberals, replacing long-serving MP Wayne Easter. (Source: Canadian Federation of Agriculture, Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada)
HARMONIZ SEEDS OPENS ‘INNOVATION HUB’ IN ONTARIO
Harmoniz Seeds has opened a new research and development facility in Ontario focused on the development of tomato, pepper and cucumber varieties suited to the North American market.
In a recent press release, the company said the Hub, which opened in mid-May, expands the company’s North American
footprint and is expected to strengthen its global presence in existing locations in the Netherlands, Mexico and Italy.
The new facility will support the breeding and testing of vegetable varieties in the North American climate. It will serve as both an examination ground for varieties developed at the company’s central R&D site in the Netherlands
AgriStability deadline extended for 2025
Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial governments have agreed to extend the AgriStability enrolment deadline from April 30, 2025, to July 31, 2025, for the 2025 program year, due to the pressures and uncertainties facing the agriculture sector.
AgriStability is a margin-based program designed to help producers manage large income declines. The extension gives producers additional time to consider their needs and manage the impact of challenges, such as production loss, increased costs and changing market conditions. (Source: Greenhouse Canada)
and a demonstration site for local growers.
The new site will allow Harmoniz to conduct region-specific trials to study the adaptability of its vegetable varieties to local growing conditions, including disease resistance, fruit quality and overall performance.
The site will also host trials designed to examine plant performance under realistic growing conditions.
“The North American climate creates unique growing challenges –from extreme winters to hot, humid summers,” explained Stephan Vonk, area sales manager for Canada and U.S. “By establishing a dedicated facility in Ontario, we’re positioned to develop varieties specifically adapted to these growing conditions.” (Source: Harmoniz Seeds)
BY THE NUMBERS
Source: ‘Number of employees in the agriculture sector, 2023;’ Statistics Canada
There were 280,798 employees in the agriculture sector in 2023, up 0.9% from 2022.
22.7% of all seasonal employees worked at greenhouse, nursery and floriculture operations
Genetics worth bringing North
Trends, traits and treats from the 2025 California Spring Trials
BY RODGER TSCHANZ
Earlier this year, Greenhouse Canada correspondent, Rodger Tschanz, travelled to sunny California for the 2025 Spring Trials.
Under bright, clear skies, in late March, plant breeders showcased their new and improved genetics for the 2025-26 seasons.
For the past several years, Greenhouse Canada, has been lucky enough to be invited to tag along with the Canadian contingent from Ball Horticultural, which tours the numerous CAST sites across the state on a bus over the course of four days. A huge thank-you goes out to our hosts and tour guides at Ball who always make us feel like part of the team.
The following is a very brief look at some of the introductions and advancements in plant genetics we feel may excite Canadian producers and consumers alike.
Editor’s note: Due to space limitations, this is Part 1 of a two-part series. Part 2 will be published at a later date.
DAY 1
DARWIN PERENNIALS
Day 1 began with the Darwin Perennials (DP)
Spring Showcase display. DP presented solutions for garden centres looking to maintain perennial colour on benches throughout the spring buying season. One display highlighted the new Candy Cloud (1) series of phlox. This low-growing, mounded Phlox hybrid blooms after Phlox subulate (i.e. the Spring Splash series) and before Salvia nemerosa (i.e. the Marvel series). Its launch has four colours in shades of pink to purple. Candy Cloud is labelled as a ‘mid-spring bloomer.’
With an eye towards continuous colour within a genus, DP presented a display of three different series of Penstemon. Of the three series, Rock Candy (2) was presented as the earliest to bloom. Breeding is currently underway to improve the Rock Candy series with a little more vigour to allow it to fill out 16 cm (2.5-quart) containers. Pink and Coral are two of the improved colours with a larger plant size. Hardy to Zone 5.
Mountain Treats (3) is a brand new, medium height Penstemon series that blooms sequentially after the Rock Candy series. This series is an upgrade to the Quartz series. Available in five colours ranging from red, to pink to purple, this series will flower for approximately six weeks. Plant
height ranges from 51-61 cm. As it is only hardy to Zone 6, its use as a perennial will be limited in Canada.
DP has added a new chartreuse coloured Heuchera to improve its Carnival series. Lime Aid is being replaced with the new Lime Zest (4). Lime Aid didn’t have the vigour of the other colours in the series; Lime Zest matches the other colours for vigour much better. It has the vigour to fill out a 20 cm (1 gallon) pot. Unlike other members of the series, this selection can’t handle high light levels. If light exposure is too high, it will start to produce red venation. This selection will bloom early summer without vernalization. (Hardy to Zone 4)
DP has added two new introductions of Brunnera to its collection. Frost King (5) is seen as an upgrade to Alexander’s Great with much less leaf blackening than its comparisons because of its big, tough leaves. The second introduction is Frost Magic (6) which is an improvement on the older cultivar Looking Glass. This medium-sized leaf selection has a tender leaf and as a result cannot tolerate full sun. Both cultivars are hardy to Zone 4.
MOREL
French cyclamen breeder, Morel, has a new mini cyclamen series. Macaron (7) is available in eight colours and all have excellent homogeneity in habit between
the colours. All colours in this series have numerous small leaves and a high flower count.
BALL FLORAPLANT
Ball FloraPlant introduced the new Solera (8) interspecific geranium in 2024/25. For 2026 it has added the new colours Dark Red and Purple. Dark Red is the top-selling colour. A white colour will be available in 2026. This series is said to be comparable to the Mojo series.
The Glimmer series of double impatiens will be replacing the Fiesta series for 2026. In addition to having beautiful rose-like blooms, the Glimmer impatiens series is highly resistant to
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Impatiens Downy Mildew. Two new colours for 2026 include Purple Stardust and Strawberry Sparkle.
SELECTA ONE
Selecta One has a long history of dahlia breeding with more new releases for the coming season. I spotted the hot colours of Venti Fireburst (9) from across the room. This anemone flower had a yellow centre and scarlet red perimeter. Venti Pink Burst (10) is another anemone flower form, this one with solid pink/ lavender colouration.
Crystal Pink is a new colour in the Headliner petunia (11) series. The presenter commented on how this selection “is perfect every time.” This means that individual blooms always resist fading, always hold up to the weather, is always a perfectly shaped plant and is always perfectly covered in bloom.
The new Osteospermum series, FlowerPower Petite (12) is more
compact than FlowerPower Compact and is very early to bloom. Its naturally easyto-control vigour is perfect for 10 cm (4”) pot production. In Europe the breeder code for Petite Purple was Purple252. Since this plant made such an impression on the Netherlands market, the European series name is Type 252.
PANAMERICAN SEED
As PanAmerican Seed celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Wave petunia introduction this year, it continues to add to the depth and breadth of the Wave family. New this year is Easy Wave Pink Pearl (13). In the Shock Wave series, there are lots of changes. Shock Wave is the petite flowering member of the Wave family. Two cultivars are being upgrades and two are being added. Shock wave flowers have great rebound ability from heavy watering and rainfall. Upgrades to red and deep purple have improved their cold durability and photo period
bloom response to 9.5 hours. New colours include Violet and Rose Vein which was the favourite of the presenter because of its more controlled growth habit.
In the world of Wave pansies is the new Top Wave (14) series. It is the “big sister” of the Cool Wave series with a 25 per cent larger bloom size and a mounding habit on the bench that will eventually spread in baskets. Its series name derives from having bloom coverage across the top of the plant. This plant can be sold in litre-sized pots or in baskets. Our presenter liked the Pink Shades colour most but was also excited about the solid orange colour since it is a challenging colour to have available in a trailing pansy.
The PAS coleus display had a cooking theme and was entitled “Cooking with Coleus.” In recent years, the Premium Sun line of coleus with its sun and shade tolerance has been the main breeding focus for PAS. Market analysis
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has shown that the top selling coleus colour is the red as exemplified by the vegetative cultivars Redhead and Beale Street. In response to that demand PAS, is releasing Sweet Paprika (15). While it is impossible to eliminate bloom in a seed propagated coleus, late bloom times can be selected for and Sweet Paprika is the latest to bloom in the Premium Sun series.
Some of the new vegetable introductions in PAS’s Ground Breakers collection include Kickstart, a new green to red bell pepper with big, thick-walled fruit. Mature, red fruit can be achieved in 70-75 days from transplant. A new Patty Pan squash (16), Green Lightning, has uniquely coloured fruit with green striping. Harvestable fruit can be had 40-45 days after seeding. The new WonderStar Pink tomato is an heirloom style tomato with disease resistance and great flavour. Fruit is mature 60-65 days after transplant.
DAY 2 GREENFUSE
GreenFuse focuses on daylength neutrality whenever possible in its breeding. The Salvia farinaceae cultivars on display were one example where all colours are truly DL neutral. Daylength neutrality usually means that the bloom times are more easily programmable by the grower.
An improvement in the range of pH tolerance is a feature of the newish Cielo series of calibrachoa. For the consumer with relatively high pH irrigation water, this series should be more tolerant pH creep upwards throughout the growing season.
The new Firefly Petunia (17) was on display at the GreenFuse booth. I first saw it glow in the dark at Cultivate 2024; a similar dark room was set up in California this spring. Once your eyes became acclimated to pitch black, the petunias became visible as a ghostly glow. A lot has been written already about the fungal
source of the luminescence, so I won’t address that here. What was interesting was hearing about how popular this white petunia was last year in the markets that it was available. Customers reportedly spent US$30 per plant. The big question amongst my fellow Canadians at CAST was when it will be available in our market? Apparently, the paperwork has been filed, and the expectation is that it will be available for the 2026 market.
In the world of Bidens, GF has bred “decent” size improvements into the flower. The new Doubloon Giant Gold (18) is a great example of a low growing compact specimen with dramatically large bloom diameter.
In the world of firsts, GF has bred a new double pentas (19) flower available in lavender and white-coloured cultivars. With its single flower types, GF has released very attractive red star and lavender star flower colour patterns.
Streptocarpus has long been a standby
and reliable houseplant. As another first, GF is introducing a new double-flowered (20) form of this flower.
As an interesting aside, when Tradescantia Pistachio White (21) was first released in 2023, there was a certain amount of skepticism about how this introduction would be received in the marketplace. Three years later, we have the answer to that question with Pistachio White being the #3 best seller of the GF product mix.
WESTHOFF
Westhoff breeding is taking a broader direction with the expansion of its current lines and the expansion of product offerings to include, for example, a new interspecific geranium introduction. Westhoff is interested in providing the grower with solutions while maintaining a consumer focus. Crazytunias (22) are selected for their upright and mounding
growth habit. They work well in 10cm to 1L sized pots and are ideal for impulse purchases at retail locations. There are four new colour additions to this novelty series.
Discoball (23) is a new series of petunias that is more compact and earlier to flower than the other Westhoff series. The breeding of this series has selected heavily for heat tolerance and against speckling disappearing in the summer heat. Legal concerns about the use of this speckled petunia have been amicably addressed so it is now available on the market.
A new orange petunia with the A1-DFR gene has been released. ‘The Orange’ (24), as it was called at CAST, it is a brilliant orange colour. It is a new addition to the Inferno series. In case you haven’t heard already, the Hell series has been replaced with the more consumer acceptable ‘Inferno’ series name.
Pink Cloud (25) is the first colour in what is hoped to be a multi-colour series of vigorous petunias in the future. This petunia is perfect for use in the landscape as well as in large 60 cm containers. According to the presenter, this is the best petunia that Westhoff has ever bred.
With calibrachoa, there are two new colours in the Eyecatcher series. The Caliloco series is described as the Crazytunia version of calibrachoa. There are four new colours in this series. Like Crazytunia, this series is ideal for smallpot impulse sales.
This year Westhoff is releasing an improved version of the Sunmazing sunflower. The improvement is increased resistance to late season powdery mildew and is the result breeding in an increased leaf glossiness into the sunflower.
SCHONEVELD
The world’s first Cyclamen persicum F1
hybrid blue cyclamen stood out as being exceptionally different at the Schoneveld display. On display were two cultivars with two shades of blue: Dragon Blue and Dragon Dark Blue (26). This is considered to be a mini cyclamen to be best grown in a 10 cm pot size.
BEEKENKAMP
Beekenkamp is known for its Dahlias and the uniform habit within each series. The new dark leaved Labella Grande Chocolate (27) series had four colours which contrast well against the dark foliage. This year, Beekenkamp showed off part of its expanded breeding efforts on the genus Verbena. The new series verbena
series Fuerte hits the market with five straight colours and six bicolours.
HEM GENETICS
Hem Genetics has a new dianthus series –Divinity (28). It’s genetically compact and available in 11 colours.
QUALITY CUTTINGS
This is a family-owned company with an office in Ohio and a farm in Mexico. On display was a brand new coleus – the Plexifolia (29) series that has been picked up by the Garden Choice Collective. What’s new about this series is that the stems are flexible, not brittle. They can be dropped without danger of breaking stems.
PACIFIC PLUG AND LINER
PP&L has two new colours for its Frost Kiss Hellebore (30) series – Cherisa and Cosmio. This series is known for its heat tolerance and the unique and eye-catching marbled, bicoloured green leaf with frosty foliage. The breeding goals for this series is compactness and later bloom dates to match late winter/ early spring consumer buying patterns. Depending on the colour, bloom dates can range from January to March. Cherisa is the latest to bloom (in late March) with an off white/magenta burst of bicolour. Cosmio features rich, deep-purple blooms.
Continued on page 44
SOLUTIONS
2025’s TOP 4 Under 40
Meet the Canadian greenhouse industry’s impressive crop of up-and-comers
DANIELLE ROSE, 29 Founder & CEO, Ceragen
What Danielle’s nominator had to say about her:“Danielle is a female founder who does it all. She is the head grower of Ceragen’s two-acre commercial and R&D greenhouse in Elmira, Ontario. She has brought online a microbiology lab capable of full genome sequencing, large-scale microbial production, and small-scale grow trials. The lab is used both for internal R&D as well as externally by growers and industry researchers.
Danielle has developed beneficial microbial products now being applied on roughly 50 acres of commercial hydroponic greenhouse production in Canada. She personally drives to visit each customer
ABOVE
in Ontario every month to deliver microbes, pick up samples for lab testing, and to offer microbiology consulting. She has raised more than $2.7 million and is actively working with researchers and industry players to solve big problems such as pepper wilting. Danielle, a graduate of the University of Guelph, hires numerous co-ops from Guelph and Waterloo leading the next generation of ag-focused microbiologists.” –Andrew Blume, Ceragen
In Danielle’s own words: Q: You’ve already made a significant mark on the industry at a young age. What personal values or mindset do you think have contributed most to your success so far?
Danielle Rose is the founder and CEO of Ceragen, a biotech firm that develops soil microbes.
A: It’s amazing how much in life boils down to a willingness to show up every day, put in the work, and just get the hard thing done no matter what it takes. Running a greenhouse is hard. Building a biotech company is hard. But if you show up every day and put in the hours you can get the job done.
Q: Every career has its turning points. Can you share a challenge you’ve faced in the greenhouse industry that helped shape your approach to innovation or leadership?
A: Deciding to fire up a two-acre commercial tomato greenhouse when no one on our team had ever even worked at a commercial operation before was arguably an insane choice (and every grower who gave us advice said as much), but it was an essential step in becoming better scientists. Seeing firsthand what our customers go through every day has given us perspective on what matters and what doesn’t. You can’t get this kind of insight sitting in the lab, you have to live it to understand. Though I will admit, I could have done with a few less painful lessons learned.
Q: As someone helping to shape the future of Canadian greenhouse production, what opportunities or changes are you most excited to pursue in the next 5 to 10 years?
A: In my opinion, microbial products and the plant microbiome optimization are where beneficial insects were 40 years ago. We are just starting to understand how microbes can be used to influence crop growth and plant health, so there are a lot of exciting opportunities coming down the pipeline. Microbes can help improve root growth, plant health, yields, and disease resistance. There is just so much potential we haven’t tapped into yet.
STEWART CAMERON, 30
Digital marketing co-ordinator and Webmaster, Bayview Flowers Ltd. What Stewart’s nominator had to say about him: “In just three years at Bayview Flowers, Stewart Cameron has made an incredible impact on both our organization and the broader floral industry. Joining the team in May 2022, Stewart brought a fresh perspective and a powerful digital toolkit — but what’s truly set him apart is his passion, drive, and willingness to learn in an industry unknown to him.
ABOVE
A multi-talented digital specialist, Stewart helped designed and launch the Bayview Flowers website, ensuring our online presence matched the professionalism and innovation happening behind the scenes. But perhaps his most groundbreaking achievement was helping lead the development and launch of Daisy, the greenhouse industry’s first-ever AI-powered plant care chatbot.
His transformation from digital marketer to industry innovator has been nothing short of remarkable. Stewart Cameron is not only shaping the way we connect with plant lovers — he’s redefining what’s possible in greenhouse marketing and customer support.” - Harley Kroker, Bayview Flowers
In Stewart’s own words: Q: You’ve already made a significant mark on the industry at a young age. What personal values or mindset do you think have contributed most to your success so far?
A: One of the key mindsets that has driven my success is a problem-solving mentality. I’ve always approached challenges with the belief that there’s a
better way—and that mindset has fuelled initiatives across our business. Whether it was removing barriers to plant care through the creation of Daisy, building a new website using my web development background, or tackling logistics and design challenges during our tradeshow planning, I’ve always been eager to dive in and develop practical, forward-thinking solutions.
Another core value I hold is a commitment to continuous improvement. I view Daisy not only as a helpful tool but as an ever-evolving platform to improve how consumers interact with plant care—both online and in-store. My goal is to make plant care more approachable and accessible for all, not just for our products but for any plant someone brings home.
One of the most rewarding parts of this journey has been seeing the real-world impact of this work. When Daisy won an award at FloriExpo last year, it was a proud moment. Daisy has grown far beyond what I originally envisioned. I’m also incredibly grateful to Evan Van Staalduinen for
Stewart Cameron is the marketing coordinator and webmaster for Bayview Flowers. Stewart was instrumental in the launch of the company’s AI-powered chat bot, Daisy.
trusting me to lead these projects and to our amazing marketing team for helping bring these ideas to life.
Q: Every career has its turning points. Can you share a challenge you’ve faced in the greenhouse industry that helped shape your approach to innovation or leadership?
A: Early on, one of the most eye-opening challenges I faced was realizing how a lack of accessible plant care information can become a barrier to plant ownership. At the time, we relied on a live-chat system through HubSpot that required constant monitoring — even on weekends. During peak periods I’d come in on Mondays to hundreds of unanswered questions. It quickly became clear that this model wasn’t scalable or sustainable.
I also noticed that traditional plant care tags were often too small, hard to read, or missing key information that customers really needed. That insight led us to explore AI as a way to provide immediate, trustworthy answers to plant care questions—even right at the retail level.
That experience marked a turning point in my thinking. We needed a 24/7 solution that was scalable and reliable. So, we built Daisy. This challenge reshaped how I view innovation and leadership. It taught me that innovation should be rooted in empathy— truly listening to users—and guided by a commitment to long-term impact.
Q: As someone helping to shape the future of the Canadian greenhouse sector, what opportunities or changes are you most excited to pursue in the next 5 to 10 years?
A: Looking ahead, I’m especially excited about the intersection of technology and horticulture—whether that’s through robotics, automation, or data-driven greenhouse systems. The growth potential in this industry is huge, and I’m passionate about finding our place within that evolving landscape while showcasing what makes us different: our purpose, our values, and our commitment to excellence.
As Daisy continues to evolve, I’m eager to broaden its reach even further. Our vision is for Daisy to become a go-to resource not just for our customers, but for anyone who owns a plant. We want to eliminate barriers to plant care—digitally and in-store—and empower people with the knowledge they need to succeed as plant owners.
Another area I’m passionate about is strengthening the relationship between us and our retail partners. By equipping them with easy access to reliable plant care resources, we help them build trust with their customers, boost sales, and enhance the overall brand experience.
DOMINICK DIMUCCI, 26
Director of cultivation, Haven Greens
What Dominick’s nominators had to say about him:“Dominick is the
RHAPSODY
best cultivator I have ever had the pleasure of working with in my 20+ years exposure to the industry. Every day, he exceeds our expectations, he goes above and beyond with his tireless work ethic and desire to succeed. His energy is infectious and his leadership and maturity is far beyond his years. The yield output of our greenhouse after three months already surpasses our expected modelled outcome at well over 100kg/m2/ year of cut baby leaf lettuce.” - Eric Highfield, Haven Greens
“Dom is an absolute rockstar. Beyond being
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a fantastic teammate and all-around great person, his professionalism, deep knowledge, and commitment to our team and greenhouse operations are truly impressive and inspiring. With both his education and career focused on Controlled Environment Agriculture, Dom is a go-to person for helping others understand the cultivation side of our business – and he’s always eager to lend a hand.” – Jeremy Anderson, Haven Greens
“He’s a leader in all sense of the words. He’s a master of his craft, leads by example, and upholds a high bar for his team, whilst bringing them along with him. His positive attitude and energy are truly contagious - it’s a pleasure to work with him every day.” – Lindsay Bryson
In Dominick’s own words:
Q: You’ve already made a significant mark on the industry at a young age. What personal values or mindset do you think have contributed most to your success so far?
A: From a young age, my family instilled in me the value of work ethic. The phrase “do a job right or don’t do it at all” was used frequently and I have always carried that with me through my day-to-day work, professionally or personally. Seeing the people closest to me work so hard for so long is something that continuously drives me to achieve that same level of productivity. It is also very important to me to stay on a continuous
journey of learning and improvement. In this industry, we leverage concepts from so many disciplines ranging from plant science to physics to mechanical engineering. Being an expert in all those disciplines is incredibly difficult and allowing myself to remain humble and accept and apply knowledge and help from other experts across all disciplines has helped me improve tremendously. As it relates to my personal mindset, I obsess over the chase for that next 1% improvement in production. I am always chasing that tenth of a degree improvement in climate control or the few percent improvement in energy efficiency or a few micromol difference to steer irrigation strategies. The pursuit of a few extra kg/ m2/year while doing so sustainably and profitably is an obsession that is difficult to describe but drives me daily. This is a beautiful industry in the sense that there is always something new to learn and an improvement that can always be made. Accumulating and applying that knowledge, having amazing people around me, and strong work ethic is what I attribute my success thus far to.
Q: Every career has its turning points. Can you share a challenge you’ve faced in the greenhouse industry that helped shape your approach to innovation or leadership?
A: The first greenhouse I started working for after graduating university unfortunately suffered financial difficulties early on in my tenure. While this was extremely stressful knowing I would likely have to start an employment search again, it turned out to be a blessing of an opportunity for my professional growth. We had an incredible team at that facility, and we turned financial limitations into an opportunity for out of the box creativity and problem solving. The resource limitations also allowed me to rapidly learn and understand the innerworkings of automated equipment and greenhouse management much quicker than I otherwise would have. That experience really taught me how to creatively analyze problems and find solutions that were budget friendly. Despite the ultimate closure of the greenhouse, I had the time of my life learning and collaborating with that team and owe the opportunities I have had since then to that experience.
Q: As someone helping to shape the future of Canadian greenhouse production, what opportunities or changes are you most excited to pursue in the next 5 to 10 years?
A: As someone who focuses on hightech leafy greens production, this question particularly excites me. What we are doing at Haven Greens is changing the status quo on what Canadians should expect to see in their salads. We are not only showing that automated lettuce production is sustainable and scalable from a business perspective, but we are providing Canadians with the freshest, highest quality lettuce ever seen in the country, and doing so with resource and energy efficiency, and quality at front of mind. What excites me most over the next 5-10 years is growing this category into a similar greenhouse dominance we see from tomatoes and cucumbers in Leamington and Kingsville. Instead of importing over 90 per cent of Canadian lettuce from outdoor farms in California and Arizona, I see a world in which over 90 per cent of lettuce can be produced in greenhouses locally, and that goes for all of North America.
I am also excited to continue working with our partners to continue improving system development and function. Whether it be climate, automation, or something else, the rate at which things have been developing in the greenhouse
Dominick Dimucci is the director of cultivation for Haven Greens. Dominick says the pursuit of sustainable and efficient production practices is an ‘obsession’ for him.
IMAGE COURTESY HAVEN GREENS
RESILIENCE HARVESTING
OCTOBER 8 & 9, 2025 • NIAGARA FALLS, ON CANADA
sector is particularly exciting. The ability to provide feedback to our partners and collaborate on ideas that lead to increased production or efficiency is always exciting for me.
ANTHONY FERRAGINE, 30 Sales manager, Bradford Greenhouses
What Anthony’s nominators had to say about him: “As someone who has witnessed Anthony’s remarkable journey, I can confidently say that he embodies everything this award stands for—dedication, leadership, innovation, and a deep commitment to both his family’s business and his team.
Today, at just 30 years old, Anthony is a successful leader with the knowledge, experience, and vision to carry Bradford Greenhouses into the future. He is not just an owner’s son—he is a driven, capable, and respected manager who earns the trust and admiration of both family and staff alike. His journey — from putting stickers on flats to leading a thriving company — is a living testament to what can be achieved with hard work, passion, and a deep sense of responsibility.” – Ken Russell, Bradford Greenhouses
“Anthony has grown up in the greenhouse, he comes to work every day with a smile on his face and a positive attitude… Being the 3rd generation of family members to run our business I am very proud of the strong work ethic and leadership Anthony displays. On top of always striving to improve our product lineup Anthony works with retailers throughout Ontario to plan effective garden centre programs and grow sales.” - Mickey Ferragine, Father
In Anthony’s words:
Q: You’ve already made a significant mark on the industry at a young age. What personal values or mindset do you think have contributed most to your success so far?
A: My professional philosophy centres on treating all colleagues with respect, maintaining a positive attitude, and expressing gratitude for the opportunities I have been given. In our industry, we operate within a critical timeframe to deliver high-quality plants to customers across Canada, requiring seamless collaboration across our team. Our success is driven by the dedication of our staff, many of whom have been with Bradford Greenhouses for over a decade. These
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Anthony Ferragine is the sales manager for Bradford Greenhouses. Anthony’s move from logistics to sales at the family firm was ‘transformtative’ for his career, he says.
experienced team members serve as exceptional mentors, warmly welcoming new employees and fostering an inclusive, supportive environment that strengthens our collective achievements.
Q: Every career has its turning points. Can you share a challenge you’ve faced in the greenhouse industry that helped shape your approach to innovation or leadership?
A: A pivotal moment in my career occurred in 2017 when I transitioned from logistics to a sales role at Bradford Greenhouses. This shift, which took place just before the busy spring season, presented significant challenges as I adapted to the demands of sales with limited prior experience. Initially, I had not envisioned myself in a sales position when I joined the greenhouse full-time after college. However, this unexpected opportunity proved transformative. Working directly with greenhouses and garden centres across Ontario has deepened my industry knowledge, and I have contributed to ongoing improvements in our product assortment. Our commitment to streamlining the buying and selling process continues to enhance the customer experience.
Q: As someone helping to shape the future of Canadian greenhouse production, what opportunities or changes are you most excited to pursue in the next 5 to 10 years?
Over the next few years, I am eager to spearhead initiatives to integrate advanced automation into our production processes. Recent advancements in industry equipment, such as cutting, planting, and spacing robots, offer tremendous potential to enhance efficiency. I look forward to collaborating with our team to implement these innovations, which will play a critical role in the evolution of our operations. By leveraging automation, we aim to optimize our processes and elevate production quality over the next five to ten years, ensuring sustained growth and excellence in our business.
Congratulations to this year’s Top 4 Under 40 honourees on this well-deserved recognition; the future looks bright in your hands! For those who took the time to submit nominations, we at Greenhouse Canada are so grateful for your participation and thank-you to our longtime award sponsors, Paul Boers Manufacturing and Prins Greenhouses for their continued support.
A FRESH perspective
Q & A with Kathryn Russell, OMAFA’s new greenhouse floriculture specialist
BY GREENHOUSE CANADA
Earlier this year, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Agribusiness (OMAFA) welcomed Kathryn Russell as their new Greenhouse Floriculture Specialist. Her extensive experience working in the sector in the Niagara Region means she’s a familiar face to many, but Greenhouse Canada felt this might be a good opportunity to reintroduce Kathryn to the community and share a little about her background and her approach to her important new role.
Greenhouse Canada: With your degree in Environment and Resource Studies from the University of Waterloo, I’m curious: How did you end up working in Greenhouses?
Kathryn Rusell: I actually went into the degree thinking my career would be in parks and conservation. I had grown up camping, so why not do what I love! My eyes were opened to how interesting growing in a controlled environment can be after I completed my second co-op work term with Agriculture and Agri-food Canada. I still remember the first commercial greenhouse that job brought me to. After I graduated, I wanted to get some hands-on experience growing plants, so I applied for assistant grower positions and was lucky to land a job at a largescale Niagara greenhouse. I also grew up in St. Catharines, so it was a natural shift to working in an industry close to home!
GHC: What drew you to this role as Greenhouse Floriculture Specialist at the Ministry?
technologies, and chat with a variety of growers. I’m excited for the opportunity to build on my existing greenhouse knowledge and extend what I learn to help to as many growers and industry partners as I can.
GHC: You’ve worked as a propagator and section grower for the past several years in the Niagara region, how do you see that experience serving you in this new role?
KR:On the technical side of things, I have experience propagating both tissue cultures and unrooted cuttings of many different varieties. I’ve collaborated with lighting companies to compile technical and ROI information that fueled a successful HPS-to-LED retrofit. I’ve also played a large role in R&D as a grower, trialling different substrates, varieties and plant protection products.
KR: I really love plants and greenhouses, and I genuinely enjoy helping other growers. Training and troubleshooting were two of my favourite things on the job. I heard about this opportunity and thought it would be a great fit. In your own greenhouse, you can become isolated in your own techniques, knowledge and style. In this role, I’ll get to see and work with a lot of crops, techniques and
However, I feel my biggest asset is that I can empathize with issues growers struggle with and try to help them solve problems quickly so they can get on with the job of growing. Working as a Section Grower at a family-owned and operated greenhouse, I saw these hardworking people pour their lives into their craft. They often live as close to the greenhouse as possible, take greenhouse alarms through the night and do not quit until the work is done. Many Floriculture greenhouses follow this model or similar, and their dedication to growing is something that I’m so excited to support.
GHC: Can you describe your primary responsibilities as OMAFA’s Greenhouse Floriculture Specialist, and how do you see yourself supporting Ontario’s commercial floriculture sector?
KR: As the Floriculture Specialist my responsibilities are quite diverse. The one that I’m most excited for is handling issues with growers as they come. These could include research questions or troubleshooting problems with things like plant nutrition,
Kathryn Russell is the new Greenhouse Floriculture Specialist with OMAFA.
IMAGE
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PGRs, energy, lighting, the greenhouse environment or substrates. I also plan on writing regular posts on our blog I share with our Greenhouse Floriculture IPM Specialist, Sarah Jandricic, ONfloriculture. com, that will give growers crop-specific information, spread awareness on funding opportunities and keep growers up to date on the newest growing techniques, products and technology being introduced to our industry. By popular demand, I will also be adding Plant Growth Regulators to the greenhouse floriculture module on Ontario’s Crop Protection Hub! The Hub provides growers with a “one-stop shop” to find information on what PGRs they can spray, rates, phytotoxicity and more.
GHC: What are some of the biggest opportunities you see right now for the greenhouse floriculture sector?
KR:Right now, I think the most significant opportunities lie in addressing some of our industry’s major challenges. Some of those challenges include rising input costs and a shortage of skilled labour. Automation, robotics and AI are evolving incredibly quickly right now. I feel that these tools are a good starting point for increasing how efficiently we use certain inputs like fertilizers, and for addressing labour in Ontario greenhouses. I’m very excited to collaborate with the industry on these types of projects and potentially help bring forward some applicable and affordable solutions.
GHC: What’s the best way for growers to reach out to you, and how do you prefer to stay connected with the industry?
KR: The best way for growers to reach me is by email, call or text. I really encourage growers to reach out to me with any issues they may have, and I’d be excited to visit their greenhouse in person. For those who are farther away, a visit is still possible! Another option is a video chat, which can be useful for regular check-ins and coming up with a plan together. Even if you are not experiencing an issue at the moment, I’d love to get a greenhouse tour. I’m interested to see the different techniques growers are using, explore where we could collaborate or help connect you with researchers or industry partners who might be able to add value to your business. I will also be around the Canadian Greenhouse Conference in October so please find me and say hi!
We’re committed to creating Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) plastic through our energy-efficient, closed-loop plastic recycling process.
We collect roughly 20 million pounds of used horticultural plastic annually from growers—when reprocessed, this material becomes certified PCR (post-consumer recycled) plastic. From that, we create new horticultural containers that are made from up to 100% PCR plastic
When you partner with us, you’re experiencing a shortened supply chain while contributing to a more sustainable horticulture industry. It’s sustainability done right, right here.
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SIGNIFICANT ENERGY SAVINGS AT AN ATTRACTIVE PRICE
Since energy prices are on the rise, heating greenhouses has become more and more expensive. Therefore, to remain profitable in the future, the horticulture sector must reduce its energy consumption, which can be done via insulation. Highly energy-saving, affordable screens can help growers with achieving this.
In light of this challenge, Phormium introduces a new type of aluminum night screen: Noctis Thermo. Aluminum night screens are frequently cited in research papers. Until now, however, such aluminum night screens were not commercially available at an attractive price. This is where Noctis Thermo makes a difference as it offers significant energy savings at an acceptable cost.
Noctis Thermo was designed for three areas of application: (1) unlit crops, (2) (LED) lit crops, (3) variable shading.
UNLIT CROPS
Therefore, when considering a double screen for energy saving purposes, it is best to take an aluminized type like Noctis Thermo for the night screen instead of a transparent one. After all, a second screen will never be closed during the day, even if it were transparent, as the light loss would be too big.
LIT CROPS
Noctis Thermo, thanks to the presence of aluminum, also has excellent light-blocking properties (99%). For lit crops, Noctis Thermo can therefore also be used as a light restriction screen with improved energy-saving properties (72%).
Noctis Thermo is of increasingly more interest for those greenhouses where LED lighting is used. Compared to a HPS lamp, an LED lamp supplies less radiant energy to the crop for the same amount of PAR, which results in a lower crop temperature. To compensate, the pipe temperature can sometimes be increased by one or more degrees.
Thanks to its high insulation value, Noctis Thermo itself achieves a higher crop temperature than conventional assimilation screens. Therefore, a higher pipe temperature is less of a necessary requirement.
VARIABLE SHADING
It is known that an (extra) screen significantly lowers the U-value (insulation value) of a greenhouse. The lower the U-value, the better the greenhouse is insulated. To minimize the U-value and to maximize the energy savings, the use of double screens has become more and more common. In these double screen installations, the first layer often contains a screen for daytime use and the second layer is a screen for nighttime use.
Besides the number of screens, also the properties of the screens greatly influence the U-value of the greenhouse.
To optimize growing conditions, variable screening is increasingly used in ornamental horticulture. By combining a diffuse and a light restriction screen the amount of incoming light is regulated while achieving equal light conditions throughout the entire greenhouse. For the light restriction screen, traditionally, a white type is chosen. However, Noctis Thermo allows for further optimization of energy efficiency. The improved thermal properties of Noctis Thermo will further reduce the energy loss of the greenhouse, which is particularly welcome in energy-intensive crops such as ornamental plants.
More details about the use and the technology behind Noctis Thermo can be found in the whitepaper. Scan the QR code enclosed to learn more.
BEYOND the glass
Ventilation, heating and renewable energy in greenhouses
BY J LYNN FRASER
Screens add protection between crops and a greenhouse’s glass or poly cover.
Commercial greenhouses are both organic and mechanical ecosystems. Greenhouses are also a part of an external ecosystem. To maximize their sustainability, greenhouses need to be sustainable inside and out. Sustainable development, as the United Nation (UN) views it, means “an integrated approach that takes into consideration environmental concerns along with economic development.” The UN argues that to embrace sustainability is to mitigate “the hazardous manmade effects of climate change.” 1 There are 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG 7 focuses on “access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy.” Sustainable energy and energy-saving devices in greenhouses help a greenhouse’s internal ecosystem function cost effectively.
VENTILATION CONSIDERATIONS
Proper ventilation maintains temperature and humidity at optimal levels in greenhouses while ensuring plant health by reducing stress, moisture, fungal issues, and disease.” Properly placed vents allow for natural air flow while fans help the flow of air when a greenhouse’s design is
From strategy to success at Twin Creeks
See how ClimaFlow, Energy Monitor, and double Luxous screens work together for better results.
At Twin Creeks, a 40-acre vegetable greenhouse in Ontario, grower Mike Cornelissen is always testing new ways to grow smarter. After implementing ClimaFlow vertical fans, double Luxous screens, and Energy Monitor, he saw a more uniform climate, better crop consistency, and real energy savings.
Read the full story and discover what these tools could do in your greenhouse.
Hydra
Sprayer
Full of Features
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Prof. W. David Lubitz, Associate Professor, School of Engineering, University of Guelph, says heat pumps can use electricity to make geothermal heat accessible to greenhouses.
“complex.” Automated thermostats and hygrometers add precision. Sustainable ventilation systems include passive vent systems, energy-efficient fans, solar powered fans, and “advanced systems” that adjust to external weather conditions. 2
Ventilation “becomes less effective and less efficient” in cool and cold months. A buildup of humidity creates negative effects for crops in the form of, for example, mildew, reduced growth, poor fruit creation, and “overall low output and low quality,”3 as well as condensation coating surfaces and plants.4 Dehumidification helps control humidity without relying on external air. These devices work best when they are “compatible with other equipment or systems”; located in optimal locations; calibrated; and when their data is interpreted by appropriate software or an expert.5
A 2023 study compared the effects and costs of a mechanical refrigeration dehumidifier (MRD), a liquid desiccant dehumidifier (LDD), a heat recovery ventilation system (HRV), and an “energy recovery ventilator” (ERV).
The results indicated a system’s effectiveness depends on time of year, external air temperatures, and materials a greenhouse’s interior ceiling is made from. Ensuring a new system is properly integrated into an existing system was also concluded to be important as was the cost of energy (electricity vs. natural gas).6
A study of potential dehumidification methods in a southern Ontario greenhouse examined three types of dehumidification. It found, in the greenhouse studied, that: Liquid desiccant dehumidification (LDD) is most effective in fall; highest energy savings would occur when using mechanical refrigeration dehumidifier (MRD) in fall; heat recovery ventilation saved lowest energy overall; LDD had robust energy savings compared with “baseline” of dehumidification by exhaust fan ventilation; carbon emission
IMAGE COURTESY AMIR
IMANLOOZADEH
decreases up to 35.8 per cent would be possible with MRD and LDD; changing to LED lamps can save up to $7,000 in fall, with up to $24,300/year; space heating loads increase in each season using LEDs instead of high-pressure sodium; changing to LED lights from HPS lamps saved energy in spring and summer.7 The study’s conclusions, based on the test case, draw attention to the considerations needed for effective use of energy saving technology, the combined interactions, and the season.
THERMAL SCREENS
Thermal screens add protection between crops and a greenhouse’s glass or poly cover. They retain heat and reduce heat while controlling humidity and condensation. Screens can reduce heating costs from 20 per cent to 75 per cent based on a greenhouse’s “design, curtain material, and local climate.” Automated screens can be integrated with a greenhouse’s other systems such as lighting and ventilation and respond to weather conditions. 8
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Alex Nauta, MASc student (who has since graduated) pictured in 2024 installing research sensors at an energy-efficient greenhouse in Almonte, ON.
IMAGE COURTESY
W.D. LUBITZ
HEATING
ALTERNATIVE FUELS: BIOMASS
“We’ll use deep geothermal drilling to access naturally heated 120°C brine from the reservoir [and] use natural gas with carbon capture to produce power [that will] be reused in our greenhouse, making the system more efficient and sustainable.”
Alternative fuels are another route to sustainability. In choosing alternative fuels, such as biomass as an example, the following should be considered: current and future costs; ROI; managing the chosen fuel onsite; the ‘combustion chamber’ and its ‘characteristics’; government approvals; waste disposal; environmental effects; future availability as well as legislation, regulation, and official approvals.9
Sources for biomass fuel include wood; agricultural, organic, construction, demolition, and municipal waste products10,11 Biomass fuel is a local, renewable, easily sourced resource, that is sustainable. In wood pellet form it is a very efficient fuel with 85 per cent of its energy being “converted to usable heat.” Biomass emits much less GHG compared to other fuels. The systems used in biomass fuel can be appropriately sized to heat a greenhouse and the water heated
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during the day and stored can be circulated at night.
PASSIVE SOLAR
Fresh Pal’s passive solar greenhouses, near Olds, Alberta, grow vegetables and flowers year-round. Passive solar captures and stores solar energy allowing the company’s two 10,000 sq.-ft. greenhouses to function year round. On each greenhouse’s north wall, there is a half-metre of clay amounting to hundreds of tonnes of clay. Sunlight heats these walls to about 30°C. At night, this heats the greenhouses with the help of a 1/3-inch thick insulated blanket lowered at night. The greenhouses are kept at 25°C to 32°C12 and can produce two growing cycles a year for tomatoes equalling 30,000 lbs. The motor to move the blankets costs the company $1 per day with almost no environmental effects.13
HEAT PUMPS
“Geothermal can be reasonably efficient,” said W.D. Lubitz, associate
Exterior shot of the Almonte, ON, greenhouse, previously operated by greenhaus Inc.
professor in the School of Engineering, at the University of Guelph, in a recent interview with Greenhouse Canada. Heat pumps, Lubitz notes, can use electricity to make geothermal heat accessible to greenhouses.
Lubitz, who specializes in renewable energy technologies and agricultural energy systems, said that existing greenhouses with natural gas boilers and newer larger greenhouses have hot water boilers that can be retrofitted and can also be used to store and circulate heat and water. Heat pumps for greenhouses can be closed or open loop or direct exchange using ground, water, refrigerants, respectivel (GoC, 2025).14
DEEP GEOTHERMAL
When generating electricity from geothermal energy, three ingredients are needed: the correct temperature and porosity in rocks and water pressure. ‘Deep thermal’ geothermal energy has low GHG, is always available, has a small carbon footprint, and costs US $56–$93 MWh that makes it “competitive with coal, nuclear, and some solar applications.”16
A new geothermal project underway involves Oppy, a specialist in fresh produce marketing and distribution, and DEEP Earth Energy Production, a company that uses geothermal energy for commercial power production. The companies are working on a 20-acre greenhouse project that will have a “geothermal heating system, which takes advantage of the earth’s stable underground temperature to heat the facility,” notes Kevin Batt, Oppy’s category director of greenhouse.
“We’ll use deep geothermal drilling to access naturally heated 120°C brine from the reservoir [and] use natural gas with carbon capture to produce power [that will] be reused in our greenhouse, making the system more efficient and sustainable,” Batt adds.
Commercial greenhouses are ecosystems that have multiple interconnected routes to sustainability. They are an ideal environment to apply both traditional sustainable approaches in combination with technology as well as traditional resources with tomorrow’s innovations to reduce GHG, pollution, reduce resource depletion, and fight climate change.
SOURCES
1. United Nations, n.d.
2. Dakota Storage Buildings, 2024
3. Meir, R., 2024
4. Eddy, R., 2025
5. NiuBoL, n.d.
6. Agricultural Adaptation Council, 2023
7. Nauta, A., Han, J., Tasnim, S. H., Lubitz, W. D., 2023
8. Farmonaut Technologies, 2025
9. Ontario.ca, 2008
10. The Pembina Institute, 2011
11. Froese, H., 2021
12. Moyles, T., n.d.
13. VergePermaculture, n.d.
14. Government of Canada, 2025
15. Buck, N., 2022
16. Canada Energy Regulator, 2023
Keeping it cool
Managing greenhouse tomatoes in the heat of summer
BY DR. MOHYUDDIN MIRZA
The Alberta Greenhouse Growers Association (AGGA) has been organizing and holding a Greenhouse Chat since 2021. During the pandemic, growers started organizing virtual sessions to keep in touch and check in with how growers were handling isolation and managing all the pandemic protocols.
This ‘Greenhouse Chat’ was an instant success as a means of communication and an opportunity to share and learn. My specific role was to share and discuss problems and solutions. In 2023, the
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AGGA decided to create a YouTube channel where all the programs were uploaded and thus all the knowledge was preserved. Scan the QR code at the end of this article to explore some of the topics we discussed.
In this month’s article for Greenhouse Canada, I decided to share our most recent chat, held in early May, when it is the peak season for all sorts of problems. We covered issues from diseases and insects to heat-related stresses on tomato, pepper and lettuce crops.
The hot summer months can be the peak season for all sorts of pest and disease problems in greenhouses. Veggie crops in particular are susceptible to heat-related stresses.
Intelligent Greenhouse Technologies
We’re proud to introduce our renewed brand identity—a fresh new look that reflects our continued focus on innovation, collaboration, and long-term partnerships. With our connected solutions, we empower growers to manage their greenhouses more efficiently and effectively.
IMAGE 1
An example of Tomato Blossom End Rot (BER) in an Alberta greenhouse crop.
IMAGE COURTESY
DR. MOHYUDDIN MIRZA
IMAGE 2
A greenhouse tomato crop showing signs of severe leaf scorching.
This article will focus on tomatoes. It is important to note that a correct diagnosis is the key to finding solutions. This article will also point out where a wrong diagnosis resulted in economic losses.
TOMATO BLOSSOM END ROT (BER)
Blossom End Rot (BER) is a well-known
physiological disorder of tomato fruit where rot starts from the end of the fruit. In the case of Image 1, the crop is being grown in soil but this can occur in any soilless production systems. The grower in this case lost three first clusters to this rot which is a significant economic loss.
I have seen situations where grower thought that it was a rot due to a fungus and already sprayed different chemicals but to no avail.
Here are key points to understand and manage BER:
• It is a temporary shortage of calcium during critical periods when fruit is rapidly sizing. Most of the time, a proper amount of calcium is present in the fertilizer solution but it is not taken up by the roots or not being transported to the site where it is needed most due to a competition between fruit and leaves for calcium.
• Calcium is considered to be an ‘immobile’ element, meaning that
it’s needed and gets fixed in cell walls and thus not available to be moved unlike mobile elements like nitrogen and potassium. Its uptake and transport depends on active transpiration by the leaves.
• Active transpiration means that the greenhouse relative humidity is not very high and temperature is not in stress range. Growers may be familiar with the term VPD or Moisture
Connecting nature and technology
The ideal is to maintain a VPD of between 3 to 7 grams/m3 of air. With a VPD of over 11-12 grams/m3 of air plants are under very big stress and this is happening due to a relative humidity of around 25 per cent and a temperature of over 28ºC. Under such a stress, plants selectively absorb water for transpiration and cooling and calcium deficiency may occur causing BER. Growers should try to use a misting system and a shade screen to bring the VPD down.
IMAGE 4
Wilt, like that pictured to the left, is associated with fungus Pythium, which attacks roots under water-logged conditions.
• Try to bring the Electrical Conductivity (EC) of the leach solution below 3.0 mS/cm2 by reducing feed EC and by introducing pH-adjusted water when light intensity goes above 1200 joules.
SCORCHING
In the case of Image 2, the entire crop is showing brown leaves, which can be described as scorching. This happens when the air temperature goes above 30ºC, and VPD values are close to 15 grams/m3 of air. Leaf temperature in such cases could go as high as 40ºC and a plant just cannot cope with such a high stress. The fruit sizing is seriously affected and it matures before reaching adequate size. Tomato plants set three leaves and one set of flower cluster per week and flower abortion occurs. The following strategies are recommended to avoid leaf scorching:
• Focus on climate control by increasing relative humidity through misting and fogging.
• Since light and temperature are related, shade the greenhouse with internal screens or external shade.
• Bring feed and leach EC down so that plants can take up water easily. High EC restricts water uptake.
• Avoid chloride-based fertilizers because they increase EC. In this case, the grower was using calcium chloride as part of the fertilizer application. Some growers use potassium chloride which also contribute towards high EC.
GENERATIVE PLANTS
Thin heads, like those seen in Image 3, indicate that plants are more generative. There is reduction in leaf size, flowers are small and yellowish instead of being orange colour. There is reduced pollen production and viability, and bumble bees generally avoid visiting these flowers. Here are some recommendations to help:
• Reduce fruit load on earlier clusters. Many growers twin head their crops
early in March without adding a dripper to provide extra feed solution. It is recommended to twin head every fourth plant but in this case every plant was twin headed, which increased the density to 4.2 plants/m2
• Bring 24-hour average temperature to around 18ºC by reducing night temperature from 12:00 to 3:00 pm. There is no fixed rule for this window to bring the temperature down. You can adjust the window to a different period of time frame based on how cool the nights are.
• During high day temperatures CO2 enrichment becomes difficult due to early ventilation. CO2 can be supplied at sunrise for two to three hours before vents are fully open. This will help to reduce thin heads.
WILT
In Image 4, plant wilt is scattered throughout the crop and symptoms described as wilting during high light periods and recovery at night. The plants are fully loaded with fruit.
Generally, wilt is associated with fungus Pythium, which attacks roots under water-logged conditions. In this case, the grower observed that the rockwool slab drain holes were not cut properly and water was collecting under the slab and roots stayed in that area. Some suggestions to prevent wilt:
• Recut the slab plastic to drain properly
• Adjust the drain volume based on sunlight intensity
• Increase the relative humidity to bring VPD to proper range.
• Apply fungicides if needed.
Dr. Mohyuddin Mirza, Ph.D., P.Ag. is an industry consultant in Alberta and can be reached at drmirzaconsultants@gmail.com
25_004310_Greenhouse_Canada_JUN_JUL_CN Mod: April 18, 2025 3:55 PM Print: 05/05/25 page 1 v2.5
The new Echibeckia Summerina Firana (31) is the earliest of the series to bloom. It has huge, first flush flower diameters of 20 cm on the first flush. It has sturdy stems and exceptional vigour making it a showstopper in the garden. This selection is only hardy to Zone 7 so will need to be treated as an annual in most of Canada.
With the lifting of Canadian import restrictions around Light Brown Apple Moth, PP&L can now ship lavender to Canada. The new Plum Power (32) lavender is a compact cultivar with a near double flower. It has an excellent branching habit, is later to bloom than some other cultivars but has an interesting bloom colour that changes from lilac purple to a rich plum as it ages.
Brand New for CAST is the lavender Voltage Violet (33). It has striking silver coloured foliage and is botrytis resistant.
It has demonstrated excellent growth performance under cool damp conditions. PP&L should have good availability of this product in the fall of 2025.
PP&L’s perennial primula program continues to expand with the introduction more colours for the Pretty Polly! (34) series of polyantha styled primula. The double flowers are held high above the foliage. This is a mega-sized primula and is idea for filling 20 cm sized pots. This series blooms approximately one month later than the shorter Pollyanna series. New colours include Burgundy and Jersey Cream. The colour palette of this series tends to be softer than is seen with Pollyanna colours.
PLANT HAVEN
Plant Haven has added Delft Blue as a new colour to its Zone 5 hardy Magnifi Scent (35) perennial violas.
Sedum Jaws (36) is available through Quality Cuttings; jagged serrated edged leaf with butter yellow/apple green leaf variegation. This will produce a pollinator friendly soft pink flower in the fall. Hardy to Zone 3.
SUNTORY
The Surfinia Heavenly (37) group of petunias from Suntory has a semitrailing habit and displaysgreat garden performance. A new colour introduction for this series this year is Cashmere Pink. This is a soft pink coloured outer bloom that fades to white near the bloom centre.
Suntory’s Beedance (38) series of hybrid Bidens has received a complete upgrade to produce larger blooms, higher flower count, a compact growth habit and produce a honey fragranced designed to attract bees. The series has three colours –painted orange, yellow and painted red.
DÜMMEN ORANGE
DO has a tradition of being innovative with mixes. It has been almost 20 years since DO came up with the Confetti Garden concept.
This innovation with mixes continues with the announcement of a new mix series aimed at the late summer/fall season –Garden Party Fall Fantastic (39). Garden Party mixes differ from Confetti mixes in that the components are initially propagated separately before being blended in a mixed container; this allows plants with different propagation requirements to be used together in mixes. Each Garden Party Fall Fantastic mix is composed of four different cultivars to give a very full, lush and engaging display. GP Fall Fantastic is launched with five recipes including colours that are well suited to the fall shoulder season. To help growers with the timing of the culture of these mixes, DO has created an updated spreadsheet planning tool available on its website.
DO is also taking advantage of the first-year blooming properties of many of its perennials and including them in mixes alongside annuals (40). If it blooms like an annual, why not use it like an annual?
The calibrachoa Rainbow (41) series has been expanded with three new additions to make it a true grower series. It will include eight colours for the 2026 season. This series is unique in that multi-coloured blooms are produced on one plant. The colour of the bloom will change in response to temperature at bud set and light levels. The new Rainbow Dragon Berry is the most colour changing of the series. With this cultivar you will get the equivalent of a Confetti Garden mix arising from one plant.
Bloomtastic (42) is DO’s fastest growing calibrachoa series with big blooms, big body and great heat and humidity tolerance. The new Honey colour is a dark honey yellow colour that can develop an orangey blush under high light levels.
DO had an interesting display of pack style plantings with the tag line, “The Pack is Back” (43). Is this a blast from 1994 like our presenter suggested? With the pack format, DO is promoting ways for the budget conscious gardener to access its genetics. Certain vegetative lines such as Downtown Coleus can work well in 306 sized pack. This product is ready for retail 10 weeks after direct sticking.
Pollinator friendly gardening is an ongoing consumer trend where the gardener wants both beauty and functionality from their flowers. The new dahlia series, Summer Bees (44) is available in red and purple and is a bee friendly, single-flowered bloom with exceptional heat tolerance and a showy bloom poised high above the foliage. This series is produced best in a
2.5L pot. Summer Bees received a lot of buzz among attendees at CAST this year. In response to the societal demand for geraniums trending downwards, Dümmen Orange focused its CAST2025 display on two of its many Pelargonium series with the reasoning that these two series can provide most of what the grower and consumer is looking for. The other series you may know, and love are still available but weren’t on display at CAST this year. Both the Big EEZE and Santana series are interspecific hybrids with the Big EEZE series having a more traditional zonal habit and the Santana
series being a great choice for hanging baskets. The new Big EEZE Pink Panther (45) has a pink bloom with a white eye.
First-year flowering perennials were highlighted at DO’s CAST display as were extra hardy perennials. Dümmen Orange is winter hardy testing its perennials at a location north of Winnipeg. If they survive there for at least two winters, they are given a Zone 3 hardiness designation and are labelled as ‘True North Perennials.’ The current recipients of that designation are listed in the 2026 catalogue.
La Diva (46) is the branding given to
all of DO’s own lavender breeding. This year there are five new releases of Spanish and English lavenders. English lavenders are generally hardy to Zone 5, but the new Sprint series has a white colour that just survived two winters at the True North testing site. The purple blue and pink colours in the series have only survived one year and are considered hardy to Zone 4. This series requires vernalization to initiate flowering.
Viola is the latest new genera being brought to the market as a perennial. These violas (47) are first-year flowering, available in seven colours and have great
SMARTER FIELDS, GREATER YIELDS.
BCCAI helps B.C. farmers and agri‑businesses adopt innovation, access funding, and grow stronger. Since 2022, we’ve co‑invested $17M+, launched 23 new products, and trained 1,600+ people driving a more sustainable, profitable future for agriculture.
heat and humidity tolerance; this new perennial will bloom in both the spring and the fall.
The Sprint and Arabella (48) series of dianthus are new to the North American market but are popular in Europe. The cuttings are shipped from the from their Encinitas farm. Both series are compact and fragrant and first year flowering. Arabella has a large flower size than Sprint. Both series are first-year flowering, fragrant and suit production in 1-2.5L pots. The natural flowering season is in the spring, but hardiness is limited to Zone 6.
Campanula is a new genus category for DO’s perennials. UltraViolet is a selection of Campanula portenschlagiana; it has a low growing spreading habit that is perfect as a ground cover and for production in 2.5 L pots. Hardy to Zone 4. It is first-year flowering and, in the landscape, will bloom in the late spring.
Serene (49) is a collection of firstyear flowering Nepeta from DO that exhibits a compact growing habit. It is available in blue and white colours. Nepeta Tranquil is a larger plant than Serene and is currently available in a purple colour. Both plants should be
grown in 1L or larger containers and are hardy to at least Zone 4.
The new Cloudburst (50) series of Sedum telephium has been selected for mildew tolerance, overall compact habit and sturdiness. There are two colours currently available – Burgundy and Green Flash. Hardy to Zone 4.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of our CAST 2025 coverage!
Rodger Tschanz is a greenhouse technician and sessional lecturer at the University of Guelph and can be reached at rtschanz@ uoguelph.ca.
EVENTS
JUNE
FLORIEXPO
June 4-6
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
GREENTECH AMSTERDAM
June 10-12
Amsterdam, NL
June 17
St. Catharines, ON FCO 53RD ANNUAL GOLF
June 25
Niagara Falls, ON
JULY
GARDEN
July 6 – 9 Winnipeg, MB
July 12 – 15 Columbus, OH SAWAYA
July 17
ON
AUGUST
20 – 22
Aug. 21
ADVERTISERS INDEX
INSIDE VIEW
GARY JONES
Marking a milestone: 200 ‘monthly musings’
You’re possibly reading this on some hot sunny day in June or July, and it’s maybe ‘just another day’. As I write, it’s a beautiful spring day – sun, blue sky, and blossoms abound. As a fellow swimmer at the pool said to me today, “I woke up this morning, so I guess God hasn’t finished with me yet”. How true. But I digress. Today is a little special for me – it marks the 200th edition of ‘Inside View’ in Greenhouse Canada (GHC), this great magazine that’s part of the fabric of this fabulous industry.
So, I thought I’d take a very short detour from the regular themes of each issue and look back over the years to see how these small, monthly musings have reflected the constancy and the changes in the industry.
‘Inside View’ was the idea of then Editor, Dave Harrison. I’ve now had the pleasure of working with four great Editors. Hopefully, I’m not the common denominator that has caused three to have moved on. ‘Inside View #1’ germinated in July 2007 (18 years ago!) and explored the options for bedding and potted plant growers to find new plants/cultivars coming to the market. Maybe it’s still relevant today.
The magazine’s regular monthly themes have
‘As usual, we should always expect the unexpected.’
obviously reflected major industry issues. There are some constant topics that never seem to be far from the conversation: energy, labour/recruiting, water (quality, availability – a very regular topic!), escalating input costs, mechanization, marketing, and new (and familiar) pests and diseases, to name a few.
Other regular topics occur slightly less frequently, such as predicting trends in retail (thanks Brian Minter for all your insights over the years!), education and training, and how we can be a ‘sustainable’ industry. When did that become a ‘buzz’ word? And do any of us truly, really, know what it means for the everyday practices of a greenhouse business? It seems to have a different meaning for everyone.
But there’s also been new, now regular, topics appear over the years. Perhaps the most significant shift in the greenhouse landscape came on October 17, 2018; the day the Cannabis Act came into effect. This created a legal framework for the production, distribution, sale, and possession of cannabis in Canada; truly a milestone moment for the
greenhouse sector. The first mention of cannabis in ‘Inside View’ was almost a year earlier, in December 2017.
Other new topics have included Controlled Environment Agriculture (‘CEA’). Somewhere in this timeframe, ‘greenhouse’ got swallowed up into being part of CEA. I’m not quite sure when. But for all the promises, the prospects and rewards of vertical, container and indoor farming and non-greenhouse protected cultivation seem to have been much more elusive, with regular mentions of how ‘this one has just won $x million in investor funding’, followed by how ‘the latest ‘big name CEA’ has filed for bankruptcy’.
The other (relatively) recent major idea is of course, Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) and autonomous growing. We might also include in here ‘drones’ (‘unmanned aerial vehicles’, or UAV’s). These were certainly not commonly used terms in our industry back when ‘Inside View’ first hit the reading pile. Now, one can hardly spend a day without hearing some news on any of these topics.
And as usual, we should always expect the unexpected. Growers, of course, are always at the mercy of catastrophic weather events –wildfires, snow, hail. But when did you first hear about ‘atmospheric rivers’ or ‘heat domes’? Politics (particularly here on the West Coast) can be notoriously unpredictable, and combined with recent changes in the US Administration, ‘tariffs’ have become a seriously ‘hot potato’. And we can’t forget the massive impact of Covid, particularly on how garden centres operate and the ornamentals sector. I had to chuckle to myself, as coincidentally I couldn’t find about 25 articles in my files of 2019-2020 – it was like I’ve subconsciously lost those Covid years! Any bets on what the next ‘unexpected’ will be?
Honestly, it’s been a blast, as they say. I can’t think of a more fascinating and rewarding industry to have been a (very small) part of. 200 short columns of ‘Inside View’ have been a privilege. I wonder what we’ll see when we look back on the next 200… Hmmm.
Gary Jones sits on several greenhouse industry committees in BC and welcomes comments at greenhousewolf@gmail.com.
