Migratory patterns
Pest pathways to disrupt this season | 11
When earlier isn’t better Ways to avoid premature flowering in garden mums | 44
Greenhouse retrofits 4 problems that can be solved by structural upgrades | 52
MARCH/APRIL 2022
greenhousecanada.com
To achieve higher food self-sufficiency and optimal productivity for our growing populations, we must be able to produce fruits and vegetables year-round. To accomplish this, and better adapt to market demands, greenhouse growers now have access to new technologies to further assist in their production goals. Among these options, high-performance LED lighting systems are a key part to any growing and adapting Greenhouse operation, large or small.
A case example of this is with the Montreal company “Fermes Urbaines Ôplant”, which has designed a unique vertical interior farm. The farm, located in the heart of the metropolis, allows farming in urban areas for production 365 days a year, without downtime or production loss.
As this new lighting LED technology is adapted into greenhouse spaces, we see these growers significantly increase crop yields, improve productivity and save energy. These greenhouse cultivation facilities will provide yields that are five to ten times higher than field production, with vertical tier growing strategies increasing these numbers even further.
With the professional assistance from Futur Vert technologies, “Fermes Urbaines Ôplant” has achieved operational efficiency, optimal growing methods and expectational production performance. These results may be achieved through the options FuturVert provides, and we look forward to growing with you.
March/April 2022 Vol.42, Issue 3
Top tips to get your garden mums flowering on time. | 44
4
News 6 New Varieties 10 Sneak Peek at CAST 2022
Water Security 32 Its importance in and out of the greenhouse
Cool for the Summer 38 How to stay ahead of the summer sun
Greenhouse Retrofits 52 4 problems solved by structural upgrades Inside View 54 Feast or famine, flood or drought
11 14 18
The brief pause between crops? It’s when pests make their next move.
BY MIKE SHORT
Sanitation Decisions
Costs and considerations in choosing your next sanitation system.
BY DR. CHEVONNE DAYBOLL
Minimizing Micros
Researchers reduce micronutrient delivery in potted mums.
BY ALYNA DONETZ
You’ve likely uncovered an extensive irrigation and rootzone management theme throughout this issue. If you’re short on time, here’s a run-down on what to focus on, depending on your crops and interests.
Our cover story on Qualitree’s irrigation and water treatment systems, which go hand-in-hand with their incredible expansion, had been in the works since last year. A big shout-out to Riana Kersten for not only helping us gather thoughts from the team, but for sharing an extensive library of images that appear throughout the feature (pg. 24). If you’re curious about vapour pressure deficit (VPD) and how it’s reducing plastic use in their propagation facilities, greenhouse grower and Top 4 Under 40 alum, Chris Knezetic, shares some of their highs and lows. Co-owner Gary Neels reveals which water treatment system they decided on and why, while other portions of the feature hint at new ways in which the team is looking to improve dissolved oxygen levels. In a sidebar, co-owner Henk Rozendaal shares thoughtful
management post-use.
Timing-wise, this is perhaps the right moment to think about your crop management strategies this summer. Greenhouse consultant, Tineke Goebertus, recounts some of the yield loss from the heat dome in B.C. last summer. Among her growers, those who had better rootzone management fared best overall. Check out her tips on watering and ventilation – key areas that are sometimes overlooked. Dr. Fadi Al-Daoud, OMAFRA greenhouse vegetable specialist also emphasizes the importance of monitoring nutrient balances early on during crop establishment, as well as calibrating sensors ahead of time (pg. 38).
Even if you’re busy in spring production mode, there are some key features that should be read sooner rather than later.
Long-time IPM consultant, Mike Short, talks pest migration from one seasonal crop to another and ways to interrupt it. Don’t let this opportunity for pest management slip away (pg. 11)
Don’t let this opportunity for pest management slip away.
considerations on expansion.
If you’re set on water treatment, see part 5 of the water sanitation series, this time authored by OMAFRA greenhouse floriculture specialist Chevonne Dayboll. With help from Jeanine West of Phytoserv and Ann Huber of Soil Resource Group, she highlights key costs and considerations when evaluating key water treatment technologies (pg. 14).
Hungry for a case study? Dr. Mohyuddin Mirza presents a situation where symptoms from a mysterious nutrient deficiency led back to the water source. It highlights the importance of water treatment and
If you’ve got garden mum cuttings coming in, don’t miss the 3-in-1 feature on preventing premature flowering. This article features advice from three specialists, collated by greenhouse consultant, Melhem Sawaya (pg. 44).
Rounding out the issue: If you’re feeling the burn of high-cost fertilizer, check out the latest on reducing micronutrient use for pot mums by Dr. Barry Shelp’s research group (pg. 18). And for those deciding on whether or not to retrofit, Tyler Rodrigue of Westland identifies four key problems that could be solved by structural upgrades (pg. 52).
Plant Products and Biobest Group announced an agreement to become joint owners of Plant Products, with Biobest holding a majority stake.
The activities of Plant Products, Biobest Canada, and Biobest USA will be integrated in a new combined institution operating under the name Plant Products.
Plant Products will continue to focus on the needs of growers and will assist customers in
optimizing solutions from an integrated suite of products and services for managing crops. The company is expected to remain a partner to all its suppliers.
Chris Stickles, current president of Plant Products, will become the president of the new body. JF Bonal, current general manager of Biobest Canada/USA, will become the vice president.
Source: Biobest
B.C. farmers affected by last November’s floods can access funds from a $228 million provincialfederal government support program.
Announced in February, the CanadaBC Flood Recovery for Food Security Program is meant to help farmers who have “incurred extraordinary expenses from uninsurable damages.” Eligible expenses include clean-up, repair and restoration of land
and buildings for agricultural production, repairing uninsurable farm structures and equipment, rental of temporary production facilities, among others.
“The flooding and landslides resulted in the largest ever agricultural disaster in BC’s history and arguably one of the worst years ever for farming in our province,” said B.C. Minister of Agriculture, Lana Popham during a media availability.
Ever Tru Farms, a vertically integrated greenhouse strawberry producer in Ontario, has announced the company’s first crop coming in March.
The business announced 1 million square feet of hydroponic growing space in January, with an additional 1 million square feet coming this fall.
Ever Tru is expected to produce 30,000 cases of strawberries per week to start, with planned growth of up to 45,000 cases in the near future.
The team consists of Paul J. Mastronardi, Head of Sales and Marketing, Guido van het Hof, President of Great Northern Hydroponics, as well as participation from Jim DiMenna, President of Red Sun Farms.
The non-GMO strawberries are cultivated yearround without pesticides. The Ever Tru team says they spent six years refining the growing process.
Source: Ever Tru Farms
The damage to the B.C. agriculture sector is estimated at $285 million.
“We do know that there are some instances of [soil] contamination. This recovery package will include assistance with remediation of that soil,” says Popham. There are two funding categories. Farms with less than $2 million in annual revenue will be eligible for up to 90% in compensation,
and the province will seek reimbursement through federal Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA). For farms with annual sales of over $2 million, they will be eligible to receive up to 70% in compensation through the federal-provincial AgriRecovery initiative, which is cost-shared 60-40 between governments. For information and applications, visit gov. bc.ca/agrifloodrecovery
Flood Recovery Program
The joint provincialfederal government program totals $228 M Farms with less than $2 M in annual revenue will be eligible to receive up to 90%
It is estimated that the 2021 floods in B.C. impacted more than
1,100 farms
15,000 hectares
2.5 M livestock
from the Sumas Prairie in Abbotsford to Merritt and Princeton
compensation through the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements program
Larger farms with annual sales of over $2 M will be eligible to receive up to 70%
compensation through AgriRecovery
John Slaman Greenhouses has planted the first crop in their new greenhouse.
Measuring approximately 150,000 sq. ft., the new facility doubles their production capacity for cut chrysanthemum and lisianthus, adding to their pre-existing 150,000 sq. ft climate-controlled greenhouse in Burford, Ont.
With delays in local planning and development processes as well as supply chain issues, the team finally broke ground last July and began planting in early February 2022. The new site is on track for Mother’s Day.
“When we were originally starting the planning with our construction partners, we were hoping to be up and in production by September [2021],” shares Stephanie Slaman, manager of administration and government relations. She and her brother Theo, production manager, are the third generation to oversee the business. They carry on the family’s hands-on approach to managing
Affinor Growers has signed a non-exclusive agreement with Berrymobile Fruit for the distribution of Affinor’s strawberries.
The announcement comes after Affinor expects to launch its vine-ripened cultivar of strawberries from Holland in selected stores in the Greater Vancouver Area of B.C. The strawberries will be marketed in new compostable packaging.
Affinor’s vertical farming showcase located in Abbotsford, is now completely operational.
“This is the tipping point for Affinor,” said Nick Brusatore, CEO of Affinor. “I expect that this will accelerate our strawberry production scaleup plan in Abbotsford, leading to additional fruit and vegetable operations across Western Canada.”
Berrymobile is a Vancouver-based distribution company which supports and promotes fruit farmers in British Columbia. Berrymobile partners with retailers across major grocery banners in the Lower Mainland.
Source: Affinor Growers
the new greenhouse site while they continue the succession process, transitioning the business from their father, Brian.
Established in 1969 by the siblings’ grandfather John Slaman, the cut flower producer specializes in chrysanthemum and lisianthus. They sell approximately a quarter of their product through flower auctions in Toronto and Montreal, while the rest is distributed through wholesale and retail channels.
Earlier this year, the University of Guelph (U of G) introduced a new free online certificate course aimed at helping farmers make better agribusiness decisions.
U of G’s new “Foundations in Agricultural Management” online certificate course will allow farmers, and especially younger producers, to brush up on their farm business management skills. The course reopens for spring intake on April 1.
Through eight 20-minute video modules recorded with experts,
participants will learn the basics of business planning, finance, human resources, risk management, farm family transitions and farmer mental health and resilience
The new learning opportunity is funded by a three-year, $1.25-million donation from the RBC Foundation with support from Farm Credit Canada (FCC).
Organizers anticipate that a total of 50,000 producers will take part in at least one module over the next two years.
Source: University of Guelph
The Government of Canada will invest approximately $535,000 to support Flowers Canada Growers (FCG) in their efforts to further improve Canada’s floriculture industry.
The funding is part of an investment for two projects to support efforts underway by FCG to capture new opportunities for market growth. With an investment of nearly $460,000 through the AgriMarketing Program, FCG is supporting marketing activities to promote the benefits of Canada’s floriculture products, which will aim to help increase sales throughout Canada and the United States. FCG is also expected to work with farmers and floriculture businesses to provide
trade-related information and support, training and certification to enhance industry knowledge and maintain access to international markets.
An additional $75,000 in funding through the AgriRisk initiatives will enable FCG to conduct a feasibility study to help determine long-term solutions that address insurance challenges in the greenhouse floriculture sector.
FCG is the national trade association of the Canadian floral industry. The funding announced through the AgriMarketing Program builds on previous AgriMarketing investments in FCG of close to $660,000 from 2018 to 2021. Source: AAFC
Said to be the first hanging basket-type dianthus on the market, Falling in Love Rosie fills out its containers quickly and features beautiful bright pink blooms that cascade. It offers repeat blooming from spring through summer for a lasting stream of vivid colour. ballingenuity.com
Introducing the world’s first petunia collection resistant to tobacco mosaic virus (TMV). The Smartunia Windmill collection of Intrinsa petunias features three new two-toned colours – Windmill Red, Pink, and Black – with a distinctive windmill pattern that pays homage to Dümmen Orange’s
Dutch heritage. Smartunia Windmills are moderately vigorous with a well-branched and semi-upright habit, blending together to create colourful mixed containers or hanging baskets. The Intrinsa brand was launched in 2020 to identify genetics that are meant to be stronger and more resistant, resulting in less production loss and more reliability in the supply chain. Pictured: Yellow Burgundy. dummenorangena.com
Joining the Crystal kale series from American Takii are two new colours, Deep Red and Pink. Featuring glossy leaves characteristic of the series, Deep Red has a brilliant red center surrounded by deep green leaves while Pink’s center is framed by bright green leaves. Plants are vigorous. Other colours in the series include Red and Snow. takii.com
An electrifying introduction for early spring programs, Spicy Electric White offers a vivid highlighter yellow on pure white. The plants have a compact, upright habit, which makes them ideal for quarts and other small-size containers in early spring. They can also be incorporated into mixed combination planters with other cool season selections. kientzler.innovaplant.com
New zinnia series, Zydeco offers a showstopping double flowered zinnia with built-in disease resistance along with heat and drought tolerance. It’s said to produce flowers that are 25 percent larger than others on the market,
Boasting a large, distinct rim on each bloom with a mounding, trailing habit,
RImarkable offers a great option for premium baskets and combinations. This petunia also blooms early enough for any market. Part of Danziger’s Red Carpet Collection, which includes a group of standalone varieties with unique commercial appeal. danzigeronline.com
A unique breeding selection enters the Constant Cadence series by Green Fuse next season. Potpourri
offers a multitude of colour as the flowers open a deep fuchsia and fade to a bright rose. Many flowers are even half and half in this extremely stable selection. While zone 4 hardy, Potpourri also makes a beautiful potted plant crop! green-fuse.com
measured on average across varieties in garden settings. Fully-double flowers increase flower longevity for superior season-long garden performance. Debuts in four colours: Fire, Cherry (pictured), deep yellow and white. syngentaflowers-us.com
This novelty variety has a controlled habit, early flowering and early finishing, making it easy to grow Perovskia for the consumer and landscape market. Bluesette works well at the front of the landscape, in a single premium patio container or in mixed combos. Produces a pleasing fragrance and attracts bees and butterflies. Hardiness Zone: 4a to 9a kieftseed.com
During that brief pause between greenhouse crops, one often overlooked area is pest management.
BY MIKE SHORT
As ornamental greenhouse growers transition from one seasonal crop to another, there is typically a welcome pause in the frantic action that is often defined by endless sorting, packing and loading of trucks. Production managers may use this time to assess the successes and failures of the previous crop and prepare the greenhouse for the next one. However, one area of focus that is often overlooked at this time is pest management.
Even though most of the growing area may be empty, certain pests are already making their next move. The previous crop may have hosted pests that were not of concern as they did not cause economic damage over the course of the season. Once the host plants are removed, these pests may
ABOVE
migrate to new locations and continue their life cycle. It is important to understand this in order to combat potential problems as soon as the next crop starts.
One example of this pest migration dynamic is the movement of adult thrips along the poinsettia to spring bedding plant pathway. In August and September when poinsettia plants are at their youngest, thrips are still entering the greenhouse through vents from surrounding areas in high numbers. They tend to settle on poinsettia if other more attractive plant material is limited (e.g.,
As plants are moved out of the greenhouse, adult thrips can migrate to any remaining poinsettia plants or newly arriving product, such as the Dracaena pictured above and in mixed hanging baskets.
blooming chrysanthemum). Although early feeding damage can occur, the plant will usually grow out of it and hide any deformities after bract initiation. Because of this, controls for thrips (insecticides or biological control) are not usually recommended as this will add to the input cost of an already precarious profit margin. Besides, the grower has enough pest pressure from whiteflies at this point so that should be their focus. Thrips will continue through their life cycle within the crop until shipping or may drop to the floor to pupate as temperatures and daylengths decrease in autumn. As plants are moved out, adult thrips can migrate to remaining poinsettia plants or any newly arriving product, even in their vegetative state.
The Dracaena (spike) is one such plant. They are typically brought into the greenhouse early to grow to size on their own. Alternately, they are commonly used as a center piece in mixed hanging baskets or planters for the spring market. Not normally a major thrips host when surrounded by more attractive plant material, thrips will migrate to them if no other suitable plant hosts are available. If thrips move to Dracaena when the poinsettia move out in December, they will have enough time to complete a full life cycle (approximately three weeks at 21°C) before they are transplanted in February. The egg and larval stage of the insect will then be transported with the plants to their final placement in the greenhouse, effectively spreading thrips throughout the growing area. Early control is essential to prevent the buildup of thrips in places like hanging baskets, which can cause additional problems for product on the benches below if populations are allowed to increase.
It is well documented that Western Flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) are attracted to yellow and blue colours of sticky tape. Positioning the yellow or blue tape between the poinsettia growing area and any new plant material will minimize some of the threat. Be sure to replace tape towards the end of the growing season as it fills up with dead insects over time and loses some of its attractiveness. Thrips are more likely to be in
Positioning sticky tape between crops will minimize some of the threat from thrips migration.
flight during this time, so placement of the tape just above the tops of the plants would be most effective.
For Dracaena, direct release of predatory mites is advised. Neoseiulus cucumeris can be applied in a loose bran mixture, however slow-release sachets are best. These will release mites over time, reaching peak numbers in three to four weeks, which is enough to cover the initial life cycle of the migrating insects. If the sachets are touching the growing media, they tend to wick water into the interior thus reducing the product’s effective lifetime. To avoid this, try sachets on sticks.
The final step to interrupting this pest pathway is to place a sachet in each hanging basket or planter when planted, especially if thrips host plants such as Verbena or Calibrachoa are involved.
A word of caution is needed when using biological control for thrips. Onion thrips (Thrips tabaci) have been found on Dracaena. These are not easily controlled by predatory mites, so it is best to identify the species before proceeding with a release. Sprays are still effective against Onion thrips so this remains an option in this case. A helpful thrips identification article is available online at Greenhouse Canada (see digital archives: Jandricic et al., Feb 2020).
An additional method of interrupting thrips migration is to place flowering trap plants near the Dracaena. As long as there are no other competing flowering plants nearby, thrips will be attracted initially to the trap plants. The trick is remembering to remove the traps after two weeks to avoid thrips reproducing on them, which would defeat the purpose. Clean trap plants such as marigolds or Chesapeake varieties of chrysanthemums have been used with great success. Check the activity within blooms of the trap plants two or three days after setting them out, then bag and remove them from the greenhouse if high numbers are found.
The seasonal pest pathway highlighted here is only one example of how pests can easily stay in your facility and become a resident problem if not attended to early on. Spring crops that eventually flower (unlike Dracaena), can also be a host for migrating pests and should be monitored for pest pressure when initial blooms appear. Bloom colours such as pink and yellow can be especially attractive to thrips, and individual plants can be bagged and removed early if possible.
Unchecked weed growth can also act as intermediate host sites along the pest pathway. Even when insecticide sprays are used for cleaning up after a crop, weeds can still harbour active populations of pests. It is best to remove weeds along walls, gutters and under benches before applying a cleanup spray. If a new crop has already been placed before existing weeds are removed, there is a risk of pest migration to that area during cleanup.
It is not always easy to determine where pest populations come from in a multiple-crop growing system. Often, incoming plant material is blamed for infestations. This is sometimes true, although as outlined in this article, pests may be following their own pathway through your greenhouse.
Mike Short is the founder of Eco Habitat Agri Services and provides customized IPM consulting services to greenhouses, nursery crops and cannabis operations. Mike can be reached at ecohabitatbio@gmail.com
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Choosing a water treatment technology can be a complex decision. Consider the options, initial and ongoing costs, as well as your operation’s specifics.
BY DR. CHEVONNE DAYBOLL
If you don’t currently treat your water it may be time to seriously consider a treatment system.
There are a number of steps to take that can help reduce losses from fungal and bacterial diseases. These include sourcing pathogen-free cuttings, making sure your water source and water-holding tanks are problem-free, as well as practising good sanitation in your greenhouse. Chief among them is another important step – the use of water treatments to reduce pathogen loads.
Looking into water treatment technologies can be overwhelming. There are many options out there and you need to consider your operation’s specifics. Add in the initial and ongoing costs, and the decision can become a complex one.
A few years ago, our friends at Flowers Canada Ontario (FCO) and the Soil Resource Group (SRG) came up with a guidance document to assist growers in choosing water treatment systems. It covers why you might want to treat your water and which systems are best for common problems like sediment, fungi, viral or bacterial issues. It also addresses costs, installation, space requirements and maintenance considerations.
In this article, we have identified factors to consider before moving forward with an installation as well as information about four commonly chosen water treatment options for consideration.
Considering the parameters of your farm, you might need a fairly simple solution or something more complex. Here are four commonly chosen options for greenhouse
use and some considerations to keep in mind. It’s important to note that they are not the only solutions available. Some farms may also benefit from several different ways to treat their water in series because of their crops, setup or disease pressure.
• Good choice for pathogen removal, especially in sensitive crops
• Good choice for growers managing high volumes of irrigation water
• Allows retention of nutrients if recirculating water
Ozone treatments can remove pathogens and break down organic chemicals such as pesticides or plant growth regulators.
How it works: Damages DNA of pathogens and prevents reproduction by exposing them to UV radiation.
Type: Physical
Capital Cost: High
Operational Cost: Low
Footprint: Small
Considerations:
• Requires clear and colourless water to work optimally, so water with high turbidity, sediment or colour will need a pre-treatment (like filters or a constructed wetland)
• Costly, especially if the volume of water warrants several units.
How it works: Splits ozone particles into oxygen and a free radical which destroys pathogen cell membranes.
Type: Chemical
Capital Cost: High
Operational Cost: Moderate
Footprint: Moderate
Considerations:
• Like UV, water may need pre-treatment
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Meet IIVO, the smartest way to analyze and control a greenhouse.
No matter what greenhouse, with IIVO a grower is always connected to their crop.
This new process computer takes care of climate-, water-, energyand data management. It’s connected to all sensors, hardware, smart cameras, robotics and external resources such as weather data. IIVO gives growers insights of how crops are performing, but can also act as a growth coach and give advice. A grower can also choose to let the system operate autonomously. Due to its crop specific approach it always gets the most out of any crop while using as few resources as possible.
• Can remove nutrients and fungal pathogens from water, as well as some pesticides and PGRs
• Water quality is suitable for irrigation but can have high bicarbonates and should be blended with fresh nutrient solution if used on sensitive crops.
• Can handle seasonal water fluctuations
• Maintenance is fairly simple. Woodchips will need to be replaced as they degrade, but they have a lifespan of many years if the system is operated properly.
• HTS needs space for an in-ground system outside of the greenhouse, but can be installed under a growing area (machine traffic should be avoided).
Before getting started on an installation, there are many aspects to consider:
• What is the size of your operation? Do you have any future plans for expansion?
• How do your production cycles work? Do you have heavy seasons, or fairly predictable weekto-week production?
• What’s your water source? Does your irrigation water come from a well, a city or do you collect rainwater? Does the source change over the year? Do you blend water sources?
• What’s the water quality, and what is the volume you need to treat? Does it have sediment, or have you had disease issues?
• What types of crops do you grow? Sensitive varieties might require more vigorous treatment
• What’s your budget? What costs can you handle for upfront installation and ongoing maintenance?
• How much maintenance can you handle? Is your ideal system a set-it-and-forget-it solution, or will it have downtime or need to be calibrated on a regular basis?
This article was written with input from Dr. Jeanine West of PhytoServ and Dr. Ann Huber of Soil Resource Group. For more information, please check out the guidance document on water treatments, contact the authors, or reach out to a water treatment specialist.
This is the fifth article in a series on water sanitation that first appeared on ONfloriculture.com. The goal of this series is to encourage greenhouse operations to reflect on their irrigation systems before they are faced with a problem.
The first article revealed where problems are likely to occur in the greenhouse; the second explored the types of pathogens found in water, the third covered where and how to sample your water and the fourth was on water DNA tests – all can be found on ONfloriculture.com.
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Read the Water Treatment Guide for Greenhouses and Nurseries
Chevonne Dayboll, PhD, is the greenhouse floriculture specialist at the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). Have questions? Email chevonne.dayboll@ontario.ca.
quantity and size available upon request natural soil conditioner for lawns, gardens and plants improves soil aeration neutral PH natural soil conditioner for lawns, gardens and plants improves soil aeration neutral PH
upon
Improving micronutrient usage in greenhouse production.
BY ALYNA J.
DONETZ, EDWARD
J. FLAHERTY, KATHERINE
TEETER-WOOD, SKYE DUNCAN
STEPHENS, DR. GORDON HOOVER, DR. CHEVONNE
DAYBOLL, AND DR. BARRY J. SHELP
Chrysanthemums are an economically important floricultural crop worldwide. Approximately five million indoor potted chrysanthemums were grown in 2020 in Canada alone, making it the third most produced flower in the country. It was also the fifth most produced outdoor potted plant with three million units, and the third most produced cut flower with 23 million units.
Indoor potted chrysanthemums are of particular interest because they are widely grown with subirrigation or capillary irrigation. Closed subirrigation systems eliminate the generation of leachate and allow the recycling and reuse of nutrient-rich solution. Historically, there has been an overuse of fertilizer applied to the potted plant. Previously, our research group used modern cultivars of subirrigated, indoor potted chrysanthemums to demonstrate how the supply
of NPK (N, nitrogen, P, phosphorus and K, potassium) could be reduced by approximately 75 per cent during the vegetative stage without compromising quality, and how it could be removed completely when plants were flowering. To continue this work, and to see if further fertilizer savings are possible, we investigated whether the levels of micronutrients (zinc, Zn, manganese, Mn, copper, Cu and iron, Fe) in common pre-mixed fertilizers could be similarly reduced.
The Zn and Cu experiments were replicated in a naturally lit greenhouse during the summer/fall of 2019 and winter/spring 2020 seasons. Similar results were found with the cultivars ‘Milton Dark Pink’ and ‘Williamsburg Purple’ (Fig. 1). Results showed that applied levels of Cu and Zn levels could be reduced during the vegetative stage by
ABOVE Figure 1. Market-quality ‘Milton Dark Pink’ and ‘Williamsburg Purple’ chrysanthemums were produced across the different Zn regimens (shown above) and Cu regimens (not pictured).
up to 75 per cent without any visible signs of nutrient deficiency. Furthermore, there was no significant change in quality, as measured by markers such as shoot height and dry weight, leaf greenness, flower number, bloom size and development. The leaf Zn level ranged from 36 to 18 ppm and the leaf Cu level ranged from 7.1 to 3.7 ppm.
The Mn and Fe experiments were conducted in the summer/fall of 2020 and winter/spring 2021 seasons using different treatment rates. Similar results were found with the cultivars ‘Olympia White’, ‘Milton Dark Pink’ and ‘Williamsburg Purple’ (Figs. 2 and 3). This time, results showed that applied levels of Mn and Fe could be reduced by up to 94 per cent during the vegetative stage without any visible signs of nutrient deficiency. Furthermore, there was no significant change in quality. The leaf Mn level ranged from 116 to 51 ppm and the leaf Cu level ranged from 83 to 45 ppm.
HOW CAN THESE FINDINGS BE INTEGRATED INTO YOUR FARM OPERATION?
Many commercial fertilizer formulations (e.g., Peter’s Professional Peat-Lite Neutral
Cal-Mag 17−3−17, ICL Fertilizers; Fusion Plant-Prod 17−5−17, Master PlantProd), often with similar macronutrient composition (in ppm: 285−300 N; 53−84 P; 285−300 K) are available for chrysanthemum production. These two fertilizers contain (in ppm): 0.75−0.83 Zn; 0.36−0.83 Cu; 0.75−0.83 Mn; 0.1.50−1.68 Fe; 0.34−0.36 boron; and,
0.15−0.26 molybdenum). In the present study, the lowest levels of Zn (0.057 ppm), Cu (0.012 ppm), Mn (0.017 ppm) and Fe (0.037 ppm) delivered during vegetative growth ranged from 2 to 10 per cent of those levels. Nonetheless, the absence of changes in plant and flower quality, as well as visible signs of micronutrient deficiency, suggests that
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none of the micronutrient regimens employed here limit growth processes. Consequently, the leaf micronutrient levels across all treatments are considered acceptable. This is in line with the desirable micronutrient ranges provided by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) in Publication 370, which suggests 5-35
ppm Zn, 5-50 ppm Cu, 25-375 ppm Mn, and 20-750 ppm Fe in leaf dry tissue of the chrysanthemum.
Based upon this research, growers could consider reducing the amount of fertilizer applied to indoor potted chrysanthemum crops grown with subirrigation. Like NPK, the application rate for each of the four micronutrients studied here could be
LEFT
Figure 2. Market-quality ‘Williamsburg Purple’ (left panel) along with ‘Milton Dark Pink’ (right panel) chrysanthemums were produced across the different Mn regimens.
reduced by up to 75 per cent. Initially, the reduced rates could be tested on a small portion of the crop, while tracking plant quality metrics, sell-through and stress tolerance (e.g., shipping tolerance, retail performance if possible) to see if a reduced nutrient strategy might work on a large scale for individual farms.
With our experimental protocol, the amount of fertilizer in the pot medium was minimized by inserting each cutting into a peat Jiffy plug amended with 30 per cent minerals (Model CF Hort. Plug 343040, Jiffy Products (N.B.) Ltd., Shippagan, NB, Canada), and using a peat-based pot mixture (50:50 peat:perlite by volume) without a starter charge. However, Jiffy plugs can be purchased with a greater mineral amendment and many commercially available peat-based mixes do contain proportionately more peat, as well as a starter charge. Also, the Jiffy plug
California
is often omitted, and specific nutrients added directly to the pot mixture. All these supplemental fertilizer sources could allow for further reduction in liquid fertilizers. In this study, we used common indoor potted chrysanthemum cultivars. Cultivars grown as outdoor potted chrysanthemums or as cut flowers with more “showy blooms” may require different nutrient levels to obtain the best market quality. Growers should talk to their suppliers about custom fertilizer options with reduced rates to minimize costs.
This project is part of the Accelerating Green Plant Innovation for Environmental and Economic Benefit Cluster and is funded by the Canadian Ornamental Horticulture Alliance (COHA−ACHO) and by the Government of Canada under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership’s AgriScience Program. Industry partners included Schenck Farms and Greenhouses of St. Catharines, Ont., and AgMedica Bioscience Ltd. of Chatham, Ont. Thanks to Berger of Sainte−Modeste, Que., for supplying the peat, and Kuyvenhoven Greenhouses Inc. of Halton Hills, Ont., for supplying the chrysanthemum cuttings.
For more details, see the article, “Optimizing zinc and copper delivery for subirrigated greenhouse-grown chrysanthemums” (http://dx.doi. org/10.1139/cjps-2020-0175), which is published in the Canadian Journal of Plant Science.
For more background, see the articles “Moving towards low-input floricultural operations,” “It’s about time: Using phosphorus efficiently,” and “More for less: Lowering N, P and K in mums,” which are published, respectively, in the December 2018, March 2020 and December 2020 issues of Greenhouse Canada magazine.
Alyna Donetz, Edward Flaherty, Katherine Teeter-Wood, and Skye Duncan Stephens are graduate students, Gordon Hoover is a technician, and Barry Shelp is professor emeritus in the Department of Plant Agriculture at the University of Guelph. Chevonne Dayboll is the greenhouse floriculture specialist at OMAFRA. For more information, please contact Dr. Shelp at 519-824-4120 ext. 53089, or bshelp@uoguelph.ca.
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look at Qualitree’s expansion and the ongoing evolution of their irrigation and water treatment systems.
BY GRETA CHIU
On close to 100 acres, Qualitree Propagators has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1994.
When 50 acres came up for sale next to Qualitree’s property in Chilliwack, B.C., the nursery knew it was time to expand and invest in new technology.
“We needed proper level floors in order to standardize and automate,” says Henk Rozendaal, co-owner and director of process innovations at Qualitree.
At the same time, there was news of impending environmental regulations in B.C. which would require producers to keep detailed records of water use and compliance. It was the ideal time for Qualitree to take proactive measures.
Founded in 1994, the company started out as a university project between two friends, Gary Neels and Tony Van Oort. From then, what began as a small greenhouse grew to become an extensive propagation and nursery operation, supplying markets across North America.
“Today, we closely resemble a Dutch-style nursery – from concrete driveways and rail systems for transportation to computer-controlled irrigation and climate control systems,” says Riana Kersten, technical advisor at Qualitree. The team incorporates technology and partnerships from overseas to further the efficiency of their expanding real estate. “On close to 100 acres, our operations include 17 acres of greenhouses for processing our ever-expanding propagation and finished plant lines.”
There are plans in place to add an additional warehouse, greenhouse and outdoor container
space within the existing 100 acres over the next two to three years.
In 2017, Qualitree commissioned Dutch supplier ErfGoed to install a new permeable flood floor system, not only for their planned expansion, but for their existing infrastructure as well.
Scales built into the irrigation floors will allow for more accurate water management decisions.
“Sensors are only as accurate as the last calibration.”
Composed of porous stone and a drainage system covered by permeable cloth, the cultivation floor is said to be designed for promoting an optimal microclimate. “The uniform watering ensures a strong root system, uniform crop and a longer shelf life. Due to the vertical drainage and the vitality of the crop, the disease pressure is minimal,” says Corné Verduijn, project manager for ErfGoed.
Verduijn adds that their flood floors will also provide a cooling function and supply air that matches the composition of the greenhouse, including CO2, humidity, air composition and temperature.
But like any new system, it takes some getting used to.
For one thing, Qualitree needed to ensure that their equipment
wouldn’t damage the cloth or create ruts in the floors which could lead to uneven moisture. This meant retrofitting the machinery used for trimming and moving plants, explains Qualitree’s greenhouse grower, Chris Knezetic.
“Not all plug sizes, soil types and plant requirements are created equally,” he adds, which is why it’s important to always have additional methods for irrigation. In Qualitree’s case, they supplement with irrigation booms from Cherry Creek Systems.
In Qualitree’s container yard, grower Mindy Neels says the level floors have allowed her to use overthe-bed trimmers and sprayers, producing more uniform crops than ever before.
She also notes how irrigation lines are located above ground for easy maintenance and troubleshooting. “We don’t want to be digging up the ErfGoed floor in order to find a leak, for example.” But what she’s most excited for are the scales built into the floors that will allow Qualitree to make more accurate water management decisions. “There is one scale per irrigation zone, and the data collected by the scale is integrated with the Argus system we use. We will be able to use weight measurements to trigger irrigation events, instead of relying on human decision makers.”
Though sensors and scales will help bring an additional layer of automation to the operation, they still require consistent checks, notes Knezetic. “Sensors are only as accurate as the last calibration.” The greater uptake of technology has also underscored the need for local experts to program, troubleshoot and maintain the system, particularly during a pandemic when cross-border travel is more difficult. Plus, the Qualitree team is learning how to program things themselves. “Every month there is
Not all plants have equal requirements, warranting different forms of irrigation.
improvement to our knowledge of the system and it is another step towards becoming more self-sufficient.”
According to Verduijn, the expansion required installing brand new water controls and storage tanks to collect and recycle all of the water and fertilizer from the operation. Large outdoor water basins store rainwater and drain water, while silos inside the control room buffer the ebb and flood water. This alone takes approximately 2,000 m2 (half acre) of space.
“There are a lot of questions that need to be answered when planning an expansion of any size,” says Henk Rozendaal “What is the cost involved? Can we expand in stages? These discussions took weeks, months, even years before we made final decisions. “
While planning their expansion, here were some key considerations and lessons learned by the Qualitree team, as shared by Rozendaal:
• Consider sun and shadows when deciding where to build new greenhouses, warehouses or outdoor container yards. Road access and the layout of the entire nursery is also important.
• Reduced labour and transportation time are important; we use a combination of in-place and ad hoc (temporary) work stations.
• One of the developments along with the expansion was a new focus on producing plugs and liners. This allows us to have a more evenly distributed labour force and cash flow throughout the year. There is no longer such a huge spike in sales and operations in the spring; it is just busy year round!
• Ask “why” five times to get to the root cause of a problem.
• When handling plants in any way, ask “Are we adding cost or value to this plant?”
• Focus on quality first, and then improve efficiency.
In addition to the water storing silos, the team installed pumps for the ebb and flow system, the overhead irrigation system and the irrigation booms, each with the capability of adding fertilizer, as well as treating and filtering water. “On a warm day, about 1650 m3 per hour can be pumped into the nursery to provide the plants with the right amount of water and fertilizers,” says Verduijn.
With Qualitree producing such a wide variety of crops, flexibility becomes important in the system. For instance, various parts of the nursery can draw from all of the fertilizer containers, changing up the ratio of nutrients as needed.
“In addition, we have made backups at various places in the system to ensure that if something should [malfunction], water can continue to be provided via another pump unit.”
During the process, the Qualitree team realized the importance of water quality, its origins, as well as treatment options.
“We compared many different water treatment systems for our propagation greenhouse including ozone, copper, super saturation of oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, biological water treatment systems and ECA (electro-chemical activation),” says Gary Neels, co-owner and director of growing and research at Qualitree. “We decided to go with an ECA system from VDH Water Technology because it is safe, effective, and we have access to local service and advice.”
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The disinfection system makes use of potassium salts which form a potassium hypochlorite solution in the tank. The process of electrolysis applies a charge to the solution, producing active ions that continuously target pathogens in the water and control biofilm in the pipes.
“The ECA machine generates and directly injects precise amounts of chlorine into our water at several injection points, keeping it pathogen-free,” says Knezetic. “Regular DNA tests of our source water have confirmed the efficacy of the product, and we have seen a major reduction in algae growing on our floors since implementation.”
Qualitree also introduced oxygen generators and nanobubbles to improve rootzone health. This boost in dissolved oxygen has also resulted in improvements in their silos and reservoirs, including their holding ponds which have been prone to algae and duckweed in the past few years.
“Instead of applying water shocking chemicals annually to the ponds, we increase our dissolved oxygen levels to stimulate aerobic bacterial growth,” Knezetic says of their long-term project. A work in progress, they’ll be testing the use of pond plants as a way to naturally draw out organic compounds and return more oxygen to the water. “Ultimately the goal is to take our recycled water and reuse it over and over as much as possible while being naturally maintained by biological sources.”
Due to the extreme sensitivity of young plants, however, their propagation greenhouse doesn’t reuse water. Instead, the spent water is sent to the drain pond where it’s used on outdoor
After many trials, Qualitree found success in using vapour pressure deficit (VPD) to root their cuttings.
Applicable to all stages of crop health and development, this method of measurement is used to more accurately control and stabilize environments. In Qualitree’s case, they’ve applied it in propagation.
Rather than placing their unrooted cuttings under plastic, as had been done in the past, VPD leverages their high pressure fog system from MJ Tech. This is connected to VPD sensors in the greenhouse, and all communicate with their central Argus system to regulate the greenhouse environment and generate the best conditions for rooting.
“Working with plastic was extremely arduous and labour intensive,” says Chris Knezetic.
“The slightest mistake would cause plant death almost immediately on some of our crops.” This included holes in the plastic, as well as corners or edges not properly covered or covered in time.
In contrast, VPD has led to greater consistency in the outcome. Learning a new technique wasn’t without its challenges, however. “On our first attempt, we managed to lose about 50 percent of our crop.”
Since then, their use of VPD has led to increased crop health and yields, as well as reduced labour and material costs.
“While plastic isn’t preferred, it has its own failsafe,” he adds. “If the fog machine went down, I’d have to react fast to keep the humidity in check. There are problems [with VPD] that I am still learning to combat… such as oversaturation, but it’s all about continuous improvement.”
Growing a large variety of crops, flexibility in nutrient additions became a large part of the irrigation system.
established crops. “Ultimately the goal will be maintaining a closed loop system indoors as well,” says Knezetic. “[We’re] looking into reverse osmosis water and other systems to help us achieve that goal.”
Adding new measures to recapture water while improving efficiency has not been easy, but this innovative producer has taken them all in stride, valuing quality in all that they do.
Introducing nanobubble and oxygen generators have resulted in improvements to their silos and reservoirs.
“Our water treatment journey is not complete yet, we still have a lot to learn,” says Gary.
For other producers looking to install new irrigation and sanitation systems, Rozendaal says there’s much to consider. This includes water demands for the greenhouse, warehouse and nursery at peak season, pipes diameters, costs involved, and more.
“When expanding, think about the next expansion,” he says. “Build for the future.”
>
Ensuring water security both in and outside of the greenhouse.
BY DR. MOHYUDDIN MIRZA
Water is absolutely essential for us and the planet we live on.
In Canada, every province and territory has a program for water governance. Agriculture is a major user of freshwater resources and within it, horticulture and greenhouses are at the forefront of conscious water use.
According to UNESCO, “Freshwater is the most important resource for humankind, crosscutting all social, economic and environmental activities to achieve water security, we must protect vulnerable water systems, mitigate the impacts of water-related hazards such as floods and droughts, safeguard access to water functions and services and manage water resources in an integrated and equitable manner”.
It’s important to be aware of the water-related challenges that are developing and the ways in which we should handle our water resources. While it is essential to reduce water use and safeguard our water systems, it’s also important
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to ensure water quality for healthy crops at the greenhouse level. In fact, when growers approach me about building a greenhouse, my first suggestion is to buy a property with access to good quality water. Water management and water security – both from a farm level and from a regional or global level – are absolutely essential.
The idea for this article started from a request by a greenhouse vegetable grower who also happened to have a field market garden. They asked whether I could take a look at a few pictures of their cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers which seemed to be showing symptoms of nutrient deficiency or possible toxicity. I asked them to send the photos, along with information on fertilizers being used and any recent lab analyses of raw water and leach.
A picture of cucumber leaves came in and it
This grower’s cucumber showed signs of a nutrient deficiency. The question was why.
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was a simple diagnosis: Iron deficiency was caused by either not enough iron in the fertilizer program, which is rare, or their pH was going over 6.4 in a soilless growing medium, which was coir in this case. Tomatoes showed blotchy ripening of the fruit, leaves curling and magnesium deficiency on the lower leaves. Peppers showed lots of leaf curling, poor fruit sizing and some blossom end rot. Now the question was, what to do to correct the problems?
A look at the fertilizer program showed that all of those nutrients were in order. The ratios of nitrogen to potassium, calcium to magnesium, phosphorus to zinc, and iron to manganese were within acceptable levels. But when I looked at the actual nutrient solution analysis, sodium and sulfates levels
were above the desired ranges. My immediate questions were why and where did this sodium come from?
The grower’s own water supply had been low, so they searched for water from other farmers in the area who had dug outs or ponds. Most of the farmers indicated that, due to drought conditions, they did not have enough water to share. Finally the grower had found one farmer who was willing to share water. The water was trucked in, and it had high sodium levels of over 300 mg/L. As it turned out, this farmer was putting waste water from reverse osmosis (RO) into his dug out. Thus, the entire water supply became contaminated with high sodium.
The decision to truck water from an unknown source without first testing it proved to be a costly mistake. The greenhouse
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Tomatoes from the same farm looked blotchy in appearance.
grower’s own dugout is now contaminated with high sodium. Sodium destroys the drainage in growing media, resulting in waterlogging and drops in oxygen levels. Under those conditions, roots are no longer able to absorb many of the nutrients and iron is at the top of the list. I asked the grower to consider installing an RO system. It’s a relatively expensive option, and the grower is currently assessing their financial resources.
Trucking in water from an unknown source, without first testing it, proved to be a costly mistake.
As operators and growers, how can we ensure greenhouse water security?
First, plan your water use based on the crop’s needs and other uses like fogging and misting. This is usually done when planning a greenhouse build or expansion.
A good example of this is another case, where a grower wanted to expand but their existing water supply was not adequate for the expansion. Well water had higher sodium, so the possibility of an RO unit was discussed. This time, the biggest challenge was not the cost, but in how the waste water would be disposed of.
Calculations determined that the removal of 300 mg/L of sodium from a total of one million litres/year would come to 300 million milligrams. That translated into 300 kg of sodium. This calculation helped the grower plan suitable ways and means for handling the high sodium waste water. Putting it back into the water supply was definitely not an option, particularly for
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dugouts or cisterns in the greenhouse.
For the time being, the grower is using water from another dugout with low sodium, regularly monitoring sodium accumulation in the growing medium and leach water while making adjustments with higher potassium feed. Sodium is not an essential element for growth, but plants are non-selective. So, by keeping potassium higher than sodium, one can minimize the effects of sodium. However, sodium still has to be managed in the growing medium
and in the leach water.
As for water sources, I know most greenhouse growers collect rain or snow melt water, then put it into storage tanks. That is a good step for ensuring water security, however, lots of water and or nutrient solution is typically used for leaching through root zones. While this practice is intended to reduce salt levels in the growing medium, I think we are using excessive leaching and thus leading to wasted water. Many growers collect that leach and recycle it, combining one-
third leach with two-thirds fresh solution.
Table 1 shows an example of a situation where overdrain was not helping in bringing down the EC in the root zone of a younger tomato crop grown under supplemental light. One can see that in spite of significant leaching, the EC of the rockwool growing medium did not come down. In my opinion, the practice of heavy leaching is not conducive to water and nutrient conservation. Adjust the amount of water to reflect the amount of light available inside the greenhouse to meet the evaporative needs of the plants. The general formula still holds true in most cases: For each joule of light, apply 3 ml/m2. If using this formula, it would be 300 ml/m2 for each 100 joules, and 3L/m2 for each 1000 joules.
One key area to take note of is potential water contamination. If contaminated by herbicides, this poses a serious danger to water security. The entire water reservoir can be rendered unfit for use. I have seen situations where millions of litres of pond water were contaminated by long lasting herbicides, and the cause was only discovered when plants started showing symptoms. Grower suffered serious economic losses. By the time charcoal filters were installed, it was too late.
As a preventative measure, growers should have their water analyzed for herbicides before use and also set up bioassays for herbicide presence. This includes growing sensitive plants like tomatoes or germinating lentils. Always establish controls where distilled water is used for comparing symptoms.
There are many other aspects of water management that feed into water security of the greenhouse, including water use efficiency, recycling of waste water and planning for future use. Note that some production technologies claim that plants grown using their systems use 95 to 99 per cent less water but make the comparison to field production or leave out mention of what they’re comparing to.
In summary, water security should be taken seriously. Greenhouse growers are already at the forefront of using technologies to manage water, and my hope is that they will continue to do so from every angle.
Mohyuddin Mirza, PhD, is an industry consultant in Alberta. He can be reached at drmirzaconsultants@gmail.com
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From rootzone management to screening strategies, it’s time to think ahead.
BY GRETA CHIU
For greenhouse producers looking to steel their crops against the summer heat, now is the time to prep, conduct maintenance checks, and ensure that their summer game plan is good to go.
In B.C., Tineke Goebertus of Vortus Greenhouse Consultants thinks back to the heat dome which enveloped many parts of western Canada last summer. Temperatures reached 42 °C in the third part of the season, leading to fruit set issues. “It cost us a lot of production,” she says. There were soft fruit issues in peppers and the end of the season saw smaller fruit for both peppers and tomatoes.
However, she also found that growers who had better rootzone management fared best.
The warmer it gets, the more oxygen the roots need, Goebertus explains. Her main piece of advice is to avoid overwatering and to make sure there are enough drain holes such that the roots have access to adequate oxygen. “For me, pH is
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the biggest gauge for how wet the growing media is,” she says. If the plant is happy, the pH tends to go up. If the pH is low, it’s a sign the roots are swamped.
“I always use the example of a colander,” she says. If a faucet is turned on above it, the rate of drain depends on the number of holes in the colander. “In the summer time, you need more holes.” As an added plus, more drainage holes will allow for better EC control. “If a plant is going limp, you assume it doesn’t have enough water,” she says. “But a plant can also flag because it has no, or not enough, healthy roots to take up the water it receives.”
As radiation goes up, ventilation often follows, but beware of overventing. “If you overvent in the morning, that means you’re keeping the greenhouse cooler for longer, but it doesn’t mean plants are happier,” says Goebertus. When visiting her clients, she prefers to walk inside the
As radiation goes up, ventilation often follows. However, greenhouse consultant Tineke Goebertus cautions producers from overventing in the morning.
The search is underway for Greenhouse Canada’s Top 4 Under 40. Nominees must work in the greenhouse, horticulture or related equipment and technology sectors and be 39 years of age or under by Dec 31, 2022
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greenhouse, look at the crop and get a first-hand feel for the climate – whether it’s muggy, warm or drafty – and at different times of the day. She then takes a look at the climate graphs, which she says are “powerful things,” noting radiation levels, fan use and humidity, for instance, then looking for correlations.
“Climate includes temperature, light, humidity, and CO2,” she says. “Plants can take care of themselves, but we have to make sure they’re sitting in an environment where they’re happy and healthy.”
For Dr. Fadi Al-Daoud, greenhouse vegetable specialist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, his first and foremost recommendation is to conduct early monitoring of nutrient balances while the crop is still establishing. “Make sure that the nutrient balances in the solutions provided for the plants, as well as the nutrient uptake by the crop, are appropriate. When you have unbalanced nutrient uptake and heat stress added on in the summer, it really exasperates some of the physiological stresses that the plants go through. That’s where a lot of the issues happen.”
Symptoms of nutrient imbalances may not present themselves as clearly during the cooler shoulder seasons.
“Make sure your sensors are working properly,” Al-Daoud adds. This includes various climate sensors and computer connections. “Make sure everything is calibrated and working as they should.”
Early spring is also an ideal time to order any coatings, shade materials and protective covers – or at least make sure they’re on-hand and ready, as advised by both Goebertus and AlDaoud. With shipping and supply chain issues, these materials may encounter delays.
That being said, Goebertus works with one producer who uses double energy screens and another who has an energy screen plus a shade screen. Neither combination was enough to reverse the effects of extreme heat from the heat dome last year. “Extended temperatures over 32 °C, and [being] very warm at night, are simply not good for a crop,” she says.
Still, retractable shade screens or curtains could be useful tools for the general summer toolbox. The late winter or spring periods would be an ideal time for maintenance tasks such as motor tuneups or checking for frayed wires, says Robert Hanifin, technical specialist with Svensson Climate Screens.
When not in use, screens should be kept bundled and dry. “If it’s not staying dry, deploy it occasionally to make sure it dries out before it’s bundled up completely,” Hanifin advises. Otherwise, the curtains can develop algae or mildew, affecting light transmittance and durability of the curtains over time.
Hanifin notes that his growers in North America tend to use a single energy saving screen that doubles as shade in the summer months. However, trends in Europe would suggest that multiple screens could provide more flexibility throughout the year.
“It is very common in Europe that a grower…can use two combined energy curtains to shade, especially if the curtains are closed in opposite directions,” he explains. Some energy screens offer some degree of shading. Partial closure of both energy saving screens can shield the crops from full sun and the gaps create a chimney effect for airflow when the vents are open.
Choosing a shade-specific screen as a second curtain won’t
offer greater energy savings, but it could help keep the greenhouse cooler in the summer with its open-knit structure.
An increasing number of greenhouse producers have added blackout screens or swapped out their clear energy screens for light abatement purposes in recent years, he adds. “If you partially deploy a blackout screen, you’re putting a shadow on the crop, which isn’t ideal... but if you do that midday, it can do a lot in terms of reducing temperature.” If used in a pair, Hanifin recommends deploying a clear energy curtain at 80 per cent with the blackout at 20 percent.
“It comes down to what’s going to work best for you, for your particular crop and location, and the facility you’re in,” says Hanifin. “I think the extremes – especially the summer extremes – are going to become more prevalent. You may end up using screens in a different way than you otherwise would.”
Read up on heat-related physiological disorders in tomatoes on the OMAFRA GH vegetables blog, https://medium.com/ ongreenhousevegetables.com
“If you’re interested in cooling, shade materials that offer diffusion and high reflectance are going to be best,” says Robert Hanifin.
He encourages growers to ask how the diffusion of their curtains is measured. “What [suppliers] should tell you is that the diffusion is measured in what’s called hortiscatter. In simplest terms, it’s a measure of how much light going through the screen or curtain is being deflected in all directions underneath [it].” This value often ranges from zero to 100 percent. The higher the value, the greater the diffusion, allowing for more even light and temperature distribution both vertically and horizontally.
Operators may also notice that greenhouse roof materials or glazing mention “haze” rather than hortiscatter. “[Haze] is the proportion of the light that’s deflected at least two degrees. You could have glass with 100 percent haze, but it may be that all of the light is only deflected two degrees. High haze glazing material is not necessarily high diffusion.” While having diffuse glass or poly can be advantageous, it’s important to take into account the light transmittance of the glass or poly year-round.
As for reflective material, aluminum is a common choice and one that Hanifin estimates will reflect about two-thirds of the incoming light. What’s left is absorbed as heat energy which eventually radiates into the greenhouse. “If you have the more advanced light diffusion shade screens that exist today, they’re manufactured with materials that are as reflective or more reflective than aluminum.” When paired with diffusive properties, the screen/curtain itself holds less heat energy and therefore has less to radiate into the greenhouse.
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Garden mum cuttings typically arrive at a tough time of the year when producers are busy with spring crops. How does one set up for more punctual flowering? Cutting suppliers weigh in.
Garden mum crops usually start with vegetative cuttings from stock plants grown in Florida or California. Because growers receive these cuttings during their busiest time of the year when they are preoccupied with spring production and shipping, mum propagation usually takes second or third place in terms of attention. This leads to less-than-suitable growing conditions for starting garden mums, and we end up trying to correct the mistakes made during propagation and growth.
Through all my years of growing plants, I find that giving the plant what it needs at the right time leads to a successful crop with fewer challenges. Ignoring knowledge or not applying it on time will lead to financial loss and frustration. The irony is that these mistakes happen time after time, and we do not do anything to change them.
This year I asked three of the main suppliers of garden mum cuttings to share their knowledge on how to prevent premature flowering, with the hopes that we can pay more attention in the spring so we can produce a great garden mum crop. The following is the information they shared. Read and apply as needed.
~Melhem Sawaya, Focus Greenhouse Management
Syngenta Flowers North America
Garden mums can be induced to flower using short day lengths and cool night temperatures. Understanding these two environmental factors and how to control them are key to getting your garden mums off to a good start.
Day Length: Day length is the most common way to manipulate flowering in chrysanthemum, but the critical day length needed to cause flowering is often misunderstood. Although we typically suggest using blackcloth to create a 12-hour nighttime period to induce flowering in the summer, garden mums will start down the flowering path with day lengths much longer than 12 hours. This is proven every year with natural flowering garden mums in late August and early
September. In controlled tests that we have performed, it was possible to get some garden mum varieties to flower under 14.5-hour day lengths. This means that early flowering garden mums will try to set flower buds when grown under natural day lengths in April and most of May. Even though natural day length is longer than 12 hours, it is still not long enough to prevent flower bud initiation until the end of May and June for growers in Canada.
Night Temperature: Growers on the West Coast and at higher altitudes can flower garden mums in the summer without using blackcloth. Even though the natural day length is long enough to prevent flower bud initiation, consistent night temperatures at or below 16 °C will cause the plants to set buds and flower. These same temperatures are common for growers on the East Coast when moving plants outside in late May and early June, and the plants will start to respond in the same way by setting buds and stalling initial growth.
It is imperative to manage the environment when starting your garden mum crop because natural conditions are not always enough to ensure vegetative growth. Setbacks in vegetative growth early on will create significant issues for the rest of the crop as you try to restart the plants and make up for lost growing time. When you notice that your varieties have come into flower too early and have been too small in the past, you likely need to make some adjustments in how you start your crop.
Lighting: The tried-and-true method for manipulating day length is the use of night interruption lighting for mums. Lighting works for all varieties in all areas of North America, regardless of the time of year when you want vegetative growth. The target light level is 10 ftc or 2 µmol/m2/s. This is the minimum light level needed to prevent flower bud set, including the darkest spots in the crop. Check your light levels in the corners and between bulbs at plant level, not just the area directly underneath the bulb. In the past, 100-watt incandescent bulbs spaced out on 3-meter centres would give enough light for the plants. With compact fluorescent bulbs that have lower wattage, more bulbs are required to achieve
Lavender Trial
Essai sur la lavande
Prides Corner Farms Lebanon, CT
Better Roots Meilleures racines
This Jacqueline Orange Fusion has “long day leaf number” buds that do not develop into flowers. The result is a very uniform, flowering plant in early September. Photos were taken on July 7, Aug 9, and Sept 7, roughly four weeks between each photo.
the same light levels. Spacing bulbs 1.5 meters apart on the light line and placing light lines 3 meters apart (as was done for incandescent bulbs) will work. Many growers have installed LED light systems that are also highly effective, but they require more specific understanding of the area in which they will be used, as opposed to a general guideline for all.
Night interruption lighting is recommended in propagation for any mum crop throughout the entire year. It is generally easy to set up when the plant density is high and the total space
needing lights is not so great. Once the cuttings are rooted and transplanted, the lit area will need to increase by quite a bit, especially if you move to final spacing at transplant. If you are moving outside at time of transplant, setting up lights for outdoor production can be a bit more complicated. Planning for proper natural day length at time of transplant is likely the best way to avoid photoperiod issues after propagation. For standard 3.0 quart /2.8 litre pots, simply scheduling transplants to start in mid-to-late June will allow the plants to experience long enough natural day lengths. For larger containers that need more grow time, try sticking cuttings in a 50-cell or 36-cell tray, or even 9 to 11 cm pots. These trays/pots are easier to hold in the long day propagation area and allow the cuttings to continue growing before transplant. When ready, transplant these bigger liners into the final containers in mid-to-late June when the natural day lengths are long enough to prevent flower initiation.
The plant growth regulator Florel (Ethephon) can be used as a tool or as insurance when you need vegetative growth under marginal natural day lengths. Typical spray rates of 500 ppm every 10 to 14 days, up until seven to nine weeks before flowering (depending on the variety), will help keep the plants growing vegetatively. However, when plants are under significant photoperiod pressure (less than ~13-hour days), the Florel will not be enough to overcome the photoperiod stimulus for flowering.
Temperature: With chrysanthemum, it is generally recommended that growers maintain night temperatures above 18.5 °C for vegetative growth – and even better if it stays above 20 °C. Just as with photoperiod adjustment, this is relatively easy to do in the propagation area since you need heat for good rooting. But after transplant, maintaining night temperatures can be more challenging. We can follow the same thoughts as noted before for photoperiod so the plants are in a good temperature environment. Avoid the coldest of night temperatures by planning your transplant in mid-to-late June for the earliest crops. Or, if you are in an area that typically gets a cold spell in late June, develop a plan to start transplanting in July—many growers do this today. Larger propagation cells for larger containers and earlier flower crops allow for a later transplant date. If you have had issues with premature budding in the past, you might be surprised at how much bigger your garden mums can be by transplanting one or two weeks later
and avoiding the low night temperatures that your plants were exposed to before.
Florel can be a beneficial tool for unexpected cool nights once the plants are moved outside. Watch for the long-range forecast and be prepared for a Florel spray when you see that there will be multiple nights in a row with night temperatures below 16.5 °C. We would not expect a budding issue after a single cool night, but once there are several in a row or close to each other, the plants may start to think about flower initiation.
Florel is a preventative solution, so it needs to be applied before the cool nights occur for best results. That is why monitoring the long-range forecast is important. Applications can be repeated every 7 to 14 days, depending on the forecast.
Keep in mind that Florel is also a growth retardant. When it’s being used to prevent flower bud initiation due to marginal natural day length or cool night temperatures, you will need to adjust your growth regulator program to compensate for the Florel effect early on in the crop. You can also add some gibberellic acid to the Florel spray tank to help offset the growth retardant effect.
When starting your garden mums, the last thing to keep in mind is that not all buds are flower buds. Every chrysanthemum will set a “bud” once a certain number of leaves have been formed on the shoot. These buds are known as “long day leaf number buds” as they will appear even under 24-hour mum lighting. Unless the growing shoot has been exposed to cool nights or short days, this type of bud will never develop into a flower and will not prevent the overall vegetative growth of your plants. Although the buds may look similar to a flower bud, there are no petals inside, and they will feel hollow. Once the long day leaf number bud has set, apical dominance is released, the side branches will start to grow, and the bud will end up being covered by new growth. The number of leaves needed for this kind of bud to develop is very variety dependent. Some will develop these buds more quickly than other varieties. The Jacqueline family of chrysanthemums is a great example of this, quickly setting a long day leaf number bud but continuing to grow without flowering.
Understanding and properly adjusting the growing environment is a grower’s best tool in preventing premature flowering. By avoiding natural day lengths that are not long enough and night temperatures that are too cool, growers can ensure continued vegetative growth. This can be accomplished by adjusting the growing schedule to start the plants at a better time of year for vegetative growth, or by keeping plants inside where the environment can be manipulated when the natural conditions are less favourable. Florel plant growth regulator can be a helpful tool to help bridge the gap between the manipulated environment and proper natural conditions.
Fall garden mums are planted during the longest days of the year to flower naturally from the end of August thru September. By the time we complete our spring season, some consider garden mums one of the easier crops to grow but there are a few items we need to pay attention to. Prebudding is one of them. It causes uneven growth, and uneven flowering is something we can prevent.
There are a number of factors that can cause prebudding. Day length and temperature are the largest contributors. Water stress and delayed planting can also add to the problem.
Day length: Garden mums, like poinsettia, pot mums and kalanchoes are short day plants. We really should refer to them as long night, since the length of night is the critical measurement. In the case of garden mums, buds initiate with 14 to 15-hour day lengths. This means that photoperiod bud initiation can occur in April, May and even early June. This is resolved by providing night interruption lighting from 10pm to 2am. For natural season flowering, this night interruption is critical during propagation and thru the month of June.
Temperature: Warm temperatures during propagation and after planting are important. Garden mums can root at cooler temperatures but it is important to keep them very vegetative; this is accomplished by rooting at a minimum of 21°C. Once rooted, the liners must remain above 18°C to prevent the
unwanted prebud. Once planted, it is just as important to maintain night temperatures at 18°C thru the month of June even though we can be tempted to turn off our heating systems at this time. Remember, consecutive nights below 16°C will initiate the flowering process.
Stresses: Water stress and delayed planting can also lead to unwanted early bud initiation. Garden mums are quick to root and need to be planted to keep them in a vegetative growing state. Delayed planting can happen for a number of reasons such as pot, soil and labour shortages. When you delay the planting of a liner, you are placing extra stress on the garden mum cutting. The liner becomes root bound and can go through numerous unwanted dry down cycles. This will slow down your desired growth, and the extra stress on the liner will cause another opportunity for prebuds to form. Consider using a larger cell for propagating. For example, use a 32-cell instead of a 102. This will allow a more flexible planting window and allow the garden mums to grow and start to branch even before planting.
One other area where prebudding can initiate is the time right after transplant. Ensure the roots get off to the best possible start in the new container. Make sure the garden mums are properly watered in. Often, garden mums are placed directly under drip after planting. While this is a great timesaver, extra attention must be made to ensure that the liner has been watered in properly! If proper contact between the liner and the potting soil is not made, the liner roots can dry out, setting back growth by days. In some instances, the liner will never recover.
Taking these factors into consideration, the following are the minimum requirements to prevent prebudding on garden mums:
1. Provide long days in propagation until planting time.
Night interruption preferred.
2. Root garden mums at 21°C and prevent the liner from dipping down to temperatures below 18°C .
3. Avoid severe dry down of liners and during the first weeks after transplant.
Florel is another available tool to help keep garden mums vegetative. A good starting point is one application of Florel at 500 ppm, one week before planting. Florel should not be used instead of cultural recommendations; it should be used in conjunction with them to provide insurance against prebudding. Remember, if the garden mum has formed a bud, Florel will not remove it. If all the culture-related steps are taken, then Florel is not required. My experience is that even one application of Florel will change the flower date slightly. As always, trial first.
Ball Horticulture
Mums are ‘thermo-periodic,’ which means that flower initiation occurs when both temperature and photoperiod are optimized. Crown budding is the response to incomplete flower initiation due to marginal or incomplete induction conditions. In other words, crown buds form when the induction treatment is too short to complete initiation. Garden mum crown budding is easy to understand and control if you understand what triggers flower initiation.
• When night temperatures are between 18-27°C (65-82°F), plants are induced to flower by short days. This is the classic response seen in pot and cut mums.
• Night temperatures lower than 18°C (65°F) can induce plants even under long days while temperatures above 27°C (82°F) inhibit flowering even under short days. This is the response in early spring due to cold nights and ‘heatdelay’ under short day treatments from July to September.
• Garden mums are a 5 to 7-week response group, which makes them VERY sensitive to temperature.
North American stock plants are primarily grown in Florida where URCs harvested prior to June may experience several sub-18°C (65°F) night temperatures during the March to April period. When the URCs are harvested from more mature stock, the incidence of crown budding can be more severe. URCs harvested after mid-May experience night temperatures greater than 18°C (65°F) and crown budding is seldom observed. Random crown budding occurs due to the variability from season to season, coupled with stock maturity.
When finished growers root the URCs without heat and the night temperatures are below 18°C (65°F), then crown budding can occur regardless of long day conditions. It is critical that rooting occurs at 20-24°C (68-76°C) night temperatures along with long days to minimize induction – this is especially critical for pre-June rooting periods! Aggressively fertilizing the liners is essential to keeping the plants growing vegetatively when conditions are optimal for crown budding to occur. An application of Florel (Ethrel) can inhibit crown budding if applied BEFORE crown buds are visible.
Once the liners are transplanted, feed aggressively, minimizing high soil EC conditions. Use 20-20-20 or 20-1020 which are less salty than a high nitrate-based fertilizer. Avoid moving outside when the night temperatures are below 15°C (60°F) for several days, since this will promote crown budding in the spring when the photoperiods are still marginally long. If crown buds appear after transplant, don’t despair! The newer varieties have vigorous basal branching which will over-grow the crown buds if the plants are aggressively fertilized.
The period from July 20-Aug 5 is critical as hot nights prior to and during this period will result in big plants and delayed flowering. Conversely, several cool nights in this same period can result in crown budding, small plants and early flowering. The more sub-18°C (65°F) nights that occur in the July 20 to Aug 5 period, the more crown budding and smaller plants there are due to rapid flowering.
Modernizing your current greenhouse design and layout is sometimes the most cost-efficient route.
BY TYLER RODRIGUE
As a commercial greenhouse grower, decisions must often be made regarding the choice between building new or retrofitting your existing greenhouse structure. Sometimes modernizing your current greenhouse design and layout is the more cost-efficient route. Below are some common issues and recommended solutions for production, cost savings, efficiency, and crop output, that a retrofit of your current greenhouse operation can accomplish.
Problem: The environment in your commercial greenhouse is not fully optimized for crop growth
Solutions:
• Add more ventilation. This can be a simple and budget-friendly retrofit that will breathe new life into your greenhouse. Rollup walls can be added depending on your greenhouse type, and can be controlled automatically or manually with a low cost motor. Sidewalls and gable ends can be retrofitted with vents. Adding this bit of extra ventilation in your growing environment provides fresh air, reduces the humidity and temperature and even lessens the risk of disease.
• Greenhouse LED lighting may be a requirement for your operation. Greenhouse LED lights can allow for customizing different spectrums, ensuring your greenhouse crops are in their ideal environment, regardless of which growth stage they are experiencing.
Problem: Significant costs are rising in energy consumption, water, fertilizer and other inputs Solutions:
• Consider the installation of flood benches, which may reduce costs of water and fertilizer for years to come.
• Greenhouse LED lighting deserves a second mention when it comes to energy savings. HPS lights are power hungry, while LED lights consume a fraction of electricity by comparison for the same or greater lumens.
• If your energy costs are increasing (we know they’re not going down), then energy curtains are an excellent way to save on heating costs in the winter months (between 20 to 40 percent). They can also serve as shade in the summer to keep your greenhouse cool.
• Inspect your vents for wear. Long-term exposure from the sun, rain/snow, or wind can damage the seal on your ventilation windows. This may cause malformation on the rubber seal, and vents will not seal properly. This can cause heat to escape from your greenhouse and increase your energy costs. Use EPDM rubber as it is more robust than the alternatives.
Problem: Your workforce isn’t as efficient as it could be
Solutions:
• Reconfigure your bench layout and consider adding rolling benches. Many greenhouses have stationary benches packed so close together that there’s almost no space to walk between the plants. Rolling benches allow growers to require only one aisle in the whole space, and they can create an aisle anywhere they need to access. This can greatly increase worker efficiency.
• Introduce systems that automate repetitive tasks or make them easier. Automated basket systems, conveyor belts, rail carts (depending on your operation) will allow your workers to be more productive.
• Ensure the air is moving in your greenhouse, not just for your crops. If the work environment is hot, then your team can be less productive. Adding fans or ensuring that your natural ventilation is optimized will score you productivity gains.
• Computer controls may need modernizing to ensure you’re automating everything you can. Control and monitor almost all aspects of your environment from your smartphone including lighting, vents, shades, heating, irrigation, and fertigation. Eliminate the need for workers to be spending time manually controlling various aspects of the greenhouse environment, and they can better spend their time on jobs that require a human touch.
Problem: Greenhouse production could use a boost
Solutions:
• If you want to increase the volume of plants in your commercial greenhouse space, flood floors may be a solution for you to get as many plants per square foot as possible.
• Consider adding shading or supplemental lights to manipulate your crop’s flowering cycle. Depending on the plant, this is one way to get extra output, or even time your flowering based on seasonality for peak sales.
• Rolling bench systems are worth a second mention when it comes to production gains. You can add up to 25 percent more growing space versus stationary benches/tables by switching to rolling benches.
Tyler Rodrigue is director of sales and projects at Westland Greenhouse Solutions. Learn more at westlandgs.com.
CLASSIFIED RATES: Minimum order $75.00 or 84¢ per word, word ads must be pre-paid. CLASSIFIED DISPLAYS: $72.00 per column inch. GENERAL INFORMATION: Payment must accom- pany order. Copy required on publication close date. All advertising copy subject to the approval of the publisher. Send order and remittance to: Classified Dept., Greenhouse Canada, P.O. Box 530, Donly Dr. S., Simcoe, ON N3Y 4N5 Canada
Wilson’s Lifestyle Centre located in Saskatoon, SK, is a large retail garden centre with departments in pets, plants (annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs, tropical plants), gardening supplies, landscape supplies, home décor, equestrian, café, patio furniture, barbecues/smokers, gourmet food, and jewelry. This is an exciting opportunity to join one of the leading garden centres in Canada. The ideal candidate will have a background in seasonal products and retail sales. Team leadership skills are essential as is the ability to communicate well with customers, delivering excellent standards of customer care. Working in a busy retail team environment means you will have to have a handson-approach within all departments. Must be able to work a variety of shifts, including weekends and some evenings.
• Three years’ experience in a retail position
• 10 Acres in Midland, ON
• Good Financials/Established in 1980
• Unlimited Natural Gas/Well water/Hydro
• 10,000 sq. ft Retail/Greenhouse Area
• 6,000 sq. ft Greenhouse Production Houses
• 40 x 80, serviced shop/cold storage/warehouse
• 5000 sq. ft outdoor nursery area with shaded roof/drip irrigation/mulched
• Modern Executive Residence – 2100 sq. ft
• Modern Detached Garage 1300 sq. ft (3 car plus) serviced
• Set for Expansion
Education: business administration or related work experience
• Capable of creating and analyzing sales reports
Ability to multitask and effectively delegate and follow up
• Ability to provide stability and motivation to staff
• Ability to learn extremely quickly
• Ability to perform manual labour
• Must be physically fit
• Must be very organized with a high attention to detail
• Experience in managing a large retail organization
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Excellent computer skills and knowledge of computer networks
• Excellent Microsoft Office skills
Job Duties and Responsibilities:
• Assist in managing and motivating staff to increase sales and ensure efficiency
• Assist in managing stock levels and making key decisions about stock control
• Dealing with staffing issues: interviewing potential staff; conducting performance reviews and providing or organizing training and development
• Involved in marketing decisions
• Ensuring standards for quality, customer service and health and safety are met
• Responding to customer complaints and comments
• Creating and receiving purchase orders
• Dealing with suppliers and negotiating pricing Salary: $18.00-$24.00 per hour
GARY JONES | Gary.Jones@kpu.ca
After BC saw devastating floods in November, it seems somewhat odd to be thinking about irrigation. But memories are often short, and it really wasn’t that long ago that BC was gripped by a ‘heat dome’ and experiencing drought conditions and raging, deadly forest fires.
Getting down to basics, one ought to consider ‘where does the water come from?’ For years, this may have been a well on site, with ‘free’ access to as much water as one needed. But recent legislative changes in BC, primarily driven by increasing populations, with subsequent development of land for housing, schools and other urban necessities, mean that access to water permits is not as easy as it once was. Granting of abstraction licenses is no longer a (somewhat) guaranteed formality for an existing well, and likely many growers may have been caught out. Alternatives such as space-consuming retention ponds to capture run-off, or significantly more expensive city water, may not be as unattractive as they once were. But however it is sliced, the water cake has to provide sufficiently for your needs.
It’s not just the quantity of water that is important. There is no point in having lots available if the water quality is not up to the task, especially if treatment options are not suitable, unavailable, or perhaps just prohibitively expensive.
But let’s be positive and assume you have
The pot itself may also be a significant piece of the irrigation puzzle. Apart from dimensions (particularly depth), volume, and construction material, pot colour also plays an influential role. We all know that black absorbs heat, and white tends to reflect it. Since pot colour is now often used in marketing programs, it may subsequently affect plant performance. (For more information on this, Paul Fisher & John Erwin reported on their work in Florida trials in late 2021 “Rethinking the Black Nursery Pot.”1)
...there are many plant attributes influenced by irrigation.
sufficient, good quality, and reasonably priced water available for your needs. You may have previously decided that the cost of irrigation is not worth it. Maybe. But probably unlikely. Consider also that climate change is generously providing us with the ‘hottest, driest years on record’ seemingly each year. So can you still afford to do without irrigation?
For those growing in pots, there are many plant attributes that are influenced by irrigation. For example, these include, but may not be limited to: plant growth (e.g. stem caliper, dry weight, yield, root growth); plant quality; establishment and growth of pests and diseases; root growth and death; nutrient availability and uptake; soil/water oxygen levels; algal growth on soil or pots; post-harvest product shelf life; transportability (e.g. pot weight, stability); and post-sale viability for the consumer. How many more reasons does one need to irrigate, and to do so well.
Another aspect of irrigation though is ‘who is going to do it?’ This is often an issue, for example, with the explosive growth of container gardens that have popped up in schools. While great initiatives (if there is a suitably enthusiastic school garden ‘champion’), there is typically a lack of hands willing to get wet and dirty during summer vacation time. Hopefully, this is not an issue in a commercial business, but even so, automation will surely help with the labour issues all businesses face these days. This may take the form of computer-controlled systems, simple timer (clock) systems, or perhaps engineered products that will help keep plants watered in the home garden, such as the beautiful range of ceramic ‘Aquapots’ from Proven Winners. But technology and equipment considerations aside, ultimately someone has to control the schedule, duration and volume of all irrigation events, no matter how the water is delivered. I’ve experienced the attitude that ‘it really doesn’t matter who does this, so let’s put the cheapest person on the job.’ But seriously, don’t short-change yourself on this. Consider the value of the task at hand, or the crop losses if this is not done well. And the added benefits of having someone look at all the plants during the course of the day while watering may mean early I.D. of pests, diseases or other production issues. You may then decide to put your best people on ‘watering duties.’
1 Grower Talks, https://www.growertalks.com/ Article/?articleid=25502
Gary Jones is a faculty member in the School of Horticulture at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Langley, BC. He sits on several industry committees and welcomes comments at Gary.Jones@kpu.ca.
