Sampling just a few of the top performers that drew the crowds. | 26
Time for a clean sweep
Do you have a checklist when transitioning between crops? | 34
November 2017 Vol.37, Issue 10
The New Wave of Farming
Guelph vertical farm brings leafy green production to industrial property. | 12
Editorial 4
Industry News 6
New Varieties 8
Business Issues 10
Double-checking for errors on invoices.
Technology Issues 12
A growing trend in urban agriculture.
Ornamental trends 22
Easy to understand the growing interest in perennials.
263438
Sampling some star performers Which varieties stood out in Ontario garden trials?
End-of-season clean sweep
This is a great way to keep greenhouse pests at bay.
A growing career choice
More young people are checking out the industry.
Dr. Chevonne Carlow of OMAFRA, one of this year‘s Top 10 Under 40 award winners. | 14
BY MELHEM SAWAYA
BY DR. M. ISHTIAQ RAO
BY GARY JONES
Retaining good employees
Last month we talked about the looming labour challenge in agriculture, and in particular in the greenhouse sector. The shortage has been identified by the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) in its report, Agriculture 2025: How the Sector’s Labour Challenges Will Shape its Future.”
The report notes the gap between labour demand and domestic supply has doubled from 30,000 to 59,000 over the past decade, and the projection for 2025 is a shortfall of 114,000 jobs, including 27,000 anticipated in the greenhouse, nursery and floriculture sector.
Good managers know that finding employees addresses only part of the problem. The bigger challenge is keeping good employees.
“To win in the marketplace you must first win in the workplace,” said Doug Conant, a former CEO of Campbell’s Soup.
Money is not the biggest motivator for many workers.
“Research indicates that workers have three prime needs: interesting
workplace. Good managers employ these regularly. It can be as simple as sincerely recognizing a job well done. Employees sometimes stay late, come in early, or go above and beyond on a project. To have that acknowledged by a “thank you for a job well done” comment from a supervisor – it’s got to be done in person; an email or text message doesn’t cut it – goes a long way towards greater job satisfaction. And it doesn’t cost anything.
This month’s cover story is on our Top 10 Under 40 award winners. All have enjoyed considerable success in their careers and all share a great passion for their careers. They’re motivators and innovators. Most are involved in continuing education programs or are regular attendees at industry workshops. They have a great need to know more and to grow more in their careers. They make things happen at work and in the industry, and as I discovered in talking with them, they’re having a lot of fun doing it.
“To win in the marketplace you must first win in the workplace.”
work, recognition for doing a good job, and being let in on things that are going on in the company,” said Zig Ziglar, American author, salesman and motivational speaker.
“Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person – not just an employee – are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled. Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability,” observed Anne M. Mulcahy, former chairperson and CEO of Xerox Corporation.
There are non-monetary incentives that are critical in any
“Employees are a company’s greatest asset – they’re your competitive advantage. You want to attract and retain the best; provide them with encouragement, stimulus, and make them feel that they are an integral part of the company’s mission.” – Anne M. Mulcahy.
Addendum: Just a correction to an acronym in our October 2017 story, “The Latest on Light (pg 34). NSERC, of course, is the “Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.” We had incorrectly referred to it as the “National Research Council.” Our sincere apologies for this editing error.
A New Tool to Boost Retail Plant Sales
Plant retailers have a new tool to help boost sales. The Floral Purchase Tracking Study of the American Floral Endowment (AFE) and Society of American Florists (SAF) is now available. The study is packed full of substantial data regarding the purchases of flower-buying consumers. It reveals details such as types of flowers purchased, amount spent, for whom and what occasions, satisfaction levels, and more.
Funded by the Floral Marketing Research Fund (FMRF) and conducted by IPSOS, the study provides valuable information to florists that can greatly impact how they plan their marketing strategies, inventory purchases and structure their pricing. Information found in the Floral Purchase Tracking Study includes details that are pertinent to brick and mortar flower shops, supermarket/grocery stores, and even nurseries.
THIS IPM RECIPE INCLUDES CHILI
Cam Lyons, research and development and IPM technician at NatureFresh Farms in Leamington, Ont., thought there had to be a solution to the serious pepper weevil problem. “Dogs are a very intelligent animal. Many worker dogs are trained to recognize and discover scents associated with drugs or bombs, so it seemed possible to train a dog to recognize pepper weevil.”
BY THE NUMBERS
The global healthy snack market is expected to reach US$ 32.8 BILLION by 2025.
(Grandview Research)
A cup of sliced cucumber contains 14 calories and is a source of Vitamin C.
(Foodland Ontario)
Asthma rates in young children are 25% lower in areas with trees. (Forests Ontario)
After a lot of research, NatureFresh Farms adopted Chili, a 15-month old female Belgian Shepherd who was bred as a working dog. Chili underwent eight weeks of training and was certified by The American Working Dog Association and who verified that Chili was the first dog certified for pest related scent detection on a farm. This certification also allows Chili to work in the farm
without any food safety concern.
Chili works alongside Tina Heide, an IPM scout and her handler. The duo begin their days by searching the perimeters of the greenhouses, main aisle ways, inside trucks, pallets and near pack lines. When Chili detects the scent of pepper weevil she will sit and stare at the location of concern. This allows employees to isolate the
Peppers are an excellent source of Vitamin C and a good source of Vitamin A.
(Foodland Ontario)
Being near plants can increase memory retention up to 20% (University of Michigan study)
area in order to mitigate risks.
Since NatureFresh does not have pepper weevil at this time, pepper weevils stored in plastic containers are hidden throughout the greenhouse and Chili sets out to find them … which she always does. “For Chili it’s like a game of hide and seek. While she’s out there working, it’s actually a game for her and she’s loving it,” says Heide.
Tomatoes are a good source of Vitamin C and a source of Vitamin A, folacin and potassium.
(Foodland Ontario)
Eggplant is a source of folacin and potassium and one serving (3 1/2 ounces or 107 g) contains 28 calories. (Foodland Ontario)
Don’t just take our word for it. These trial sites speak volumes.
Accept no substitutes.
Salvia Mysty
This compact new salvia is 25-35 per cent less vigorous than Mystic Spires, making it a better choice for mixes. The dark green-leafed plants are naturally more compact, well-branched and very free-flowering. Mysty is covered in true blue flowers all season and is heat-hardy for late spring or summer programs. Ideal for middle of the garden borders where it will attract bees, butterflies and other pollinators. www.ballfloraplant.com
Petunia Potunia® Starfish
A favourite at the California Spring Trials was Potunia® Starfish from Dümmen Orange, a very stable blue and white petunia with a distinctive pattern. Starfish joins a series long-trusted as an easy product for the grower, finishing in perfectly mounded bubbles of colour ideal for pots, baskets and packs. For quick colour and unbeatable consumer appeal, look no further than Potunia Starfish. na.dummenorange.com
Pepper Aji Rico
Superbells® Blue Moon Punch ™ Calibrachoa
The arrestingly unique colour of the new Blue Moon Punch will stop you in your tracks! Cool lavender blooms with a deep purple eye and black throat transition to silvery light purple as they age. Larger than typical, the flowers appear on cascading stems early in the season and continue
Armeria Dreameria™
Lady
Godiva
Aji Rico is an awardwinning C. baccatum hot pepper. It has more vigour, higher yield and earlier ripening than open-pollinated heirlooms. The narrow, conical fruit has a crunchy and crisp texture and rich flavour. panamseed.com
to bloom into fall without deadheading. This variety has been screened specifically for resistance to thielaviopsis and can be grown in combination baskets with other mediumvigour varieties. Dimensions are 6-12" in height with a 12-24" spread. Part-sun to sun. provenwinners.com
This beautiful new inter-species hybrid provides frost-to-frost flowering in containers or in the garden. Dreameria armeria is very heat tolerant and easy to grow. It offers entirely new and unique breeding for the class, moving the genus from a strictly early spring and late fall, cool season perennial to seasonlong flowering. Its tidy habit is perfect for patios and gardens, and gardeners will love its tactile flower form and soft colouring. Hardy in USDA zone 6 to 9, it also attracts butterflies. www.darwinperennials.com
™ Orange Calendula
A new genus for Proven Winners, this new calendula broadens its collection of coldtolerant annuals for spring and fall sales. Although it is known as an early season crop, this selection will take some heat and is drought tolerant
once rooted in. Its unique double, golden orange flowers have greatly reduced seed set that encourages the blooms to keep right on coming all season.
Dimensions are 10-16" in height with a 12-18" spread. Part-sun to sun. provenwinners.com
New Guinea Impatiens Wild Romance
A breeding innovation, Wild Romance from Dümmen Orange is a true shade item with premium appeal. ‘Wild Romance White’ and ‘Wild Romance Pink Blush’ New Guinea Impatiens have high vigour, well-suited to large pot production, and unique blooms with an increased petal count as compared to standard New Guinea flowers. These unique semi-double flowers resemble a rose as the bud is opening and a gardenia when fully open, allowing Wild Romance to stand apart from other New Guineas on the market. na.dummenorange.com
She’s a legend in her own time. Recognized by over 30 trial sites nationwide, a never-out item for growers and retailers, and beloved by gardeners who faithfully plant her every year. We’ll do our part in promoting her extensively in 2018, but she’ll be the first to tell you, she can speak for herself. She’s been doing so from the tops of sales charts since 2006.
SUPERTUNIA VISTA ® BUBBLEGUM ® Petunia
A Closer Check of Invoices
Forensic bill auditing and verification can detect errors and unintentional overcharges
There are many factors that affect the rates, prices and tariffs paid for utilities and services. At many floriculture, horticulture and manufacturing facilities these costs are nearly 40 per cent of the operating budget and sometimes more. Adding to the concern is the possibility of costly billing errors by different utilities and service providers.
ABOVE
Forensic bill audit and verification services thoroughly analyze applicable bills and service contracts.
Unfortunately, many greenhouse owners and corporate managers do not have the resources, time or the expertise to verify and validate these expenditures or identify billing errors and unintentional overcharges.
Billing errors don’t discriminate. They occur with many utilities and service providers. Errors include but are not limited to double billing, improper tax calculations, incorrect classification, estimated meter reads versus actual, delivery and transmission miscalculations, CCF vs cubic metre conversion, and so on. Often businesses perpetuate the problem by simply comparing one inaccurate bill from a previous year and month to determine if the current bill is correct before making payment.
Many businesses look to specialty companies such as Utility Advocates Inc. to help them monitor their bills. These companies have extensive knowledge and expertise regarding pricing, rates and tariffs that allows them to analyze a wide range of service and utility
providers to discover potential refunds, savings and increase process efficiencies. Such firms advise their clients of billing errors, metering anomalies and contract issues to make objective, unbiased cost-saving recommendations.
Forensic bill audit and verification services thoroughly analyze applicable bills and service contracts for water/sewage, telecommunications, freight, petroleum, industrial gases, courier, waste, energy, scrap metal, chemicals and raw materials. This holistic approach increases the potential and maximizes the opportunity for realizing refunds and savings.
The process starts with a review of the last 24 or six months (depending on the type of service) and any related service contracts. This ensures a complete profile of the utility expenditure and consumption so that all potential refunds and savings can be identified and maximized. These bills and service contracts are reviewed for errors, anomalies and overcharges during an extensive 30- to 90-day process.
For example, Utility Advocates uses proprietary software, system tools and industry experience to essentially dissect each and every bill by comparing billing charges against service contracts, usage demand profile and its internal rate database.
This ensures certain billing, rate, tariff and pricing errors and overcharges don’t go undetected and negatively affect the bottom line.
A cost-savings recommendation report is presented to clients to clearly identify and interpret the opportunity to realize refunds and savings.
Clients are in control and can implement the recommendations on their own, or with their approval Utility Advocates can negotiate with supplier and utility providers to maximize the refunds and savings.
A crucial aspect of the process is ongoing monitoring that closely scrutinizes bills, prices and service contracts to make further recommendations to reduce costs. These specialty companies can ensure clients receive updated advice on reducing costs and maintaining the lowest prices while detecting any billing errors going forward.
Bob Groves is a business development consultant with Utility Advocates Inc., bgroves@utilityadvocates.com.
From seed to table, higher quality with better
A better-quality product for the consumer. An integrated, innovative greenhouse solution for you. That’s what Syngenta provides through quality genetics and new variety innovations. Your customers, and their dinner tables, deserve nothing less than the very best.
To learn more about varieties from Syngenta, contact Plant Products at 519-326-9037 or info@plantproducts.com
The New Wave of Farming
Guelph vertical farm brings leafy green production to industrial property
Are skyrocketing land prices preventing you from starting your own farm business? Don’t fret, because crops can be grown in old industrial buildings too – legal crops at that.
Vertical farming – a comparatively new agricultural system – offers some promise for producing crops in novel ways and novel places.
ABOVE
For Oliver Lauzon, a Guelph entrepreneur and past renewable energy professional, vertical farming also offers a chance to continue an environmentally focused career.
Lauzon and his father, Paul, opened Molly’s Vertical Farming in June 2017. The business, which is named after Lauzon’s Great Dane and based out of a disused 4,000-square-foot auto body shop, will produce hydroponically grown Boston and Romaine lettuce for both wholesale and direct local markets.
The lettuce will be grown using LED lights on two separate tiers throughout the facility –essentially doubling the available growing space.
“We place seeds in a propagation chamber, then move them to a seedling cart until they are ready to be planted in the vertical towers,” says Lauzon. “We are also trying to be as green as possible.”
Because Lauzon decided to work in an otherwise unnatural agricultural environment (i.e. not in a field), creating a green business has required a fair amount of extra planning.
Lighting, for instance, can draw a fair amount
of electricity; considering the potential for better growth and Ontario’s energy prices, Lauzon naturally gravitated to LED lighting.
On top of that, he plans on keeping the lights off during the day – and on at night – to make use of cheaper rates.
A watering system is also needed, but irrigation and recirculation systems like those used in modern greenhouses are very expensive.
Consequently, Lauzon employs a “do it yourself mentality.” In practice, that means designing and building his growing system from the ground up.
But it’s all economy of scale. The mediumterm goal for Molly’s Vertical Farm, says Lauzon, is expansion.
Part of his short-term plan includes focusing on higher-value markets. That means striving to grow produce using organic methods – something which a sterile, indoor environment should assist with – and selling locally as often as possible.
“We hope to eventually get bigger, more efficient, and drop prices. Our goal is to produce food for everyone, not necessarily just specific market segments,” he says.
Lauzon also hopes to develop an “R & D” wing. Here, he can test different crops within their system (e.g. herbs and berries), and fine-tune his business into something that can be replicated elsewhere – particularly in colder climates.
“We will need a couple full-time employees as it is, plus more for harvest periods. We’re starting to look into partnerships, and potentially an internship program, with the University of Guelph as well,” he says. “That in itself will be a big step.”
This feature was supplied by AgInnovation Ontario, an online publication of the Agri-Technology Commercialization Centre (ATCC) based in Guelph, Ontario. Its goal is to tell the story of agricultural innovation in Ontario through a constantly growing collection of information about agricultural innovation projects and opportunities in Ontario.
The ATCC, founded in 2008, is the centre in the Canadian agricultural sector that houses organizations dedicated to new company formation, market development, expansion of existing businesses, and attraction and retention of larger firms, making it easy for companies of all sizes to access resources and support.
Learn more at www.agritechcentre.ca.
Leafy green salad featuring hydroponic Boston lettuce.
VETOQUINOL GREENHOUSES
This is not a laundry room
So why are you still using bleach?
A professional-grade greenhouse disinfectant with an excellent safety profile. Greenhouse
Bleach is good to keep your t-shirts white. But you are a professional grower. Your business deserves a safe and efficient, professional-grade disinfectant. Virkon™ Greenhouse Optimize disinfection and keep bleach in the laundry room where it belongs.
Virkon™ Greenhouse is a broad-spectrum disinfectant for hard surfaces and equipment in greenhouses.
IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT: this year’s top 10 under 40
These young leaders and innovators will help take the industry to the next level.
BY DAVE HARRISON
Canada is full of young, skilled and knowledgeable people who are driving the greenhouse industry forward.”
That’s how we’ve been promoting the annual Top 10 Under 40 awards program the past four years, and this year’s class of recipients again proves the point.
Narrowing down the nominations to 10 award winners is a daunting challenge each year and this year was no exception.
The award winners were officially announced last month during The Gathering reception of the Canadian Greenhouse Conference in Niagara Falls.
The Top 10 Under 40 awards program was again sponsored by Paul Boers Manufacturing and Prins Greenhouses; without their support the program would not be possible.
And now, here are the 2017 award winners.
DR. CHEVONNE CARLOW
OMAFRA
VINELAND STATION, ONTARIO
Dr. Chevonne Carlow is the greenhouse floriculture specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). Her background includes many years of working with different plant species, most notably while studying the effects of light on young plant development and the effects of temperature on plant stress responses.
and Innovation Centre on potted jasmine. Early results indicate a great demand for this product.
Another new exciting greenhouse crop she is working with is the lotus flower for its beautiful colours.
Carlow has demonstrated her ability to lead and co-operate in her role with researchers, growers and retailers as well as Flowers Canada Ontario. She works to connect growers with up-to-date information on floriculture crop production, nutrition and related issues.
In her role as a floriculture specialist, she has interacted with many individuals from various OMAFRA departments and provided her expertise to help develop policies, programs and research initiatives that will help the Ontario greenhouse sector address various issues and remain economically viable.
Carlow completed her PhD at the University of Guelph as she stepped into her new role as the greenhouse floriculture specialist. She took the challenge of learning about the Ontario greenhouse sector in stride and was soon visiting growers to learn from them as well as to impart her knowledge.
In her role as the greenhouse floriculture specialist she has visited numerous operations in Ontario to understand their issues, and provide knowledge and guidance to improve their production.
She has been instrumental in developing information for the production of new crops for the greenhouse sector. For example, she has conducted production trials at the Vineland Research
WILL HEEMAN
HEEMAN’S GARDEN CENTRE THORNDALE, ONTARIO
Will Heeman has been a driving force at Heeman’s Garden Centre since returning to the farm full-time in 2010. He’s brought new ideas and a customer focused mentality that’s transformed this retail greenhouse into a must visit destination within the region. In part, thanks to his efforts and marketing of the business, the store has enjoyed a doubling of sales in only seven years – a great accomplishment for an operation that’s been in business for 54 years.
Heeman completed a sabbatical at a garden centre in New Zealand and brought that global perspective back with him.
Some of the unique ideas he’s implemented include a Strawberry Brunch in the garden centre in August that attracted over 1000 people its first year in 2016, and its Food Truck event in September that now draws seven to eight trucks and over 1500 people in a single day.
He was also instrumental in creating the garden centre’s very popular Berry Beanery coffee bar. His efforts in expanding the fall product line has resulted in great growth in traffic and sales. The store’s workshop programming has been
significantly expanded.
Heeman is very giving of his time and expertise with both the local community and the industry. He’s a member of the local Master Gardener group, speaks to numerous horticulture societies, and volunteers as a key contact for over a dozen area gardening groups.
In June of this year, he spoke on Marketing to Millennials during the Greenhouse Canada Grower Day held in St. Catharines.
Heeman was named Young Retailer of the Year in 2016 by Green Profit magazine. The judges remarked that he is the “whole package” and “someone to watch” in our industry.
Additionally he’s helped with/submitted applications for Heeman’s to earn two regional Premier’s Awards, be named Best Garden Centre four years running in the London region, and be awarded inaugural Agri-Business of the Year in 2016. Heeman’s won the Innovation Award in 2017 from the London Chamber of Commerce, the largest such event in Canada.
SCOTT HOLMES ET GROW
BEAMSVILLE, ONTARIO
Scott Holmes, the CEO and founder of ET Grow, demonstrates a strong work ethic by always being “ON” and working late hours and occasionally working through the night to make sure solutions are completed quickly.
Colleagues say he displays great leadership and initiative by example. He does not dwell on the past and has an alwaysforward-and-keep-going philosophy.
Holmes regularly attends industry trade shows, such as the Canadian Greenhouse Conference, and a host of other industry
events.
He is constantly researching and asking leading growers what they would like to see in the company’s software, to ensure it’s meeting their needs and helping them succeed.
Colleagues say he is hardworking, trustworthy and shares the industry focus of continually driving towards higher goals and doing it affordably.
Holmes continuously seeks opportunities for him and his employees to receive additional training and education.
Holmes has created a software that enables greenhouses of all sizes to run their business more effectively. The entry level and custom packages make it affordable for growers with budgets of all sizes.
An important company value is its dedication to philanthropic initiatives. “Whether our team may provide assistance in areas of our expertise (such as web site development) or lending a helping hand, giving back to the community is an area Extreme Technology prides itself in,” notes the company web site.
Holmes has received top business awards in the Niagara Region in the technology sector. He received the Young Professional of the Year award during the 2013 Niagara Business Achievement Awards ceremonies.
ET Grow is continuing to work on new business solutions for the greenhouse industry.
DEJAN KRISTAN
FLOWERS CANADA ONTARIO INC.
GUELPH, ONTARIO
Dejan Kristan is the marketing director with Flowers Canada Ontario. He has worked with Ontario’s greenhouse floriculture industry since 2015, first as an independent contractor and now
ABOVE Will Heeman (top), Scott Holmes, Dejan Kristan (at right). LEFT Dr. Chevonne Carlow.
as an employee with FCO.
With FCO, Kristan has been responsible for guiding the impressive growth of the pickOntario brand, and re-envisioning marketing strategies to keep consumers buying Ontario flowers.
He has had a long list of successes since 2015, such as:
• Growing pickOntario’s social media presence from under 1,000 followers on Facebook to over 26,000 today.
• Creating promotional videos that have been viewed over 600,000 times.
• Creating viral marketing campaigns that have subsequently been copied in both the U.S. and the U.K.
• Pioneering the development of flower crowns as a tool to engage millennials.
• Building virtual reality tours of greenhouse flower farms.
• Dramatically increasing the presence and recognition of the pickOntario brand.
The reason for Kristan’s success? Colleagues say his work ethic is second to none. Many of his successes have required substantial effort over very short periods of time. In many cases he has found himself working day and night through weekdays and weekends to achieve the objectives of the association, all without complaint or hesitation.
“Dejan has taken a leadership role within both floral marketing and in our office,” said FCO executive director Andrew Morse. “His initiative and drive for success can be seen in his capacity to conceive, test and roll out several new ideas.”
From exploring new technologies to reaching new demographics, Kristan has shown true leadership and
initiative. In some cases he has come up with ideas where implementation was beyond his skill set. In those cases he has been able to identify his own knowledge gap and identify a solution to fill it.
Continuous learning has enabled him to move several concepts and ideas to functioning systems. He has continued to engage with FCO members and industry stakeholders through participating in several industry events including the Canadian Greenhouse Conference, Cultivate and the International Floriculture Expo.
STEPHANIE LARIVIERE
ERIE JAMES LTD AND SUNSATION ACRES INC. LEAMINGTON, ONTARIO
Stephanie Lariviere is the regulatory affairs manager with Erie James Ltd. & Sunsation Acres Inc., of Leamington, Ontario.
In 2010, she was invited to speak on behalf of the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG) at the Canada-U.S. Law Conference as a panel expert on food safety.
She continues to serve as a grower representative with the OGVG and has been an active member of its food safety committee for many years.
She was selected as a delegate accompanying OGVG to Shanghai and Hong Kong on a number of trade missions. The goal of the missions was to explore opportunities for new markets, represent Canada and its Ontario growers, and to educate Chinese government officials about the Ontario industry.
In 2011, Lariviere was recognized by CPMA as a rising star in
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the produce industry through its Passion for Produce program.
In 2013, she was the recipient of the Mary Fitzgerald Award for her ongoing leadership, passion and involvement in the produce industry.
Since participating in the Fall Harvest event in Ottawa in 2013, she now has a strong, ongoing and growing interest in government relations.
In 2014, she was featured in the January issue of The Grower and applauded for her dedicated focus on educating the industry on staying compliant amid the many changing regulatory landscapes of food safety.
In 2015, Lariviere was re-elected as a director for CanAgPlus for a second two-year term and was re-appointed for her third term to serve on the Stakeholder Advisory Council for CanadaGAP.
She is currently chairman of the Stakeholder Advisory Council for CanadaGAP.
She also participates in the CPMA Regulatory Modernization Working Group, and is vice-chair of the CPMA Food Safety Committee, of which she has been a long time and active member.
In addition, she has also been a director for the OGMA (Ontario Greenhouse Marketers Association) for the past six years.
“Stephanie has passion, dedication and vision,” said a colleague.
“She is particularly interested in improving the produce industry and the safety and security of its supply chain for all stakeholders.”
Lariviere is a proud PFP (Passion for Produce) alumna, who has also served multiple times as a career ambassador for the PMA’s Career Pathway program.
She is committed to engaging future generations to become involved in the produce industry, by supporting and mentoring new generations of industry talent.
PAUL J. MASTRONARDI
GOLDEN JEM
RUTHVEN, ONTARIO
Paul J. Mastronardi is vice-president with Golden Jem. He has been very active in researching trends and opportunities for the greenhouse industry and has been involved in all parts of the growing, packing and distribution of greenhouse vegetables throughout the marketplace.
“He is well past his age in maturity,” said a colleague, and he has been instrumental in building and maintaining a successful greenhouse operation at Red Sun Canada.
Mastronardi was very instrumental in the development of Red Sun Ohio, the company’s first greenhouse with supplemental lighting.
Coming from three generations of history and knowledge has helped him understand the passion it takes to be successful and grow in the industry.
Outside of the company, he has been fully engaged with helping develop a hydroponic greenhouse program at Ohio State ATI. He is on the advisory committee of the university’s greenhouse and nursery management program.
Closer to home, he recently joined the Windsor Essex Economic Development Board representing the greenhouse industry.
“The passion Paul brings every day is very instrumental to the success he has had at such a young age,” said a colleague.
JIM MEYERS
MEYERS FRUIT FARMS AND GREENHOUSES NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ONTARIO
Jim Meyers leads sales, transportation, purchasing and administration at Meyers Fruit Farms and Greenhouses, a family owned farm and greenhouse located in Niagara-on-the-Lake. He enjoys the opportunities and challenges the business brings while helping to lead it into its third generation of ownership.
Colleagues praise his leadership abilities, and his positive people skills in helping employees rise to their full potential. He has been a key driver in the steady growth of the company that has seen sales more than double over the past 10 years.
He is well known in the Ontario horticulture sector and is willing to share his knowledge with others. He is very positive and well spoken in his efforts to boost the industry.
“As a consultant, I have worked with Meyers Fruit farms and greenhouses for three generations and Jim is continuing the tradition of hard work, (taking after his grandfather Jim and father Fred), product passion and a dedication to sales growth,” said Melhem Sawaya.
“Jim and the rest of the Meyers team are quick to incorporate new technology and new varieties in their efforts to best serve their customers. His enthusiasm for premium flower products is contagious and you can see it in every employee at Meyers. He truly leads by example.
“What I notice most about the whole Meyers management team is the inclusiveness of the whole family, and that is not only the blood related family members but all of their
ABOVE Stephanie Lariviere, Paul J. Mastronardi, Jim Meyers.
employees. This is reflected by the high average number of years employees have worked at Meyers, and Jim is all about inclusiveness, team work, and building a humble environment of a successful operation which I have seen growing for the last number of years. All this is driven by Jim, the sales team and a production team that fulfills the sales needs with a consistent quality product.”
Meyers has been a panelist at both the International Floriculture Expo (formerly Superfloral) and the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention.
Most recently, he outlined the “Ingredients of a Successful Farm Business” at Greenhouse Canada’s Grower Day this past June.
Making a family business work and be successful includes good organizational planning, specific responsibilities, enthusiastic teamwork and positive attitudes all around, he noted. Family businesses need to be continuously on the lookout for new opportunities – and never become stagnant.
DUSTIN MORTON ALBERTA AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY CAMROSE, ALBERTA
Dustin Morton is a commercial horticulture specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. He is a key resource and supporter of the Alberta Greenhouse Growers Association and the Alberta Farm Fresh Producers Association.
Three growers from across the province sent in individual nominations for him. Here’s a sampling of what they had to say.
“Dustin has a great passion for the industry and it shows in all he does, right from answering grower questions, organizing events and conferences, and helping book speakers for industry conferences.”
His passion for the industry shows in the fact that he is also running Parsnips and Paddocks, the CSA (Community Shared Agriculture) farm near Wetaskiwin that he and his family operate.
“His love of horticulture is the basis of what he does and a big part of who he is. Dustin is a fantastic asset to our industry with his knowledge and information contacts through Alberta Ag as well as being involved in business personally that gives him a unique and very in-depth perspective on the industry as a whole. He is able and willing to share those experiences and insights with everyone in industry.”
Morton helps organize tours of greenhouses for growers. “He encourages new growers to work with new technology and links growers to industry officials he know can help.”
Dustin and his wife, Anna, operate a horse farm and their CSA, have four children under seven, and always have time to visit with customers and friends.
And summarizing the third nomination: “As the commercial horticulture specialist he works tirelessly to develop and implement positive change and strategic programs to benefit the grower on practical levels. His enthusiasm for all things green and horticulture is admirable.
Morton is very committed to attending industry events and the process of continual learning. “He is very proficient at applying this knowledge to pass on to growers and taking the message to a larger audience around the province. He has also
ABOVE Dustin Morton, Max Saad, Levi Tiemstra.
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facilitated in bringing many key presenters to events that may not otherwise be accessible to our industry groups.”
MAX SAAD
MASTRONARDI PRODUCE LTD.
KINGSVILLE, ONTARIO
Max Saad, director of procurement with Mastronardi Produce, has been in the greenhouse industry his entire career.
He began working at Mastronardi Produce at Mastron Greenhouse. Over the years, he grew with the company, quickly becoming an expert in each area in which he worked, from growing to quality control to procurement.
As director of procurement for Canada, Saad is exceptionally knowledgeable in all areas of greenhouse growing in the country, from food safety to propagation. He has a thorough understanding of the entire growing process, and helps his team understand the challenges and opportunities of the Canadian greenhouse industry.
In 2014, he was selected by company president and CEO Paul Mastronardi to represent the company in CPMA’s Passion for Produce program to help grow his professional career. In addition, he completed the Emerging Leaders Program through the Produce Marketing Association.
Saad graduated from the Produce Industry Leadership program this summer. This highly regarded program selects only 12 participants each year, focusing on leadership development, business relationships and government/public affairs relations.
Within the company, Saad is also part of the company’s RED Team, an internal leadership group that collaborates regularly on long-term business strategies.
LEVI TIEMSTRA GULL VALLEY GREENHOUSES BLACKFALDS, ALBERTA
Levi Tiemstra is part of the family ownership of Gull Valley Greenhouses, of Blackfalds, Alberta.
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One admirer of his success as a grower and manager is retired provincial greenhouse crop specialist Dr. Mohyuddin Mirza. “I have the honour of knowing Levi going back to when he started crawling in the greenhouse of his father Phil Tiemstra,” said Mirza.
Learning all of his horticultural skills on the job and his managerial ability through two years of business education from Red Deer College, Tiemstra brought his knowledge to forefront when he started in his role as a partner in the business.
Of particular note, his single most outstanding accomplishment was in 2016-2017. Gull Valley has the distinction of being the first farm to build and operate an LED greenhouse in Alberta.
“I believe this shows his leadership in the industry,” said Mirza, “and his willingness to take risks in their efforts to supply fresh vegetables in winter.”
Produce from Gull Valley goes to several farmers markets and to Pik-N-Pak Produce in nearby Lacombe.
The Tiemstras installed LED interlighting and toplighting units. They have 12 varieties of tomatoes under LED lighting. “These taste just as good as the summer crop, and yet they’re grown in the dead of winter,” said Tiemstra in a video interview.
Gull Valley is mastering the art of growing greenhouse vegetables under LED lighting, and Levi Tiemstra is playing a large role in that success.
Trends in One of the Fastest Growing Market Segments
Consumers are enthusiastic about what they are finding in the perennial world, and it’s easy to see why.
BY KARL BATSCHKE
It’s difficult to think of a more diverse, interesting and misunderstood category of plants in the horticultural industry than perennials. A colleague once said that “all plants are annuals somewhere and perennials somewhere else.” Although she oversimplified this just a bit, the point was well taken.
How we define a perennial is often as complicated as the class itself. Geographical conditions as diverse as those experienced in Canada further challenge the definition of perennial plants. Are winters wet and temperate? Some hardy perennials may be perfectly fine in much colder environments and succumb to crown rot in coastal climates. Does winter provide an extended blanket of insulating snow cover? Perennials that may not survive windswept plains
will thrive under similar temperatures when protected under the snow.
The good news for flower growers and retailers is that consumers are enthusiastic about what they are finding in the perennial world and the trends and options available are sure to continue to grow this interest in years to come.
IMPRESSIVE NEW BREEDING PROGRAMS
The evolution of perennials during my 40-plus years in the industry has been exciting to watch. The product class has grown from an eclectic mix of varieties and species found and collected by avid hobbyists and observant horticulturists to hundreds of new cultivars, many of them the product of focused, feature-oriented professional breeding programs.
ABOVE Achillea is great for fall sales. INSET Coreopsis is popular for autumn programs.
ABOVE Hosta is the perfect patio plant. Miscanthus Bandwidth is a growing favourite with consumers.
In most cases, the goal is to have perennials that perform like annuals. This is the most common theme that I hear when speaking with consumers and read in consumer surveys on the subject. They tell us that they want plants that flower all season (like annuals) and those that they will not have to re-plant every year.
Fortunately, the vast genetic pool of perennial plants offers the professional flower breeder plenty of options to accomplish this objective. Recent introductions in coreopsis, salvia nemorosa, Salvia greggii, echinacea, gaillardia, achillea and many others provide three or more months of flowering. Many continue to flower after annuals have succumbed to autumn frosts.
PERENNIALS FOR THE DESIGNER
Another wonderful trend in the perennial world is the use of hardy plants in containers. The urbanization of North America and return-to-the-city trend of the millennial generation has created a desire for more plants that perform well in containers. This makes perfect sense because urban living spaces often don’t provide an opportunity for in-ground gardening. The incredible diversity found in the perennial plant world offers a rich and robust palette of colours and textures from which to choose.
In addition to colours and textures, perennial plants provide greater drought and frost tolerance. Gardeners have expressed frustration when their return home from an extended holiday weekend reveals dead and dying container plants that couldn’t survive three or four days without watering. Perennials like hosta, heuchera and ornamental grasses are ideal for these kinds of conditions and will look happy and healthy despite the neglect.
Of course, not all gardeners are concerned about drought or frost tolerance. For them, the expanded design opportunities afforded by perennial plants provide the attraction. The simple addition of white gaura to an annual mixed container not only provides a focal centrepiece, but it also makes the container a pollinator magnet attracting bees and butterflies. In mixed containers, perennial plants provide height, texture, and novelty not found in the annual world.
I love to see attractive perennial foliage plants such as
lysimachia ‘Goldi’ or lamium used as lush trailing points of interest. They are as tough as they are attractive and play nicely with their annual cousins.
PERENNIALS FOR THE DECORATOR
The use of perennial plants on the porch, patio and balcony to provide season-long interest is not the only area where this product group is finding new uses. Today’s advances in perennial breeding have brought us cultivars that can be scheduled and programmed to sell alongside decorator plants such as fall mums.
In many regions of North America, the fall season is second only to Christmas in dollars spent on decorating. Capitalizing on this trend, a large grower in the eastern U.S. has found that products like coreopsis UpTick and achillea New Vintage can be easily flowered to help extend the summer season and add sales opportunities for late summer programs. He astutely grew the plants in attractive coloured pots to convey the message that they are intended to for decorative vignettes rather than planted into the ground – just like garden mums. Sales have been excellent, and his customers are happy.
Creative growers and retailers need not limit this opportunity to the fall season, however. Why not accent a summer wedding with brightly decorated pots of echinacea or a spring graduation event with salvia or leucanthemum? Perennials can be timed and scheduled for just these kinds of applications.
IN SUMMARY
Modern perennials are not your father’s Oldsmobile. They have been bred and selected to provide interest in a myriad of settings, are easily scheduled and programmed, and are piquing the interest of consumers. Look for your niche in this expanding category and make the most of the opportunities perennials offer.
Karl Batschke was raised in a greenhouse family in Michigan and has worked in the horticultural industry for over 40 years. He is currently global product development manager for Darwin Perennials. kbatschke@ballhort.com
Sampling Some of the Star Performers in Ontario Trials
After a wetter/cooler-than-usual summer, some varieties handled the stress better than others
BY MELHEM
SAWAYA
Here in southwestern Ontario, we have just experienced a wetter than usual summer, with cooler than average temperatures especially at night. The continuously rainy days and nights and the cooler temperatures put the plants in the Sawaya Garden Trials through new Mother Nature stress or benefit tests, depending on the varieties.
Some varieties like the lantanas, angelonias, portulacas and scaevola were slow in the beginning of the season, but picked up the pace beginning in mid-July. They had much larger flower sizes due to the cooler temperatures.
The double flower impatiens, for example, were like miniature roses and there was no downy mildew in our trials; however this was a problem in other gardens.
Just like last year some genera, including nemesia, diascia and osteospermum, flowered through the whole season. The cooler summer night temperatures enhance the cool crops but at
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the same time do not hold back the heat-loving crops such as lantana, angelonia, portulaca and diplodenia.
The main purpose of the Sawaya Garden Trials is to see the varieties that perform best in our climate. For the past 16 years we have seen some genera perform well and others not quite so much.
Here are some of the same steps I have tried to press home with growers and retailers to increase sales. Let me know what you think; my email is at the end of this feature.
1. Only grow varieties that have proven themselves in the garden.
2. Sell plants in larger containers than you are used to growing, i.e., grow the flats material in much larger cells or 4" pots, and 4" material in 6" containers. Here’s the rule-of-thumb – if you have to apply growth regulators more than once to make the plant fit into the container, then it is quite likely the container is too small for the
A classic car was among the displays near the registration desk. Growers and retailers drove from many hours away to view this year’s trials.
plant. Good examples where this is particularly an issue would be dahlia, Blue salvia, Profusion zinnias, African marigolds, Sunpatiens and gazania, to mention a few.
3. Plant in a good potting media with no weird additives. Prolonging the plant 12 hours or more for watering creates a false expectation with consumers.
4. Top-dressing containers with slowrelease fertilizer could be a problem for varieties that cannot take a heavy dose of fertilizer all at once. That will happen when we get high temperatures since slow-release fertilizers are released based on temperature, and especially if the plants are not getting enough water on a timely basis.
5. Provide liquid fertilizer free, as a bonus, to customers. Mix it in a 200L barrel, about a thousand times concentrated, so the consumer can dilute it to end up with a concentration of about 150 ppm.
6. If we don’t do anything else, we must sell simplified drip kits so homeowners can water their plants effectively and regularly. I am confident that plant sales will increase three to four per cent every year rather than decrease by two to three per cent. I have firsthand experience with people who visit our trials and they ask about our drip system. I tell them where to buy it and the simple steps needed to put it together. Those who do install it make a point to come back and thank me. They also tell me they are going to buy many more plants because they know the plants are going to do very well and with much less work.
7. Get involved in advertising plants and their benefits.
8. In this industry, there is no sitting on the fence. If we are not part of the solution, we are part of the problem.
9. If anyone has suggestions how to gain consumer confidence or help sales please share with me so I can include it with these suggestions. You will not lose sales by sharing your ideas; on the contrary your sales will increase because as an industry we are trying to keep successful consumers. Remember if you have never grown any of these varieties before and you want to try them, just grow a low percentage of your production to evaluate their success of production and evaluate consumer appeal. You can then decide to increase production or drop this variety. If you decide to increase production of a new
variety after trialing it for a season, make sure you take a good look at another variety you can drop.
With the popularity of calibrachoa, you can now choose the colour, size and habit. Breeders are doing a good job of classifying the series according to their habit, which helps in selecting the correct container size.
With calibrachoa taking a bigger share of the market, other varieties are on the decline. It is prudent to decrease production of cultivars that are not selling as well as they have in the past.
1Here is a look at very tiny sample of the 3700 varieties in our trials.
Gomphrena Las Vegas White (1) is a bush-type plant that has a vigorous growing habit. It will cover a large landscape and will thrive in different climate conditions. No deadheading is required and the flowers last for a very long time. It’s good in landscapes, large containers and combinations.
Zinnia Profusion Coral Pink (2) is mainly an upright bush plant that is a great performer in the heat and excellent in the landscape. ‘Profusions’ are great for
GREENHOUSE Canada is proud to celebrate Canada’s young, skilled and knowledgeable professionals who are driving the greenhouse industry forward. From commercial growers and wholesales to manufacturers, equipment suppliers and service providers, they are the best and brightest in our industry.
Join us as we congratulate this year’s Top 10 Under 40 winners...
Dr. Chevonne Carlow, OMAFRA, Vineland Station, Ontario
Dustin Morton, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Camrose, Alberta
Levi Tiemstra, Gull Valley Greenhouses Ltd., Blackfalds, Alberta
gallon sales for large landscapes.
Vinca F1 Valiant Punch (3) was the new impatiens in our trial. It was planted from 288-plugs straight into a 14" pot. The vincas in general and the Valiant series in particular looked great throughout the summer. I have seen many landscape beds with vincas this year that were thriving, even with the wet summer we had.
Calibrachoa Chameleon Pink Passion (4): the Chameleon series is a winner with its unique flower colour changing with age and plant habit. One variety in a container hanging basket or patio pot will put on a great show.
Calibrachoa Bloomtastic Rose Quartz (5): the Bloomtastic series has a larger bloom size than a regular calibrachoa, which will be more noticeable from a distance. It has excellent garden performance where five to six stages of flower maturity are on the plant.
Petchoa Supercal Buttercream (6): This series is one of my favourite garden performers due to its vibrant colours and more importantly its ability to bounce back after a rain in only a few minutes without any signs of botrytis or need for deadheading. Supercal Buttercream is great for mixes, gallons and hanging baskets.
Kabloom White (7): This calibrachoa from seed is great in 4” pots, where it needs one pinch, and hanging baskets where it does not need pinching. It is a great finished product that’s more economical with less chance of viruses.
Multi-Plant Mixmaster Sundance (8): This is a mono species mix container where the plants are visible the whole summer and the colours complement each other. Three plants will be more than enough for a 10" hanging basket.
Bermuda Skies (9) is one of the few mixed species displaying a true synergy. Everything works so well together. It has excellent performance and topped the entries in our hanging baskets contest. Grow in 12" baskets or larger for the best economics and to give a great show – as I have said over and over again, mixes do not belong in 10" baskets. Grow them in containers 12" and larger. Don’t be shy!
Kwik Kombo Bombay Summer Sparkler Mix (10): This is a great scaveola mix for late-season performance. It loves the heat and gets better with age without deadheading or similar maintenance. It also does well in rainy seasons. Scaveola has by far the best garden performance, and in a variety of colours that add to its appeal.
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Improved (11) is one of the top vigorous fibrous begonias. All we need is a white variety to join the family. ‘Whoppers’ have excellent garden performance with a perfect ratio of leaves to flowers. They flower the whole summer and into early frost. It’s good in the shade but excels in sunny areas. It should be grown in gallons without any growth regulators – just time it properly for shipping dates.
Begonia Fragrant Falls Lemon (12) is similar to Nonstop Joy begonia in habit. It has a fresh lemon fragrance, providing added value and a unique selling feature. Fragrant Falls have an excellent slow growing habit, with continuous flowering the whole summer.
Begonia Solenia Yellow (13) is one colour of the Solenia Rieger begonia family, seemingly on steroids. The Solenias have much better garden performance than the other Rieger series. Solenias are the better choice if you grow Riegers for the outdoors. They are good for landscapes and excellent in hanging baskets.
Petunia Supertunia Priscilla (14) is one of the best performing double petunias. It thrives in hot weather and takes the rain without setback. It is excellent in hanging baskets and the spent flowers are covered with masses of continuously emerging new flowers. Priscilla is an old variety that performs better than any new breeding of double petunia.
Petunia Color Works Pink Star (15) is the new addition to this series known for its unique flower design. Pink Star has a mounding habit with great garden performance, and excellent flowers and foliage. It is ideal in premium hanging baskets.
Petunia Blanket Violet (16) is one colour in the Blanket family. This series is very vigorous – one cutting will make a 10" hanging basket. Blankets have lots of small flowers that the rain does not impact. ‘Blankets’ are great for hanging baskets or large landscapes.
Petunia Dekko Salmon (17) is a mounding habit petunia with a continuous show of small flowers that self-clean after it rains. The series is great for 4" pots, gallons and hanging baskets. It has amazing garden performance.
Canna Canova Orange (18) is one colour in this series. The Canovas are the best introduction to floriculture since the impatiens boom! They have excellent garden performance in landscapes or containers or centrepieces in mixed containers. Canova is every landscaper’s
dream-come-true star performer.
Pretty Crimson Red (19) is one colour in the explosion of mandevillas. They are becoming increasingly popular, especially in large containers – whether in large planters or hanging baskets. Mandevilla continues to flower nonstop the whole summer with a background of hardy foliage that invites the heat and the rain.
Sweet Memories Salmon (20) is one colour of the Gerbera Garvinea family and its garden performance gets better every year. The series is very resistant to powdery mildew.
Serenity Lemonade (21): Osteospermum is not just for early spring sales. For the last five to six years, most of the osteospermum I see flower the whole summer long – even in hot
weather. Serenity Lemonade is a good example and showed extremely well in our trials. Serenity can be used equally well in landscapes or mixed containers.
Geranium Brocade Salmon Night (22) stands out from the multitude of other geraniums with its unique foliage colour and its flowering power that is botrytis resistant. It is excellent in landscapes, as a centre for mixed containers, or by itself in large containers.
Geranium Schone Von Rheinberg Wild Salmon (23) has a good ratio of flowers to leaves, and doesn’t seem to have a problem with botrytis after a rain. The Salmon flower has an orange centre. It is good for landscapes and containers.
Lantana Bandana Landscape Gold (24) is one colour of this landscape
series that is very vigorous. The outdoor performance is exceptional and very floriferous from early spring until frost. No deadheading is needed, rain does not hinder it, and heat and full sun make it even better.
Coleus Premium Sun Mighty Mosaic (25) is from seed and does well in full sun. Premium Sun is very economical and comparable to the vegetative coleus. Mighty Mosaic is great in gallons and mix containers.
Pink Bicolor (26) is one colour of the Endurascape verbena lineup. This series has exceptional garden performance. The flowers last a long time and they are semi self-cleaning, powdery mildew resistant and vigorous.
Blue Eyes (27) is a medium vigour variety with loads of long-lasting flowers. Lanai verbena is one of the oldest series and still one of the top performers. The medium growth habit makes it suitable for hanging baskets and mixed containers.
Lavandula Vicenza Blue (28) is a popular variety with a soothing fragrance that performs well in landscapes or pots. It features first season flowering is from seed. Vicenza Blue is great in gallons or multiple liners in larger pots.
Echinacea Sombrero Adobe Orange (29) has first season flowering that needs no vernalization. It puts on a great show with sturdy flowers on a strong stem. The flowers last a long time allowing fourth and fifth flower generation before the first flower is spent.
Pretty In Pink (30) is a new colour, showing that bidens are not only yellow any more. Pretty In Pink was surprisingly very heat tolerant, and the flowers lasted a long time, though it needed deadheading. It could be great in combinations or large containers.
Phlox Gisele Light Violet (31) is more compact than other vegetative phloxes on the market. It has a better start in the greenhouse but especially excels when the days grow longer with high light levels. Gisele is great in large pots and landscapes.
Coreopsis UpTick Yellow & Red (32) is another first season flowering variety that flowers from early spring and past a light frost. It features loads of colourful flowers on sturdy stems. Uptick is powdery mildew resistant. Grow in gallons for landscapes and large patio pots, or for mixed containers with other perennials or annuals.
Melhem Sawaya of Focus Greenhouse Management is a consultant and research coordinator to the horticultural industry; mel@focusgreenhousemanagement.com.
Graham Bolton FCC Senior Relationship Manager
A CLEAN SWEEP to End the Growing Season
After harvest ends, it’s time to refresh and start anew … a great way to keep pests at bay.
BY DR. M. ISHTIAQ RAO
At this time of year, most greenhouse vegetable growers would have cleanout and preparation for the next season foremost on their minds. This is indeed a daunting task if the job is to be properly done.
Even though it is a subject that most growers are very familiar with, some key principles bear repeating or highlighting as a reminder. Starting afresh with a clean greenhouse for the new season significantly helps in minimizing incidence of pests and diseases in the new crop. Extending the period during which the crop can be kept clean of all pests is key to having a productive, profitable season.
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Some key principles for achieving a successful cleanup in the greenhouse are as follows:
End clean – When it comes to pest control at the end of the season, too many growers take the attitude, “Let it go, it’ll all be gone soon anyway!”
If only they paused to consider that no clean-out product or process is 100 per cent effective. No matter what, you could have easily five per cent of the pests carry over by hiding in cracks, crevices and other inevitable structural hiding places. The pest levels in the new crop would be much more manageable in
Even with a great clean-out, cracks and crevices will host pests throughout the winter.
the preceding case. Even preventive applications of biologicals would not be able to handle a heavy load of pests. Any expenses made toward keeping the crop clean right until the end is an investment in the next year’s crop.
Remove the sources of pests and disease – A greenhouse is never clean without the removal of all plant debris, weeds, and residues such as calcium deposits on drip lines and stakes. Having debris contributes to future problems by providing a protective cover for pathogens, like spores and virus particles, and a food source for insect pests. This is especially critical in the case of difficult-to-control pests such the pepper weevil.
At 10 C, adult pepper weevils can survive more than 100 days if food is available in the form of pepper stalks. Without food, those adults will not live more than 28 days at the same temperature.
remember that extra care is needed in cleaning concrete and wood structures because their surfaces are often rough and textured, enabling pockets of spore-laden dust and fine debris to accumulate on these surfaces over the season.
Removal of weeds is also essential because they can harbour common greenhouse viruses such as Cucumber mosaic virus, and pests such as aphids, thrips and whiteflies. Note that the barely visible egg stage of whiteflies is notoriously present on weeds. Unlike the adult stage, the egg stage is highly tolerant to low temperatures, being able to survive up to 15 days at -3 C, and as many as five days at -6 C.
Debris and residues can also harbour many diseasecausing pathogens that can remain infective for a long time. Some of these include Tobacco mosaic virus, bacterial canker (Clavibacter michiganensis) Pythium, Botrytis and gummy stem blight (Didymella bryoniae).
The presence of debris can also reduce or neutralize the activity of disinfectants, thereby reducing their effectiveness. This results in wastage of money and time. We also need to
So even though pests such as whiteflies do not diapause, they can still survive low temperatures through their cold-tolerant stages.
Hot enough to kill – Consideration of ambient temperatures during cleanup is particularly important because they can influence two vital aspects:
• The effectiveness of the disinfectants themselves.
• The susceptibility of pests to applied pest control products. Regarding the influence of temperature on the efficacy of ABOVE
Cleaning the drip lines and stakes can prevent the early onset of disease.
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Tarps are laid out for a crop shredder to remove all the debris.
disinfectants, warmer temperatures generally result in better kill of viruses, for example, than lower temperatures. Research studies done in Ontario indicate that of eight commercially available disinfectants tested against viruses on different surfaces, the majority showed much greater effectiveness at 22 C than at 4 C. On the other hand, a few of the products were just as effective at 4 C. It would be best to consult distributors and manufacturers on this aspect of specific products.
Not only do warmer ambient temperatures contribute to better kill of disease organisms with disinfectants, they also
achieve a better kill of insect pests. This is because the warmer the temperature, the higher their metabolic activity and the faster their development. At warm temperatures, adults of winged insects are more active and fly more, thus increasing their chances of coming into contact with pesticides. Warm temperatures also shorten the time needed to complete life stages and thereby hasten the emergence of active stages. Thus, eggs hatch more quickly into mobile, susceptible juveniles, and pupae complete development faster to the more vulnerable adult stage.
Are your disinfectants working? – One method of enhancing the effectiveness of disinfectants is to do a prewash. Studies in Ontario indicate that a wash with soap prior to application of the disinfectant will result in better kill of pathogens such as Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus and Pepino mosaic virus.
Another factor that we need to be mindful of is pH. Generally, effective disinfectants are at either end of the pH spectrum – that is, they may have a high pH (very alkaline) or they may have a low pH (very acidic). With this factor in mind, application of different products with different pHs in close succession may result in neutralizing the pH of either disinfectant and could therefore reduce the effectiveness of the products.
Growers should consult the distributor or manufacturer when selecting disinfectants for cleanup, should they decide to use more than one product. Furthermore, when mixing disinfectants with water, we need to check the hardness of the water, i.e. whether it has high levels of calcium
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and magnesium. Some disinfectants, particularly quaternary ammonium compounds, are deactivated by hard water.
For maximum effectiveness, disinfectants are ideally mixed in warm water and applied to dry surfaces. For optimum results, disinfectants should remain wet on the surfaces for 15 to 30 minutes.
Avoiding re-infestation – A common cause of re-infestation is improper disposal of crop debris. If disposal is done in an adjacent field, such plant debris should be immediately buried to a depth of at least 30 cm to minimize spread of any pests and disease organisms. Burying to such a depth also promotes microbial decomposition of the debris, and destruction of pests and disease-causing organisms. It is critical that plant debris are not left in open piles in the field because such piles could serve as a source of infestation for all surrounding greenhouse and field crops when warmer conditions return.
Following the painstaking process of cleaning and disinfecting the greenhouse, all growers strive to maintain the highest level of sanitation for as long as possible. To achieve this goal, growers have to clean and disinfect everywhere and everything, including the boiler room, packing houses, all heavy equipment, and tools used during crop production.
They also need to implement regular sanitation protocols that include strategic placement of disinfection boot trays, provision of shoe covers and coveralls for visitors, provision of dispensers for disinfection of hands, and gloves to ensure that plants are not accidentally touched with contaminated hands, etc.
A more comprehensive treatment of this subject is available in the factsheet produced by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs, entitled “Sanitation Guidelines for Management of Pests and Diseases of Greenhouse Vegetables” http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/ facts/14-033.htm. It details the sanitation measures that should be implemented not only at the end of the season, but also when the crop is being established, and during the months of production.
Dr. M. Ishtiaq Rao, CEO of Crop Defenders Ltd., is a PhD in entomology who is dedicated to the eradication of horticultural pests through IPM methods. Crop Defenders Ltd. utilizes biological knowledge of pest and beneficial insect species in order to manage pests cost-effectively and in a way that is cohesive with a healthy environment. ishtiaq@cropdefenders.com
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Time again to celebrate our fantastic “Top 10 under 40” awards program. Inside View previously looked at these new industry leaders’ traits, e.g. passionate, hard-working and innovative thinkers.
Growers in all sectors have to resolve how to attract new entrants. Recently, Julie GilbertVijverberg (G&V Greenhouse Solutions), put out a letter to the U.S. industry, saying she’s “reaching out today to begin the long overdue conversation of how the greenhouse industry needs trained growers and skilled labour force from universities.”1 I’m not sure it’s new or “overdue,” as it’s been going on for as long as I’ve been part of the greenhouse industry. Specifically though, Julie calls industry to “invest in our future through our universities” and lists key skills industry seeks, including:
• “Introduction to Greenhouse Management Systems.
• “Pest Management.
• “Energy/Shading Curtains.
• “Evaluating Water Analysis and Making Recipe Changes.
• “Crop Disease and Deficiency Identification.” Great technical skills. But at KPU, Employability Skills’ (e.g. numeracy, communication, teamwork) are also embedded in all programs. Without these, no matter how technically competent, someone is
expectations around salary and career progression. But minimum wage structure and long working hours mean we’re failing ourselves. We need to sell the non-financial benefits of this rewarding industry. Tap that passion identified in the ‘Top 10 Under 40.
But Julie’s question demands a response. In B.C., “The B.C. Landscape & Nursery Association has just completed Phase 1 of a Labour Market Initiative to research where job gaps are as well as skills in both agricultural horticulture and landscape sectors. This Five Phase project will investigate needs, then develop and implement strategies to recruit B.C. residents including new Canadians and refugees to the industry. The project will also look at accessing talent outside of B.C. and Canada as a way to alleviate labour and skills shortages. The next phase will take about eight months, with results that will be useful to the sectors across Canada.4”
KPU Horticulture students over 2014-16 had an average age of 30 years, were 42 per cent female and 58 per cent male. We’re seeing increased interest from younger people.
This year ‘CanWest’ organizers are introducing a Youth Tour. While targeting those already inside, this is an opportunity for students to connect with peers, industry leaders and employers. Growers, landscapers, BCLNA members are involved.
“We need to sell non-financial benefits of this rewarding industry”
unlikely to get past (even to!) an interview.
Julie’s basic premise is that “Currently U.S. universities are operating low-tech greenhouses. When graduates are hired at facilities … they are faced with a learning curve.” Is the same true in Canada, (or Europe), where there are great training facilities for all horticulture sectors, and government investment in greenhouse research?
Attracting new entrants is not a problem limited to the U.S. Reports in Canada mirror similar concerns:
• “Availability of labour is always a concern in (B.C.’s) greenhouse veggie sector.” (Linda Delli Santi, Exec Director, BCGGA).2
• “ … the greenhouse, nursery and floriculture industry faces an expected gap of 27,000 workers in 2025.”3
New entrants also need to frame realistic
Julie argues that “We as an industry need to invest in our future through our universities.” But universities are just part of the Horticulture Inc. team, and we need to take on this task corporately. Kudos to the BCLNA and CanWest organizers. Let’s all get involved in the conversation.
1 Julie Gilbert-Vijverberg, “Come together to fix the greenhouse industry education system”, HortiDaily.com.
2 2017 State of the Industry survey, Greenhouse Canada.
3 Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council, Nov 2016.
4 Hedy Dyck, BCLNA, personal communication.
Gary Jones is co-chair of Horticulture at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. He serves on several industry committees and welcomes comments at Gary.Jones@kpu.ca.
