Part one of a series offering tips for getting veggie crops through the winter 14
Future of sustainability
Solutions for greenhouse adaptation and survival | 22
Prime perennials Tops picks for the 2024 marketplace | 32
NOVEMBER 2023
greenhousecanada.com
November 2023 Vol.43, Issue 10
Sawaya Garden Trials
First part in a two-part series featuring trial results and insights. By Melhem Sawaya
Editorial 4
Industry News 6
Winter is coming 14
Advice for getting greenhouse vegetable crops through the winter. Part one: Tomatoes.
Guest Column 18 Rita Sterne from the Greenhouse Technology Network discusses automation and innovation.
Inside View 38
Closing the labour gap.
22 26 32
Back to the future
A look at some sustainable solutions for greenhouse adaptation and survival.
BY J. LYNN FRASER
Saskatoon Farm
Beat-up barley field transformed into agritourism hotspot in Alberta. BY
JOHN DIETZ
Blooming success
Profiling some of the new and notable perennials for the Canadian marketplace.
BY AMY KOUNIAKIS
Aerial view of the 2023 Sawaya Garden Trials
Photo: Stoic Media, courtesy Melhem Sawaya
Collaboration and sustainability
One of the words I heard floating around the recent Canadian Greenhouse Conference in Niagara Falls was ‘sustainability’.
It’s a word, I’m learning, growers struggle with as they navigate this constantly evolving industry. During the conference,some of us had the opportunity to tour several greenhouses in the Hamilton-Niagara area.
We learned from these growers that sustainability has become a top priority. At Sunrise Greenhouses in Lincoln, we learned of the extensive measures they’re taking to capture and reuse water to the point where head grower, Rodney Bierhuizen, says no water is wasted in their production process. At Freeman Herbs, they’re making the change to fully recyclable plant pots, in addition to trialling unique solar technology that aims to offset some of the facility’s energy consumption.
At Beverley Greenhouses, we talked extensively about the technologies and techniques they’re using to reduce their footprint while
more commonplace in commercial greenhouses of the future. See more on Page 22
It’s clear sustainability is the way of the future but for some, the price tag that comes with prioritizing sustainability in one’s operation is a deterrent. There are incentives and supports out there for growers but it is a daunting process researching and applying for this support.
For those feeling trepidation about taking that first step, there is a lot of help out there. Trade associations, researchers and even fellow growers who have gone down this road before can provide some valuable insights.
In the years to come, collaboration on sustainable practices is going to be the only way forward. A recent report from the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute on Canadian AgriFood Resilience. While the report focused on agri-food supply chain disruptions, a lot of research went into understanding the fears, concerns and challenges of greenhouse vegetable growers. The report makes clear that
“In the future, collaboration is going to be the only way forward.”
remaining economically sustainable. In fact, they’ve developed an on-site breeding program of beneficial insects for pest control.
Automation also plays a role in these businesses remaining sustainable in terms of addressing labour shortages.
The tradeshow floor at the CGC was full of products aimed at improving the sustainability of greenhouse operations from not just an environmental standpoint, but also economically.
In this issue, we look at some of the research on sustainable practices and technologies that may become
the greenhouse sector is particularly vulnerable, on many levels, to several crises and in the future, one crisis will likely be accompanied by another. The report doesn’t intend to cause a scare but to provide a launch point for consultation and collaboration on getting out ahead of these crises.
In this issue, Dr. Rita Sterne, of the Greenhouse Technology Network, takes a closer look at the CAPI report and shares her insights on automation and how it will play a role in addressing some of the vulnerabilities noted in the report. Read more on Page 18
Royal Brinkman introduces new system at CGC
Royal Brinkman Canada debuted their new UniMite bio-distributor at the Canadian Greenhouse Conference in Niagara Falls in October. Bio-spreader technology is used to distribute natural enemies easily and uniformly throughout the crop. Bio dispersal can be done by hand, but is extremely labour-intensive and less accurate. “We see significant labour savings and the most uniform bio distribution using the
UniMite bio-spreader systems, such as the UniMite Air and the UniMite Slider. Growers can accomplish an even distribution of predatory mites and feeder mites throughout the crop, quickly and efficiently. This makes biological control even more successful and significantly reduces the labour requirements,” said Kameron Fordyce, Branch Manager of Royal Brinkman Canada. (Source: Royal Brinkman)
B.C. FIRM, AGRIFOREST BIO-TECHNOLOGIES, RECEIVES $187,980 IN R&D FUNDINGS
AgriForest BioTechnologies Ltd., a plant biotechnology company based in Kelowna is receiving advisory services and funding of up to $187,980 from the National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC /IRAP) for its research and development project entitled “Development of Vertical Growing System
for the purposes of hardening-off of Tissue Culture Derived Plants of Berry and Grapevine Crops”. The project will combine the advantages offered by tissue culture and photo-autotrophic micropropagation technology to produce virus and disease-free planting stocks in commercial quantities in much shorter timeframe under high density vertical growing system. The growing area will
Brian Lynch appointed as head of horticultural technology at Vineland
Vineland Research and Innovation Centre has appointed Brian Lynch, PhD as the new director of Horticultural Technology Systems. In this role, he will lead Vineland’s vision for the Horticultural Technology Systems program, a hub for testing, validating and optimizing both Canadian and international technology solutions for the horticultural industry. Lynch joined Vineland in 2018 as senior research scientist and has led a team of engineers and technicians on projects tackling R&D problems in horticultural automation and robotics. He has also been involved in project technical development in machine learning, computer vision, mobile robotics, manipulators and mechatronics. (Source: Vineland Research and Innovation Centre)
be integrated with wireless sensor network (WSN) technology which will monitor and deliver precise inputs of water and nutrients and carbon dioxide under optimal photosynthetically active radiation as per plants’ growth requirement at different stages of development. This technology will significantly reduce the energy consumption, labor use and mortality of plantlets when transferred from the laboratory to the greenhouse conditions. According to Dr. Kamlesh Patel, Project Manager of AgriForest, the successful completion of the project will help AgriForest produce over a million plants of elite varieties of economically important agricultural and horticultural crops. (Source: AgriForest BioTechnologies Ltd.)
BY THE NUMBERS
Going greener
68.4%
of Canadian businesses or organizations across the economy had at least one environmental or green practice in place in the third quarter of 2023.
One-in-five or 21%
of businesses in agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting report using one or more clean energy sources.
Roughly one-in-five (21.4%)
businesses or organizations were using recycled or waste materials as inputs.
TEST OF TIME Old varieties on trial
Insights from the 23rd annual Sawaya Garden Trials
BY MELHEM SAWAYA
This was the 23rd year for the Sawaya Garden Trials. If we try the same plants year-after-year with all the same conditions that we can control, I guarantee that we will have different performances from the same plants. Also taking pictures and reading the plants vary depending on the weather conditions the day before. A rainy day will make many petunias look ready for the compost, while others seem not so bad. Some will bounce back within few hours of sun while some genera are not affected at all by rain but sensitive to continuous high temperatures.
With that in mind, for this year’s comments on the few varieties selected to mention in this article I will mention the varieties that perform well year-after-year. This is one of the
reasons why we encourage trialing the old varieties so we can have a better idea about their performance through different weather conditions.
Throughout my 44 years in the horticulture business, collaborating with breeders, growers, buyers, and consumers, I have learned what makes a successful cultivar that stands the test of time.
The following are some of the varieties trialed this year and they are, by no means, the only great performers, but due to limited publishing space, we selected 31 varieties to feature in this issue and another 30 in an upcoming issue.
It is important to note that the weather this year was rain and more rain and most of the time in the form of thunderstorms, so fertilizing
PHOTOS: MELHEM SAWAYA
the plants was challenging which reflected on the varieties that are heavy feeders and the plants that are negatively impacted by rain. On the other hand, varieties that like lower fertilization performed much better than other years like dahlias, impatiens, and slow-growing varieties.
Always remember that when trying new varieties, start with small programs, then, if all goes well, plan on larger programs next season.
For the past 23 years, the Sawaya Garden Trials have concentrated on garden performance which is extremely important. Starting next year, we will start to track the other factors that contribute to making a long-time successful cultivar.
In the meantime, here are some of the observations of some of the top-performing varieties at the trials.
1. Petunia x Petchoa SuperCal Royal Red bounced back fast after all the rain and showed and no sign of Botrytis either on the flowers or the leaves. Very floriferous with medium-sized flowers. Great for hanging baskets and landscape.
2. Petunia hybrida - Dekko Lavender Eye and 3.Petunia hybrida - Dekko Sorbet are two varieties of the Dekko family, which is known to be weather tolerant to rain and low-light in the greenhouse. It features a trailing habit, mediumsized flowers, early flowering with long flower life and no dead-heading is needed. Great for hanging baskets or combinations.
4. Petunia - Surfinia Heartbeat Improved is a medium-size heart-shaped flower. This could be sold with proper messaging targeting Valentine’s Day for warm zones or a Heart Foundation fund raiser. Good garden performer with medium-size flowers. It recovers well after a rain.
5. Begonia x hybrida - Viking Explorer Red on Green is a fibrous and vigorous begonia with a mounding habit that could be favorable for hanging baskets production. Like most fibrous begonias, it is not affected by inclement weather, rain or drought. Expect steady flowering the whole season, and no dead-heading is needed.
6. Begonia - I’CONIA First Kiss Del Sol is a Bouliviansis begonia that takes a special treatment in the greenhouse, but the result is one of the most beautiful plants. Great the whole summer, tolerates rain or drought – two important characteristics for great garden performance.
7. Begonia - Baby wing Red is the more compact size compared to Dragon wing but by no means is it compact. Baby wings begonia flowers early and is easy to control, with excellent garden performance.
8. Begonia - Dragon Wing Red, and 9. Begonia - Dragon Wing White are two colours of the vigorous fibrous begonia that has exceptional garden performance. Dragon wings take a little more time to flower in the greenhouse but in the gardens show their colour all the time no matter what the
weather is. Landscapers will love this begonia for its endurance and easy care.
10. Begonia - Hula Bicolor Red White is a vigorous begonia with smaller flowers which could be classified as multiflora for its abundant, continuous flowering habit. Earlier to flower than Dragon wing with more of a mounding habit. Great in large landscapes.
11. Begonia - Megawatt White Green Leaf is one colour of the Megawatt series which fits in between the Dragon wing begonia and the Hula begonia series size wise and as it relates to growth habit. Excellent garden performance just like all fibrous begonias. Megawatt begonias are good to grow in gallons and for instant landscape beauty.
12. Begonia x benariensis - BIG Rose Green Leaf is one colour of the BIG begonia series and it does live up to its name. Big is big but one of the earliest flowers in the greenhouse compared to other vigorous varieties. Exceptional performance in our trials and great in landscapes.
13. Begonia x benariensis - Groovy Rose is a trailing vigorous begonia that is great for hanging baskets. Groovy begonias perform well in our trials and are very resistant to flower shatter after rain or wind, and like fibrous begonias no dead-heading is needed.
14. Begonia x interspecific – Stonehedge Rose Bronze Leaf is one colour of the new Stonehedge series which is very vigorous in our trials, and I cannot wait to see its performance in the greenhouse. Excellent garden performance and it is a very rewarding series. It is is vigorous and floriferous and it does not take many plants to make 14-to-16-inch containers with Stonehedge begonia.
15. Zinnia hybrida - Profusion Orange is one colour of the profusion zinnia family that performed great every year in our trials. Easy greenhouse production and great landscape performance.
16. Zinnia - Double Zahara Salmon Rose has the great performance habit of the Profusion series with a double flower that puts on a great show the whole season. All zinnias need to be grown in long days in the plug stage so they can have the vigour and not flower too early in the greenhouse which leads to inferior performance in the garden.
17. Calibrachoa - Cabrio Sweet Peach performed well in our trials this year despite the extreme rainy weather. Cabrio series has a medium mounding growth habit that can make great hanging baskets without much, if any, growth regulators.
18. Coleus Talavera Burgandy Lime
19. Coleus - Down Town Columbus
20. Coleus - Main Street Bourbon Street
21. Coleus - Stained Glassworks Pineapple Express
22. Fantastic Foliage - Coleus Mighty Mosaic Premium Sun These are few examples of the vast varieties of coleus. All are propagated vegetatively except the Mighty Mosaic premium Sun which is propagated from seed. Coleus perform great in the sun or shade, but the new varieties excel in bright sun conditions. All coleus varieties should be treated against downy mildew at early stages in the production cycle, because by the time you see it, it is very hard to stop it.
23. Impatiens walleriana - Imara XDR Rose and 24. Impatiens walleriana - Beacon Lipstick are two colours of the Imara and the Beacon
impatiens series showed no signs of downy mildew even late in the summer and, like always, the walleriana impatiens performed great in full sun. Is it luck? Or have we really got over the downy mildew on impatiens? Maybe the number one bedding plant is on its way to making a comeback.
25. New Guinea Impatiens - Wild Romance Peach has double flowers that give it a classy look. Planting it in a higherend container and marketing it different from other impatiens could generate a higher margin profit. Wild Romance Peach performed very well in our trials and spent the whole summer in full sun. Next year we are going to trial as many impatiens as
possible in our beds to compare all the different series. That will include Walleriana impatiens even the old varieties, New guinea impatiens and any other hybrids.
IR or HR
26. Angelonia - Angleface
Cascade Pink is great for late hanging baskets to sell for late May since Angelonia does not like cool temperatures.
What is the difference?
What's the difference between IR & HR?
Our tomato breeding team identified a gene providing high levels of resistance against the devastating ToBRFV. In this infographic, you will see the difference between no resistance (left), intermediate resistance (center) and high resistance (right).
Resistance Resistance
• Virus multiplies to a high level in the plant.
• Yellow spots and wrinkled patches on plant & fruits.
• Presence of virus particles in the plant or fruits.
• Yield can be affected.
• Virus propagation is delayed.
• Presence of virus particles in the plant or fruits.
• The crop can show symptoms of the virus in the leaf and/or fruits.
• Yield can be affected.
27. Angelonia - Alonia Pink Flirt is an upright plant with the same requirement of warmer temperatures. Angelonias are great for containers, hanging baskets, landscapes or combinations.
28. Lantana - Shamrock Orange Flame
Improved is a medium-size plant and like most lantanas it attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. The warmer it is the better this plant shines. Drought tolerant and rain does not affect it.
29. Cuphea - Cubano Fuente is a great performer in the garden and does not need deadheading. It attracts hummingbirds and flowers for the whole season. We are going to add it to our hummingbird beds next year.
30. Angelonia - Serena Blue is one colour of the Serena series, a seed-variety Angelonia that performs as good or better than any vegetative Angelonia variety. It is loaded with flowers the whole season, no deadheading needed and thrives at high temperatures.
31. Cuphea - Pink Shimmer is another form of cupheas that is loaded with tiny flowers that are beautiful in a container. Excellent for landscape and could be great in combinations because it does not overpower other cultivars but enhances them.
High Resistance
• Highly restricts the accumulation of the virus.
• No spread of the virus in the crop.
• Yield is unaffected under normal disease pressure.
The second part of the trials will be covered in an upcoming issue of Greenhouse Canada
Managing greenhousewinter vegetable crops
Part one: Tomatoes
BY DR. MOHYUDDIN MIRZA
Growers follow different cropping schedules for cucumber, tomato and pepper. Cucumbers are grown two or three crops a year, however, I noticed that they are shifting to two crops, January to end of May and June to end of October or early November. The growers using supplemental lights generally grow year-round. Many adjustments are being made in cropping schedules based on energy prices which include delaying the seedlings planting to late January and early February. Most of the growers now order the seedlings in advance to be delivered for the desired time period.
It is important to note that three major greenhouse vegetables, cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers are high light crops having a Daily Light Integral (DLI) of between 22 to 30 moles/day. DLI is calculated
ABOVE
the light intensity in micromoles/m2/second and duration of the light and it provides a measure of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR).
WHAT TO WATCH FOR DURING EARLY SPRING?
First thing to remember is that you are laying the foundation of the tomato crop to harvest for next 36 to 40 weeks. What is being done in terms of all the inputs managed properly your crop should look like the image above.
Because of lower light conditions in early spring, growers must ensure that plants do not become too vegetative. Low light combined with unlimited water and nutrients can make the plants grow fast and stretch thin and spindly. The following series of
In the winter months when lower light conditions in the greenhouse prevail, plants can become too vegetative. Low light and unlimited water and nutrients can make the plants grow fast.
PHOTOS: DR. MOHYUDDIN MIRZA
Want Access to All the Best Mum Genetics?
Ball Seed® is the only supplier providing varieties from ALL major mum breeders in North America! Our most comprehensive assortment includes:
• Early, mid and late-season mums.
• Natural season flowering and black cloth programs.
Don’t wait! Contact your Ball Seed sales rep and place your complete mum order today.
• All the best-selling colors and the latest novelty introductions.
• Extensive supply and outstanding customer service.
Scan to visit ballseed.com/gardenmums
pictures, featured on the next few pages, explain what happens if tomato crops in early spring are not looked after properly.
1. A very vegetative crop. Thick stems, strong tops and short internodes. Large fruited variety.
2. A stretch in stems, relatively thin, flowers not open yet, cocktail variety. Stem elongation due to low light and warmer temperatures.
3. A well-balanced crop.
4. A well-balanced crop showing good quality cluster and strong flowers. Bumble bees were active in this case.
STRATEGIES FOR TOMATO CROP – EARLY SPRING, JANUARY TO FEBRUARY
Plant Focus
• Most growers bring in about 30-days-old seedlings which have seven to nine sets of leaves and first cluster visible but flowers have not started opening. Once seedlings are set on the growing medium, the roots will like to go into it and within couple of days, the plants cannot be pulled out. The focus is to let the plant establish by producing roots, that is a vegetative direction. But, due to unlimited water and nutrients, the plant can become more vegetative. One practice that I recommend is to let the plants stay on the plastic surface until the first cluster flowers start opening and third cluster buds are visible. The Electrical Conductivity (EC) of the nutrient solution can be raised up to 4 mS/cm2 and let the growing medium EC increase to around 6 mS/cm by adding additional potassium.
• Let plants produce good, dark green, well-expanded leaves and strong trusses and flowers. Tomato plants produce three set of leaves and one cluster per week and speed of flowering depends on light, adequate CO2 leaves, day and night temperatures and balanced nutrition. Limit the number of fruits to four or five in beefsteak varieties. Entire cluster can be pruned if the quality is poor.
Target temperatures
• Growing medium temperature 18 to 20°C for good root development
• 24 hours average temperature around 20°C. Some growers prefer an average of around 18°C. Depending on light levels.
• Grow pipe temperature not higher than 50°C
• If bumble bees have been introduced in the greenhouse for pollination, then increase the temperature to 21-22°C from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm in good light condition (over 1000 joules)
• Bumble bees flight activity is limited by cool, humid climate especially under peak light conditions in the day.
• Avoid condensation on the plastic roof by heating and ventilating at the same time. Many will growers try to save on heating costs and don’t heat and ventilate at the same time. The plants can suffer if the humidity is consistently high.
Target CO2
• 15 to 20 kg/1000 m2/hour required for flower set. In other terms try to maintain between 800 to 100 parts per million of CO2. If the CO2 is coming from boiler exhaust then be very careful because, due to less ventilation, pollutants like ethylene and nitrous oxide can damage the crop.
• Levels below 4 kg/1000 m2/m2/hr will result in loss of yield.
• CO2 dosing should start a half hour after sunrise and stop close to sunset.
• Absorption of CO2 is through stomata which should be open and that depends on sunlight and proper irrigation.
Target irrigation/feed
• Nutrients are delivered to the plants with water so you must pay close attention to plant needs at that time.
• If you are irrigating based on sunlight, then the rule is that for each one joule of light, we need 3 ml/m2. So if the light is 300 joules then you need 900 ml of water/m2. This amount is desired when light is above 400 joules.
• Water amounts have to be adjusted based on waterholding capacity of the growing medium and also take into consideration the drain percentage required to maintain desired EC values.
• Maintain feed EC between 3.0 to 3.5 with a target of between 4.5 to 5.5 mS/cm and a pH of between 5.5 and 6.0. This will make sure that plants are not stretched during this early growth phase.
• Start dropping EC values by adjusting the feed EC to bring
down to 3 mS/cm when first fruit is about two inches in diametre.
• Pay close attention to pH in the growing media because as plants grow and roots develop, the pH will tend to rise and above 6.4 the tops will turn chlorotic indicating iron deficiency.
Target Vapour Pressure Deficit (VPD)
• Maintaining an active climate with VPD of 3 to 7 grams/m3 of air by increasing the pipe temperature from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., especially on dull days. If your computer is showing VPD in millibars or kilopascal then understand the ranges needed.
• Minimum 40°C pipe on bright days, minimum 50°C pipe on dull days.
• Use venting aggressively if needed, meaning heat and ventilate at the same time to expel humidity.
• Avoid condensation on greenhouse roof and plant surfaces by ramping the temperature from day to night and night to day. Dew point must not be reached at any time.
Light Levels
• 600 joules are required to support a mature plant (100 joule/truss).
• During January and February light levels can vary between 100 to 1000 joules/cm2/day.
• Use light levels to regulate 24-hour average temperature.
Target Leaf Number
• Remove two leaves/week starting about five weeks after transplanting, around the end of January or early February. Remove one set of leaves above the
first truss when fruit has sized up, this will quicken the ripening.
• Remove leaves with a knife and don’t leave stubs.
• Avoid leaf removal in cool, dull weather as prevention for Botrytis infection.
Target Fruit Number
• Target 21 to 25 fruit on Ist 6 trusses on beef steak varieties. Allow three or four fruits to develop on first two to three clusters to balance the top growth and the fruit development. Grape
and cocktail tomatoes generally don’t require fruit thinning.
• Use a truss clip for the first ten trusses. Other option is truss clip for the first three to four trusses and rub the next six to seven trusses.
• Tomato crop management practices will vary based on light conditions. Generally, production cycles change, February to April, May to July, and August to November. Close attention to all the inputs is required to obtain yields of 70 kg/m2.
Greenhouse automation: we need‘all hands on deck’
I’ve always been interested in what underpins business success. How do managers make the best decisions? What tools help them make decisions that support business competitiveness despite changes in the industry? The answers to these questions are usually messy because running a business is hard work, studying human behaviour is challenging, and the context behind decision making is changing.
Many managers learn about Michael Porter, competitive advantage, and how to defend this advantage when factors in the environment shift. The recent pandemic was caused by COVID-19, however, there was a massive and concurrent shift of many factors in the competitive environment at once. Agri-food businesses found themselves facing public scrutiny. Many managers realized the competitive environment was unpredictable in a way they’d never seen before.
A report released on September 13, 2023, by the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute, entitled ‘Canadian Agro-Food Resilience: A Toolbox for Managing Crises,’ may offer some assistance to managers. The report dove into the resilience of agri-food supply chains in Canada and shares
may see policies that encourage, support, and reward these changes. I remind myself everyday to consider how else I can provide support to businesses in the industry faced with investment challenges, particularly when it relates to the development and adoption of complex and expensive technologies like, for example, automation.
• Additionally, I appreciated the reminder that feeling overwhelmed by converging crises can cause our thinking to “freeze.” We know this happens because we’re all human and crises will often provoke fear or cause us to switch to default (if it worked once, it will work again, right?). If you’re a greenhouse industry cheerleader as I am, let’s keep talking openly and honestly about ways we can enable and support massive investments in innovation and greenhouse-related technologies.
“There will be no quick solutions in complex and interesting times.”
strategic planning tools that could help industry managers succeed despite “converging crises”.
I believe we’re fortunate that the project team selected the Canadian greenhouse vegetable industry as one of the two case studies for their work. Several new tools for scenario planning (described as forward-looking instruments that assess layers of risk and vulnerability) are introduced and applied as part of a Crisis Management Toolbox for managers. I was eager to share this because I’ve had the same basic toolbox, as other managers have, for decades now. I would like to highlight three ideas prompted by this report related to decision making and innovation:
• Firstly, the report suggests managers may need to approach investments differently than they did pre-pandemic with investments in “resilience building” increasingly needed in the future.
The way we calculate return-on-investment (ROI) is also changing over time. Eventually, we
• Finally, the report authors ask us to consider colleagues in government and on boards of directors facing tough decisions about how to support industry and business: “…there may not be enough qualified foresight experts anywhere in the world with the ability to credibly address issues related to a convergence of crises across industry sectors and society.” (p.29) If you happen to know someone who’s interested in systems thinking and complex problem solving, let’s get them engaged in the industry.
I’ve heard it said the easy problems have all been solved, but there will be no quick solutions in complex and interesting times.
The next time we discuss business success, competitive advantage, or adoption of innovation, let’s remember how complex and pressing this world has become. Let’s show up every day for greenhouse industry colleagues because, we really do need all hands on deck.
Rita Sterne, PhD (mgmt.), is the manager of the Greenhouse Technology Network (GTN). The GTN, a Niagara-College led consortium of research institutions, can help bring together greenhouse and technology businesses with research institutions to advance development and adoption of new technologies.
INNOVATION IN STRAWBERRY PRODUCTION FROM PROPAGATION TO FRUIT
The Canadian strawberry market is seeing a shift as growers strive to produce better quality fruit for an extended growing season. Key to this shift is moving from growing outdoors to under cover in a consistent, sustainable growing media.
In the past, climate factors played a significant role in determining the duration of the outdoor strawberry season. However, when adopting an indoor cultivation method, such as growing strawberries under glass or in polytunnels, the conventional harvesting period can be extended. This opens up the potential for year-round strawberry production and the opportunity to achieve superior quality and higher yields. Although there is an initial cost involved, the advantages surpass the initial investment, according to growing media expert Pablo Segovia from Legro.
“Growers are seeing numerous benefits to growing strawberries on tabletop systems, from cost savings to more control over inputs, and clear yield benefits.
“A lot of this is down to the move from soil-based systems to coir substrate, which is easier to manage,” says Pablo. “In coir, yields increase, and the fruit quality is better. Growers also have more control of crops, less foliar and root disease and therefore make cost savings.
“We are seeing a move towards ‘table-top’ growing systems and growing demand for consistent, and high-quality coir,” he says.
Emphasizing the significance of premium coir growing media, Pablo highlights that Botanicoir Precision Plus Ultra (PPU) grow bags stand out for their enduring high quality. These bags offer growers increased flexibility and longevity, enabling them to consider reuse. Pablo asserts, “Invest in the right coir and handle it properly, and it will serve you well.”
Higher yields
High-quality coir can be a game-changer, and Botanicoir, a renowned industry leader, takes pride in its unwavering commitment to consistency. This assurance means that growers can always depend on receiving the finest coir, ensuring the highest yields possible.
Drawing from more than 18 years of expertise in strawberry production, Botanicoir has meticulously crafted their grow bags to deliver peak performance. These bags are engineered to provide exceptional drainage, optimal air-filled porosity, impressive water-holding capacity, and a guarantee of consistency.
From propagation to fruit production
If growers invest in a coir that’s expertly graded with optimum water holding capacity and free draining capabilities, seedlings can germinate quickly and well, and can be moved onto grow bags until they fruit.
“The quality of the coir enables propagators to develop the full potential of their operations, from tray plants to plugs and cuttings, and not just root stock,” says Pablo.
Clean growing media
Buffered material allows for a ‘clean’ start. “This means growers don’t have to worry about giving the growing media the right chemical conditions for strawberries,” says Pablo.
Botanicoir coir is fully washed and buffered, and calcium enriched, which means the unwanted salts are removed.
“Strawberry is not a salt tolerant crop, therefore buffered materials are a safe investment to ensure success. During the buffering process, a barium chloride test is performed for every batch of coir blend, measuring the final concentration of calcium present in the final product,” says Pablo.
“It’s imperative to use products which are pathogen free and with desirable physical and chemical conditions, such as low Electrical Conductivity (EC) and accurate calcium levels to support the growth of new plant tissue,” he says.
Optimum water holding capacity
Coir is typically supplied in a dehydrated state, and once it undergoes the initial hydration, usually within bags, it’s crucial to use a growing media with optimum waterholding capacity. This plays a vital role in minimizing stress conditions, ensuring that water and essential nutrients can reach the plants swiftly.
Pablo elaborates on the necessity of maintaining adequate moisture levels throughout the day, especially during peak production for strawberries. “Growers often need to irrigate multiple times a day, and the drainage should strike a balance, allowing roots to absorb water and nutrients as needed, while also possessing the capability to effectively drain when necessary.”
Optimum Air-Filled Porosity (AFP)
Coir with consistent air-filled porosity throughout gives plants the right levels of oxygen for superior rooting.
Botanicoir offers consistent growing media composition, because all the fine particles (0-6mm) are screened. “The substrate’s optimal porosity is based on the absence of fine particles,” explains Pablo.
“When the fine particles are removed, it creates a well aerated and physically more homogenous product, which retains its structural properties for much longer,” says Pablo.
Case study: UK-based fruit farm’s
Canada is closely mirroring the UK in its pursuit of strawberry innovation, and across the Atlantic, a British fruit farm has managed to overcome challenging conditions and successfully cultivate strawberries, all thanks to innovative farming techniques and the use of dependable, free-draining coir growing media.
Farm manager for Wilkin and Sons, Andrey Ivanov, was told that due to water scarcity and the high sodium and chloride content in the local water, it would be difficult to
Consistency
Sourcing a product that is consistent in terms of uniformity and quality is crucial to ensuring consistent plant growth and yields. “We recognize that consistency and reliability are paramount for our growers, which is why the majority of Botanicoir’s products are meticulously crafted to meet the specific requirements of each individual grower.”
Environmental benefits
Coir, a by-product of the coconut industry, is a renewable resource characterized by its minimal transportation costs and low environmental footprint since the bags are dehydrated and compressed.
In their ongoing pursuit of environmental responsibility, Botanicoir took a significant step in 2015 by becoming the first coir substrate producer to implement an advanced wastewater treatment system. This commitment ensures that their growing business has only positive effects on the local environment.
While Botanicoir has consistently provided recyclable plastic with their grow bags, their dedication to global environmental sustainability prompted them to take further action. After extensive research and trials, they introduced their first biodegradable plastic for grow bags in 2019. Growers can conveniently mulch these bags with the coir and spread them on the land.
Furthermore, the company continues to invest in renewable energy to power its operations, and most of its workforce hails from the local community in Sri Lanka, demonstrating its commitment to both environmental and social responsibility.
innovative strawberry growing system pays off
grow strawberries. “We proved everyone wrong and have now quadrupled annual strawberry yields.
“The strawberries are grown in Precision Plus Ultra grow bags from Botanicoir, and they are free draining, which really helps with the high salinity of the water and chloride content, which can both inhibit growing and damage the roots,” says Andrey.
“The consistency of the coir growing media is essential, because we can’t afford to have variable growing media – we need
guaranteed quality each year or our system won’t be as effective.
“The strawberry rooting is always excellent and that’s why we continue using the product.
“We also re-use the grow bags for two years running, either with two plantings or by overwintering the strawberries,” says Andrey.
Once the coir has served its purpose for growing, it’s spread over the arable land on the farm to help enrich the soil.
What the future brings
Exploring sustainable solutions for greenhouse adaptation and survival
BY J LYNN FRASER
Greenhouses are ecosystems. They are complicated systems that ‘live’ due to the interaction of lifeforms that include humans (staff), insects (occasionally animals), chemical and technological processes, and energy inputs and outputs all occurring in a niche environment. The greenhouse niche is part of a broader environment comprised of other ecosystems (networks) such as power grids.
A greenhouse needs to adapt and evolve to survive. This has been true since the invention of a rudimentary greenhouse that grew cucumber-like vegetables year-round for Roman emperor Tiberius (AD 14–37) to the first artificially heated greenhouse in Korea in the 1450s to the first ‘modern’ greenhouse — the UK’s Chelsea Physic Garden (1681).1 It will be true when food is grown on Mars.
In the future, lighting, energy sources, control systems, and plants can rely on academic and industry research to anticipate and provide sustainable solutions for future needs.
ABOVE
STRENGTH IN DIVERSITY AND FLEXIBILITY
“We have to make a sharp turn to reduce our carbon footprint,” comments Dr. Rupp Carriveau, Director of the Environmental Energy Institute, University of Windsor. Carriveau notes that are potential energy sources for Canada and commercial greenhouses that are controversial but energy efficient.
SMR nuclear that refers to small modular nuclear reactors. Proponents of SMRs argue that they offer a low-carbon energy source. SMRs are “smaller, simpler, and cheaper nuclear energy” that can be used in a mixture with other energy sources while offering, for example, an alternative to diesel for remote communities in the North.2 The younger generation of greenhouse growers, Carriveau believes, are more receptive to SMRs with replicable designs that are factory made.
Energy security lies in relying on diverse energy sources. Although Canada is a reluctant adopter, floating solar photovoltaics (FSP) is a viable energy
Some researchers see floating solar photovoltaics (FSP) is a viable energy alternative source for commercial greenhouses. This emerging tech involves placing photovoltaic panels on controlled bodies of water like runoff ponds to reduce land use and reliance on rooftops.
alternative according to Carriveau. This emerging tech involves placing photovoltaic panels on controlled bodies of water like runoff ponds to reduce land use and reliance on rooftops.
Hydrogen is another future energy source states Carriveau. Hydrogen fuel cells can be used to create electricity, water, and limited heat. Hydrogen has the capacity to store energy created from renewable energy to be used at a time when energy demand and/or prices are low.3 Energy sources like these balance out fluctuations in power sources like wind.
Fruit waste, like what most of us find in our refrigerators, is intriguing to a group of researchers at UBC Okanagan. They are studying ways to turn fruit waste, solids and leachate, into a usable form to power fuel cells.4 The future holds promise for this fuel source because Canadians are chronic food wasters. Landfills in B.C., for example, account for 40 per cent of organic waste.4 Every year, 60 per cent of the food Canada produces, approximately 35.5-million metric tonnes, is thrown out.4 Food waste as fuel is not an uncomplicated solution to supplying energy. There are greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) to contend with, pests, odours, and the risk of local water contamination.5
Biomass gasification takes advantage of emitted GHGs. This process treats food and agricultural waste with oxygen, steam, and heat to create the gases that can become a fuel called syngas.5 This is created from a combination of hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide.5 Locally made biomass is cost effective.6 In Canada, biomass is largely sourced from industrial and agricultural residues that are easy to store but come with high transportation costs. Some types of biomass are associated with deforestation and use of agricultural land so, fine tuning the sources will need to be addressed for it to be a sustainable alternative fuel.
LEARNING BY LIGHT
The use of dynamic LEDs allows for a degree of control over the spectrum of light that reaches greenhouse crops. Dr. Bernard Grodzinski and Telesphore Marie, a PhD student, at the University of Guelph’s Department of Plant Agriculture, are researching controlled environment agriculture in regards to metabolism, photosynthesis, and plant productivity, funded by OMAFRA, OGVG, and Nunhems-BASF.
“Research is focussed on daily lighting programs that deliver lighting cues at specific times of day,” Marie comments. The process is called circadian rhythm entrainment.
“Plants, and all living organisms, have naturally rhythmic inner genetic programming that we can tap into by synchronizing our management practices. The programs can be adapted depending on the species, the plants’ life-cycle stages, and the desired management practices at the commercial operation,” Marie said.
Benefits of the program include savings on both electricity and capital expenses. “LED fixtures supply less light intensity while being spread out over a longer photoperiod. The researchers’ goal is to achieve the same daily light integral as found in more conventional approaches,” Marie says.
Their research is conducted with Calgary-based Genoptics LED where the components for the technology are Canadian made. “This research, in the future, will be scaled-up for greenhouses,” Grodzinski notes.
“AI will be a huge factor in the future. There will be a ‘cool’ integrated system that controls standard environmental variables in addition to the lighting to create robust circadian rhythms,” Marie said.
SOMETHING IN THE AIR
When plants and fruits mature, they release ethylene. When this occurs in a greenhouse environment baby plants absorb ethylene and ‘age’ before they become ripe. In a greenhouse in a country that is warm year-round removing ethylene is easy and energy efficient. This is not true for northern countries — especially in winter. It will also not be true in space or on the moon or on Mars. Such greenhouses are closed systems. In such an environment, ethylene that harms baby plants has to be removed in an energy efficient manner. As well, air that has to be drawn into a greenhouse has to be heated efficiently. Dr. Jafar Soltan, Associate Dean Research and Partnerships & Professor, Chemical and Biological Engineering, at the University of Saskatchewan, studies how to remove ethylene from closed systems greenhouses.
Soltan has created a process to oxidize ethylene and convert it to CO2. His lab’s research has created a catalyst that speeds up oxidation. The catalyst can be customized to the environment it is placed in and can take into consideration temperature, humidity, and size of the ‘landscape’.
“Different plants release different levels of ethylene and also have different tolerances,” Soltan said. His technology is roughly the size of a shoe box with the catalyst inside and it runs on electricity.
“It can check how much ethylene to remove and how much is safe. The catalyst facilitates reaction of ozone with ethylene,” Soltan notes.
Installation, the control system, the controller that can open and close valves, and a blower for air are all part of the equipment needed to run the catalyst. Soltan’s technology saves on energy
needed to heat and cool air in a closed system greenhouse and it saves money that would have been lost on pre-maturely ‘aged’ young plants by removing ethylene from closed system greenhouses.
SMART SPARKS
In the near future, intelligent power electronic interface design will benefit commercial greenhouses’ energy efficiency.
“Power electronic interfaces (power converters) convert energy from one form to another to suit the application (e.g., AC (alternating current) power from a wall outlet to DC (direct current) power to charge a cell phone). During the conversion process there is power loss due to the semiconductor components of the power electronic interface. Power loss, through various circuit design, component selection and control techniques, can be minimized,” said John Lam, Associate Professor & Vice Chair, Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, York University.
“Currently in the field of power electronic interface design, researchers are exploring the use of emerging wide bandgap semiconductor devices (such as Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN) devices). These devices exhibit very low power loss and allow for the design of more power-efficient and reliable power converters,” Lam notes. “My research laboratory has developed a new adaptive SiC-based power electronic interface for renewable energy applications that allows the achieved power efficiency to remain between 98–99 per cent throughout its operating range.”
The practical application of this, for greenhouse owners, is an increased power efficiency. “In the long run, smart and highly power-efficient power electronic interface will be the key to enable more energy efficient applications,” Lam believes.
DIGITAL TWINS
“’Live’ high-fidelity representations of real-life systems, that is digital twins do what humans cannot as they continuously process the real-time data stream from the sensors of the physical twin and use it in complex analysis and simulation mechanisms for decision-making purposes,” said Dr. Istvan David of the Department of Computing and Software at McMaster University.
“I expect in the next five-to-10 years, digital twin-driven smart agronomy will become available for end-users,” David said.
“Digital twins are key enablers to more sustainable growing practices and I foresee grower companies in the near future adopting this mindset and supporting it with digital twins,” David observes. “Digital twins help you with precise automated control to keep environmental variables always at values that are most appropriate for the specific lifecycle phase of plants while also being able to minimize energy footprint,” David notes.
The digital twins’ software was applied to managing 50,000 strawberries and bumblebees in a Quebec greenhouse.
“The same simulators and most of the hardware can be used for basically any plant as long as good enough models of the given plant are available,” David said.
Costs involved in implementing digital twins range from low, such as hardware (sensors and actuators) and software costs (cloud technologies), to the high involving, for example, “Smart agronomy systems, such as HVAC systems, and irrigation systems…often in the tens- to hundreds-of-thousands of dollars,” according to David.
“As a former head of innovation at a multinational company, I can wholeheartedly recommend academic collaborations for piloting digitalization projects. Collaborations between academia and industry are particularly important in fostering sustainable
ABOVE
The experimental system used in a study out of the University of Saskatchewan that is exploring the removal ethylene from greenhouse air.
agronomy practices. I would encourage greenhouse companies out there to reach out to potential academic partners and see what they can achieve together.
“Developing and operating digital twins needs technical expertise.” For this reason, David advises working with a company that can consult with greenhouse operators that will facilitate “gradual learning.” He also suggests starting small then scaling up.
Artificial intelligence (AI) may be, for some, a natural evolutionary next step for greenhouse ecosystems. They are, however, not completely without a few missteps. In his study of the use of AI in smart greenhouses, Dr. Chrysanthos Maraveas, Agricultural University of Athens, commented on possible missteps. These include cost, variations in the algorithm’s performance in the real world, aging, and a “lack of experience with the technology.”7 The advantages, Maraveas found, include increased crop yields in addition to efficiently used water and fertilizer. Energy efficiency also improved because photovoltaics, pricing, and autonomous communication between the greenhouse system and external power grid supply were integrated.8
Climate change, COVID-19 today, and future pandemics, wars both physical and cyber, and power black outs are examples of threats to food, energy, and physical security. A flexible greenhouse ecosystem that can adapt and evolve as an independent ecosystem or functioning as part of a larger secure ecosystem can survive a variety of threats.
SOURCES
1 Growlink, ‘The History of Greenhouses’
2 Canadian Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Roadmap Steering Committee, ‘A Call to Action: A Canadian Roadmap for Small Modular Reactors’
3 U.S. Energy Information Administration, Hydrogen explained.
4 UBC Okaganan News, ‘UBCO researchers aim to energize fruit waste.’
5 Salvador Escobedo Salas, ‘The Conversation, Here’s how food waste can generate clean energy.’
6 Daniel Ciolkosz, ‘Things a greenhouse owner can do to improve energy efficiency.’
7 Chrysanthos Maraveas, MDPI, ‘Incorporating artificial intelligence technology in smart greenhouses: Current state of the art.’
PHOTO: DR. JAFAR SOLTAN
This farm’s no secret to 1,000+ visitors a day
Alberta family transforms beat-up barley field into agritourism hot spot
BY JOHN DIETZ
‘Yes, 37 years ago, this was a bare-bones, beatup barley field. Now, we’re dining in what used to be our first greenhouse. Tomorrow, we’ll see where the kids want to take it.’
Paul and Karen Hamer sometimes have that conversation with visitors and customers at their place, The Saskatoon Farm. It’s only a 20-minute drive south of Calgary and five minutes east of Okotoks.
They found it as an isolated southern Alberta landscape with cattle, pasture, fields, slopes, and wild shrubs. From the land above, they were overlooking the convergence of two Prairie rivers coming across the foothills from the Rocky Mountains. To them, the sight and opportunity was priceless.
The Hamers graduated together from Olds College in 1977 with horticulture degrees. By the summer of 1986, they were living on a beautiful
ABOVE
farm at Priddis and enjoying baby Seann, the first of three. One day that summer, tubing down the Highwood River valley, they stopped to pick wild berries.
Karen recalls: “Paul said, ‘One day I’m going to grow saskatoons here, and all kinds of fruit.’ He was such a dreamer, and he was a doer. The next year, 1987, we bought that farm. That was the start. I was 27, he was 29.”
She adds, “That summer, we lived in a tent down at the river. Paul and his sister planted the first saskatoons.”
Paul had a vision for a saskatoon farm with acres of the delicious, semi-wild, purple Prairie berry, and large numbers of people coming out to pick them from Calgary.
“Paul had to grow his own saskatoon shrubs because nobody had the quantity he wanted. He planted well over 18 acres of them that year, by
Saskatoon Farm, located near Okotoks, Alta., saw its first greenhouse built in the late 80s to grow saskatoon berry seedlings. Today, there is approximately an acre of greenhouses on the farm.
RIGHT
Four towering totem poles can be found on The Saskatoon Farm, alongside windmills, and a maze of buildings and heavily planted rock gardens.
hand, with a spade. We had 221 acres at the start.”
That was the beginning. They named it, The Saskatoon Farm.
SECOND STAGE – GREENHOUSES
The original orchard was in the valley of the Highwood and Sheep rivers. The valley is about two-kilometres wide with a gentle flood plain and a sharp slope up more than 100 feet to the farmland. The Hamers acquired another 500 acres on the upland in the next five years, brought in a family home, had another son (Austin), and then a daughter (Johanna).
Karen recalls, “They told us at one point that they might not be able to get us heating and electrical service in time for winter. I went down with the baby, did a little complaint, and they certainly got it to us right away.”
Paul was just getting started. He had a vision.
“The next year, we built the big greenhouse to accommodate saskatoon seedlings. That became our main business,” she says. “For a long time, really, we were just growing saskatoons. We shipped them all over the world – to Finland, England, and Africa – but mostly within Canada. And that helped to pay for a lot of our growing pain.”
The first ten years, she admits, were “a bit of a struggle” as
New
Construction & Retrofit
SOLUTIONS
RIGHT
The second greenhouse at the Saskatoon Farm is a “major sales” open-air market. On a typical summer Saturday, the Hamers said they see about 2,000 visitors touring, shopping, and picking.
they stretched energy and resources to develop their agribusiness vision. “We did other projects as well. Paul was an awardwinning landscaper. He did that to help pay the bills. Now we can’t possibly think about that, we’re too busy.”
When saskatoon shoots weren’t available to plant, Paul began buying and planting stock for a tree nursery. “We couldn’t get saskatoons, so we grew trees that turned into the nursery part of our business,” Karen says.
Seann recalls, as a teen, seeing shipments of a hardy new fruit-bearing seedlings arrive around the turn of the Millennium. It was a sour cherry from the University of Saskatchewan. Horticulturist Dr. Bob Bors planted the first sour cherry orchard in Saskatchewan in 1999 and soon after, sent the same stock to Paul Hamer to start Alberta’s first sour cherry orchard. He started with about a half-acre.
The lowland plantings were successful, with the Hamer family living on the upland above the valley, enjoying the view. After a few years, they began planting saskatoons and sour cherries close to home, eventually displacing about 50 acres of barley.
Seann is now the chief number-cruncher for the family and a second-generation horticulturist.
He says, “We have 40 acres of Northline saskatoons and about ten acres of sour cherries in several varieties. We’ve also got an apple orchard (probably two acres) that we started around 2010. It’s just for fun, but we do let people U-pick apples. “
The newest line of fruit is Paul’s Pear. Karen says, “Paul patented that around 2015. It’s an unbelievable producer, the biggest pear you can buy in Alberta. We sell a lot of them now.”
More seedlings needed more greenhouse space. A second greenhouse was built across from the first, around 1998, more followed, sometimes one-a-year.
Seann says, “Over the years, we just added on. I think we have about an acre of greenhouse space now in two groups. A couple have roll-up sides; the rest are Venlo-style with automatic roof vents.”
The kids grew and the farm grew. Seann, Austin and Johanna now live in their own family homes on The Saskatoon Farm. There are three grandchildren ‘on the ground’ and three expected in 2024. All of them work on the farm either full- or part-time. In addition, Karen says, the farm has 14 seasonal Mexican workers, who comprise the nearly 100-person staff during the peak season.
AGRI-TOURISM TODAY
Today, the second greenhouse is a “major sales” open-air market. On a typical summer Saturday, the Hamer’s see about 2,000 visitors touring, shopping, and picking.
“We have a pretty big push in the spring. We did just over 13,000 hanging baskets this year. Then, we did maybe 15,000 gallon and two-gallon pots of annuals on the floor below the baskets. We had good-sized tomatoes, herbs and all your standard garden centre stuff,” Seann says.
All of the spring planting supplies were gone by the end of June and replaced with fresh garden produce arranged for retail sales in summer and through the fall.
LEFT
Today, The Saskatoon Farm produces a vast variety of flowers, bedding plants, trees, shrubs, and vegetables. Special events are hosted throughout the year in celebration of the seasons.
Special events dot their seasons, from the Summer Solstice night market with fireworks to the annual Christmas Market, looking like a Hallmark Christmas movie. Each market is a celebration of the season.
On the main street, across from the retail greenhouse was the original greenhouse.
“That’s where our restaurant is now,” Seann says. “We finished it in 2006 or 2007.”
The licensed restaurant seats 100-plus people, specializing in Mexican cuisine in an open-air rustic board-and-nail western theme. Upstairs, a business office overlooks a transformed landscape of trees, structures, sculptures, potted plants, rocks, pathways and totem poles.
From May to October, the ‘farm’ soaks up a typical daily attendance of a thousand people and more, shopping for flowers, bedding plants, trees, shrubs, lawn ornaments, vegetables, picking fruit, relaxing, dining, sight-seeing, and taking pictures.
COUNTRY LANE
Most visitors come off a modern open four-lane divided Highway 2. They can turn west into Okotoks or turn east for a two-minute drive to The Saskatoon Farm. Half a kilometre of tree-lined
From May to October, Saskatoon Farm sees typical daily attendance of around a thousand people or more.
canopy covers the hard-packed farm lane on the other side of the arbor entrance.
“Paul planted every tree, and he was still planting trees this summer,” Karen says. From the lane, you don’t see fields; you see thickets of green leaves in summer and then glimpses of greenhouses and rows of market gardens.
On the left, an opening emerges to the first of four parking areas for visitors. From there, people are on foot, walking in the lane, talking, carrying things, going both directions.
The lane opens for foot traffic into the main receiving area about 150-metres long. It becomes a maze of buildings and heavily planted rock gardens. Two wide red, hip-roof style barns, side by side, need a second look. They conceal two greenhouses. Benches and picnic tables invite relaxation.
Up ahead, nestled among trees, the pathway divides a cluster of four decorative and tall totem poles along with four windmills speaking of bygone eras.
Behind the poles to the left is the appearance of a western village, with twostory storefronts. A wall of green teapots embedded in clay is beside one entrance, and a wall of yellow teapots is behind another. Karen grins, saying she had too many to sell so she ‘buried’ them.
Behind the ‘village’ is a large open area enclosed by poles and a roof, decorated with hanging pots of flowers, massive turtles, and tall planters on the floor, filled with sprawling banana trees. It’s a venue, waiting to be filled with weddings and other events.
To the right, choices await for greenhouses to visit. There is a petting zoo with small animals, some caged and some walking with the visitors. The whole area is flat, open, mostly wheelchair accessible. There are boulders for boys to climb and, in season, apples to pick. Flowers are everywhere.
When visitors reach the far side, later, they find a scenic Prairie panorama opening to the east and places to sit enjoying the view. It’s like a gift from a pair of horticulturists, overlooking the Highwood River and fields of grain further east.
A smart system for precision climate control
Operations management
- Irrigation
- Lighting
- Ventilation
- Humidity
- Heating
- Temperature
Equipment automation
Real-time data
Instant alerts of any irregularities
Remote access
NEW AND NOTABLE Perennials
A look at some of the top picks for the Canadian marketplace
BY AMY KOUNIAKIS
The gardening craze of the pandemic years is showing no sign of slowing down and perennial plant sales at garden centres remain quite strong (see: ‘Gardening is ‘the new normal,’ Greenhouse Canada, August 2023).
While we aren’t dealing with the supply and demand challenges of the COVID years, retailers have seen an increase in the purchase of plant materials geared towards sustainability and longevity that are easy to care for and are hardy enough to survive our harsh climate. Greenhouse Canada reached out to breeders and seed companies to get an idea of what’s new and innovative in perennials for 2023/24 and to provide some insight on what makes these plants stand out.
Here is a glimpse of some of the new and notable perennials that will be a good fit for the Canadian marketplace in 2024.
Please note: varieties are not presented in any particular order.
PROVEN WINNERS
1.Artemisia ‘Silver Lining’ finds the best in its parentage as a spectacular, durable foliage perennial. Broadly dissected silver leaves are showy from spring to fall. The mounded, low-wide habit maintains perfect form all season and resists opening. Use this as a filler in the landscape and spiller in mixed containers. Zones 4-9.
2. Hibiscus Summerific ‘All Eyes on Me’. Despite its scaleddown size, ‘All Eyes on Me’ keeps the trademark eight-inch blooms it has become known for. The blushing pink blooms appear from the top to the bottom of a well-rounded habit of dark green leaves. . Zones 4-9.
3. Phlox Luminary ‘Prismatic Pink’ has large, well-formed panicles of bubble-gum pink flowers with dark pink eyes. This variety matches the height of the rest of the collection; perfect for the middle of the border. Zones 3-8.
4. Sedum Rock N’ Grow ‘Midnight Velvet’ adds a new foliage and flower colour combination. Rich, dark purple leaves comprise the domed habit, adding garden interest from the moment they appear in spring. Beginning in late summer clusters of mauve buds cover the habit, before bursting open with rose red flowers. After bloom seedheads appear a dark red colour. Zones 3-9.
JELITTO PERENNIAL SEED
5. Bergenia cordifolia ’Snowtime’ blooms pure white in spring and again in the fall and features leathery, glossy green foliage. This plant has a height upwards of 18 inches tall in flower and it is known to be super hardy. Zones 3-8.
Images clockwise from bottom-center
Leucanthemum Sweet Daisy™ Jane | 80393
Gaillardia SpinTop™ Red Starburst | 62517
Lavandula LaDiva Vintage Amethyst | 78248
Phlox Flame® Pro Cerise | 80434
Phlox Flame® Pro Baby Doll | 80438
Gaillardia SpinTop™ Yellow Touch | 62456
6. Lingularia dentata “Midnight Lady’ is an exquisite contrast between the large, decorative, dark purple foliage and husky orangeyellow rayflowers on dark sturdy stems. Bold groupings of six or more are eye-catching. Easy to grow from seed. Full sun in cool summer climates to semi-shade elsewhere. ‘Midnight Lady’ keeps her cool bronze leaves through the summer. Zone 3 to 8.
7. Sedum ‘Czar’s Gold’ is native to Central and Southern Urals, Northern Asia (Siberia, Mongolia).This is a heavy blooming carpet of yellow stars that attracts pollinators. Spoon-shaped, glossy green succulent leaves with reddish stems and a stoloniferous habit begs use as a walkway edger, or in drifts in a rock garden. Zone 3 to 8.
TERRA NOVA NURSERIES
8. Heuchera ‘Changeling’ lives up to its namesake with its unique characteristic of weekly colour transitions that paint an ever-changing natural landscape for blender, contrast or mixed containers. This distinctive feature renders it a focal point, particularly during the cooler phases of early Canadian spring, when the plant may not be in bloom. Zone 4 to 9.
9. Anemone Puff ‘Pink’ is distinguished by its extended blooming period, captivating blossoms, and its ability to attract pollinators. These characteristics contribute to its desirability in Canadian gardens, particularly in regions with varying climatic conditions. New flowers open a rich rose colour and progress to an antique silver pink, making this plant a brilliant addition to flower beds and borders. Zone 4 to 9.
10. Echinacea Kismet ‘Pink Lemonade’ is the newest addition to the famous Kismet series. This variety grows with a rounded, compact habit and features long-lasting blooms in a remarkable shade of pink with lemonade-coloured petal tips. It also draws in pollinators like bees and butterflies, contributing to a healthier and more balanced landscape adapted to Canadian climates. Zone 4 to 9.
DARWIN PERENNIALS
11. Echinacea Double Scoop Deluxe features improved flower coverage which helps these updated coneflowers make a bold statement in landscapes and planters. New Deluxe breeding of the series brings the branching, flower count and timing of the established Sombrero series to this improved collection. It’s more compact than typical double-flowered echinacea. Available in Orangeberry, Raspberry, Strawberry and Watermelon. This variety won two Retailer’s Choice Awards in 2023! Zone 4a to 9b.
12. Stachys Little Lamb is a Lamb’s ear with fine, more decorative foliage. This velvety-soft, greenish-silver leafy plant stays compact and is great for edging, border gardens and containers. Shorter flower stalks offer a better finish than the standard. Ideal for a groundcover or smaller garden applications. Zone 4a to 8b.
13. Centaurea Silver Swirl features stunning silver-white foliage that will brighten any space and attract the eye in mixed plantings. It has gracefully wavy leaf edges that add texture to combos in planters or as a border in the landscape. Plants are drought tolerant once established and minimal maintenance. Zone 6b to 9b.
14. Delphinium ‘Red Lark’ is a hybrid Delphinium breakthrough many years in the making through Darwin Perennials. Its colour is a unique, strong coral-red that brings excitement to the class. No staking is needed in the garden. Red Lark has a sturdy main stem that stands up to shipping and weather. Flowers can be used as cuts or enjoyed as a showpiece in a perennial garden. This variety is a sterile hybrid and will not. Red Lark blossoms in Spring and lasts through Summer – sure to catch the eye of shoppers. Zone 5a to 8b.
15. Salvia ‘Blue by You’ features excellent Winter hardiness and heat tolerance. A cross between Salvia nemorosa, and Salvia pratensis, it is a sterile hybrid for longer shelf life. Blooms up to two weeks earlier than other varieties for more colour at retail and a longer selling season. Displays beautiful ,bright blue flower spikes and has demonstrated proven superior garden performance. Produces up to five repeat blooming cycles throughout Spring and Summer. Zone 4b to 9a.
Everything you need to grow
Plant Products is a distributor of fertilizer, biocontrols, crop protection, and other innovative inputs serving the Canadian specialty horticulture industry for over 80 years
DÜMMEN ORANGE
16. Gaillardia SpinTop Mango is a leading gaillardia series that provides early colour and continues into the season with a mounded habit. It is incredibly heard and tolerant to hot humid conditions. Mango brings a pop or orange to your landscape and is Zone 3 hardy.
17. Leucanthemum Sweet Daisy Birdy is part of our vast first year flowering leucanthemum series that have unique flower forms and are suitable for any garden application. This award-winning variety has exceptional landscape performance and flowers 12- to 18-weeks. The new blooms grow above aging blooms, keeping plants looking fresh. Zone 3 hardy.
18. Salvia Caramia Rosa brings a new deep rose colour to the series. An upright variety with a medium compact habit and very large flower spikes makes it an excellent variety for the landscape and is Zone 3 hardy, making it perfect for coast-to-coast in Canada.
19. Achillea Skysail Fire brings the heat to your landscape with very large flower umbels and a bold red flower. This mediumheight plant with strong peduncles performs well in containers and landscapes for a nice retail and garden show. Very good heat and humidity tolerance for all markets and Zone 3 hardy.
20. Phlox Flame Pro Baby Doll is part of a subset of the Flame lineup with varieties that are all perfectly uniform in timing and size, providing growers with a predictable and programmable lineup. With blush-coloured blooms that have a bright pink eye, they are sure to stand out in landscapes from Zone 3 to 9.
THINKPLANTS
21. Coreopsis verticillata Sunstar add rich colour to any sunny summer garden. The large, red-eyed, molten gold-coloured blooms
cover the green, feathery, mildew resistant foliage of this easy-care, well-behaved plant, providing a long season of vibrant colour. No vernalization required and available in three vibrant colours. An herbaceous perennial bred by Terra Nova Nurseries and marketed by Monrovia. Zone 4 to 9.
22. Echinacea purpurea Panama Rose is a new hot pink Echinacea addition to the vegetative (URC) Echinacea line from Danziger. Panama Rose has great branching and medium to tall flower stems. Bright pink flowers bloom above compact foliage with dark flower stems. No vernalization required and hardy from zone 4 to 9.
23. Delphinium grandiflorum Hunky Dory is heavily branched and very floriferous with large blooms, and is one of the most uniform series of Delphinium grandiflorum. F1 vigour leads to excellent germination and young plant performance, eliminating the need to multi-sow and providing a uniform, speedy, and efficient crop. Bred by Syngenta Flowers, vernalization of this variety is not required and it is available in three colours. Zone 4 to 9.
24. Hemerocallis Skye series is a heavy blooming, tetraploid daylily that flowers continuously from spring into fall. Sturdy flowers with ruffled petals and bright colour combinations are held just above the foliage. Compact habit with large flowers. Bred by Unex, available in six colours, and hardy from Zone 4 to 11.
SYNGENTA FLOWERS
25. Perovskia atriplicifolia Zephyr Compact Blue is a tough and drought tolerant variety that is also a magnet for pollinators. A densely branched and compact habit makes Zephyr the best choice
for small to mid-sized containers. It’s also heat and drought tolerant, making it an ideal landscape addition. Its soft blue flowers are held above the fine foliage all summer long. Zone 4a to 9 b.
26. Erysimum linifolium Erysistible boasts a medium-vigour controlled habit that works well across all key container sizes. This new series offers striking novelty colours, perfect for early spring programs. As the first Zone-5-hardy Erysimum available in novelty colours, Erysistible is perfect for northern growers. Zone 5a to 9b.
27. Echinacea purpurea Prairie Blaze is an economical seed-grown Echinacea, bringing earliness and uniformity optimized for mass production. It’s full colour range even includes novelties, offering a valuable alternative to vegetative varieties. Striking novelty colours upgrade perennial programs and are a direct match to Prairie Splendor Compact in habit and timing. Prairie Blaze is efficient to produce in a wide range of containers and ideally suited for 2.5-quart programs. Zone 3a to 9b.
DANZIGER
28. Coreopsis Solanna is a first-year flowering cultivar that requires no vernalization or bulking. It is well branched and flowers from Spring to Fall. For best results, it can be grown in cool conditions (50 – 58°F, 10-15°C). This beauty will shine in the landscape and is a favourite among pollinators. Zone 5 to 10.
29. Echinacea ‘Guatemala Gold’ is the second URC Echinacea in the market. The 1st is the Danziger Panama Red. It is another first-year flowering perennial that does not need vernalization or bulking. Guatemala Gold blooms in weeks 22-24 and boats everlasting flower power. Great for containers or landscape. Zone 5 to 11.
30. Lavandula angustifolia Layla is one of the earliest flowering English lavender on the market as it blooms in the spring with extended flowering into the heat of summer. It features good branching without pinching and improved flowering in both size and flag. Zone 5 to 9.
31. Salvia nemorosa Pink Nebula is new for 2024 and is similar in habit to its predecessor, Dark Matter. It features strong radial branching and early, uniform bloom that continues all summer long. No vernalization or bulking required. Zone 4 to 9.
All photos are coutesy their respective breeders or suppliers.
Nashelle Barsky
(905) 431-8892
INSIDE VIEW
GARY JONES | greenhousewolf@gmail.com
Closing the labour gap
No matter where on the planet you are in the greenhouse industry several key issues are ubiquitous, constant thorns in the side. Energy for example. New pests and diseases. Government rules and regulations. And of course, availability of labour. This was a problem when I started working in a UK garden centre just after the last dinosaur died, and it is still a challenge today this side of the Atlantic.
While labour supply is gradually rising in Canada, demand is rising faster (more people means more demand for food), such that the “projected gap between labour supply and demand continues to narrow.”1 Farm Credit Canada also predicts “the average [labour] vacancy rate goes’ … ‘from 4.7% in 2021 to 5.0% in 2031 for agriculture.”1
Chatting to someone about this recently, the conversation closed on the topic of image. The ‘traditional’ image of horticulture may not provide the ideal sales pitch for new recruits. But when I looked at the themes for this issue of Greenhouse Canada, I was struck by the word ‘labour’. Signing up for ‘labour’ probably doesn’t appeal to most. This is perhaps a good way to shoot ourselves in the foot, but I don’t really have an alternative suggestion. And clearly, neither has anyone else for the past umpteen decades.
‘5. Ensure job expectations are clear, e.g. by providing new employees with written vision, mission and strategy statements so they can determine how they fit in to the new job.”2
Once key team members have been hired, another challenge is retention. These days, there are so many career opportunities, and people no longer have a ‘job for life’ worldview. So, having spent significant effort and investment in finding the right people, it is essential to keep those staff on board. I’ve heard it said that ‘people rarely leave their job, but they often leave their boss’. Are you the kind of boss people would choose to leave, rather than stay with? (Maybe you need a second, impartial opinion?) Or have you set up your workplace in a way that makes people give extra effort and enjoy their workplace? Remember that ‘K.P.I.’ doesn’t just mean ‘Key Performance Indicator’: how about ‘Keep People Informed’, or ‘Keep People Involved… or Interested… or Inspired’.3
The point is, treating people as human and as valued members of the team goes a long way to them repaying that with loyalty and rewarding your investment in them. It’s a poor analogy, but in the era of greenhouse robotics, I don’t think even a robot would be considered to perform well if not provided with the right information.
“Signing up for ‘labour’ probably doesn’t appeal to most.”
But it’s not just recruiting ‘labour’ that is an issue. It seems that finding staff at any level continues to be a challenge. And with recruitment urgency, comes the temptation to hire the first person who comes along. But Janice Goldsborough, HR consultant with The HR Basics in Manitoba, recommends producers take their time with the hiring process. Avoid the urge to hire the first person who comes along and instead, find the right people. “Turnover can be very costly, so taking more time to get the right people on the first try helps farms be more profitable,” Goldsborough says.”2
This may seem like extra effort. So “Here are 5 top recruitment and new hire tips:
‘1. Start with a realistic job description.
‘2. Be ready with questions and ask each candidate the same questions.
‘3. Check references, to determine if someone is suitable for the specific farm and job.
‘4. Sign a contract, including a clear list of duties and key performance indicators.
Farm Credit Canada say the bottom line is that “labour challenges are going to persist. And any improvement suggested by these projections is conditional on high population growth and a sustained pace of automation in the industry. The labour shortage in Canada requires a multiprong strategy and innovative solutions for a sustainable and prosperous future of the agri-food industry.”1 Are you equipped for this?
1 Isaac Kwarteng, Senior Economist “Labour market challenges to persist amid recent progress” Farm Credit Canada, 26 Sept 2023.
3 LinkedIn post, unfortunately original author unattributed.
Gary Jones sits on several greenhouse industry committees in BC and welcomes comments at greenhousewolf@gmail.com.
Structure Design
Installation
Heating & Ventilation Systems
Rolling Benches
Leave your cultivation questions to us.
Fluence has dedicated horticulture services specialists on staff that assist our customers in getting the most out of their investment. A successful grow is not just about lights, but making all the key inputs work together seamlessly. Our team of trained horticulture service specialists at Fluence know how to make that happen. We’ll focus on the details, allowing you to focus on your grow.
