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Costa Farms and TGs are pleased to announce the addition of a new team member.  Lee Heyl joined us last fall.  Lee's role will be that of Young Plant manager for Costa Farms along with the Business Manager for TGS.  Lee has an extensive background in operations management in our industry, having come to us from Kat Industries where he served as Operations Manger.  Other experience includes impressive tenures at Homestead Gardens in MD as General Manger and Hines Nursery in South Carolina where her served Operations Manager for their perennial division.  We look forward to leveraging his expertise as we continue to enhance our young plant program offerings for TGS.  Lee will be based out of Miami and can be reached at lheyl@costafarms.com.

Please join us in welcoming Lee to our team!

We are pleased to announce that Sarah Lehning has joined the Costa team in Asheville NC.  Sarah comes to us most recently from Speedling, Blairsville, were she was the head grower for almost 10 years.  Sarah has an extensive background in growing and managing plug production including several years at Quick Starts in Ruskin Florida.   She will play a role in developing the pansy program offered by TGS in Asheville, North Carolina.

Please join us in welcoming Sarah to the Costa / TGS team.

Total Growth Solutions, the young plant division of Costa Farms is seeking a strong candidate to manage the adminstrative duties for TGS.  This includes managing customer service, working as liason between operations, production and TGS. Managing the broker portion of the business, setting procedures and guidelines, working with pricing and quotes. 

Desired background in horticulture and customer service. Strong computer skills, with emphasis on excel. Skilled at communications both verbal & written.  Creative problem solving is important.  Spanish helpful.

Candidate would become part of the winning team of Costa Farms and has the opportunity to grow with the company.

Please contact Cindee Delbridge at 305 247 5135 ext 241 for more information.

Steven Wilson rejoined the Costa Farms team in 2011.  He was formerly employed by Costa as a finish grower in 2003/2004. His  credentials include 8 years experience in plug and propagation.  Steven will  manage all day to day growing decisions in propagation as well as assisting Jorge Bernal in plug production.

Recently Andrew and I visited The Habilitation Center in Boca Raton, Florida.  This is a well run, not for profit business, that provides jobs for adults with disabilities. Not only do they have greenhouses for the landscape division but they have a manufacturing operation that provides jobs for those that otherwise might not have a job.  We met with Bill Smith, who has a very interesting take on what we,  as growers,  should be doing for our industry.  He believes we all need to put ourselves into the future and think and live as if in the 2030's so we can better serve our customers while creating a better place for futre generations.  We can't live in the past, the future is changing very quickly.  His unique take on servicing his customers is believing his job is to "remove obstacles" to their success by offering the best varieties and quality products.  They also have a very nice garden that they try different things seasonally to see how they perform in the landscape.  This year they had their 1^st open house with much success and plan to do this again for their landscapers.  Our own Andrew Britten was a guest speaker at the event.  They plan to do this again

Now, a little plug  (no pun intended) for TGS.  Bill was one of the 1^st customers to begin using TGS plugs.  He took a gamble on the new kid on the block.  His plugs are performing very nicely in his greenhouses and he is pleased with the relationship and service SHS/TGS brings to him.

                  

Announcing!

Syngenta Flowers-GoldFisch® Vegetative Products Now Available From TGS

                                 

Home > Magazine > October 2006

The Most Profitable Liner Size?

Rising energy costs may have set a new standard for selecting the most cost effective liner size, according to research.

By Paul Fisher

Contributing Author

October 2006

Should you purchase rooted cuttings in small, medium or large liners to grow on in finished containers? Our research to address this question is based on calibrachoa liners produced by eight commercial growers and research greenhouses in Colorado, Michigan, New Hampshire and New Jersey as part of the Young Plant Research Center program.

Mini liners (144-count or smaller) are now available with lower shipping costs and space requirements in propagation compared with a standard (84- or 105-count) liner. If your goal is to minimize initial plant material cost with good post-transplant performance, mini liners can be the answer. If you have a high shipping cost for bought-in liners or low overhead and/or heating costs during the transplant to finishing phase, this also favors small cell size. A four-week-old mini liner is likely to finish in a similar time as an 84-count liner of the same age, thereby providing cost savings. If liners are older than four weeks old, however, 84-count or larger liners may finish more quickly.

If you aim to shorten the time from transplant of the rooted cutting through to a finished flowering plant, use a large liner (50-count or larger). Large cell volume is less limiting on shoot growth, will root out quickly in the pot, and finish time can be reduced by two to three weeks compared with a standard liner. A 50- or 32-count liner is more expensive to ship and propagate (in time, space and media) than an 84-count liner, but can result in an extra turn of finished plants or the option of opening up a greenhouse later in the season.

High oil costs have heightened interest in fuel savings with larger liners. Is it worth paying more for a large liner than a standard liner? To answer this question, we ran an economic analysis. Our model could be manipulated to vary assumptions, but we will present one scenario here and you can adapt this approach to your greenhouse cost structure.

Methodology

Heat use data were obtained for a 30-foot-wide x 100-foot-long x 12-foot-high double-polyethylene greenhouse located in several U.S. locations, with 70°F/65°F day/night, using a USDA greenhouse energy model(http://www.ars.usda.gov/Research/docs.htm).

Heat use data were obtained for a 30-foot-wide x 100-foot-long x 12-foot-high double-polyethylene greenhouse located in several U.S. locations, with 70°F/65°F day/night, using a USDA greenhouse energy model(http://www.ars.usda.gov/Research/docs.htm).

Labor and overhead costs of 26 cents per square foot of bench space per week, not including heating fuel, were based on a financial survey of New York commercial greenhouses by Cornell University (http://hortmgt.aem.cornell.edu/programs/hortbusiness.htm) updated for inflation.

We further assumed a price for #2 heating oil of $2.43/gal, the average U.S. residential price from Oct. 2005 to March 2006, which may be reasonable for small finished-plant growers.

Results

Figure 1 shows, for Columbus, Ohio, that the most costly heating months are December, January and February (white bars). Costs are expressed in square foot weeks (SFW) of floor space.

Figure 1 shows, for Columbus, Ohio, that the most costly heating months are December, January and February (white bars). Costs are expressed in square foot weeks (SFW) of floor space.

To scale up to an entire 30x100-foot greenhouse, the USDA energy model found that the January heating bill in Ohio would be around $1,770. To translate to a few other locations, the January bill would be $720 in Jacksonville, Fla., $1,238 in Greenville, S.C. and $2,225 in Grand Rapids, Mich. On average across several locations, the month of January consistently is around 1/5 to 1/4. February is a little less than 1/5 and March is around 1/8 of the annual heating cost.

Our research found that using large liners could reduce production time of calibrachoa in 4.5-inch pots or 12-inch hanging baskets by two to three weeks compared with standard-sized liners.

If an Ohio grower was able to open a greenhouse two weeks later by using a large liner in either January, February or March, the fuel saving per greenhouse would be around $800, $750 or $500 respectively. Therefore, moving the planting date later into the spring, after the coldest heating months, has a great benefit in fuel saving.

However, it is also important to remember that fuel is only a portion of the production cost. For example, research by Dr. Uva at Cornell University found that heating, electricity and gas in New York greenhouses during 2005 would account for around 10.5 percent, 2.4 percent and 0.8 percent of sales, respectively. In comparison, labor and other overhead costs accounted for 51 percent of sales. Therefore, later planting would provide labor and overhead savings, beyond just heating fuel (Figure 1, green bars).

Shorter production time is somewhat offset by the higher price of a large or pre-finished liner. Can fuel or other cost savings offset (and justify) a higher price for a large liner? The bottom line: if the savings in SFW costs to finish a large liner exceed the extra purchase price of that large liner, it is more profitable than a small liner.

Let’s take the case where a large liner costs 20 cents more than a small liner. The SFW savings per finished pot would need to be more than 20 cents for a 4.5-inch pot (1 cutting/pot) or $1 for a 12-inch basket (5 cuttings/pot). If a 4.5-inch pot is spaced at 9x9 inches (0.63 square feet) and a 12-inch basket is spaced at 24x24 inches (4 square feet), a two-week saving in crop time equals 1.26 SFW or 8 SFW. The labor, overhead and fuel cost per SFW (from Figure 1) is 40 cents in January and February. Two weeks shorter crop time is worth 50 cents for the 4.5-inch pot or $3.20 for the 12-inch basket (1.26 or 8 x 40 cents). In both cases, it is easy to justify using a large liner.

Paul Fisher is an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in the Dept. of Environmental Horticulture, University of Florida, P.O. Box 110670, Gainesville, FL 32611; e-mail Paul.Fisher@unh.edu; telephone 352-392-1831 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 352-392-1831 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
The author would like to thank the Young Plant Research Center’s partners: Blackmore Co., Center Greenhouses, D.S. Cole Growers, Ellegaard, Four Star Greenhouses, Glass Corner Greenhouses, Greencare Fertilizers, Kube-Pak Corp., Lucas Greenhouses, Pleasant View Gardens, Premier Horticulture, Quality Analytical Laboratories, Sun Gro Horticulture and Welby Gardens.

Should you purchase rooted cuttings in small, medium or large liners to grow on in finished containers? Our research to address this question is based on calibrachoa liners produced by eight commercial growers and research greenhouses in Colorado, Michigan, New Hampshire and New Jersey as part of the Young Plant Research Center program.

Mini liners (144-count or smaller) are now available with lower shipping costs and space requirements in propagation compared with a standard (84- or 105-count) liner. If your goal is to minimize initial plant material cost with good post-transplant performance, mini liners can be the answer. If you have a high shipping cost for bought-in liners or low overhead and/or heating costs during the transplant to finishing phase, this also favors small cell size. A four-week-old mini liner is likely to finish in a similar time as an 84-count liner of the same age, thereby providing cost savings. If liners are older than four weeks old, however, 84-count or larger liners may finish more quickly.

If you aim to shorten the time from transplant of the rooted cutting through to a finished flowering plant, use a large liner (50-count or larger). Large cell volume is less limiting on shoot growth, will root out quickly in the pot, and finish time can be reduced by two to three weeks compared with a standard liner. A 50- or 32-count liner is more expensive to ship and propagate (in time, space and media) than an 84-count liner, but can result in an extra turn of finished plants or the option of opening up a greenhouse later in the season.

High oil costs have heightened interest in fuel savings with larger liners. Is it worth paying more for a large liner than a standard liner? To answer this question, we ran an economic analysis. Our model could be manipulated to vary assumptions, but we will present one scenario here and you can adapt this approach to your greenhouse cost structure.

Methodology

Heat use data were obtained for a 30-foot-wide x 100-foot-long x 12-foot-high double-polyethylene greenhouse located in several U.S. locations, with 70°F/65°F day/night, using a USDA greenhouse energy model(http://www.ars.usda.gov/Research/docs.htm).

Heat use data were obtained for a 30-foot-wide x 100-foot-long x 12-foot-high double-polyethylene greenhouse located in several U.S. locations, with 70°F/65°F day/night, using a USDA greenhouse energy model(http://www.ars.usda.gov/Research/docs.htm).

Labor and overhead costs of 26 cents per square foot of bench space per week, not including heating fuel, were based on a financial survey of New York commercial greenhouses by Cornell University (http://hortmgt.aem.cornell.edu/programs/hortbusiness.htm) updated for inflation.

We further assumed a price for #2 heating oil of $2.43/gal, the average U.S. residential price from Oct. 2005 to March 2006, which may be reasonable for small finished-plant growers.

Results

Figure 1 shows, for Columbus, Ohio, that the most costly heating months are December, January and February (white bars). Costs are expressed in square foot weeks (SFW) of floor space.

Figure 1 shows, for Columbus, Ohio, that the most costly heating months are December, January and February (white bars). Costs are expressed in square foot weeks (SFW) of floor space.

To scale up to an entire 30x100-foot greenhouse, the USDA energy model found that the January heating bill in Ohio would be around $1,770. To translate to a few other locations, the January bill would be $720 in Jacksonville, Fla., $1,238 in Greenville, S.C. and $2,225 in Grand Rapids, Mich. On average across several locations, the month of January consistently is around 1/5 to 1/4. February is a little less than 1/5 and March is around 1/8 of the annual heating cost.

Our research found that using large liners could reduce production time of calibrachoa in 4.5-inch pots or 12-inch hanging baskets by two to three weeks compared with standard-sized liners.

If an Ohio grower was able to open a greenhouse two weeks later by using a large liner in either January, February or March, the fuel saving per greenhouse would be around $800, $750 or $500 respectively. Therefore, moving the planting date later into the spring, after the coldest heating months, has a great benefit in fuel saving.

However, it is also important to remember that fuel is only a portion of the production cost. For example, research by Dr. Uva at Cornell University found that heating, electricity and gas in New York greenhouses during 2005 would account for around 10.5 percent, 2.4 percent and 0.8 percent of sales, respectively. In comparison, labor and other overhead costs accounted for 51 percent of sales. Therefore, later planting would provide labor and overhead savings, beyond just heating fuel (Figure 1, green bars).

Shorter production time is somewhat offset by the higher price of a large or pre-finished liner. Can fuel or other cost savings offset (and justify) a higher price for a large liner? The bottom line: if the savings in SFW costs to finish a large liner exceed the extra purchase price of that large liner, it is more profitable than a small liner.

Let’s take the case where a large liner costs 20 cents more than a small liner. The SFW savings per finished pot would need to be more than 20 cents for a 4.5-inch pot (1 cutting/pot) or $1 for a 12-inch basket (5 cuttings/pot). If a 4.5-inch pot is spaced at 9x9 inches (0.63 square feet) and a 12-inch basket is spaced at 24x24 inches (4 square feet), a two-week saving in crop time equals 1.26 SFW or 8 SFW. The labor, overhead and fuel cost per SFW (from Figure 1) is 40 cents in January and February. Two weeks shorter crop time is worth 50 cents for the 4.5-inch pot or $3.20 for the 12-inch basket (1.26 or 8 x 40 cents). In both cases, it is easy to justify using a large liner.

Paul Fisher is an Associate Professor and Extension Specialist in the Dept. of Environmental Horticulture, University of Florida, P.O. Box 110670, Gainesville, FL 32611; e-mail Paul.Fisher@unh.edu; telephone 352-392-1831 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 352-392-1831 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
The author would like to thank the Young Plant Research Center’s partners: Blackmore Co., Center Greenhouses, D.S. Cole Growers, Ellegaard, Four Star Greenhouses, Glass Corner Greenhouses, Greencare Fertilizers, Kube-Pak Corp., Lucas Greenhouses, Pleasant View Gardens, Premier Horticulture, Quality Analytical Laboratories, Sun Gro Horticulture and Welby Gardens.

Article from Greenhouse Grower.com

November 2010

Figure 1. The effects of average daily temperature and daily light integral
(DLI) on time to flower in African marigold 'Moonstruck.'
Plugs and plants were grown under a 16-hour photoperiod.

Daily light integral (DLI) refers to the cumulative amount of photosynthetic light that is received in one day. Determination of the DLI requires that light is measured repeatedly over time and then integrated. It cannot be determined instantaneously.

DLI is expressed as moles of photons of light received per square meter per day (mol·m¯²·d¯¹), or moles per day. The DLI can be determined by some greenhouse environmental control systems or portable meters, such as the Greenhouse Weather Tracker from Spectrum Technologies. Alternatively, your greenhouse DLI can be estimated using DLI maps developed by Clemson University’s Jim Faust.

Throughout the year, DLI inside a greenhouse can range from very low values (2 to 5 mol·m¯²·d¯¹) to high values (25 to 30 mol·m¯²·d¯¹) depending on the location, time of year, cloud cover and light transmission through the greenhouse. For the past several years at Michigan State University (MSU), we have experimented with more than 30 species and cultivars of common seed-propagated bedding plants to determine how various crops respond to DLI.

Experimental Methods

Seedlings were initially grown in 288-cell plug trays at 68°F (20°C) under a DLI of 10 mol·m¯²·d¯¹ and a 16-hour photoperiod. Plants were then transplanted into 4-inch containers and grown in greenhouses at constant temperature set points ranging from 57 to 79°F, and under two DLIs with a 16-hour photoperiod.

The different DLIs were provided by sunlight, a combination of shade curtains and different supplemental lighting intensities from high-pressure sodium lamps. Experiments were performed twice to obtain average DLIs that ranged from 3 to 20 mol·m¯²·d¯¹. Flowering data for each plant was recorded, and crop models were developed to quantify the influence of DLI on flowering time and plant quality.

Flowering Time

In all of the crops studied, time to flower decreased as DLI increased. For example, as DLI increased from 4.5 to 12 mol·m¯²·d¯¹, time to flower in African marigold ‘Moonstruck Orange’ at 68°F decreased by one week (Figure 1). In some crops, the higher DLI accelerated flowering by developing fewer leaves before flower initiation. The acceleration of flowering under a high DLI can also be partially attributed to an increase in plant temperature from higher light intensities.

i

For each species, we were able to estimate the DLI at which additional light did not shorten crop time. This “saturation DLI” for flower development varied among crops. For example, the estimated saturation DLI was less than 10 mol·m¯²·d¯¹ for bedding impatiens and greater than 20 mol·m¯²·d¯¹ for gazania. Thus, increasing the DLI from 10 to 14 mol·m¯²·d¯¹ would accelerate flowering of gazania but not impatiens.

Increasing DLI follows the law of diminishing returns. As DLI continues to increase, it has less and less of an effect on flowering time (and to an extent, plant quality). For example, increasing the DLI from 4 to 8 mol·m¯²·d¯¹ accelerates flowering much more than increasing the DLI from 8 to 12 mol·m¯²·d¯¹. Therefore, the value of supplemental lighting is greatest under the most light-limiting conditions (such as in January in northern locations). The estimation of the saturation DLI for the most rapid flowering makes it possible to identify which crops benefit the most from supplemental photosynthetic lighting. In addition, we can use this information to determine which plants will be more negatively impacted by the presence of overhead hanging baskets.

Because most greenhouses don’t have supplemental lighting in their entire operation, growers should prioritize lighting those crops with a high saturation DLI value (above 15 mol·m¯²·d¯¹). Similarly, when light is limiting, hanging baskets should first be placed above crops with a low saturation DLI value, as they are generally more tolerant of lower light conditions.

Crop Quality

Plant quality of essentially all crops improved as DLI increased. For example, dianthus ‘Super Parfait Raspberry’ had a saturation DLI for flowering time of 10 mol·m¯²·d¯¹; as DLI increased from 6 to 19 mol·m¯²·d¯¹, time to flower at 68°F decreased by only three days, but flower number almost doubled (Figure 2).

Other crops, such as cosmos and zinnia, had more branches and thicker stems under a high versus low DLI. Therefore, the effects of DLI on crop quality should also be considered when determining which crops and when to light.

For more than 60 percent of the bedding plants we studied, crop time was not shortened as DLI increased above 15 mol·m¯²·d¯¹. In most U.S. locations, the DLI inside a greenhouse (assuming at least 60 percent light transmission) is above the DLI saturation value for almost all of the bedding plants we studied by April. Therefore, the benefits of supplemental lighting during late spring are primarily to improve crop quality or extend the day length.
DLI is just one of several environmental factors that can influence the production of greenhouse crops. The impact of temperature and photoperiod on crop time and plant quality, and response variability among cultivars, should also be considered.

About the author:

Matthew Blanchard (mgblanch@msu.edu) recently earned his Ph.D. from Michigan State University (MSU) and Erik Runkle (runkleer@msu.edu) is associate professor and floriculture extension specialist in the Department of Horticulture at MSU. Blanchard is presently a technical services specialist at Syngenta Flowers. The authors thank research technician Mike Olrich for his greenhouse assistance; Project GREEEN, the American Floral Endowment, the Fred C. Gloeckner Foundation, the USDA-ARS Floriculture and Nursery Research Initiative, and private floriculture companies for their financial support.

Temperature and Light on Bedding Plants

  

Michigan State University research shows what effects temperature and light intensity have on bedding plant production.
Last year, we began to research the effects of temperature and light intensity on four popular bedding plants: salvia 'Vista Red', celosia 'Gloria Mix', marigold 'Bonanza Yellow' and impatiens 'Accent Red'. Our objectives were to determine how temperature and daily light integral influence plant growth and development of these species. From this information, we can predict how changing your environment will influence the timing and quality of your bedding plant crops.

- Lee Ann Pramuk and Erik Runkle

Fuel prices continue to fluctuate, causing heartburn and headaches for growers as they receive their monthly fuel bills during periods of cold weather. When fuel costs are high, some growers in cold climates (such as the Northern United States) have lowered their greenhouse temperatures to reduce fuel consumption and thus reduce their monthly bill. However, the effect of such a temperature decrease on plant timing and plant quality has not been determined for many popular bedding plant species.

Last year, we began to research the effects of temperature and light intensity on four popular bedding plants: salvia 'Vista Red', celosia 'Gloria Mix', marigold 'Bonanza Yellow' and impatiens 'Accent Red'. Our objectives were to determine how temperature and daily light integral influence plant growth and development of these species. From this information, we can predict how changing your environment will influence the timing and quality of your bedding plant crops.

Factors and Goals

Temperature is the main force that drives plant development. Acceptable growing temperature varies among species and between different stages of production, such as vegetative growth and flower development. The leaf unfolding rate (how many leaves develop per day or week) increases with increasing temperature until reaching a certain temperature at which the rate of growth reaches a maximum. Beyond this temperature, the plant's leaf development rate decreases. Flowering rate is also highly regulated by temperature, and as such, knowledge of optimum temperatures is very important in the production of bedding plants.

Temperature can also affect plant quality. A plant may flower at a fast rate at high temperatures, but it may have reduced quality compared to a plant grown cooler. Grown for longer periods of time under cooler temperatures, plants generally have thicker stems, greater branching, more flowers and larger flowers.

Light serves as an important energy source for a plant, as it is vital for photosynthesis. The daily light integral (DLI) is the amount of light that a plant receives in a day over a particular area. This measurement unit is the number of moles of photons (mol) per square meter (m2) per day (d), or mol·m-2·d-1. For many floriculture crops, 10 mol·m-2·d-1 is considered an acceptable amount of light forgrowing moderately high-quality plants. Generally, the greater the DLI, the greater the plant quality; plants have thicker stems, more flowers and larger flowers.

Together, temperature and light intensity can interact to influence plant growth, development and quality. For example, plants grown at high temperatures with low light levels tend to be of poor quality; plants grow rapidly yet have low rates of photosynthesis. In this scenario, short production time (from higher temperatures) and less biomass (from low light levels) yield plants that have thin stems, few or no branches and small flowers. If these plants were grown at cooler temperatures, crop timing would be longer, but plant quality would be improved since plants would receive more light before reaching a particular finish date.

The possible combinations of light and temperature in bedding plants brings up many questions for researchers and growers. The goals of Michigan State University researchers were to develop simple decision support tools or models that bedding plant growers can use to predict crop timing at any given temperature and light intensity, determine how growth rates are influenced by supplemental photosynthetic lighting, and provide information on the quality of bedding plants grown under different combinations of temperature and light intensity.

What We Did

Two sets of experiments were performed to quantify the effects of DLI and temperature on 1) plug growth and development (plug stage) and 2) growth and development from the plug stage until flowering (finish stage).

In the plug stage experiments, seeds were planted into 288-cell trays and seedlings were grown in glass greenhouses ranging from 57-80° F. Within each temperature, plants were grown under three light intensities: 50 percent shadecloth, ambient light and ambient light with supplemental lighting from high-pressure sodium lamps. The daily light integrals that plants received varied from 4-251?2 mol·m-2·d-1. To give perspective about what these numbers mean, natural light levels outdoor in midsummer in East Lansing, Mich., average about 45 mol·m-2·d-1, and in midwinter average about 10 mol·m-2·d-1. Due to glazing and structures, and shading during the summer, light transmission is often reduced by about 65-75 percent. So, plants in a typical greenhouse in Michigan will receive an average of about 6-25 mol·m-2·d-1 during the year.

Data recorded for plug stage included plant height, node number, visible bud date (if flower buds were visible) and dry weight at the end of the plug stage. The plant dry weight is an indication of plant quality, as plants with thicker stems and branches will weigh more than plants with thin stems and poor branching.

In the finish stage experiments, mature plugs (all of which were grown at 75° F under 13 mol·m-2·d-1 were transplanted into 4-inch pots and grown at 57-79° F under DLIs ranging from 5-25 mol·m-2·d-1. On the day that each plant flowered, we recorded plant height, leaf (node) number, flowering date, dry weight, flower number and flower size.

Plug Stage Results

Salvia. Salvia plugs were considered finished when the second leaf pair reached approximately 1.4 inches across. At finish, all plugs under all treatments had 3 or 4 total nodes. Days to finish (time from seed sow to end of plug stage) was 22 days when grown at 80° F with an average of 25 mol·m-2·d-1 and increased to 45 days when plugs were grown at 57° F with 4 mol·m-2·d-1. Dry weight at finish was greatest with a temperature and DLI combination of 57° F and 24 mol·m-2·d-1; however, time to finish was 40 days. Plugs were of poorest quality (dry weight was lowest) when grown at 79° F and with 31?2 mol·m-2·d-1 of light, but finish time was rapid (25 days). Supplemental lighting had the greatest influence on dry weight under the coolest temperatures. Plugs were tallest under the highest temperature and lowest DLI, while plugs were shortest under the coolest temperatures and lowest DLI. Figure 2, page 34 illustrates the timing and quality differences we observed in salvia after 22 days under the various conditions.

Celosia. Celosia plugs were considered finished when their second set of leaves was approximately 1.8 inches across. Celosia finished the earliest, in 20 days, when grown very warm (82° F) and under very high light (25 mol·m-2·d-1). At 57° F and under DLIs ranging from 4-17 mol·m-2·d-1; celosia showed severe chlorosis and did not reach finish stage within 60 days, when the experiment ended. Dry weight increased in all temperatures as DLI increased. Greatest dry weight occurred at 73° F and under 24 mol·m-2·d-1. Plugs at 73 and 80° F had 6-7 leaves at finish while those at 57-68° F were more variable and had 7-11 leaves at finish.

Marigold. Marigold plugs were considered finished when the second leaf pair was approximately 1.8 inches across. Plugs under all treatments had 3 or 4 leaf pairs at finish. Shortest time to finish was 16 days observed at 79° F and under high light (24 mol·m-2·d-1). Finish time increased to 37 days at 57° F and under low light (4 mol·m-2·d-1). Dry weight increased as DLI increased in all temperatures, but DLI had the greatest effect at the coolest temperatures. Marigold height increased by 30 percent as temperature increased from 57-80° F under 4 mol·m-2·d-1 and by 15 percent under 26 mol·m-2·d-1.

Impatiens. Impatiens plugs were considered to be finished when the 6th leaf became visible; all plugs had 6-7 leaves at finish. Figure 3, page 34 shows plugs after 29 days under the various temperature and light combinations indicated. Fastest time to finish was 28 days at 81° F and under 23 mol·m-2·d-1 and was 35 days earlier than plugs grown at 57° F receiving 4 mol·m-2·d-1. Impatiens dry weight was greatest under 57° F and 26 mol·m-2·d-1, but time to finish was 38 days; impatiens had the least biomass (i.e., plant quality was poorest) at high temperatures and low light (79° F with 4 mol·m-2·d-1 of light).

Finish Stage Results

Salvia. Salvia was considered flowering when the bottom flower on the spike opened. Salvia grown for 19 days at the different temperature and light combinations are shown in Figure 1, page 32. Days to flower was hastened by 35 days (from 53-18 days) as temperature increased from 57-79° F and DLI increased from 5-26 mol·m-2·d-1. Flower number increased from an average of 4 to 8 as temperature decreased from 79-57° F. Flower size was between 1.4 and 1.9 inches for all treatments. Dry weight increased as temperature decreased and DLI increased. Temperature and DLI had no effect on node number at flowering.

Celosia. Celosia was considered in flower when flowers reached 1.6 inches in length. Days to flowering decreased from 60-26 days as temperature increased from 57-79° F and DLI increased from 4-26 mol·m-2·d-1. Plants grown at 57° F not only took the longest to flower, but also had chlorotic leaves (Figure 5, page 36). DLI accelerated time to flower for most plants grown at the coolest temperature (57° F). Celosia flower number increased as temperature decreased from 79-63° F; after this point, flower number began to decrease. Plant height increased from 6.3-11.4 inches as temperature increased from 57-79° F, and DLI decreased from 26-4 mol·m-2·d-1. Dry weight increased as DLI increased and decreased as temperature decreased.

Marigold. Marigold data was recorded when flowers were fully open. Days to flowering decreased from 43-15 days as both temperature and DLI increased (from 57° F and 5 mol·m-2·d-1 to 79° F and 26 mol·m-2·d-1) (See Figure 7, page 38). Flower size increased from 1.4-2.4 inches, and flower number increased from 11-25 as DLI increased from 5-26 mol·m-2·d-1 and temperature decreased from 79-57° F (Figure 6, page 38). All plants had four or five nodes at finish. Plant height at flowering decreased from 5.5-4.3 inches as temperature decreased from 79-57° F and DLI decreased from 26-5 mol·m-2·d-1. Dry weight increased the most at cooler temperatures (57 and 63° F) as DLI increased from 5-26 mol·m-2·d-1.

Impatiens. When petals of the first open flower were fully expanded, impatiens were considered to be in flower. Days to flower increased from 22-38 days as temperature decreased from 79-57° F. DLI accelerated flowering the most when grown at 57° F. Flower size increased from 1.6-2.4 inches and flower number increased from averages of 14-95 as temperature decreased 57-79° F and DLI increased from 5-26 mol·m-2·d-1. Dry weight increased by 85 percent as temperature decreased from 79-57° F and DLI increased from 5-26 mol·m-2·d-1.

Conclusions

As expected, plants developed quickest at the plug stage and finish stage when grown warm (approximately 80° F) and under high light. Plant quality was generally poor when grown warm with low light levels. For impatiens, marigold and salvia, plants were of highest quality when grown at cool temperatures with high light levels. In contrast, celosia was chlorotic at the coolest temperatures, and thus celosia should be grown at moderate to high temperatures (greater than 68° F) for highest plant quality.

Figure 4, page 36 presents a summary of time to flower (from the plug stage) at some common greenhouse temperatures and with two very different light levels. This information can be used by growers to determine the impact of changing their greenhouse temperature in the winter (when light levels are low) and later on in spring (when light levels are relatively high). Growers will have to determine how to balance timing with plant quality, as the highest-quality plants are those grown at moderate to cool temperatures, which require more time compared with plants grown at warm temperatures.

The authors would like to thank Raker's Acres for donation of the plant material and the generous industry supporters who made this research possible.

Lee Ann Pramuk is graduate research assistant and Erik Runkle is assistant professor in the Department of Horticulture at Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich. Erik may be reached by phone at (517) 353-3761 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (517) 353-3761      end_of_the_skype_highlighting or E-mail at runkleer@msu.edu.

Source: Greenhouse Product News   July 2003   Volume: 13 Number: 7
Copyright © 2010 Scranton Gillette Communications

East Jordan Plastics

Growing Container Recycling Guidelines

Used or obsolete horticultural containers and tags (trays, flats, inserts, pots, etc..)

Material must be separated by plastic type (i.e. #6, #5, #2)

Containers must be palletized or baled

Nesting and palletizing like containers helps segregate like materials

o         Each pallet or bale must be comprised of the same material type

o         Excess growing media must be removed from containers

o         Paper and other foreign material must be removed.  Adhesive labels are OK

o         Pallet heights should be 90-100” or 48” for double stacking

o         Pallets should be wrapped and/or banded to secure material

o         Pallets and bales must be marked with shipper’s identification

Identifying Material Types

Polystyrene – P.S. #6

o         Containers marked with recycling code P.S. #6

o         P.S. #6 is rigid and will crack easily when bent excessively

o         P.S. #6 containers will easily tear

o         Generally shuttle trays, flats, inserts and some pots (5” and smaller)

o         Most plug & propagation trays as well as liners and inserts

o         All colors and printed containers are accepted

Polypropylene – P.P. #5

o         Containers marked with recycling code P.P. #5

o         Shuttle Trays, flats and pots (5” and larger)

o         P.P. #5 is tough and will not easily tear

o         Web flats are generally P.P. #5

o         Most injection molded containers are P.P. #5

o         All colors and printed containers are accepted

High Density Polyethylene – H.D.P.E. #2

o         Containers marked with recycling code H.D.P.E #2

o         Mostly large blow molded or injection molded nursery pots

o         H.D.P.E. is tough material and will not easily tear

o         All colors and printed containers are accepted

*For questions regarding collection guidelines, please call East Jordan Plastics at 269-637-3700.

by kevin yanik

Associate Editor

kmyanik@meistermedia.com

BATTLEFIELD Farms has been producing young plants for its own use since 1990, when ownership deemed it was more economical to produce seedlings internally than purchase them from other greenhouse operations.

More recently, though, Battlefield has ventured into young plant production for other growers. The operation first became a young plant supplier for American Color, whose president, Ed Van Hoven, is a former employee and the brother of Anthony Van Hoven, the operations manager at Battlefield. As word spread beyond American Color, Battlefield became a young plant supplier for operations like Color Point and South Central Growers.

“’We grew first through direct blood and then extended family,” Anthony says. Battlefield added other young plant customers along the way, and it’s now producing 110 million young plants each year to sell. But as Battlefield’s young plant business has quickly grown, operation leaders are realizing everything from planning production to fulfilling orders is becoming more difficult to handle without a system that integrates financials, inventory, shipping, logistics planning and production.

Growing young plants for your own operation is one thing; growing them for others is a different matter. So Battlefield is embarking on a journey to improve its efficiency as a young plant supplier from start to ship.

“We’re implementing Practical Software Solutions software,” Anthony says. “There are always areas we can be more efficient. We see a great need for improvement, organization and efficiency. We know we’ll be able to provide better quality and service once we do implement the software.”

A Learning Curve

“Without it, I don’t see how we could keep up with everything,” says Marc Verdel, Battlefield’s head grower. “All customers have their own item. Each box store has its own line of pots, tags and (finished) products it wants. Five or 10 years ago, you could ship whatever. Those days disappeared. To track and keep notes, this is vital.”

Anthony agrees. Battlefield began producing perennial liners three years ago, and that business tripled two years ago and doubled this year. Now, Battlefield is producing between 200,000 and 300,000 liners for other perennial growers, and Anthony anticipates more action in the coming years. So it’s clear an integrated software system is indeed vital to handle growing business segments like Battlefield’s perennial liners.

“The system is going to help greatly on the perennial side because tracking inventory of cuttings is a whole different process than seeds,” Anthony says. “You expect to get something in, but it comes in two weeks early or two weeks late. We’ll now be able to track the cuttings we’re buying in. As incoming orders change, it’s hard to catch up and realign the information in our system the way it’s currently set up. With the new system, if an arrival date changes, we’ll be able to adjust. Everything we do now is manual, and it’s a bit of a hassle.”

Even simple tasks like finding product in the greenhouse will be a whole lot simpler.

“Right now, I pretty much know where most of the product is in the greenhouse,” Verdel says. “It’s nice for me, but it’s not so nice if you’re not in the greenhouse all the time. If you’re the sales person or an owner, you have no clue where a product is. This will give us a good tool to know where everything is and do our space planning.”

The system should also limit the number of surprises that occur on the production line.

New Young Plant Player

Like Battlefield, Costa Farms has traditionally grown young plants for internal use. But earlier this year, Costa launched a whole new division, Total Growth Solutions (TGS), to market and distribute plugs and other young plants through Syngenta Horticultural Services.

“For us, we felt like this was a good opportunity to work with Syngenta in the young plant part of our business – in an exclusive manner – and TGS has its advantages,” says LJ Contillo, vice president of operations for Costa Color.

Four advantages TGS has over other potential suppliers, Contillo says, are location, information technology, transportation and research and development.

Location just might top the list, though.

“A Southern-grown plug that’s produced in high light and warm temperatures compared to most of the country adds unique value to the quality of plugs that can be produced,” he says. “The performance of the plug is key for the finished grower, be it timing, branching, flowering or another aspect of production.”

Information technology is another area in which TGS is making an investment. Some growers, of course, know their costs well.

Others may not. So TGS is lending a hand to customers who want one with a profit calculator at TotalGrowthSolutions.com.

The calculator gives customers the capability to plug in costs and create three different scenarios using various criteria. It displays projected profitability for each scenario and helps customers make better, more profitable decisions when selecting plug sizes.

TGS can also lean on its foliage division to reach parts of the country many other young plant growers can’t.

“From a distribution standpoint,” Contillo says, “TGS has some unique capabilities of being able to ship multiple products on loads that can make the transportation costs and efficiency of transportation more palatable for the customers buying plants from Syngenta and TGS.”

The research and development that takes place at Costa is another plus for TGS. Costa makes an extensive effort to test the material that makes its way into its facilities. Kate Santos, who completed her doctorate in environmental horticulture at the University of Florida, joined Costa as its director of research and development about a year ago. She oversees Costa’s research trials and is implementing new product and production protocols at the operation.

Market Impact

Costa’s entry into the young plant market will surely impact other young plant growers.

Before TGS entered the picture, Knox Nursery and Speedling in Florida were two Syngenta plug producers. Now, Costa Farms is a Syngenta young plant partner.

“We felt like young plants were a core part of our business we could expand to offer growers solutions,” Contillo says. “There was no way we were going to expand on our own. We talked to Syngenta about it. I don’t think they really had a strong partner who was growing plants in the southern part of the U.S.

“We’re not looking for [TGS] to be huge immediately. Costa has traditionally jumped into things and made them huge in a very short amount of time, but we’re not looking for TGS to be that. It’s a very competitive world out there, and our vision is very long term. It’s not short term, by any means.” GG

Click here to view our new TGS brochure.

Well, another year of Spring Trials has come and gone and now the fun begins.  The trials!!  What will work, what won’t work for all of us?   I represented TGS along with a team of people from R&D, production and sales and we traveled the well established route up the California coast meeting with virtually every breeder along the way.  There are number of new introductions both in new genetics and in new colors added to existing lines from the seed breeders.  Here is a recap of our top picks that will likely be incorporated into our 2011 plug programs.  Feel free to give us your feedback!

Hem Genetics

·          Petunia Limbo – new Burgundy

·          Vinca Solar – a new F! series of vinca, nice colors, large flowers

Pan American Seeds

·          Begonia Gryphon – great as accent plant or basket

·          Plentiful Pansy – truly a trailing pansy

·          Simply Salad – 3 mixes available

·          Petunia Easy Wave – 4 new mixes that absolutely pop with color

·          Petunia Shock Wave – New Spark Mix

·          Vinca Pacifica Orange –  very nice orange color

·          Vinca Titan – 4 exciting new mixes

·          Viola Sorbet – too many new to name but 15 Sorbet XP and 11 new Sorbet mixes

·          Zinnia Double Zahara – 2 colors and a mix

·          Gerbera Mega Revolution – 3 new colors including a very nice Watermelon and Raspberry Blush

Syngenta  Flowers (aka Goldsmith Seeds, S&G)

·          Dianthus Diabunda – Barbatus type, 6 colors, Purple Picotee is a knockout

·          Dianthus Venti – Chinensis type, Crimson w/Eye.  This will replace discontinued Corona Cherry Magic  easily

·          Dianthus Fandango – Interspecific  type, nice crimson picotee plus 2 other colors

·          Dianthus Dulce – Barbatus x chinensis – New Dulce Pink

·          Gerbera  Autumn Colors – large semi-double flowers, nice mix

·          Gerbera Jaguar – new Orange Picotee  and Fire Dark Center

·          Marigold Moonsong – Improved variety over Moonstruck

·          Petunia Picobella – New Rose Morn and Rose star are excellent additions to this series

·          Petunia Ramblin – New Sugar Plum

Takii (aka Sahin and Global)

·          Dianthus Telstar – New Burgundy this year

·          Gomphrena Audray – new Red Purple and bicolor Rose

·          Petunia Opera – 4 new colors including Lilac Ice and Raspberry Ice

TGS and Syngenta Horticultural Services (SHS) have aligned to create the perfect balance of superior genetics, quality plugs, to bring growing solutions to professional growers. Contact your SHS representative or call TGS Director of Sales & Service, Cindee Delbridge at 305 247 5135 EXT 241