“Yes we canna”

Danish Jakob Christensen of Fashion Flowers is still in the middle of his aeschynanthus season, and when it ends in April, he usually shifts the production of bedding plants. And this year, he added a new crop to the assortment, namely canna.Jakob Christensen of Fashion Flowers at the Royal FloraHolland Seasonal Trade Fair…

Select Breeding debuts at IPM

In 2009, Select Breeding started a special cross-breeding program to develop Floribunda roses for use on the patio and in the garden, that can be grown in the unheated greenhouse and in plastic tunnels. The first varieties have been on the market since 2014, and since then the range has been expanded and optimized annually. There…

Model the climate and the crops: bring your production to the top

Imagine steering the roses to bloom just before mother's day. Or designing the ideal greenhouse for growing tomatoes anywhere in the universe. This is to some degree already possible by using crop growth and climate models. Crop and climate models are a tool for agricultural research, with which…

Turkish carnations unsold due to excess supply

Grower Selcuk Celebi, the co-owner of Turkish carnation company Trendy Tarim, spoke about the current issues in cut flower production in the areas around Antalya. Selcuk Celebi: “Our country has very diverse ecological attributes across its different regions. The climate and the soil are very suitable…

"We sold over 100 hectares of toplighting compact grow lights in the first year alone"

Signify has expanded its Philips GreenPower LED toplighting compact range to give growers more choices tailored to different crops and cultivation set-ups. Whether they want to decrease running costs for lettuce or chrysanthemum crops or increase light output for light-loving crops like roses and…

"He who sows AI shall reap accurate predictions"

Good harvest forecasts are key for an optimal pricing strategy and labor planning. Under and over production, for example, can have major consequences for pricing. In addition, you can only deploy your manpower properly if you know how much and when they should harvest. Making accurate predictions about…

US (NC): Hoffman Nursery grows management team

Hoffman Nursery has expanded its management team. The market for grasses and sedges continues to grow, and customers rely on the nursery for expertise and support to meet the demand. Rounding out the management team will give the nursery more resources for customers and continual improvement in…

Fun and football at Plantec's employee appreciation day

On the eleventh of January Plantec hosted its annual employee appreciation day. It is one of the ways that Plantec tries to show their employees how much they are valued. During the event there were championship soccer matches between the different teams from the company for both the women’s league and…

Rose scent: A story of riches

If you’re already a fan of fragrant roses, maybe you’ve noticed that rose scent varies widely—in intensity, from subtle to intoxicating, and in character, over a range of distinctly identifiable fragrance categories, from the sweet and fruity Edith (Auspluto) to the classic rose scent of Lemon Pompon. Edith (Auspluto) Anyone…

New Zealand's "most expensive houseplant" sells for $5000

An Auckland botanist has walked away with almost $5000 after her monstera sparked a bidding war on Trade Me. As the Instagram house plant craze has soared, the monstera has stayed firmly at the front of the pack, its holey leaves beloved of influencers and trendy cold brew cafes everywhere.  According to the…

Chinese engineer reveals how he grew the first ever plant on the moon

At London’s Design Museum, one of the engineers behind the historic Chang’e-4 mission to the moon gave a demonstration of the spacecraft’s ‘mini-biosphere' where he and his team helped germinate the first seed ever on the moon. The presentation, delivered by Xie Gengxin of Chongqing University, was part…

Model the climate and the crops: bring your production to the top

Imagine steering the roses to bloom just before mother's day. Or designing the ideal greenhouse for growing tomatoes anywhere in the universe. This is to some degree already possible by using crop growth and climate models. Crop and climate models are a tool for agricultural research, with which…

Turkish carnations unsold due to excess supply

Grower Selcuk Celebi, the co-owner of Turkish carnation company Trendy Tarim, spoke about the current issues in cut flower production in the areas around Antalya. Selcuk Celebi: “Our country has very diverse ecological attributes across its different regions. The climate and the soil are very suitable…

"He who sows AI shall reap accurate predictions"

Good harvest forecasts are key for an optimal pricing strategy and labor planning. Under and over production, for example, can have major consequences for pricing. In addition, you can only deploy your manpower properly if you know how much and when they should harvest. Making accurate predictions about…

Why mosquitoes are drawn to flowers as much as people

Without their keen sense of smell, mosquitoes wouldn’t get very far. They rely on this sense to find a host to bite and spots to lay eggs. And without that sense of smell, mosquitoes could not locate their dominant source of food: nectar from flowers. An Aedes mosquito with pollen sacs on its eyes…

French start-up launches lighting management platform

"Produce more, but better!" That is the slogan of the Provence start-up Vegetal Grow Development (VGD). The young company, created in 2018 after three years of research and development, has launched the first lighting management platform that analyzes sun exposure and conditions to optimize the…

“Yes we canna”

Danish Jakob Christensen of Fashion Flowers is still in the middle of his aeschynanthus season, and when it ends in April, he usually shifts the production of bedding plants. And this year, he added a new crop to the assortment, namely canna.Jakob Christensen of Fashion Flowers at the Royal FloraHolland Seasonal Trade Fair…

How to maintain the proper pH of a growing medium

When asked “How do you maintain the proper pH of a growing medium?”, often the answer is to adjust the water pH to achieve a growing medium pH in the ideal range of 5.6-6.2. This is simply not true. Many hydroponic companies suggest nutrient programs that use reverse osmosis to strip the water of all…

"Proper use and control of NOx in greenhouse can increase yield"

It is well known that CO2 contributes to a good growing crop. It is also known that NOx, a gas that is produced during incineration such as in CHPs, is harmful to the crop. But research now shows that small amounts of NOx can actually increase yield. A remarkable conclusion, says Jacco Besuijen. He is an…

Big step in CO2 reduction at Royal FloraHolland due to green electricity and solar panels

One of the sustainable ambitions at Royal FloraHolland is achieving CO2-neutral energy consumption by 2025. Sustainability contributes to a future-proof marketplace and organisation. In order to achieve this, they have already taken important steps in early 2020 with the switch to 100% green electricity…

Evaluating the potential of biofungicide in ornamental crops

Biotalys, a Food and Crop protection company developing a new generation of protein-based biocontrols, announces a collaboration with Chrysal to protect flowers against fungal…

Netherlands: New 3.5 ha greenhouse for Schneider Youngplants

Schneider Youngplants has been given the go-ahead by local authorities to build their new young plant nursery in Woudrichem, the Netherlands. On top of that, the Rabobank has agreed to full financing and the team of KG Systems is already preparing for this ambitious turnkey project. The opening of the…

Select Breeding debuts at IPM

In 2009, Select Breeding started a special cross-breeding program to develop Floribunda roses for use on the patio and in the garden, that can be grown in the unheated greenhouse and in plastic tunnels. The first varieties have been on the market since 2014, and since then the range has been expanded and optimized annually. There…

Uncovering the genetic roots of seed response to cold

Timing is everything for seeds. Lying beneath the soil, they wait for the perfect moment to emerge, taking cues from the environment above. Germinate when it’s too hot and dry, and the seeds run the risk of death. Germinate and it’s too cold, and the outcome is much the same. The researchers exposed the…

Wave Petunias celebrates 25 years of spreading color

With a new decade in full bloom, the Wave brand celebrates 25 years of providing gardeners with color to brighten outdoor spaces. The Wave spreading petunia was born in 1995 when a breeder for a Japanese beer company noticed a wild petunia growing in the field. After some fine-tuning, the fast-growing,…

"Propagation trays play vital role in tree health"

Growers who are looking to give trees their best chance need to return to their roots, according to new findings from Vineland Research and Innovation Centre (Vineland). Healthy trees depend on healthy roots and an ongoing study shows propagation trays can have a permanent impact on root development and…

UK: HTA push local authorities to pick up plant pots in kerbside collections

As part of the next phase of the industry-driven recyclable plant pot campaign, the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) is calling for action to be taken by local authorities to collect recyclable plant pots in their kerbside collections. The HTA is urging member businesses to contact their local…

Ellepot introducing new paper for organic production

Ellepot has developed and patented a new technology for their Ellepot propagation papers, and the first product in a new line to come is Ellepot Organic 2.0. New patented technologyThe new propagation paper - Ellepot Organic 2.0 consist of 100% fully compostable and degradable materials. The new patented…

Valentines rose blends nature’s beauty with modern design

This Valentine’s Day, an eco-sustainable Natural Fragrance Rose, promises to preserve the perfection of nature’s most aromatic and beautiful flower months beyond the holiday. Developed by third-generation Dutch florist Peter Persoon, Natural Fragrance Rose is a scented, self-hydrating bloom that stays…

Australian greenlife communication in 2020

2019 was a record-breaking year for the nursery industry, with sustained growth seeing the total value of the sector reaching $2.4 billion. It was also a busy year for the industry, a year which saw the launch of Greener Spaces Better Places, the national Tree Stock Roadshow tour, the progress and…

Getting smart about greenhouse irrigation

For Canada’s greenhouse operators, crop irrigation and finding experienced growers to manage it, are among their greatest challenges. Historically, greenhouse growers have made decisions about where and when to irrigate, visually checking the water status of plants — often spending several hours and…

New book traces history of flowers in India

“Wherever you look, the flower is not far to find” writes Alka Pande in her seminal book, Flower Shower which traverses through the culture of flowers in India. The book is a treatise on the usage of flowers in India’s rich history, mythology, cultural, architectural and as aesthetic motifs. A historian,…

UK: Squire’s Garden Centres turnover reaches £57m amid expansion plans

Squire’s Garden Centres has seen a record year of sales thanks to “excellent weather conditions” throughout the peak season. For the year ending July 31 2019, turnover increased by 15 per cent to £57 million, boosted by the addition of the newly acquired centre at Frensham, which joined the group on…

Floral foam to be banned from RHS shows

Floral foam will be banned from all RHS Shows from 2021, the Royal Horticultural Society has confirmed. Ahead of this year's Chelsea Flower Show (19th - 23rd May 2020), floral designers are being encouraged to trial alternative products for their displays before the ban is enforced next year. Helena…

Valentine’s Day fun facts 2020

Most holidays are meant to be a show of love, affection and gratitude, but no holiday does it better than Valentine’s Day. After the Roman Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage, Saint Valentine continued to marry men and women in secret. Even then, it was traditional for men and women to exchange flowers on their wedding day,…

Fun and football at Plantec's employee appreciation day

On the eleventh of January Plantec hosted its annual employee appreciation day. It is one of the ways that Plantec tries to show their employees how much they are valued. During the event there were championship soccer matches between the different teams from the company for both the women’s league and…

US (NC): Hoffman Nursery grows management team

Hoffman Nursery has expanded its management team. The market for grasses and sedges continues to grow, and customers rely on the nursery for expertise and support to meet the demand. Rounding out the management team will give the nursery more resources for customers and continual improvement in…

"We sold over 100 hectares of toplighting compact grow lights in the first year alone"

Signify has expanded its Philips GreenPower LED toplighting compact range to give growers more choices tailored to different crops and cultivation set-ups. Whether they want to decrease running costs for lettuce or chrysanthemum crops or increase light output for light-loving crops like roses and…

Syngenta Flowers

Kuehne + Nagel to accelerate development in Asia Pacific

Following the combination of the former three European regions into one Europe, the significant growth and integration of three major acquisitions in the North America region, the focus at Kuehne + Nagel for the years to come is on Asia Pacific. In order to target an even stronger role in logistics all…

Caution, slippery!