This grower and garden center retailer conference will offer 10 educational sessions as well as four research updates by graduate students and educators from MSU, North Carolina State University and Virginia Tech University. The sessions focus on increasing plant quality, safety and sales:
- Production Cues that Catch the Consumers’ Eye
- Enhancing Retail Shelf Life of Bedding & Potted Plants
- Using Social Media to Sell
- All About Thielaviopsis
- Foliar Nematodes
- Insect Management
- PGR Update on Herbaceous Perennials
- Benefits of Young Plant Supplemental Lighting and Root-zone Heating
- Building Blocks of Plant Nutrition
- Implementing Produce Safety Practices
- Calculating, Measuring & Mixing Small Amounts of Pesticides
- Research reports
Catlin will have an interactive session, “How to Deal with Diagnosis,” that will both quiz and teach attendees about the process of diagnosing plant problems, with a focus on plant diseases. Participants will be led through the process of plant diagnosis and will learn what to look for, what questions to ask, and how and where to seek help.
Latimer will present the basics behind selecting the right plant growth regulators for perennials, selecting the appropriate timing for the application and getting the most efficacy from those plant growth regulators applications.
One of the research updates from NSCU will include “Reproductive Stage Phosphorus Deficiency on the Upper Foliage of Ornamentals.” Researchers will discuss how a low phosphorus fertilization strategy is an excellent method to control excessive growth, but will also address that limiting phosphorus can result in lower leaf purpling or olive green discoloration and leaf loss.
The cost for the one-day conference (including lunch and handouts) is $59 before Aug. 15 and $99 after Aug. 15. Register here for the 2017 e-GRO and MSU Greenhouse Production, Plant Health, and Marketing Conference. Registration is limited to the first 75 participants.
Source: MSU Extension