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Cultivation
The secret sauce of growing cool-season flowers
There are many misconceptions about cool-season hardy annuals; much of them rooted in the word “annual.” The most well known and popular annuals are warm-season, tender annuals like tomatoes, basil, and zinnias. Folks instantly think of this group and their needs when they hear the term “annual.” There…
Dutch companies build app to share ornamental horticulture knowledge
Dümmen Orange and application developer Synobsys have joined forces to build an app for growers in the ornamental horticulture sector. This app can be used to share important knowledge about varieties, cultivation strategies and, for example, pests and diseases. Dümmen Orange's customers can start…
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…
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…
Hydroponic farming of wheat, spinach and sword lily
The continuous augmented demand of food production is escalating with increase of world population. The traditional farming system will not be able to cover the world's emergent demand for food with rising pollution level and oscillations in climate. The design and development of new farming and planting…
Determining which method works more efficiently
Specifying irrigation needs for container-grown plants
A study at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences examined the efficiency of irrigation schedules used for container-grown plants to determine…
Top 10 tablet tools
There is a plethora of cultural and diagnostic information available to greenhouse growers. However, who has the time to sit and search through books, notes, or browse search engines when the…
5 digital horticulture practices to bring into 2020
In the past decade we’ve seen the world go through a major digital transformation. And it’s still going strong, with innovations piling up in all industries including the horticulture sector. At 30MHz, they believe there’s still a lot of untapped potential when it comes to digital horticulture. What…
Bohdan Tustanivskyi, ProfiFlora:
"We don't manage. We teach people and give them our knowledge"
“Sometimes the longtime growers that are developed inside their company for years, need someone professional from outside who will come and say: ‘ok, we see that you lose a lot of money, because you do not correctly use top heating pipes”, says Bohdan Tustanivskyi of ProfiFlora, referring to a recent…
Preventing issues in spring crops: Sanitation, Dips and Bio tips
With the holiday season over, it’s time to turn our attention to Spring bedding crops. Although here for a brief window, the diversity of these crops means you’re bound to encounter some sort of disease and insect problems. One way you can head off issues is to plan and prepare now. This post has important…
Godfrey Dol about limits and guidelines for pollination in semi-closed greenhouses
"Without proper pollination, all greenhouse techniques are reduced to nothing"
Pollination is the single most important aspect for both yield and quality, also in semi-closed greenhouses. Reason enough for Godfrey Dol, specialist in growing in semi-closed greenhouses, to share information about what pollination is, guidelines and methods. What is pollination? The formation of fruit…
Expanding leaf tissue nutrient survey standards for 74 floriculture species
Over the past 20 years, the number of species grown in commercial floriculture greenhouses has greatly expanded. Data of sufficiency ranges for plant nutrients have not been investigated and this void makes diagnosing nutritional disorders difficult. The objective of a new research project was to develop…
How much water do your woody ornamentals really need?
Container nursery irrigation practices often result in over-application leading to nutrient leaching and reduced growth. The objectives of a new study were to: (1) compare growth and foliar nutrient content for plants under control (19 mm or ¾ inch daily) and 3 daily water use (DWU) based irrigation…
US (MD): Aquaponic flower experimentation
Our flower farm, Grateful Gardeners, is a 1 acre plot in Boyds, MD, providing fresh, organic cut flowers to the local market. We are big believers in green practices like aquaponics. by Tom Precht While vegetables are grown readily and with great success, flowers have not been fully attempted and investigated (with…
Joost Hovens (Cindro):
"Improper cleaning and disinfecting results every year in stronger, more resistant bacteria and fungi"
Crop rotations are the perfect moment to optimize hygiene at a cultivation company. Taking care of the entire water system is certainly part of that. The most important source of pollution in water systems is biofilm. Persistent pollution that requires a good approach, during but certainly also after the crop rotation, says Joost Hovens from Cindro. "Every grower know…
Sustainable and safe greenhouse crop production
Ohio’s production of crops grown under controlled environments (CE), i.e. greenhouses and plant factories, is growing. From 2012 to 2017, floriculture and bedding crop production increased by 12%, based on square footage. During the same period, the area allocated for greenhouse production of vegetables,…
even more water systems get a closer look by Agrozone in 2020
A year of irrigation water becoming better and better
A lot has happened in 2019 in the field of water quality. Not only are the water sources around the greenhouse horticultural companies becoming cleaner, but the irrigation water as well is getting more attention. And the attention given to irrigation water is well deserved, according to the people at…
Modiform expands range of sustainable pots
Modiform has added six sustainable pots to its range: two thermoform and four Thomsen injection moulding pots. These pots are free of carbon black. This means that they are detected by the Near Infrared (NIR) detection system used at waste processing companies. Menno Krijger, Sales Director at Modiform,…
New EU plant health rules
The new Plant Health Regulation will be applicable from 14 December 2019. The new rules aim to modernise the plant health regime, enhancing more effective measures for the protection of the Union’s territory and its plants. They also aim to ensure safe trade, as well as to mitigate the impacts of climate change on the health of…
Register now for online greenhouse courses
Greenhouse growers can sign up for online greenhouse courses in either English or Spanish through Dec. 15, 2019: Greenhouse and Horticultural Lighting Biological Control for Greenhouse Growers Floriculture Root Zone Management Root Zone ManagementThe Floriculture Root Zone Management (or Manejo de la Zona Radicular)…
Missing link to longevity discovered in plant kingdom
A breakthrough discovery by Texas A&M University and Arizona State University professors could provide a key component in understanding the human aging process and even aid in the battle against cancer. Dorothy Shippen, Ph.D., is a University Distinguished Professor and Regents Fellow in Texas A&M’s…
Artificial light modifies plant growth and defence response
Scientists at Plant & Food Research recently compared the growth and defence responses of radiata pine (Pinus radiata) grown under artificial lights (in a controlled…
A research towards efficient lighting strategies for perennials
"Helping growers produce high-quality crops, while assuring lighting costs aren't excessive"
Perennials are often grown in winter to get them ready for Spring sales. And that means that supplemental lighting is often required to produce high-quality plants in a timely…
UK: Swansea city centre residents to live on 'urban farm'
Residents could be able to grow vegetables in vertical greenhouses, have fish tanks in the basement and potentially produce honey on the roof of a planned city centre development. The proposal is for the old Woolworths store on Swansea's Oxford Street. Developers Hacer believe Picton Yard, which will be…
Russian growers seek ways to improve rose cultivation
On November 28, a seminar was held for specialists of agronomic services of floriculture enterprises on the topic: “Issues of improving the technology of growing roses for cutting in horticulture”. The Invisible Friends company gave much assistance to the Association Greenhouses of Russia in organizing and…
How water management practices affect nursery plant production
Dr. Tom Fernandez was first exposed to horticulture as a 10-year old working in his grandparent’s small foliage greenhouse. His interest in plants grew during the 8 years he…
Improved irrigation practices can help nursery growers reduce water with minimal effect on plant growth
Damon Abdi's interest in plants began during high school while working on landscaping projects for neighbors and friends. With a desire to learn more about plants and also with the thought of forming his own landscaping company, Damon decided to pursue an undergraduate degree in landscape contracting at…
New insights into the regulation of flowering
The regulation of flowering in plants is a highly complex process that is dependent on many internal and external factors. Flowering at the wrong time point leads to a loss of seed production and endangers the plant’s reproduction and survival of the species. To combat this problem, plants use a complex…
Biomass and phosphorus accumulation and partitioning of geranium and coleus
A study was conducted to examine plant biomass and phosphorus (P) accumulation and partitioning in response P availability and to determine the optimal P concentration during growth phases of two plant species with contrasting growth characteristics: geranium (Pelargonium hortorum Bailey) ”Bullseye…
"Nursery growers can reduce water with minimal effect on plant growth"
Damon Abdi's interest in plants began during high school while working on landscaping projects for neighbors and friends. With a desire to learn more about plants and also with the thought of forming his own landscaping company, Damon decided to pursue an undergraduate degree in landscape contracting at…
US (CA): Students learn plant science concepts in classes at UC Davis
Undergraduate Plant Sciences classes at UC Davis give students many hands-on opportunities to explore introductory and upper level concepts related to plant science and plant production. With five undergraduate majors and five minors in the Department of Plant Sciences, along with Options in the Plant…
Selecting and using plant growth regulators on floricultural crops
Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are chemicals that are designed to affect plant growth and/or development. They are applied for specific purposes to elicit specific plant responses. Although there is much scientific information on using PGRs in the greenhouse, it is not an exact science. Achieving the…
Godfrey Dol about CO2 in semi-closed glasshouses:
"In a worst-case scenario higher CO2 still increases yield with 2.8%"
CO2 plays a major part in the production of glasshouse crops. Carbon (the C in CO2) is the second most abundant element that makes up a tomato plant. (Water makes up 80% of the plant, carbon makes up half of the remaining 20%). Most of that carbon is taken up by the plant via the absorption of gaseous…
Getting started in the production of field-grown, specialty cut flowers
Specialty cut flowers are one of the most profitable field crops to grow. Lynn Byczynski, editor of the Growing For Market newsletter, estimates a value of $25,000 to $35,000 per acre for field-grown cuts. The most basic requirements are at least half an acre of open, arable land, a rototiller, and, of…
No substantial relationship yet between energy-efficient cultivation and physiological abnormality of alstroemeria
The project ‘Monitoring energy innovations in practice’ of Kas als Energiebron is, among other things, looking for a relationship between the appearance of lines in alstroemeria and the cooling down of the crop as a result of eradiation. So far, a firm conclusion cannot be drawn. The project ‘Monitoring energy…
Chrysanthemum successfully planted at record-breaking altitude
Chinese researchers have successfully grown chrysanthemum at a record-breaking height of 3,000 meters above sea level in Qaidam Basin on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Xinhua News Agency reported. Researchers of Nanjing Agricultural University started an experimental plantation of various species of…
US (FL): Veterans gain stress reduction techniques through gardening
When U.S. Navy veteran Deanne Thompson, 52, signed up for a free group gardening class through the University of Florida’s Wilmot Botanical Gardens, she didn’t realize the stress relief benefits and social outlet she would gain. “I needed to do something for me; a hobby that’s centering,” Thompson said.…
India: Floriculture helped reduce distress migration among Adivasi farmers
Young boys in tee shirts, shorts and chappals, their hands adorned with long floral garlands, is a sight one cannot miss on the 31-km main road connecting Limkheda with Dahod. Their presence also marks the entry into Rozam, a village in Dahod district and taluka, where there are marigold fields of both…
webinar, December 18
Current management and research on cut peonies
The Department of Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University is hosting a webinar focusing on cut peonies. Registration is open and free. Apart from production practices, new research on postharvest handling methods and management of pest and diseases will also be shared. This webinar is…
Genetic patterns associated with plant immunity
Genomic information from plants can be used to enhance agricultural production and improve food security in a sustainable manner. Through better understanding of the relationship between a plant's genetic information and the resulting behaviour, improved crops with better traits (resistance to diseases,…
Labor, water & climate
US (CA): Challenges for California horticulture
At its monthly meeting today, the California State Board of Food and Agriculture heard a cautiously optimistic appraisal of agriculture’s future through 2050 from economist Dr. Daniel Sumner, director of the Agricultural Issues Center at UC Davis. Dr. Sumner believes that net farm income will continue to…
Are edible flowers a solution for the struggling floriculture sector?
In a greenhouse near Nice, in the south of France, edible flowers are the star of the show. Scientists are ranking various varieties according to certain characteristics such as taste. The ANTEA project is a cross-border initiative between France and Italy supported by the EU Cohesion Policy. The policy…
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