I n d u s t r y I n f o r m a t i o n T o H e l p Y o u G r o w

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Griffin Locations:Cheshire, CTBall Ground, GA Tewksbury, MAGray, MEBridgeton, NJEwing, NJ

Auburn, NY Brookhaven, NY Schenectady, NY Morgantown, PA Knoxville, TN Richmond, VA

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All articles and material featured in this Gazette cannot be duplicated without written permission. Copyright © 2010 by Griffin Greenhouse & Nursery Supplies

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OFA July 11-13, 2010 Columbus Convention Center Columbus, OH www.ofa.org

PANTS August 3-5, 2010 Greater Philadelphia Expo Center Oaks, PA www.pantshow.com

Upcoming Industry Events:

Griffin MA Grower Expo August 18, 2010 Eastern States Expo Center West Springfield, MA www.griffins.com

Griffin TN Grower Expo September 15, 2010 Knoxville Expo Center Knoxville, TN www.griffins.com

Griffin Day at the Landisville Field Trials July 27, 2010 Penn State SE Research & Ext. Center Manheim, PA www.griffins.com

Griffin PA Grower Expo September 29, 2010 Lancaster Host Resort Lancaster, PA www.griffins.com

Griffin Expos & Events:

Toll Free Order Line: 1-800-659-4346 Griffin General Inquires: 1-800-888-0054

Griffin and Myers Joint Recycling InitiativeRecently, Griffin Greenhouse & Nursery Supplies and Myers Lawn and Garden Group (MLGG) kicked off a joint effort to begin the recycling of used plastic growing containers. Since 1983, the facilities of MLGG have been involved with collecting scrap plastic from the market and reprocessing it into usable pellets for making more flower pots. This “closed loop” process is referred to as “Cradle to Cradle.” Collectively, the MLGG sites have been responsible for preventing 100 million pounds of scrap plastic every year from going to municipal landfills. This amount represents the equivalent of 739,356 barrels of oil; or 261,904,540 KW of electricity; or 68, 038,935 gallons of gasoline; or 1,360,779 cubic yards of landfill space. While most of the recovered material has been from post industrial sources, our current Griffin/MLGG joint venture will collect used plastic from growers and eventu-ally from consumers. Products to be collected include blow-molded nursery cans (#2), pots, hanging baskets, and flats (#5), and bedding plant inserts and propagation and plug trays (#6). Details of the collection process are available at www.myerslawnandgarden.com or from your local Griffin Sales Representative.

MLGG New Coextruded PotsEarlier this year, MLGG took delivery of two new high-speed European coextruded growing container lines. Unlike any other coex pots on the market, the new MLGG pots have tag slots molded into the rim, making them fully func-tional compared to knife slits. The pots have strong rims and bottoms, but a thinner, flexible sidewall, which saves raw material cost and yet offers a smooth, consistent finish which is very suitable for offset printing or adhesive labeling. Accompanying carry trays will be available for all sizes of the new coex pots, which include:

04.00 Azalea pot (4” X 3”)04.00 Standard pot (4” X 4”)04.25” Standard pot (4.25” X 4.25”)04.25” Standard Tall (4.25” X 5.375”)04.50” Geranium pot (4.50” X 3.375”)01.00 G Tall pot (6.375” X 7.5”)

Ask your Griffin Sales or Customer Service Representative for samples of the new MLGG coex pots.

New Hex Decorative Pot MLGG’s latest addition to their decorative container line- the CPX13500 Hex pot is now available from your nearest Griffin warehouse. The Hex pot has a slight wood grain finish, giving it a weathered, slatted appearance, dif-ferent from the clay look of the Color Pot line. The hex shape offers an unusual perspective with a vertical design appearance. Standard colors for the Hex pot are Chocolate and Taupe, and are packed at 50 per carton and 2040 per bulk pallet. Ask your Griffin sales rep-resentative for a sample of the new Myers Lawn and Garden Hex Pot.

Coir Pot AdditionsMLGG has again expanded its offering of growing pots made from Coconut coir. Through an exclusive North American mar-keting agreement with Plant Best, the manu-facturer of the Fiber Grow coir product line, MLGG has offered a limited number of round grower pots and square pot strips, but the line has expanded significantly in the past year. The momentum for these eco-logically friendly pots made from coconut fibers and pith grows every season, and some major chain stores have embraced coir prod-ucts as a platform for vegetables and herbs. Due to popular demand and requests from distributors and growers, we are pleased to add these newest products to the category:

3.5” Square4” Square4.25” Square4” Round Tall4.5” Round Tall5” Round Tall

In addition to the coir pots in the line, MLGG offers carrying trays for almost every size pot. A new coir product brochure will be avail-able in June, and details some of the features and benefits of growing in coir, as well as some of the university research results from a comparative test of coir and several competing products.

New Products and Recycling Initiative from Myers Lawn & Garden Group

Manufacturer Spotlight

Griffin Events

The Landisville Field trials in Manheim, PA have been in existence since the late 1980’s. During that time it has earned a well deserved reputation as being one of the best places in the country to go to eval-uate the new plant introductions alongside the current industry standards. Entries include many of the latest introductions from top breeders across the globe. People from all across the U.S. as well as several foreign countries come to see the gardens each year. Over 1100 varieties are entered in the trials for this summer. Started in greenhouses located on the grounds of the Penn State SE Research and Extension Center, liners are potted into 5 gal con-tainers in late May by scores of energetic volunteers. As spring gives way to summer the gardens erupt with color. Learn more about the Trial Gardens at www.trialgar-denspsu.com. It’s a beautiful site!

GPSHort, Griffin’s plant services division has planned a day at the Trial Gardens exclusively for Griffin customers. Attendees will have their choice of a guided tour of the gardens, exploring on their own, or little of both. Don’t forget your camera for the eye popping beauty! The trials are a great place to evaluate weather tolerance. By the time you view them the plants will have seen heat, humidity and their fair share of thunderstorms. Demonstration projects overseen by the staff of the research center will also be available for viewing.

A full day has been planned. PA Extension Specialist Alan Michael will welcome everyone to the trial gardens that he has been so instrumental in developing and

maintaining over the years. 5 speakers will be presenting throughout the day and pesticide recertification credits will be available for some of the sessions. Pleasant View Gardens will be present-ing the new Proven Winners releases for 2011. Syngenta will follow with high-lights from their new introductions as well. GGSPro will provide three informa-tive sessions full of practical information.

• Virginia Brubaker- “GSI, Green Scene Investigations”- tips you can use for identifying a wide range of plant problems. Lots of great pictures from the GGSPro digital library.

• Jim Willmott- “BCA’s- What’s New and What’s Working”- biological insect and mite control is enjoying a surge of interest as more growers report success. Come find out how and why as Jim shares his expertise.

• Rick Yates- “Making the Most of Pesticide Applications”- Reduce the cost and increase the effectiveness of your spray program.

The fee for the day is only $25 per per-son. Food and snacks will be available throughout the day. Also available from the PA Cooperative Extension Service is a comprehensive booklet with lots of great information from the 2009 trials for just $10. The research farm is located in scenic western Lancaster County PA. With so many local attractions it would be easy to turn this into a vacation get away!

8:00 - 8:15 Welcome and Allen Michael, Field Trial Introduction

8:15 - 10:00 Field Trial Evaluation

10:00 - 10:15 Break

10:15 - 11:00 2011 New Varieties Syngenta Flowers - Megan Owens 11:00 - 12:00 BCA’s What’s New & What’s Working Jim Willmott - GGSPro 12:00 - 1:00 Lunch 1:00 - 2:00 Proven Winners 2011 New Varieties Pleasant View Gardens - Pete Gilmore 2:00 - 2:15 Break 2:15 - 3:00 GSI, Green Scene Investigations Virginia Brubaker - GGSPro 3:00 - 4:00 Making the Most of Pesticide Applications Rick Yates - GGSPro

Registration: Registration Fee: $25 Registration includes access to field trial, seminar program and lunch. $10 results book is available to order from Penn State at the trials.

Call to register by July 16, 2010: 1.866.307.8142 Registration is limited to the first 300 people. The registration fee is non-refundable.

You are cordially invited to attend the 2010 Griffin Day at the Landisville Field Trials...

July 27, 2010 | 8:00 - 4:00 Penn State SE Research & Extension Center

1446 Auction Road | Manheim, PA 17545

• View over 1,100 vegetative and seed propagated annuals grown in containers • Attend Educational Seminars with industry speakers • Pesticide Credits Available

• Lunch Included

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Save the date for the 2010 Griffin Expo in your area.MA Expo | August 18, 2010 8:00 am - 4:00 pm Eastern States Expo Center 1305 Memorial Ave West Springfield, MA

TN Expo | September 15, 2010 8:00 am - 4:00 pm Knoxville Expo Center 5441 Clinton Hwy. Knoxville, TN

Congratulations on successfully navigating another spring bedding plant season! Not much rest for the weary, however, as it’s already time to set our sights on next year. Summer brings opportunities to refresh one’s perspective regarding decisions that need to be made to prepare for next season.

Some of these decisions deal with greenhouse systems needs. Others deal with crop culture adjustments like tweaking crop schedules and refining cultural practices. Most of these decisions result in changes; changes in greenhouse technology, equipment, and supplies that need to be pur-chased. And all of these decisions require thoughtful planning.

This year’s Griffin Expos will swing through our territory in August and September. Please mark the calendar for the Expo in your area. The Northern Expo will take place on August 18 in West Springfield, Massachusetts at the “Big E” Exposition Center. The tour heads to Knoxville, Tennessee for the Southern Expo on September 15 at the Knoxville Expo Center. The third stop will be on September 29 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania for the Mid Atlantic installment at the Lancaster Host Hotel and Conference Center.

Spend some time, save a lot of moneyThe heart and soul of a Griffin Expo is to thank loyal customers for their support. It takes great relationships to maintain the partnerships Griffin has built with growers from Maine to Georgia. Ken Hyslip Sr. enjoyed calling these events “Customer Appreciation Days”. As they grew the name Expo was adopted to more accurately describe the atmosphere that had grown from his desire to give something back to Griffin customers for their business. There’s a news radio station I pick up when driving through the New York City area with a tag line something like “Give us twenty minutes…we’ll give you the world”. Attending a Griffin Expo is very much like this. Give us a day of your time and we’ll save you a lot of money, on just about everything needed to run a greenhouse.

The incentive to attend your region’s Expo lies in savings. Day-of-show specials have become a cornerstone of the day’s activities. The ground

rule, however, is that the discounts and savings can only be secured by attending. Again, give us a day of your time…we’ll save you a lot of money. Vendors who participate in Griffin Expos do not mince words in describ-ing them as must attend events. Walking around the trade show floor is very much like attending any other major floriculture trade show. Most of the vendors and products involved in everyday greenhouse activities will be there. A BIG difference, however, is that Expos are buying events whereas most other trade shows are focused on showing rather than buy-ing. Having the vendors and distributor together makes for an efficient way to see products, discuss them with local sales reps, and buy on the spot. And there’s another point many vendors make; Griffin is always at the top of their list of best distributors nationally. Plant material too Griffin’s Plant Department has become a force throughout its territory. Expo offerings don’t stop at greenhouse supplies and equipment. No sir. Don’t miss out on seeing the newest varieties from a wide range of plant vendors. Our Plant Department representatives attend the annual California Pack Trials to keep up with the latest introductions and cool-est marketing trends. In fact, plant department specialists will speak during the Expo educational program. New varieties and trendy tips will be discussed in their presentations.

Never stop learningIn addition to the savings of the day we’ll also provide an educational program that’s nothing short of world class. Our GGSPro technical team speaks, writes, and advises on a complete range of topics with extensive depth and breadth. This year’s educational program will include presentations on new vari-eties by plant department specialists Tom Kirby and Dave Williams as stated a moment ago. A pesticide recertification session on Hot Topics in Pest Control will be presented by Rick Yates and Jim Willmott of our GGSPro team. The third speaker at the Northern and Mid Atlantic Expos will be Rick Segel, a well known expert in marketing and retailing. Rick uses humor and experiences from a wide range of industries and high profile compa-nies to discuss fresh ideas in marketing that lead to higher profits. At the Knoxville Southern Expo I will round out the program in Rick’s stead to address profitability, marketing, and sound business management. Whether it’s learning about new varieties, the latest conventional and biological pest control recommendations, or marketing ideas to boost profitability this educational program promises to hit the mark. As in the past, exciting raffle items, gifts, and plenty of food and refreshment will accompany the day. As mentioned above, please mark the calendar for the Expo nearest you. Give us a day of your time, we’ll save you a lot of money!

PA Expo | September 29, 2010 8:00 am - 4:00 pm Lancaster Host Resort 2300 Lincoln Highway East (Rt. 30) • Lancaster, PA

Pre-register by calling: 1.866.307.8142 or visit our website: www.griffins.com

Grower to Grower | Griffin Events

Griffin Expos Offer Great Savings, New Products, and Valuable Education. By Peter Konjoian

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Here are our best bets for showstopper action that customers won’t be able to resist. These plants were chosen by our own Griffin attendees for their unique colors and flower forms and other superior traits. These varieties will all be available for 2011 as seed, plugs, unrooted cuttings, or liners depending on the product and supplier. Ask your Griffin sales representative or call (800) 732-3509 for more information and pricing. And remember, order early - guarantee your reserve.

Alstromeria Inticancha Series (Fides) – These unusual flowers in strong colors make a nice planter. They are compact and heat toler-ant. They put on a spectacular show when planted in 10, 12, 14 or 20 inch pots. (Photo A) Bacopa Scopia Gulliver Doubles (Danziger) – Introducing 3 colors including Double White, Double Blue and Double Pear. Large flowers, same great habit has the other series. (Photo B)

Begonia Gryphon (PanAmerican Seed) - Large striking foliage creates a “WOW” factor as a stand alone or in combos. Timing is the same as Dragon Wing Begonias. Place one plug in a 6” pot. Takes shade to partial sun. (Photo C)

Calibrochoa Superbells Punch (Proven Winners) - 2 exciting new colors, Blackberry Punch and Coralberry Punch. Both have unique 2 tone blooms. Also bred for high pH tolerance. These two have a slightly looser habit than other Superbells. (Photo D)

Dahlia Hypnotica Series (Fides) – Six additional color introductions in this series bringing it to 12, with great flower form and habit of plants throughout the series. These are true winners amongst Dahlias – one of our favorites! (Photo E)

Dahlia Lucky Series (GroLink) - New series of striped flowers in 5 colors. Uniform in habit and great for 4-6” pots. Flowers are striking and unique. (Photo F)

Fusable Seeds (PanAmerican Seed) - single species multi pelleted seed produces instant combinations. Each pellet is formulated to deliver a balanced mix of plants. Two or more seedling varieties per pellet at a 90% minimum germination standard. This will be the seed version of our MultiLiner, Kwik Combo and Trixi- liner plugs. (Photo G)

Heuchera Kira Series (Danziger) – Hardy in zones 4-9. Wide range of colors and great mounded habit with excellent and drought tolerance. (Photo H) Landscape Gerbera (Florist) – Six new colors with dark eyes and bringing the total to 13 colors to choose from. Large flowers bloom abundantly from spring to autumn, make excellent cut flowers and are great for big containers. (Photo I)

Pansy Plentifal (PanAmerican Seed) - 1st trailing series of pansies from seed with a spreading habit. Great for hanging baskets as well as combos and ground cover. Has superior overwintering hardiness. Four colors introduced. (Photo J)

Petunia Novela Martha Washington (Oro Farms) - great double pink flower, more unusual. (Photo K)

Simply Salad (PanAmerican Seed) - 3 Mixes of multi pelleted seed, Alfresco Mix, City Garden Mix and Global Gourmet Mix. Each mix can be direct sown into a color bowl and can be cut every 3 weeks. (Photo L)

Trixi Liners (Selecta First Class) - 5 new offerings, Melon Sorbet, Purple Heart, Paso Doble, Tequila Sunrise and Lollipop. There are 17 total recipes to choose from. (Photo M)

Velox Verbena (Cohen Nurseries) – A cross between a Verbena and Phlox, 100% mildew resistant and heat tolerant. Currently available in a Light Pink and Pink. (Photo N) Zinnia Zahara Double (Pan American Seed) - Zahara Series adds 2 new mixes Bonfire and Raspberry Lemonade as well as 2 doubles, Cherry and Fire. 20% Larger flowers than any market leader and great disease tolerance. Heat and sun loving, these plants are out-standing in hot and dry locations. (Photo O)

New “Must-Have” Plants for 2011, from the California Spring Trials By Nanette Marks

Plant Corner

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Plant Corner

Ahh, time to breath. It’s another spring come and gone. Your money’s in the bank; bills are almost paid; greenhouses are nearly empty. Spring went pretty smoothly. There were enough pots and flats, soil to fill them, and space to grow in. As you gaze over the left-overs, you see some real dogs of plants - washed out colors, stretched and overgrown, and totally unsuited for the containers in which they were planted. You begin to think, if only you had received the varieties you ordered, you wouldn’t be spending your tapped-out spring energy reserve on throwing these out. But circumstances forced you to take too many plants of the same color, in series that didn’t match your tags, on ship weeks when you didn’t have enough help. It was the only way that you could get enough plants to fill your greenhouses. And every year you’re thankful to the folks at Griffin, with all those follow-up phone call finding the closest matches, despite the changes that you had to make in your production and labor to accommodate these misfits. What’s a grower to do?

Here’s your answer. Start your plant ordering process immediately following your selling season for each crop. That’s June for annuals, November for mums, and January for poinsettias. The process begins with asking for next year’s variety catalogs. Browse the new introductions, additional colors, improved habits, and read all the descriptions. Next, review your past order history and remember every plant that disappointed you – too tall, too short, too late, too early, too vigor-ous or didn’t fill the container. There are plants that fit you as a grower. Make your switches and find the new varieties to try. Now place your order, and save money. Yes, now you will not only get the plants you want, the ones especially suited for your operation, but you will get discounts from the suppliers. Sup-pliers want to reserve space to grow your order. They need to place their seed and cutting orders early. Having orders in place reduces the risk of speculat-ing on what customers will want and need. They save money, so you save money. Early order discounts can range from 2% all the way up to 10% off list price.

So as you read this, it’s time to order again. There is no rest for the weary, so at least get what you want. Send us your literature requests and we’ll get you started. When your sales history arrives with your 2011 Griffin Plant Reference Guide, you’ll be all set to order. You can even order your literature online at www. GPSHort.com, or call (800) 732-3509. We fill your requests as we receive new catalogs.

Early Ordering AdvantagesDowntime in the summer and early fall can be an ideal time to be bringing in pe-rennials for a superior crop next spring. There are many reasons why growers should consider summer production for at least a portion of their perennial offerings.

Winter vernalization is one of the most important requirements for many perennials to bloom on schedule. Even perennials that bloom the first year can benefit from a vernaliza-tion period to achieve heavier blooming plants. Although plugs and liners can be vernalized in cell trays and purchased in early spring from most of our perennial suppliers, flowering is enhanced when overwintered in larger cell sizes. The best quality can be achieved by vernalizing the plants in the actual container they will be sold in. But this doesn’t mean that small liners can be purchased and dropped into their final containers and be placed in cold storage. This would be disastrous for an immature root system and would cause many plants to freeze and rot in oversized, waterlogged pots, or heave and dry out dur-ing periods of freezing and thawing. Ideally, the roots should be allowed to grow out for a minimum of 3 weeks at warm soil temperatures before cooling the roots. This can be done outdoors or in a coldframe, the coldframe allowing for later planting through Sep-tember. Summer planting is also recommended for slow growers started from a small liner that should initially be started in quarts for several months before bumping into gallons. Again, allowing 3 weeks for rooting out in the gallons before bedding down for the winter.

You can recognize perennials that don’t require vernalization if they are sold in “annual” programs and grown as such. This would include genera like Achil-lea ptarmica, Agastache, Ajuga, most Coreopsis, Delphineum, many Dianthus, La-mium, Gaura, Gaillardia, most Heuchera, most Penstemon, Scabiosa, Sedum and Ver-bena Homestead Purple. These plants bloom so readily without treatment, that they are often treated as annuals, and hardiness may not even be important when selecting.

Plants that are able to bloom without cold, but will have enhanced blooming from a ver-nalization treatment include Achillea millefoleum, Echinacea, most Leucanthemum, Phlox paniculata, Salvia nemorosa and Verbascum. These are often used only as ac-cent plants in annual containers or as true perennials in larger pots. Their blooming pe-riod is shorter and they may not have appealing foliage for long season interest such as heucheras. Companion plants in a mixed container will hide them when not in bloom.

The perennials that require complete vernalization in order to bloom are not recommended in mixed annual containers, because their cold requirements place them on a different timing schedule from the annual crops. This group includes Aquilegia, Armeria maritime, Astilbe, Monarda, Phlox subulata, Stokesia and Veronica. Special combination programs have been developed around perennials requiring vernalization, such as the Spring Magic program from Pleasant View Gardens. These early season pots are stunning in bloom and can be replaced with warm season plants when they finish their spring blooming season and be placed out in the garden.

A summer program for perennials can include not only plants being grown on for vernalization, but there are many foliage perennials that can be used as a summer grown combination planter and intermixed with mums, pansies and other fall crops. Good selections would be Acorus, Aguga, Euphorbia, Heuchera, Jun-cus, Lamium, Lysimachia, Sage and Sedum. These can all be mixed with fall blooming annuals, adding contrast with colorful foliage and different textures.

Free space in the summer can yield additional crops for strong fall sales, allow bulking up small perennials for large pots, and enhancing first season bloom with more flowers and stronger basal growth. Plants can be grown to order for you starting now, or you can browse what will be available for summer and early fall by requesting current and future availabilities. Call your griffin plant representative or Griffin Plant Services at (800) 732-3509 for summer crop ideas.

Perennials for Summer and Fall Production

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By Nanette Marks

More feed, less feed, too small, too big…how to get your

garden mums to finish just right. Griffin has avail-able to you the Garden Mum bulletin and the GGSPro Garden Mum DVD as guides that will help you provide the right requirements

to produce a success-ful mum crop. One of the

tools in our arsenal is the use of PGR’s. The application of Florel

as a foliar spray is used by many growers to replace hand pinching. Typically this is applied to the cuttings soon after they arrive at 500 ppm (1.6 oz/ gal). This early treatment helps by getting the plants under the influence of Florel as early as possible to increase branching, decrease the incidence of premature bud-ding and can also be used as a tool to time flowering. Repeated at two week intervals, Florel helps to keep plants vegetative as well as providing more breaks per plant when compared to hand pinching. Florel also reduces internode elongation, which reduces or eliminates the need for other growth regulators later in the season. Labor savings are significant and greatly appreciated. Make your last Florel application before July 1st to avoid delaying the natural season flower date.

Many of the newer mum cultivars are quite free branch-ing and have recently encouraged the promotion of the “No Pinch/No Florel” mum programs. Crucial to the suc-cess of this technique is planting actively growing cuttings and fertilizing them heavily at 400 ppm constant liquid feed, especially during the first several weeks. Growers have had good success with this program. However, this program has triggered some debate based on the cost of higher fertilizer rates vs. the relatively inexpensive Florel applications. For growers with overhead irrigation it is impossible to deliver this high rate of feed; even with the option of a high rate of slow release fertilizer.

Hand pinching is still an option, but it is very labor in-tensive. The first through the third week of June is the ideal time to plant pinched mum cuttings from cells. This allows for 1-2 additional pinched by July 5th, and no lat-er than July 15th. This is the time frame you should use to accomplish your last pinch, in order to flower on the natural flowering date. Breaks should be 3-4” long when the pinch is given. A soft pinch is all that is needed, just be sure you have pinched down into stem tissue and not just folded leaves. Refer to the Griffin Mum Bulletin and DVD for further details.

When it comes to Chrysanthemum White Rust garden mum growers have no other choice than to be prepared and prepare we must. The 2009 mum season introduced many of us for the first time to Chrysanthemum White Rust (CWR) a serious disease of fall garden mums. While it can cause unsightly damage, the greater con-cern is that it is regulated by Federal Plant Quarantine Laws, which results in significant losses for growers.

In his GGSPro bulletin on CWR, Jim Willmott de-scribes this disease as a rust that is caused by the fungal pathogen Puccinia horiana. Recognizing the symptoms is essential for early detection and preventing crop losses. It is imperative that all mum growers become vigilant scouts and implement preventative spray programs. Scout and destroy all infected chrysanthemums. Espe-cially pay close attention to mums that may have been left over from last season or planted in display gardens near production areas. Don’t forget to also check closely related crops including Dendranthemum, Pyrethrum and Montauk daisies as they are also potential hosts.

Jim describes the disease symptoms as first appearing as faint yellow spots on leaf surfaces. Usually this is observed in late summer and early fall, but with unseasonably cool, wet summers like we had in 2009, it can appear anytime the weather is favorable for CWR development. As the disease progresses, tissue may appear puckered and yellow spots become more numerous. Eventually white-buff structures, called pustules, develop on the undersides of leaves.

Once CWR is detected, the State Department of Agriculture must be noti-fied. This disease is spread during conditions of high humidity and cool tem-peratures by splashing water, air movement and handling. Drip irrigation is pre-ferred to overhead watering to eliminate any excessive splashing. When possible minimize the amount of handling and moving of plants done within the mum fields.

With relatively low profit margins, disease management must be economical as well as effective. Griffin recommends using one of the following fungicides soon after the cut-tings are rooted or as soon as they arrive if you purchase cuttings: Compass, Heritage or Pageant. Treatment at this time is economical because the area to be treated is small. Do not use Eagle at this time to avoid resistance pressure since it is required if CWR is found in the crop.

Cool wet conditions are required for CWR to become active. Money can be saved by only making preventative fungicide applications when favorable weather conditions are forecast to occur. The following products are effective protectants and are relatively in-expensive to use. Rotate Protect T/O with Daconil Weather-Stik or Ultrex at 7 – 14 day intervals. These products require thorough coverage since there is no penetration or movement in plant tissue. The quarantine calls for Eagle or another product containing myclobutanil to be applied if CWR is confirmed in the crop. Consult the Griffin 2010 Insecticide and Fungicide Options Bulletins for a comprehensive list including rates and use patterns.

The Chrysanthemum White Rust bulletin is available to Griffin customers for further details and help with the diagnosing of symptoms and signs.

Frequently Asked

Questions Timely Tips

2. What is Chrysanthemum White Rust and should mum growers be concern?

1. Should Florel be used on my garden mums?

By Virginia Brubaker, Technical Support Specialist

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Technical Tips

Insect and Mite Wrap-up, Spring 2010By Rick Yates, GGSPro Technical Services Manager

Unseasonably warm weather early in the spring season was the perfect antidote for “Cabin Fever” after a cold and snowy winter in many locations. The great weather ramped up early sales and was much appreciated. The corresponding acceleration of insect and mite populations…. not so much. Western flower thrips for example, experience a sharp decline in the number of days it takes to complete one generation as temperatures warm up. More troubling is the corresponding population increase. At 59°F there is virtually no population increase from one generation to the next but at 86°F there is more than an 8 fold increase! Similar effects are seen with many other greenhouse and nursery pests. This puts a strain on the best biological or traditional control program and highlights the need for regular crop scouting.

Fig1 Aphids give birth to live young without an egg stage allowing them to build up rapidly. When the early spring warm up arrived it sent aphid populations into orbit. Neonicitinoids such as: Flagship, Marathon, Safari (drench only) and TriStar generally worked well this spring however resistance is a real concern due to an over reliance on this mode of action (MOA 4). Feeding blockers such as Aria (MOA 9C) and En-deavor (MOA 9B) take 3-5 days to kill aphids but are well worth the wait. Excellent plant safety combined with compatibility with many important biological control agents (BCA’s) make them a good rotation choice. Consider giving the new formulation of Enstar, “AQ” (MOA 7A) a place in your aphid program. It is an IGR now with improved bloom safety. Kontos (MOA 23) cannot be used on geraniums or dracaena but for other crops it has shown long residual aphid control from a spray (2+ weeks) and a drench (4+ weeks). Most growers utilizing BCA’s were able to weather the storm, some using Endeavor on hot spots to help the good guys catch up. Aphidoletes aphidimyza is a midge insect that can be applied directly into aphid hot spots to bolster control as well.

Fig2 Spider mite inquiries to GGSPro’s technical team were more numerous (and sometimes more frantic!) as the early season warmth put them well ahead of schedule. Mites have a well earned reputation for rapidly developing resistance to pesticides so rotating carefully is a must. Fortunately there are currently several good miticides to choose from. Floramite (MOA 25), Shuttle (MOA 20) and the old standby Avid (MOA 6) are all working well. It is important to make 2 consecutive applications of Avid 7 days apart to disrupt the life cycle because it does not control the egg stage. Kontos (MOA 23) can be used as a drench on ap-proved crops if applied early in the crop cycle when plants are small and rapidly growing and before the mite population increases. Once good adult control has been achieved Tetrasan (MOA 10B) gives long residual control of the egg and early immature stages. Phytoseiulus persimilis is a predator mite with a voracious appetite for spider mites. So much so that they can be utilized to clean up existing spider mite populations. (Check with GGSPro if you have already applied miticides so we can make sure they are compatible with the predator mites.) The GGSPro team is available to help you with BCA’s, including utilizing compatible pesticides when appropriate. BCA’s reduce the number of pesticide applications needed, thereby reducing resistance pressure. Another good reason to investigate biological controls.

Fig3 Western Flower Thrips were well represented on sticky cards up and down the east coast again this spring. The GGSPro staff was amazed to find that some growers were still trying to use Conserve (MOA5) to control thrips despite the fact that resistance has rendered this product of little value against them. There is a warning for all of us in that last sentence. The most effective thrips treatments this past spring were: Pylon (MOA 13), Overture (MOA UN), TriStar (MOA 4A) at the maximum label rate only and a tank mix of Avid (MOA 6) and Azatin (MOA 18B). Kontos holds promise as a thrips product, particularly from a drench. GGSPro will keep a close eye on that as more data becomes available. BCA programs have been successful but require more detail than we have space for here. Would it surprise you to know that beneficial nematodes are being used to help control thrips as a foliar spray? At this year’s Griffin Expo’s Jim Willmott and I will be presenting “Hot Topics in Pest Control”. You can be sure that nematodes will be on the docket. You won’t want to miss this, hope to see you there!

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Technical Tips

The weed forecast for this summer is mostly bad and ugly with a slight chance of good. Only the most proactive growers will escape. Why will this season be so challenging? Blame it on heavy precipitation throughout most of the Eastern U.S. this past winter and spring. Wet soils, favoring germination, combined with shortened residual control by preemer-gence herbicides has fueled prolific populations.

While it may be too late for many growers, suc-cessful weed control begins before placing containers in the field. The most economical preemptive action is to spray a non-selective poste-mergence herbicide containing glyphosate (Roundup, Glyphosate Pro, Touchdown) in a tank mix with preemergence herbicides (listed below).

Shortly after planting and after container media settles, preemergence herbicides should be made over the top either as a spray or granular application (check labels for crop specific restrictions). Sprays are less costly, but they have a greater risk of plant injury than granular herbi-cides. Applications must be made prior to weed germination and they must be moved into the top surface of media either through irrigation or precipitation. Early applications will hold off weeds until crop canopies expand and herbicide residual control starts to wane in about 8 weeks.

Growers who started with clean fields and applied preemergence herbicides to containers, have a decent shot at relaxing this summer and enjoying a good weed scenario! However, most of those who did not will suffer from the bad and ugly scenario. They will have no option other than at least one round of back breaking, costly weed pulling and, unless they want to go a few more rounds, they will still have to apply a preemergence herbicide soon after round one.

Besides immediate production areas, take a look around for weeds lurk-ing on the perimeters. Some sorts like mugwort and willowherb produce highly mobile air-borne seed that will quickly take advantage of the prime

real estate in your containers! To make matters worse, none of the appropriate herbicides will protect crops from heavy infes-tations of these species. Weeds in these areas should be kept to a minimum. Mowing prior to seed production is one option. Applying a glyphosate product postemergence is another. For a longer term solution, con-sider planting low maintenance ground covers such as chew-ings, hard or sheep fescue.

Before concluding, we must stress that growers who apply herbicides have only a chance to enjoy good weed control. Judging by calls to our Technical Department, many growers seem mystified by proper preemer-gence herbicide application techniques. This is not usually as much of an issue with granular applications as it is with sprays. We are often asked: “how much herbicide and water do I mix?” This makes sense for a poste-mergence herbicide like Roundup, but not a preemergence. For these we need to know the amount of water that will be applied to a given area. Preemergence herbicide application rates are given as amounts of herbi-cides for given areas – usually per 1000 f2 or acre. Since water delivers sprayable herbicides, you must first determine how much water will be applied to a measured area. For example, if an herbicide calls for 2 oz per 1000f2 and your sprayer applies 3 gals of water per 1000f2, you need to add 2 oz of herbicide to 3 gals of water and treat 1000f2. If you have 5,000f2 to treat, add 10 oz of herbicide to 15 gals of water in your spray tank. Spray equipment just like granular spreaders, must be calibrated. The most accurate sprayers have booms with properly selected and spaced nozzles. They also move at a constant rate of speed while maintaining steady hydraulic pressure. Booms are adaptable to backpack sprayers, but they should have pressure gauges and walking speed must be consistent.

Table 1. Preemergence Herbicides Labeled for Application to Outdoor Grown Containerized Herbaceous Ornamentals and Sites Where They are Grown

Summer Weed Control for Outdoor Containerized Herbaceous Ornamental Crops – The Good, Bad and UglyBy Jim Willmott, Technical Services Specialist, GGSPro

Image 1. Common groundsel is a troublesome summer weed due to its airborne seeds that frequently blow into and infest containers. Photo JC Neal, NC State University.

All Products denoted with G are granular formulations that are spread on dry. All others are mixed with water and applied as sprays.

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Labor is another area that you may want to look at to find some cost savings. By adding a flat filler, conveyors or transportation carts to your operation, your business will become more productive and help keep your labor overhead cost down.

Shop TalkBy Mike Foley

Heating - gas fired hot air unit heaters: Let’s say your gas unit heaters are more than 10 years old with standard gravity vents and run at 60% to 65% efficiency, which is quite common. If you installed new high efficiency units that run at 93% efficiency you could gain 30% in efficiency. That would translate to a savings of $300.00 on every $1,000.00 you now spend on heating. Some states have grant money available for an upgrade to your heating system, and some gas suppliers also offer incentives to upgrade. Heat retention / shade systems are another area that large savings can be realized both in heating and cooling your greenhouse. Check with your state or the Federal Government about Grant money available.

How Best to Choose Your Business Capital ImprovementsIf you look up the word “capital” in a dictionary, among other meanings it says “the funds contributed to a business by the owner or stock holders”. This is assuming the funds will be available. Let’s look at some areas where a Capital Improvement will give you a reasonable pay back for your business.

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Electric power is another area where costs are on the rise. Adding natural ventilation such as roll-up sidewalls, roof vents or converting your roof to an open roof could be an alternative to fan cooling. Sometimes cooling a greenhouse can be almost as expensive as heating one. There are growers that have received grants and or low interest loans for these types of cost saving measures. I’ve also seen grants for wind mills and solar collectors if the site meets certain criteria.

August at Griffin Greenhouse Sup-plies usually means preparing for our annual MA Expo. This year it will also mean saying goodbye to a longtime Griffin staff member and friend. After 41 years at Griffin, Mike has decided to trade in his green-house blueprints for a fishing pole. Mike started at Griffin back in 1964, when we were just a single loca-tion in Reading, MA. With the addi-tion of Mike, Griffin’s staff grew to a whopping seven people. As Griffin Greenhouse Supplies grew, so did Mike. He worked his way from driv-ing a truck, where Fridays in the summer consisted of washing the truck, lunch at China Moon and a round of miniature golf at Hago Har-rington’s, up to VP of our Structure and Equipment Division. Along the way he has been an integral part of the work Griffin has done within our industry. We would like to thank Mike for all his years of dedication and wish him happiness as he be-gins this new chapter in his life.

After 41 Years, Mike Is Going Fishing

Nursery Supplies Inc.® (NSI®) is the world’s leading manufacturer of plastic containers for the wholesale nursery industry is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year. Originally called Farm Supplies, the company was founded by Theodore J. Guarriello Sr, as an offshoot of a northern New Jersey farmers’ cooperative. In its early days, the company marketed such products as bushel baskets, apple crates and seedling trays to what was then called the “truck farm” indus-try in the Metropolitan New York and Philadelphia areas. Some of the earliest nursery pots, manufactured by a company in Kansas City, were made by folding and stapling tar paper. Ted Guarriello Sr recognized the booming nature of the horticulture business and eventually found himself out selling seedling trays and tar paper pots on his own at nursery association trade shows and meetings. In the late 1950’s, early 1960’s, Ted Guarriello Sr’s company became involved in an entirely new concept- metal nursery con-tainers from used # 10 cans. These cans, shipped from large companies such as Del Monte, Hunts, Dole, etc. were cleaned, stripped of the tin, formed into a tapered shape, had drainage holes punched into them, and finally were painted. As the food industry changed in the 1960’s, the availability of the used cans decreased and a new way to manufacture nursery pots had to be found.

Ted Guarriello Sr had an intuitive marketing sense and led the company to become the country’s first producer of plastic containers for the nurs-ery industry. During the 1950’s and early 60’s the plastic blow molding process was developed and Ted drew out the designs for the first poly-tainers. Initially, a plastic toy manufacturer needing to diversify made the first plastic nursery pots, but in time that arrangement fell through and Ted Guarriello Sr was forced to produce those pots himself. The company grew steadily throughout the early ‘60’s, and by 1966, his eldest son Henry (Hank), had become active in the firm. It was in 1966 the family took the step of officially incorporating as Nursery Supplies, Inc.® With the rapid growth of wholesale nursery activity throughout the country in the early ‘70’s, particularly in Florida and Southern California, both areas in which crops could grow twelve months a year, NSI® saw the opportunity to serve the growers’ needs on a national scale. In 1976, the company opened its first west coast facility in Southern California, managed by Ted Sr’s youngest son Ted Jr, and his daughter Rita. In 1984 this same team opened a manufacturing facility in McMinnville, Oregon to serve the rapidly developing Oregon nursery industry. In the meantime, the company’s eastern operation was relocated

from northern New Jersey to Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, and in 1994 to its present site in Chambersburg, Pa. In 2000, Nursery Supplies® merged with The Lerio Corporation, who had devel-oped a very strong wholesale customer franchise in the southeast-ern United States. Concurrently, the company built a brand new 125,000 sq foot manufacturing facility in Kissimmee, Florida, to capitalize upon the combination of The Lerio Corporations’ strong customer relationships in the south and NSI’s® advanced manufac-turing capabilities. In May 2005, Lincolnshire Management Inc., a private equity firm headquartered in New York City, acquired sub-stantially all of the outstanding shares from the Guarriello family.

Today, as Nursery Supplies® celebrates its 50th Anniversary, it remains the only company fully dedicated to the wholesale nursery industry with blow molding, injection molding and large scale thermoforming manufacturing capabilities dedicated to this industry. It is also provid-ing its expertise to consumer products companies in need of deep draw, thin wall containers compatible with the company’s core expertise. Ever forward looking, the company converted its raw material streams to nearly exclusive use of recycled materials in 2008, and today con-tinues to innovate the unique use of post-consumer plastics as well as development of bio-resins and ecologically responsible solutions for its customers.

Nursery Supplies - 50 Years of Growing With You

®

Manufacturer Spotlight

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