The researchers shared their findings on how LEDs affect pest control agents in greenhouses.

After 40 years of supporting Canadian greenhouse growers, the annual Canadian Greenhouse Conference returns in 2021.

The two lighting-focused conferences that caught our attention were "Optimizing Orius Performance in Greenhouses", led by Dr. Rose Labbe, a greenhouse entomologist at the Harrow Research and Development Center of the Canadian Ministry of Agriculture and Agri-Food, and "Using Artificial Light to Change Parasites" Biological behavior to improve biological control of aphids", written by Jessica Fraser, a master student in plant biology at Laval University. Both conferences presented information on the LED lighting that growers can use in the greenhouse.

As we all know, LED lights are an important part of many greenhouses, which operate in areas that do not provide enough natural light for crops. But LEDs can also affect insects, and this is what the two researchers set out to investigate.

Labbe and her research team are working to determine the most effective and sustainable way to manage the pest diversity that exists in Canadian greenhouses and vertically grown crops. In her speech, she shared how LED lights can make Orius species perform more effectively. As a predator of more than 20 different insect species, Orius bed bugs are very valuable to growers who need control agents to control thrips, whiteflies, lepidoptera, etc. If LED lights can enhance the effectiveness of Orius species predators against pests in greenhouses and vertical farms, then growers will have another tool in their pest control library.

Labbe discovered that the Orius species does indeed respond to selective spectroscopy. Specifically, blue light stimulates Orius laevigatus the most, while violet light stimulates Orius insidiosus the most, "showing that short-wavelength light has the ability to better manipulate the physiological and behavioral responses of insects." Labbe also pointed out that although it was not in the study It has been observed, but in the short-day season, that high-intensity green LED lights may improve the population growth of Orius.

Of course, the work of the researchers was never really completed, and Labbe said there was more work to be done. Looking to the future, Labbe said that "future work should evaluate the performance of O. insidiosus from different latitudes," because the latitude of Orius' origin will affect its development. According to the researchers, there is still a lot of investigation to be done, but “as the Canadian greenhouse industry continues to provide better and more effective lighting conditions for improving crop production and effective use of greenhouse gases, the future of lighting and arthropod research is bright. Year-round crop protection."

Fraser shared her master's research on how LED lights change the behavior of parasitic wasps and their pest hosts. Fraser started experimenting with LEDs to test different lengths of daylight and different colors of light. If Fraser finds an LED system that is beneficial to crops and parasites but not to pests, then the parasites may be able to control pests more effectively. This means that growers will be able to implement LED systems in their greenhouses to help control pests and protect their plants.

Fraser and her team chose the wasp Aphidius matricariae as the parasitic wasp, the green peach aphid Myzus persicae as the pest host, and the sweet pepper Capsicum annuum as the crop.

Fraser and her team found that aphids did not have any observable responses to LED lights, but wasps did. During the extended days of broad spectrum white and red/green/blue (RGB), female wasps increase their activity. On the other hand, under the extended days of red/blue (RB), men’s activity increased. Fraser also determined that “a shorter extended day period may be more likely to promote more activity (in the wasp) than a longer extended day period." These parasitic wasps have increased activity without benefiting the aphids. The results indicate that white , RGB or RB day extended light conditions may increase the biological control effect of wasps.

Although Fraser said, "It is unclear how this will affect wasps and their hosts at the population level, and whether this will change the results of biological control," she plans to continue exploring this topic.

Labbe and Fraser's research has provided promising results for growers looking for new ways to control greenhouse pests. Since many factories already use LED lights in greenhouses to help plants grow, using them as biological control tools may be a good way for growers to get the most from their investment.

Why is it important for the next generation to understand the power of plants and how to do it.

Before botanists James Wandersee and Elisabeth Schussler coined the term "plant blindness" in 1998, most people in the United States had lost the collective ability to notice the surrounding plants . The common sense of our ancestors has become a neglect of where our food comes from, the importance of plants to human and animal health, and the role of plants in the survival of our planet. Seed Your Future has been working tirelessly to turn the situation around and inspire more people-especially young people-to appreciate the role of plants in our world and may explore careers that work with plants. Moderate gains are being made.

Then the world changed. A global pandemic has changed all aspects of human life, including our way of life, work, food, entertainment, and social life. Fear of going out, fear of contact with others, fear of the unknown plague, forces us to isolate not only from each other, but also from the natural world. Although decades of solid research have confirmed the healing, healing, soothing and enlightening abilities of plants and nature, access to outdoor spaces is limited. Even enjoying your own backyard or balcony is regarded by many as too risky to bear.

As media coverage of the spread of the pandemic surges, the "Seed Your Future" campaign looks for voices we will adopt to help ease the growing panic. Although the pandemic was and is still a dangerous issue, we have chosen to spread information about the power of plants to support our physical and mental health—especially in times of crisis. Our #NatureNeverClose and #YearOfThePlant activities provide inspiration about plants and nature. We try to change the vernacular. This is about physical distance, not social isolation. One study after another has proved that growing plants around plants, or even just looking at flowers and plants, can improve our mood, bring us hope, and free us from hunger and despair.

Although we can never say that the pandemic has "a silver lining", the truth is that more people are showing interest in plants, growing their own food and flowers, buying indoor plants, seeds, gardening supplies, and spending time to improve the world. There are plants around them. . It can be said to be "green lining".

As people who are passionate about plants, this is indeed the decisive moment we have been working on. Economists report that garden and plant retailers experienced one of the best sales seasons ever in 2020, and this situation will continue until 2021. Families choose to spend their precious money on growing their own food, improving the environment, and buying indoor plants to eliminate feelings of isolation.

But people may be fickle, and the attention span is short. If we don't use this moment, time will pass and interest in gardening and plants may weaken again. So what can we do?

I believe the answer is simple. It is you, me, other educators and plant lovers. Frankly speaking, everyone who already knows that the fate of our world lies in the next generation must accept the importance of plants not only to humans, but also to animals and the earth.

Our job is to show the way for others. So, what should we do? I suggest that the focus should be on the child. Families are eager to carry out meaningful and enjoyable activities for their children.

Here are some ideas on what you can do today to make a difference:

1. Show children the power of plants and the rewards of working in plants. Whether you are a parent, teacher, youth project leader, horticulturist, or someone who is simply passionate about plants-you can open your children's eyes and appreciate the wonders of the plant world.

Seed the flowers of your future! Activities include example lesson plans, activities, online learning modules, etc. Use these activities with your family, your students, and your youth plan.

Make it fun! We recently made DIY videos of three interesting projects related to plants. Check them and do it with the children in your life. These include: using hydroponics to grow your own plants, making your own fun light maze for plants, and using plants to dye your own clothes.

Check out one of the resources provided by Seed Your Future partners for gardening with kids. KidsGardening.org has many projects and activities. Choose some and have some fun.

2. Encourage families to participate in a cool plant-based citizen scientist project that they can do in and out of their homes and communities. The National BudBurst project at the Chicago Botanic Garden is one of our favorites.

3. Use the excellent #PlantsDoThat free resources and infographics from the National Consumer Gardening Initiative. They told stories about how plants have a positive impact on our lives.

If children do not notice the plants in the world around them, how can they cultivate a lifetime appreciation of plants, and why are they interested in plant work? We must show them how plants affect our daily lives and the professional diversity of plants in art, science, technology, and business.

But we cannot provide these ideas to children "in the old way." Through Seed Your Future’s focus group research on children across the country, the children gave us some wise advice: stop using "strange" words such as "gardening" and show them how plants can change the world through video and social media content, and have "Cool"" young people tell them they have a rewarding (#ILoveMyPlantJob) career. They coined the term "botanist" instead of "horticulturist" and urged us to connect plants with things they are already interested in. For example, sports, fashion, medicine, technology, art, etc.

We have created dozens of videos. Check them out on our YouTube channel (search for "We Are BLOOM!"). But today you can do more. Create and share your own funny videos. If you don’t have the expertise to make informal videos, you may know a young man who makes informal videos. Ask them to help you make funny videos about your passion for plants. If you are a green-collar professional, please talk about your career and tell them why #ILoveMyPlantJob.

And check out our free online career exploration tool (www.seedyourfuture.org/careers). With more than one hundred occupations highlighted, you and the children in your life can explore diverse occupations, required education, study locations, professional groups that need help, and links to scholarships and internships.

Our mission is to increase people's awareness of the power of plants and the rewards of a career working with plants, which seems to be what we want. After all, with the growing interest in plants, if we do the job well, we can turn it into more interest in plant work, right? We are full of enthusiasm to declare 2021 as the Year of Plant Energy.

With the full launch of our promotional activities and projects with partners such as Scholastic, and the optimism and motivation of our volunteers, when a phone call challenged my idea, I found myself caught off guard.

In a conversation with an experienced gardening professional, he expressed pessimism that the "green line" would have any long-term impact on the appreciation of plants and interest in plant work. He surprised me and I admit that my first reaction was anger (when you were Pollyanna, who would listen to Cassandra?). I didn't skip the phone and tell him he was wrong. Instead, I asked questions about his views. He pointed out that at other times in history, he believed that the renewed interest in plants (such as the Victory Garden in the 1940s) did not translate into long-term plant passion and interest in plant careers.

I heard his voice. I understand his point of view. I question, is this "green line" really different?

Coincidentally, in the same week, we were judging Scholastic BLOOM! Submitted to the Plant Mash-Up competition from students from all over the country. Nearly 5,000 middle school students found challenges in their own communities, and then conceived a plant-based solution based on the qualities of the two plants they "mixed and matched". What an incredible inspiration! The students are very thoughtful and creative. Our judges encountered challenges in selecting the winners. This makes me optimistic again. These students understand. They are our future. But is this enough?

It is not enough to rely on it. But together, we can be more than enough.

We can change the trajectory. We can eliminate the indifference of plants. We can inspire more young people to pursue "green collar" careers, which will change our world.

If each of us can inspire a person to pursue a green-collar career, we can ensure a strong pipeline of future talents-these talents will be at the helm and provide technical, scientific, artistic, educational and business acumen to ensure the future of our people and us Planet. Together, we can turn this green space into a world with a large number of green-collar professionals.

Together, we can ensure that the next generation will stand out from this pandemic and have a lifelong interest in plants, gardens and gardening. Let us not miss this opportunity to share the "green thread" and teach people how plants can really heal, heal, soothe and inspire people.

Susan Yoder is the former executive director of Seed Your Future. Yoder retires in 2021. This information originally appeared on the Seed Your Future blog.

This article was originally published in the July 2021 issue of the sister publication "Nursery Management". It has been reprinted with permission and edited for length and clarity.

Dave Gross has cultivated an efficient team of growers as production managers at Bailey Nurseries.

Dave Gross has been growing plants almost all his life. "Since I can walk, I have been working in the garden," he said. By the age of 11, he had found his first job in this industry, helping his pastor open a small retail greenhouse, where they grew bedding.

He continued to study botany and landscaping at the university, and Bailey Nursery recruited him as an intern. By the time Gross joined Bailey Nurseries full-time in 1981, although he was only 21 years old, he already had 10 years of growth experience-which made him a prime candidate to start and lead the operations of the nursery bedding factory. In 1991, after serving as a production and planting foreman for 10 years, Gross was promoted to the current position of production manager at the Bellinold Farm plant in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Gross occupies about 3 acres when he first joined the company, now it occupies 22 acres, plus two acres of outdoor production space. As his responsibilities evolved from planting plants to cultivating teams, Gross developed a series of processes to simplify production and optimize his team. The following is his contribution to the company's business growth in the past 40 years.

In its heyday, Nord Farm employed 240 employees and produced a wide variety of crops—from bedding to potted Jumpstarts® liners, bare root cuttings, blooming Bud & Bloom containers, and more. Gross said that over time, sales of the bedding factory project alone have grown to about $5 million. "At this point, we have too many products and too many pot sizes, and our supervisors are at a loss," said Gross, who oversees the 11 supervisors at Nord Farm. "At that time, I said,'This doesn't work. We can grow better crops.'"

Gross led a cross-functional team to determine the fate of the plan, and they confirmed that the operation of the labor-intensive bedding plant did not make the most effective use of Bailey's greenhouse. They terminated the program in 2015 and eventually re-used the greenhouse to increase the production of Bud & Bloom Hydrangea and Jumpstart lining.

"What we did was change our product mix to reduce the number of employees and [maintain] higher profit margins," he said. "Now we have filled the same space. This year, our number has reached 110 instead of 240. We are trying to simplify by reducing SKU, pot size and variety to improve efficiency."

Gross learned another important lesson in 2015, when an experienced key executive left the company. "I realized I didn't understand his work. I don't know the timetable for what he did, why he did it, and when he did it," Gross said. "Therefore, I decided to record every important process related to production, including when it started and when it ended."

Initially, Gross began to record these tasks on the whiteboard every week-such as logging and wintering in the greenhouse. In the end, these timetables are recorded on paper so that the team can easily refer to the timetable. Every week, he constantly communicates with his team, explaining their priorities in achieving short-term and long-term production goals.

“When I decide to retire, someone can step in and look back at the situation since 2015 and know what happened every week and every year,” Gross said. "Communication is a key part of what I do because everyone needs to understand the priorities. If everyone understands what must be done, they will share the work willingly."

In addition to inventory simplification and clear communication, Gross also relies on automation to improve the efficiency of his team. Although Bailey is “not as automated as many large growers because of our diverse crops,” he said, he works closely with in-house manufacturing teams to develop custom equipment that makes moving, pruning and harvesting plants easier.

For example, "Growing high-quality rooted plugs and liners requires consistent pruning, and we use a variety of mowing equipment to achieve this," Gross said. "We have a five-wheel lawn mower frame that can move two bagging lawn mowers up and down in the greenhouse. One person can [prun] a house in four hours. We just maneuvered one of them, you can use the steering Lever and remote control to run the lawn mower without even pulling the lawn mower."

Bailey's manufacturing team similarly modified the plant hoist to a special tractor to help the growing team streamline the harvesting process. "We can harvest 100,000 cuttings with four people in two hours," he said. "This is a very effective system."

These process improvements have helped Nord Farm produce more than 10 million plants every year because Gross has cultivated an efficient and efficient planting team.

"I have been involved in [producing] tens of millions of plants for many years. Watching the rootless cuttings turn into rooted plants in a larger container, and then finally seeing your retail products look good on display , For the end user to take home, which is a great feeling," Gross said. "Growing plants is very satisfying, but if we can cultivate our people, that is my greatest satisfaction."

Bilyj is a freelance writer living in Cleveland, Ohio.

Renewing your glass or replacing worn-out polyethylene coverings can increase production while recovering costs in a relatively short period of time.

Light is one of the key ingredients needed for plant growth. A rule of thumb is "A 1% increase in light is equal to a 1% increase in plant growth." How can we increase light levels, especially on dark days in winter?

Studies have shown that greenhouse films and polycarbonate lose 2% or more of light transmittance due to ultraviolet rays each year. Depending on the location of the greenhouse, the accumulation of dust, dirt and air pollutants may also lead to reduced light. In some areas near major cities on the East Coast, Midwest, or West Coast, the annual decrease may be 5%. Industrial areas also tend to have greater concentrations of smoke (smog).

I recently visited the Freund Farm Market and Bakery in East Canaan, Connecticut, for an energy audit. Theresa Freund said that they have replaced the 7,200-square-foot gutter connected to the greenhouse with polycarbonate that has been used for 20 years. She found that this resulted in having to rework the factory's production plan because the increased light reduced the factory's production time in the spring by two to three weeks.

A simple calculation can be used to estimate the fuel saved by the reduced time when the greenhouse is not heated. Determine the number of heating days in a year. This can be calculated based on degree day data from any location in the world on the www.degreeday.net website. According to the research of Rutgers University, choose a temperature that is 50 degrees lower than the night working temperature and let the program calculate the number of days in degrees. Solar energy makes up the difference of 50. Divide the estimated gallons of oil or propane or natural gas ccf used in the greenhouse that year by the number of degrees to get the fuel usage/degree days. Based on the degree-day calculation, determine the number of degree-days during which heating is not required, and then multiply it by the fuel usage/degree-days. Then multiply by the fuel cost to get savings.

Freund's Farm greenhouse used 3,880 gallons of propane for 1,400 degree days in 2020, or 2.77 gallons per degree day. There were 400 degree days in the first two weeks of March when the greenhouse did not have to be heated, which saved 1,108 gallons. At $3 per gallon of propane, the savings of not having to provide heat resulted in savings of approximately $3,324. This helps offset the cost of new glass. It also saves the labor required to maintain the plants for two weeks.

For inflatable greenhouses, it may be economical to replace the plastic every year. In summer, the light level is high enough, and reduced light may not affect plant growth. In late autumn, winter and early spring, this is the most concerned. Let us look at an example. The cost of replacing double-layer plastic on a 30' x 100' hoop house is approximately US$1,500 (plastic and labor costs are US$0.50/square foot x 3,000 square feet = US$1,500). At a wholesale price of US$3 per pound, the output of each tomato plant only needs to increase by 0.63 pounds to cover the cost of the new plastic. After installing new plastic, it is not uncommon for each plant to increase its yield by one pound or more.

Now that we have completed the simple upgrade of the greenhouse, let's look at some other areas that can increase the light of the plants.

John is an agricultural engineer, an emeritus extension professor at the University of Connecticut, and a regular contributor to greenhouse management. He is an author, consultant, and certified technical service provider who conducts greenhouse energy audits for the US Department of Agriculture grant program in New England. jbartok@rcn.com

The dark age does need dark plants. Learn which gloomy but fashionable breeds stand out from the crowd.

In the past few years, have you felt a bit black and blue? Me too. Therefore, I decided that "Bruises" will be a suitable theme for the garden color scheme in 2022. "Bruise" has always been my favorite color combination, but now it feels particularly suitable. Black, blue, purple, and a bit of yellow-green are used for contrast and accuracy. Fortunately, some lovely black and blue perennials will enter the retail market in 2022.

Dark leaves often seem to be needed during dark periods. The trend of black leaf plants is not new, but we have seen it regain popularity in the past year or so, especially in the indoor plant market. Raven ZZ plants, Alocasia, Peperomia, Begonia and Ludisia discolor (Ludisia discolor) have caused a great sensation in indoor gardens. Drawing inspiration from indoor gardening trends, black leaves will also resonate with outdoor gardeners.

Consumers just want to find something different or unique to improve their living space and garden. Black or almost black leaves and flowers will definitely be different. Considering the number of new perennials that encourage gardeners to grow toward the dark side, I would say that the black leaves should be left in the sun for a while.

I did manage to participate in a business trip planned for the past two years, but it was not cancelled: AmericanHort's Cultivate '21 show. Although figuring out how to navigate a crowded convention center during the pandemic feels a bit weird (I suspect it's not just myself), I quickly walked through the trade show grounds; in particular, looking for new outstanding plant varieties.

Sedum'Back in Black': You can definitely take this autumn bloom to the dark side of the sunny garden. For most of the growing season, the nearly black leaves will create a sharp contrast in your garden, followed by the flowers with cream petals and bullseye red centers, forming a pink hue throughout the flower cluster. Give plants plenty of sunlight to preserve the rich and deep leaf color.

Hibiscus'Edge of Night': Although the pink flowers are not technically suitable for my "bruise" color scheme, it is undeniable that the leaves of this new compact hardy hibiscus are close to black and very beautiful. The leaves are described as "dark", in stark contrast to the huge 8-inch rosy pink flowers. As the plant grows to only 3-3 ½ feet tall, this variety should also make a good container specimen. Of course, plenty of sunlight keeps the intensity of these beautiful flowers and leaves unchanged.

Geranium'Boom Chocolatta': As the name suggests, this gorgeous hybrid of Geranium has delicious dark bronze leaves and chocolate tones. But its combination with intense purple to blue flowers makes this plant firmly integrated into my bruising scheme. Although I believe this variety first entered the market a few years ago, this is the first time I have seen it. It is a new introduction to the Proven Winners Perennials program. Now, where I am gardening in Texas, due to our extreme heat and drought, I can't say that we have a lot of luck in growing griffins. But when planted here, they are best placed in a mottled shade garden. Of course I am willing, because it promises to be more "vibrant", try it in my tough Texas garden.

Schizachyrium scoparium'The Blues': This small blue stem has earned itself the coveted title of 2022 Perennial Plant of the Year, and for good reason. This tough, clumpy grass has the most elegant icy blue leaves, with red stems as the accent. As the temperature gets colder in autumn, each plant will grow its own "wounded" stem, providing a mix of colors from purple to blue to orange. The beauty of this blue stunner is that it thrives on poor soil and limited water. If you are willing to give up any additional TLC, it is an aquatic perennial that is easy to grow in sunny places.

Amsonia'String Theory': This compact cultivar blooms light blue to periwinkle, which looks like little stars sprinkled in the garden. If you are looking for a more compact, denser alternative to Amsonia hubrichtii, with the blooming ability of A. tabernaemontana'Storm Cloud','String Theory' is expected to provide. It is also expected to provide dark green leaves throughout the season, rather than the chlorotic leaves that often occur in standard species. Only 18-22 inches tall, this compact blue beauty can be moved to the front of the frame.

If there is no bit of purple in the mix, any bruises will be incomplete. One of my favorite discoveries on Cultivate '21 is the new Cake Pops collection of tuberous verbena. Purple is clearly an excellent color. This is a species that is very comfortable in the harsh horticultural climate of Texas, but it may become a little beast. So, I am very happy to find these cute round compact cake bars in the container in the new variety section of the show. The compact, mound-like form lends them to the border and the front of the container-not to mention the hanging basket. Hey, the V.rigida hybrid may be one of the few things that can spend the Texas summer in a hanging basket without 24/7 irrigation. I'm here to find it. Well, I realized that as far as Zone 5 Mafia is concerned, this factory is annual. But for the entire southern half of the country, this species is happy to exist year after year.

To avoid your worries, I have forgotten the disturbing yellow-green color that usually produces a good luster. I encourage you to check out the new and interesting series of Jurassic ferns, all of which seem to provide yellow-green to yellow-green leaf colors, very Suitable for a sharp contrast in the shady garden.

My recommendation for 2022? Just make sure to keep a few bags of frozen peas on hand.