Author: Chris Higgins

e-GRO website becoming major information resource

U.S. university floriculture professors and extension
specialists have collaborated to bring the floriculture industry an extensive
and thorough information resource.

By David Kuack

If you aren’t familiar with the e-GRO website,
it is one anyone involved in floriculture should check out. How good is the
website? This summer the American Society for Horticultural Science presented
the website’s developers with its Extension Educational Materials Award.

The American Society for Horticultural Science presented
the developers of the e-GRO website with its Extension
 Educational Materials Award

The two-year-old e-GRO: Electronic Grower Resources
Online website was the brainchild of Brian Krug, extension greenhouse and
horticulture specialist at University of New Hampshire, Brian Whipker, extension
floriculture specialist at North Carolina State University, Roberto Lopez,
floriculture extension specialist at Purdue University, and Nora Catlin, floriculture
specialist at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County.

“A few years ago Brian Whipker, Roberto Lopez and I were
travelling together,” said Brian Krug. “We were discussing how difficult it was
to prepare an extension newsletter. Roberto had the idea of doing a newsletter
collectively. We invited Nora Catlin, who is a plant pathologist, to join us in
creating the e-GRO Alert newsletter. The newsletter is funded by the American Floral Endowment.

“Rather than doing a traditional monthly or quarterly
newsletter we decided to do a seasonal weekly newsletter based on what we saw
going on in commercial greenhouses. The primary focus is what is happening in
greenhouses during the spring season beginning at the end of January through
May. Sometimes we prepare more than one newsletter during the week depending on
the issues that are occurring in commercial greenhouses.”

Providing growers
a “heads up”

Krug said that although there is a tentative schedule as
to what is going to be written about during a specific week, the topic and
author can change depending on what growers may be dealing with. The
newsletters cover a variety of grower-related issues including disease and pest
management and environmental, physiological and nutritional disorders being
observed in commercial greenhouses.

“At the end of January we may schedule an article on
plant growth regulators written by Brian Whipker, but that will depend on what
he has seen occurring in growers’ greenhouses,” Krug said. “Ours is a very
reactionary industry. With the Alert newsletter we are trying to give the
growers a heads up as to something that they might already have in their
greenhouses or may be something that is coming their way.”

During the second year the team of specialists expanded
to include Cornell University entomologist Dan Gilrein, University of Georgia
floriculture professor Paul Thomas and Virginia Tech horticulture professor and
Virginia Cooperative Extension specialist for greenhouse crops Joyce Latimer.
Joining the group in 2014 will be Kristin Getter, who is the floriculture
outreach specialist at Michigan State University.

“The bulk of the e-GRO Alert subscribers are from the
authors’ respective states,” Krug said. “We have subscribers in 48 states and
over a dozen different countries.”

Teaching
greenhouse basics

Another part of the website is e-GRO University. This
section was developed by Krug, Whipker, Lopez, Kansas State University
floriculture professor Kim Williams, Kansas State ornamental and horticultural entomologist
Ray Cloyd and Cornell University senior extension associate and plant
pathologist Margery Daughtrey. e-GRO University is the second phase of the
website which includes over 60 videos that cover the basics of greenhouse
production. The videos are divided up into five different sections: greenhouse
management, nutrition management, growth management, insects and mites, and diseases.
e-GRO University has been funded by the Gloeckner Foundation for two years.

 e-GRO University provides a Greenhouse 101 curriculum
that covers basic information for greenhouse management
 and production.

“For e-GRO University we developed a Greenhouse 101
curriculum that provides basic information for greenhouse management and
production,” Krug said. “It is information that would be comparable to a
freshmen and sophomore college course program. Our goal was to provide an
educational resource for people who work in the industry who didn’t receive a
formal education in greenhouse production. If you are grower in a greenhouse without
the formal training or education, this program allows a person to get a handle
on some of the basics on nutrition, insects and diseases. A person can choose
to listen to any of the videos, which run 20 minutes or less. Most of the
information is basic concepts so it is not going to be changing.”

Krug said the e-GRO team is looking to set up a
certificate program for e-GRO University.

“Listening to any of the programs is free,” he said. “The
certificate program will enable interested growers in holding themselves
accountable and will indicate that a person successively completed the
lectures. The certificate will indicate that a person successfully completed
e-GRO University. There will be five different modules and a quiz at the end of
each module. A person will be able to choose how many of the modules they want
to complete.”

Krug said the e-GRO University program can also be used
by growers for new employees who don’t have any experience or limited
experience in different aspects of growing.

“By offering a certificate program to employees, this
enables employees to be held accountable for the modules that they have
completed,” he said. “We’re hoping that employers will use this for their
employees. We wanted to offer something more for the greenhouse employees.”

Krug said the e-GRO University program can also be used
by vocational teachers who have access to a greenhouse and who may need to
familiarize themselves with the basics before they and their students try to
start growing plants in the facility. This could be a continuing education
program for the teachers as well as a learning resource for the students.”

Additional
resources

Other resources available to visitors of the e-GRO
website include:

* Webinars.
This is the newest resource being offered by the e-GRO. The series kicks off
with “Poinsettia Troubleshooting,”
a two-hour webinar on Sept. 18 that will focus on troubleshooting poinsettia
problems. Ray Cloyd will discuss key insect identification and control issues.
Brian Whipker will focus on nutrition disorder identification and management. North
Carolina State University plant pathologist Kelly Ivors will cover disease
identification and control.

* Podcasts. About 200 podcasts have been
completed by members of the e-GRO team in cooperation with Greenhouse Grower
magazine over the last three to four years. Krug said linking the podcasts on
e-GRO enables growers to search for the episodes they want to view.

* e-GRO Bookstore. Brian Whipker has created five
electronic books that are available for the iPad. Krug said that Whipker plans
to continue to create new books for the library. Books currently available
include:

1. Selecting and Using Plant Growth Regulators on
Floricultural Crops. This free publication was done in collaboration with Joyce
Latimer at Virginia Tech and Brian Whipker at North Carolina State University.

2. e-GRO Volume One: Poinsettia
3. e-GRO Alert Volume Two
4. e-GRO Volume Three: Primula
5. e-GRO Alert Volume Four: Sclerotinia

* Floriculture InfoSearch. Although this resource is independent of the e-GRO team, the
members felt it was worth adding to the website. John Dole, professor and head
of the Department of Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University,
partnered with American Floral Endowment to create the Floriculture InfoSearch
engine. This search engine provides convenient and comprehensive access to
floriculture literature, videos and presentations. Information is available from
scientific literature and trade and association magazines and websites. The
Floriculture InfoSearch website also contains a floriculture archive with
materials dating back to the early-1800s from AFE, North Carolina State,
scientific journals and trade publications.

For more:
Brian Krug, (603) 862-0155; brian.krug@unh.edu.

David Kuack is a freelance technical writer in Fort
Worth, Texas; dkuack@gmail.com.

Visit our corporate website at https://hortamericas.com

Greenhouse research shifting focus to food crops

To meet the interest and needs of students and a changing
greenhouse industry, the horticulture department at the University of Arkansas is
shifting its focus to the controlled environment production of new and
underused food crops.

By David Kuack

An increasing number of students majoring in horticulture
at the University of Arkansas are focused on food crop production. Horticulture
professor Mike Evans said there has been a shift in interest by the students
from greenhouse-grown floriculture crops to greenhouse-grown food crops. Evans
said that except for turf management, students interested in food crop
production make up the majority of students majoring in horticulture at the
university.

“More and more students who are interested in greenhouse
production want to learn about growing food crops. To accommodate this
interest, we are starting a new class in which we are teaching about the
production of tomatoes, cucumbers, greens and other food crops. We are putting
in different kinds of production systems including hydroponics. The students
will have a really well outfitted lab where they can go in and they will be
raising various food crops with different systems. It will be hands-on.”

Evans said the growing interest in greenhouse food crops
has rejuvenated him and his program.

University of Arkansas horticulture professor
Mike Evans (right) is working with other professors
to develop a program on greenhouse food production
for both students and commercial growers. 

“As the ornamental side of the greenhouse industry has
been undergoing consolidation with fewer but larger operations, we have seen an
increased interest from the industry in growing greenhouse food crops,” he said.
“The number of emails and phone calls related to greenhouse food crops have
greatly increased.

“There are a lot of people growing tomatoes, peppers and
cucumbers in greenhouses. So I started looking at greenhouse food production
and found the area of herbs and greens in many respects has been neglected.
There are people out there doing these crops, but if you look for referenced
research or talk to people, there is a lot less solid research on greens and
herbs.”

Evans has started working with fellow university
horticulture assistant professor and breeder Ainong Shi.

“We are interested in looking at new species of fresh greens
and the breeding of greens,” Evans said. “We are particularly interested in
developing crops that can take Southern hot climates. By converting our
facilities to focus on greenhouse food crops we are looking to become a central
institution to study new species of greens, developing new crops, breeding new
cultivars, and developing production protocols for these crops.”

Developing greenhouse
food crops

Evans said the agriculture industry in the United States
has been largely field-based, but there are signs that changes are occurring
when it comes to controlled environment food production.

“Much of Europe and many parts of Canada and Japan are
significantly ahead of the U.S. when it comes to the development of controlled
environment food production systems,” he said. “We are very much in a catch-up
mode.”

One of the crops that Evans will be looking at regarding
new species is fresh greens.

“Most of the greens research, including breeding, being
done in this country, by-and-large, is for field production,” he said. “Those
same varieties that were originally evaluated in the field are then taken and
grown in the greenhouse. We typically have not bred varieties for greenhouse
production.

“We want to find greens that have lower inputs, that
don’t need much water or fertilizer. They also shouldn’t have many pest
problems, have a rapid production cycle and can especially take heat.”

Evans said the issue with heat is a major obstacle for
greens grown in the southern United States.

“The problem that growers in the southern half of the
U.S. run into during the summer is what kind of greens can they produce? Greens
in the South are more of an early spring and late fall crop. The question is
can we develop greens that can be grown in the heat of summer?”

Mike Evans said he is looking for fresh greens that have lower
inputs, including water and fertilizer, few pest problems, a rapid
production cycle and can do well in hot temperatures.


One of the crops that University of Arkansas researchers
are working on is to develop a heat-resistant spinach.

“We had a breeder here, Teddy Morelock, who did a lot of
spinach breeding,” Evans said. “He passed away, but left us with hundreds
of spinach lines. We’re trying to figure out what we’ve got. Teddy never conducted
greenhouse trials or evaluated the germplasm for production in greenhouses. All
of his evaluations were done in the field. We might be sitting on the best
spinach variety to grow in a greenhouse.”

Another crop that Evans is excited about studying is
dandelion (Taraxacum officinale).

“Dandelion has a higher nutritional value than spinach,”
he said. “It is loaded with iron, vitamins A and C and beta-carotene. It was
considered a medicinal plant. The early immigrants to America brought
dandelions with them for food. A lot of people suffered vitamin deficiencies
and developed scurvy. So they brought the dandelions with them.”

Evans said dandelions can be grown quickly, don’t need a
lot of inputs and are very heat tolerant.

“They are short day plants so they might need some night
interruption lighting,” he said. “That’s not real a concern because the plants
would probably be harvested before they flower.

“There is a great deal of genetic diversity in dandelions
because they are spread worldwide and are segregated. There are a lot of flavors and
traits. We are going to be collecting germplasm from all over the world. We are
going to be breeding dandelions so that they develop into what we want them to
be.”

Setting up a strawberry
cam

As part of the National Strawberry Sustainability Initiative, Evans will be working with professor
Elena Garcia, who is the university’s fruit specialist. The research they will
be doing is part of a program funded by the Walmart Foundation, which is being
administered by the university’s Center for Agricultural and Rural
Sustainability.

“We want to demonstrate and teach growers about various
types of hydroponic systems for strawberry production,” Evans said. “Those
systems might include NFT troughs, gutters, Dutch buckets, etc. There are
various types of hydroponic systems that we feel bring some significant
advantages to the production of strawberries and help to promote a number of
sustainability goals in the program’s guidelines.”

Evans said the type of structures used to grow the
strawberries will also be discussed.

“If a grower considers using high tunnels, he can extend
the season,” Evans said. “Or a grower might consider using drop wall
greenhouses. There is the possibility of providing heat, which could result in
year-round production. There are a lot of possible benefits for our growers.”

Evans and Garcia have been traveling around the state and
meeting with growers talking to them about the different production systems and
explaining how they can be used for strawberry production. Evans said many of
the growers that he and Garcia have met with didn’t know about the differences
in the production systems and didn’t understand the differences.

University of Arkansas professors Mike Evans and Elena Garcia
will be teaching growers in their state about various types
of hydroponic systems for strawberry production.

Evans has renovated two of the university greenhouses in which various strawberry production
systems will be installed and used to produce crops. About 4,000 square feet
has been converted to hydroponic food production with about 1,600 square feet
devoted to strawberries and the remaining used for greens.

“Our
goal is to put in several different systems and to shoot video of what we are
doing from the beginning to end,” he said. “We will shoot video of the assembly
of the different systems as well as the production of the strawberries in each
system. We will film and document in detail everything we do. The videos will
walk the growers through all aspects of design, build, manage, maintain and
grow the strawberries using a specific system.”

Evans said the videos will be used as an educational tool
allowing growers to look at the different production systems and to see the
advantages and disadvantages of each system.
Evans has also been working with University of Arizona
horticulture professor Chieri Kubota and research specialist Mark Kroggel to
prepare videos on the strawberry production research they have been conducting
at the university’s Controlled Environment Agriculture Center.

“Not every system is perfect for everyone,” Evans said.
“Everyone has to look at what they are growing or planning to grow and what is
their market. We want to use the videos as a way to demonstrate these systems
to teach growers how to effectively select one and how to effectively use it.”

For more: Mike
Evans, University of Arkansas, Department of Horticulture; (479) 575-3179; mrevans@uark.edu.

David Kuack is a freelance technical writer in Fort
Worth, Texas; dkuack@gmail.com.

Visit our corporate website at https://hortamericas.com

University of Arkansas scientists tour Belgian strawberry research facility

University of Arkansas researchers gear up to look at
better ways to grow strawberries in controlled environment production
facilities.

Tom Van Delm, coordinator of strawberry research at
Research Centre Hoogstraten (Proefcentrum Hoogstraten) in Belgium, hosted a
tour for University of Arkansas horticulture researchers. The Research Centre
conducts studies on strawberries, tomatoes and peppers. Gerson Van’t Wout, import/export
manager at Hort Americas, joined the tour and filed this report.
Tom
Van Delm (left), coordinator of strawberry
research at Research Centre
Hoogstraten, talks
with University of Arkansas horticulture professor
Mike
Evans about the strawberry research being
done at the Belgian facility.

Strawberry specifics
The University of Arkansas researchers were at the Research
Centre to look at the various aspects of strawberry production being studied.
Although many of the systems being used to produce strawberries, including the
use of gutters, drip irrigation, fertigation and supplemental lighting are
similar to what American greenhouse vegetable growers are currently using,
Van’t Wout said that there are differences in how the crops are grown. He said
there will be a learning curve for U.S. growers who want to add
greenhouse-grown strawberries to their product mix.

Numerous
strawberry production systems,
including NFT troughs, are being studied at
Research
Centre Hoogstraten in Belgium.

Belgian strawberry growers who have switched to greenhouse
production have had an easier time controlling environmental factors including
temperature, humidity and light levels. They also are better able to manage
irrigation, pests and diseases. Van’t Wout said most of the Belgian growers who
have not made the switch to greenhouse production are the ones who have been
doing field production for a long time and are comfortable with that method.

Breeding, pest
management, lighting research

Van’t Wout said that Belgian strawberry breeders are not
hybridizing strawberries specifically for greenhouse production. When a new
variety is introduced by the breeders, he said researchers and growers will try
to produce it in various controlled environment and outdoor growing situations.
Van’t Wout said U.S. greenhouse growers should be able to adapt Belgian-bred strawberries
to their production systems.

The biggest pest problems facing Belgian strawberry
growers are thrips and spider mites. Several trials are being conducted at the
Research Centre with natural enemies, including predatory mites, to determine
their effectiveness on controlling these pests.

Research has also been done with replacing incandescent
light bulbs with LEDs, including Philips GreenPower LED flowering lamp. Van
Delm said that strawberry trials have shown that deep red/white/far red LEDs
are “an effective and energy-efficient replacement” for incandescent bulbs.

Strawberry
research at Research Centre Hoogstraten
in Belgium has included the use of LEDs
to replace
incandescent bulbs for greenhouse production.
For more:
Gerson Van’t Wout, Hort Americas LLC, infohortamericas@gmail.com; https://hortamericas.com.
National Strawberry Sustainability Initiative, http://strawberry.uark.edu. Research
Centre Hoogstraten (Proefcentrum Hoogstraten), http://www.proefcentrum.be/en.

Visit our corporate website at https://hortamericas.com

Using organic fertilizers for hydroponic lettuce production


Research at Kansas State University shows comparable size
and quality lettuce plants can be grown hydroponically with organic or
inorganic fertilizers.
 
By David Kuack

According to the Organic Trade Association’s “2013 U.S. Families’ Organic Attitudes and Beliefs Study,”
81 percent of U.S. families report they purchase organic products at least sometimes.
The study found that the majority of those buying organic foods are purchasing
more items than a year earlier. Those households that are new to buying organic
products represent 41 percent of all families.

The study showed that produce continues to be the leading
category of organic purchases. Ninety-seven percent of organic consumers
indicated they had purchased organic fruits or vegetables in the past six
months. Breads and grains, dairy and packaged foods all scored above 85 percent
among those who buy organic products.
 
A 2013 study done by the Organic Trade Association showed
that 97% of consumers indicated they had purchased
organic fruits or vegetables in the past six months. 
Retailers should be particularly interested in the
results of the study. Organic buyers reported spending more per shopping trip
and shopping more frequently than those who never purchase organic food.

This month national retailer Target
announced its plans to begin offering a new line of organic products called
Simply Balanced. The line is an outgrowth of similar products within its existing
Archer Farms store brand. The Minneapolis-based company plans to boost its
organic food selection by 25 percent by 2017.

Comparing organic,
inorganic fertilizers

With the increased interest in organic produce by growers,
retailers and consumers, researchers at Kansas State University looked at the
production of hydroponically-grown lettuce using organic fertilizers. Jason
Nelson, who received his Master’s degree this year, said the purpose of the
research was to study overall plant performance with organic and inorganic
fertilizers. Another aspect of the research was to study the effects of
commercial microbial inoculants that are marketed to promote plant growth.

Lettuce plants were grown hydroponically comparing organic
and inorganic fertilizer solutions to which were incorporated
microbial inoculants.

‘Rex’ butterhead lettuce was grown in nutrient film
technique troughs. The nitrogen sources of the complete inorganic fertilizer were
ammonium nitrate and ammonium phosphate. The organic fertilizers consisted of four
Kimitec products for hydroponic production,
including Bombardier (8-0-0), Caos (10.5 percent calcium), Espartan
(2.7-3.0-2.6) and Tundamix NOP (micronutrients), plus KMS (potassium magnesium
sulfate) from a different supplier. The microbial inoculants included
SubCulture-B bacterial root inoculant and SubCulture-M mycorrhizal root
inoculant.

“Nitrogen in organic fertilizers is primarily found in proteins
and other complex molecules that break down to ammonium,” Nelson said. “The
ammonium levels could be considered comparable between the two types of
fertilizer systems, although the level was slightly higher with the inorganic
fertilizer. The biggest difference was in the nitrate nitrogen. Starting out,
the inorganic fertilizer contained 75 parts per million nitrate. With the
organic fertilizer there was no nitrate at all. For the other nutrients,
including phosphorus, potassium, calcium and sulfur, using all of Kimitec
products except Katon, which is a potassium source, those were all comparable
with the inorganic fertilizer.”

Nelson said the purpose of incorporating the microbial
inoculants was to learn if they had any impact on the plants grown with either
of the fertilizers.

“Growers have had some trouble getting the same amount of
growth using organic fertilizers compared to inorganic fertilizers,” he said.
“These microbial inoculants are advertised as being able to boost plant growth.
One purpose of the study was to determine if the inoculants would boost growth
in an organic hydroponic system so that it would be comparable to plant growth
with inorganic fertilizers.”

Differences in
growth

One of the things that Nelson noticed in his trials was
that the inorganic-fertilized lettuce plants were harvestable earlier than the
organic-fertilized plants. He said this was particularly evident during the
summer trial when the inorganic lettuce actually bolted.

“Comparing the amount of nutrients in the inorganic fertilizer
to the organic, it makes sense that this growth difference occurred,” he said. “There
was more nitrate in the inorganic fertilizer, so there was a better nitrogen
balance from the start and the plants grew and matured a little faster and were
probably about five days earlier to harvest in the summer and fall trials.

“The limiting factor with the organic fertilizer is the
nitrate. If a grower added some calcium nitrate to the organic nutrient
solution the plants would catch up to the inorganic plants. I expect it would
only take a small amount of nitrate, 30-50 ppm, for the organic plants to match
the growth rate of the inorganic plants.”

Lettuce grown with the four Kimitec products and
potassium magnesium sulfate were comparable to the inorganic plants in size and
fresh weight. However, the inorganic plants consistently had a higher dry
weight than the organic plants.

“The heads of lettuce looked comparable in size,” Nelson
said. “If a consumer was buying a fresh head of lettuce they wouldn’t be able
to tell the difference between the organic- and inorganic-fertilized plants.”

Heads of lettuce grown with inorganic or organic fertilizer
looked comparable in size. The growth rate of the inorganic
lettuce was slightly faster, finishing about five days earlier
than the organic lettuce. Microbial inoculants didn’t seem to
have an effect on this short-term crop.
One area where there was a noticeable difference was in
the taste of the lettuce. Nelson said that the inorganic-fertilized lettuce is
going take up nitrate nitrogen, which is going to be deposited in the leaves.

“There was definitely a flavor difference between the
inorganic and organic plants,” he said. “I attribute the flavor difference more
to the nitrate level than anything else since the other nutrient levels were very
similar between the inorganic and organic plants. The petiole nitrate level was
much higher in the inorganic plants. The flavor was much heavier. We did an
informal classroom taste-test with students and that was a common response. Many
of them preferred the taste of the organic lettuce over the inorganic lettuce.”

Nelson said the use of microbial inoculants with both the
inorganic and organic fertilizers didn’t appear to have any effect on the
growth of the lettuce plants.

“The plants that we were growing were under a relatively
stress-free, temperature-controlled environment,” he said. “I really didn’t see
any difference in the studies with the inoculants except in one circumstance.
That was when the solution nutrient levels were incredibly low. The inoculants
actually had some nitrogen bound up in kelp meal as part of their constituents.
I saw some growth differences in that instance.

“Mycorrhizal fungi take about eight to 10 weeks to become
established and colonize the plant roots. For crops like lettuce which finish
as quickly as four weeks, a mycorrhizal inoculant isn’t going to become active
within such a short production cycle.”

Managing fertilizer
solution pH

Nelson said one of the biggest challenges facing growers
who are trying to grow in an organic hydroponic system is pH management.

“The Kimitec line of products was able to provide an
adequate amount of nutrients for the plants to grow. But the nutrient solution
required more pH management,” Nelson said. “Managing the pH is the biggest
challenge with organic fertilizers because a grower can follow the recommended
rates so the proper amounts of nutrients are available, but the pH fluctuation
is so much more pronounced than it is with inorganic fertilizer treatments.

“It depended a little on plant size, but the nutrient
solution pH for the inorganic plants was adjusted on average maybe once a week.
For the organic plants, at minimum I was checking the solution pH and electrical
conductivity at least once a day whether I was making any changes or not. Some
days I would check the pH twice. If I checked the pH, adjusted it to what I
wanted, by the next day I would have to add acid to bring the pH back down
because it would increase overnight. Somebody might be able to stretch that to two
to three days. When the plants were young, I was checking every day and
adjusting the organic solution pH every day. That’s what the organic solution seemed
to require.”

For more:
Jason Nelson, jsn0331@k-state.edu. Kim Williams, Kansas State University, Department of Horticulture, Forestry and
Recreation Resources; kwilliam@ksu.edu. http://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2097/15574/JasonNelson2013.pdf?sequence=5

David Kuack is a freelance technical writer in Fort
Worth, Texas; dkuack@gmail.com.

Visit our corporate website at https://hortamericas.com

Workshop focuses on how to market locally-grown food

Hort Americas attended the “MarketReady Training Program
for Local Farmers, Ranchers and Food Producers” workshop in April in Fort
Worth, Texas. The program was presented by Texas A&M AgriLife Extension agricultural
economists Francisco Abello and Marco Palma. The MarketReady workshop discussed practices that small-scale growers and other food producers could
effectively use to approach and market to restaurants, caterers, grocery stores,
food distributors and chains. Topics covered included communications and
relationships, packaging, labeling, pricing, supply, delivery, quality
assurance, storage, invoicing, insurance and marketing.

The MarketReady training program was developed for the MarketMaker network
 of states to provide growers with the information and tools to engage the various
markets and develop supplier relationships.

The morning portion of the program focused on selling to
restaurants and was presented by Abello. He discussed how producers and their
customers can use the Texas MarketMaker website
to promote and find food products. Texas MarketMaker is an all-in-one resource
providing information on locally-grown Texas farm products, seafood, wineries,
farmers markets and agritourism.

“This is a free tool to help connect farmers with
buyers,” Palma said. “It also provides important marketing tools for farmers.
We will be providing information on a wide range of produce, including, fruits
and vegetables, livestock and dairy, seafood, etc.”
 
 
The MarketMaker National Network,
which currently has 20 states using the website, is maintained by the
University of Illinois. The MarketReady training program
was developed for the MarketMaker network of states to provide growers
with the information and tools to engage the various markets and develop
supplier relationships.
The MarketMaker National Network currently has 20 states using the website.
Abello said the Internet enables producers to reach many
more potential customers than traditional advertising. He urged producers who
develop their own websites to maintain and update them so that they are
interactive and current since customers have 24/7 access to businesses’ websites.
He also suggested that producers promote themselves on Facebook.
Producers who want to sell to restaurants must be
receptive to the chefs’ needs and to the feedback they have to offer. Abello
said producers need to build an open line of communication and be accessible to
chefs by phone and email.

Producers should also know what is happening with their
customers’ businesses to show they are interested and know what they are doing.
Abello said producers have to understand what their customers’ needs are before
crops are planted.

Marketing fruits
and vegetables

Ag economist Marco Palma discussed several aspects of
marketing related to the production and marketing of produce. He said there are
a number of negative and positive issues currently affecting the horticulture
industry.

Negative aspects:

* Stronger competition from less expensive imports and
the increased dependence of the United States on food imports.

* Increased concern by consumer over food safety.

* Increasing fuel/energy costs.

* Labor costs and availability.

Positive aspects:

* Increased demand for healthy foods, organic,
environmental-friendly and local produce. Consumers have an increased interest
in food origin.

* Trade opportunities for food exports.

* Positive health dimensions (functional foods that
improve health).

* Dietary guidelines for Americans.

* Specialty Crop Research Initiative ($2.1 billion in
Farm Bill to promote fruits and vegetables).

Grocery, wholesale
and foodservice sales

Abello discussed selling to grocery stores, food
distribution companies and large chain stores. These companies have been the
primary customers of large farms that produce large volumes and can ship
tractor trailer loads long distances.

Abello said the changes in market dynamics are making
these outlets more available to smaller growers. The increasing interest by
consumers to buy more locally-grown produce, consumer concern with where their
food is coming from and its safety along with the increase in long distance
shipping costs, are giving smaller producers an opportunity to look at
wholesale marketing channels. He said communication and relationship building
are critical to conducting business with wholesale customers. He said the
business relationship with these customers is more professional and that
negotiations are a part of the everyday process of doing business with this
market segment.

For more: Marco
Palma, mapalma@ag.tamu.edu.

Francisco Abello, a former doctoral student in the
Department of Agricultural Economics at Texas A&M University, has returned
to Argentina to farm and ranch.

Visit our corporate website at https://hortamericas.com

Collaboration is not a four-letter word

As funding is cut, academics, extension personnel and
commercial companies have an increased incentive to cooperate to ensure the floriculture
industry continues to thrive.

By David Kuack

With all of the divisiveness going on between Congressional
members and President Obama lately, it’s not surprising that there isn’t a lot being
accomplished in Washington. What has been especially disconcerting is the lack
of willingness on the part of many legislators to work together to come up with
policy decisions that reflect the beliefs of the majority of Americans who
elected them.

Maybe those politicians should have attended this year’s
National Floriculture Forum where a topic of discussion was how university
researchers, extension and commercial companies can work together to ensure the
continued viability of the floriculture industry. Just like in Washington, public
and private funding is being cut or eliminated, which is causing some university
researchers to work more closely with commercial companies to conduct the
research and train the students needed to keep the industry growing.

More than research

During the National Floriculture Forum Syngenta technical
specialist Jamie Gibson discussed the academic and industry perspectives on
research. Gibson, who received his doctorate from North Carolina State
University, was an assistant horticulture professor at the University of
Florida before taking a position with Syngenta.

Jamie Gibson, Syngenta technical specialist, told attendees at this
year’s National Floriculture Forum that the reduction in research
funding has had a major impact on horticultural researchers. 

“Sometimes a grant or a big project isn’t the biggest win
for a university researcher when working with the industry,” Gibson said. “Sometimes
it’s producing an outstanding undergraduate, or training a graduate student how
to properly problem solve an issue or to have a PhD student working on an
industry challenge that can really help growers to improve their profits. The
university still has a great niche for producing talented students to be
managers, researchers or specialists in the industry. Also, the university can
produce sales and marketing people who understand plant science, but also who
have a passion for working in the industry.”

Gibson said the reduction in research funding has had a
major impact on horticultural researchers.

“Today university researchers have to show their
administrators and deans that they are capable of landing the large grants,” he
said. “They are receiving increased pressure to bring in the large grants that
drive overhead costs and maybe support the administrative side of the
university. Researchers need to market themselves well. They not only have to
do good science work, but sometimes they have to partner with industry to do
projects that drive their programs.

“Academics should have a few projects that the industry
is sponsoring whether it is PGR work or nutrition or culture. These are the
projects that challenge and really improve the skill set of undergraduate and
graduate students. The funding for these industry-sponsored projects supports
the researcher’s technician, undergraduate researchers and it pays the bills.
The larger grants enable master’s students and PhD students to focus on the
bigger picture, making sure scholarly work is being done.

“There has to be a balance. The so-called “spray-and-pray”
research projects offer academics the opportunities to engage with the industry
very well. They do have relevancy.”

Going where the money
is

Peter Konjoian, president of consulting and research company
Konjoian’s Floriculture Education Services, told the National Floriculture Forum
attendees that there is much more cooperation and collaboration today between university
researchers than there was back in the 1970s and ’80s. Konjoian received his
PhD from Ohio State University and was an assistant horticulture professor at
the University of Maryland for two years before returning to his family’s
greenhouse business.

“When I was a graduate student and then a university
researcher, it was Ohio State vs. Michigan State and OFA vs. BPI. At that time there
was enough money available that you didn’t have to think about collaborating
with another university. Research funding flowed much more freely back then.
Today research money is tough to find and everything revolves around money,
whether we’re talking about one company or an entire industry.
Peter Konjoian, president of Konjoian’s Floriculture Education
Services, told National Floriculture Forum attendees that there is
much more cooperation and collaboration today between university
researchers than there was back in the 1970s and ’80s.

“During the ’70s and ’80s, there was profit margin in
every segment of the supply chain. Today those margins have eroded to the point
where they are razor thin.”

Konjoian said another reality is there are only a
fraction of the university horticulture positions today that there were in the
past.

“As horticulture professors retire their positions are
going away and other positions are being blended into the broader discipline of
plant science,” he said. “There are very few traditional horticultural programs
left in the U.S. If there were more university horticultural positions
available, many of the grad students would be looking there first for
employment opportunities.”

Konjoian said an increasing number of university
researchers are working together on projects enabling them to play to each
other’s personal and program strengths.

“The Young Plant Research Center, the Floriculture
Research Alliance, the Floriculture Sustainability Research Coalition, the
Water Education Alliance for Horticulture and e-GRO are just a few examples of
how university researchers are pulling together and collaborating among
themselves and industry,” Konjoian said. “Twenty or 30 years ago there is no
way the universities and industry are going to collaborate on research. Today
and in the future I can see research projects that include certain parts being
done at a university greenhouse and other parts at a commercial greenhouse. How
can the public and private sectors collaborate to improve efficiency and better
serve our growers? What can I do best in my private setting and what can a
university researcher do that I’m not equipped to do.”

Konjoian said when he was in graduate school in the late
’70s and early ‘80s there was often a negative connotation placed on applied
research.

“Back then applied research didn’t have the prestige,” he
said. “Now university researchers are looking for money wherever they can find
it. If they are going to attract money for research on PGRs or growing media or
crop nutrition, then they are going to include applied projects in their
programs.

“Many researchers, especially the younger ones,
understand they need industry more because there is less money coming in, less
state and federal funding is available. If that means doing applied research,
then so be it”

Privatizing
extension

Konjoian said another change that has occurred is the
loss of extension services and personnel dedicated to the horticulture
industry.

“When I was in graduate school it seemed like every state
extension service and state grower association published its own grower
newsletter,” he said. “We are going to continue to see privatization of
extension work because the public tax dollars are not available any more. Those
tax dollars are going to serve more people in the public sector.

“Over my career I have seen some level of privatization
occurring in teaching, research and extension. This is justifiable because more
tax dollars are being spent on programs that assist a larger number of
taxpayers and not just our small industry. If the taxpayers are not going to
pay for these extension services, then industry participants, including the
growers are going to have to pay for them. Either that or the services will go
away completely.”
Peter Konjoian, who does research and consulting work for
industry companies, would like to see increased collaboration
between the commercial side and universities.
Konjoian is quick to point out that there are still
plenty of good extension specialists at the universities. He said the private
sector has picked up the slack on some services that extension hasn’t been able
to continue to offer.

“This is an excellent example of the collaborative
efforts our industry needs to make,” he said. “How are we going to work
together? Could there be a national extension group that is supported by
private companies? Extension specialists have been told by their administrators
that they need to be more efficient and touch more growers via the web or in
other ways. That being the reality, just because specialists now find it more
difficult to justify one-on-one service doesn’t mean growers don’t still need
one-on-one attention. The difference today is that growers need to understand
that they have to pay for such service because public tax dollars no longer
will.”

For more:
Jamie Gibson, Syngenta Flowers, Home and Garden, Syngenta Flowers Inc., james.gibson@syngenta.com;
http://www.syngentaflowers.com. Peter Konjoian, Konjoian’s Floriculture Education Services,
peterkfes@comcast.net.

David Kuack is a freelance technical writer in Fort
Worth, Texas; dkuack@gmail.com.

Visit our corporate website at https://hortamericas.com

Workshop focuses on starting an urban farm

Hort Americas attended the “Starting Your Urban Farm”
workshop in April in Fort Worth, Texas. Presented by Texas A&M AgriLife
Extension, the workshop started with a webinar by Texas A&M University
extension vegetable specialist Joseph Masabni. He discussed the basic requirements needed to start an urban farm including a plentiful water supply,
adequate soil type and desirable environment.

Masabni said one of the major pitfalls to operating a
successful urban farm is the lack of a marketing strategy. Since most produce
is perishable, it is critical that a grower have a marketing plan developed before
a crop is planted. He said development of markets and market plans are the
first steps necessary for profitable production. Because market windows are
narrow and precise, Masabni said growers need more options to sell their
products. Market-related questions that need to be answered include:

Where is the produce going to be sold?

How is the produce going to be sold?

What is the volume that will be sold?

What are the market windows for the produce?

What are the packaging requirements?

Urban farm tour

The second part of the workshop was a tour of Gnismer
Farms in Dalworthington Gardens, Texas. Owned by Lynn and Cynthia Remsing, the husband
and wife team farm 6 acres producing a variety of crops including asparagus, strawberries,
lettuce, cantaloupes, onions, rhubarb, kohlrabi, cabbage, potatoes, watermelons
and pumpkins.

Lynn Remsing, owner of Gnismer Farms,  uses
plant compost to grow his crops. He doesn’t use
any animal manures. 

Lynn Remsing said having the right soil is critical. He
composts wood chips he receives free from the local power company along with
grass clippings. He doesn’t use any animal manure.
Not wanting to be dependent on inconsistent and limited rainfall,
Remsing uses Netafim irrigation tape and black plastic mulch. During the hot
Texas summers when temperatures can easily exceed 100ºF, Remsing said using the mulch allows him to water
every 14 days. Remsing said he is working with Texas A&M to trial a double
layer of plastic mulch to determine its effect on production.

Gnismer Farms in cooperation with Texas A&M
University researchers is trialing a double layer
of plastic mulch to determine its impact on crop
production, including strawberries and lettuce.

Remsing is setting up another 360-acre farm in Waco,
Texas. To ensure that he has enough water for irrigation, he is installing a
couple of 40,000 gallon water tanks.
Some of the “tips” that Remsing offered workshop
attendees included: be willing to mechanize when possible, look for ways to
conserve water, don’t try to operate a farm on a shoestring and look for ways
to be able to sell your products before your competitors.
For more:
Gnismer Farms, http://gnismer.com.

Visit our corporate website at https://hortamericas.com

Growing lettuce under LED, T5 hydroponic production system

Katie Phibbs, grower/creator/educator at The Lettuce People, talks about her experience of growing lettuce under a LED, T5 grow lights, NFT hydroponic vertical production system. Phibbs said she lost 250 heads of lettuce to the heat from HID metal halide lights in a vertical production system. Fortunately she had a backup system equipped with LEDs and T5s.


The Lettuce People’s LED, T5 grow lights, NFT hydroponic
 production system

Challenges facing growers in the Netherlands and U.S.

John Pieterse, head grower of orchids at Mid-American
Growers, talks about some of the differences and challenges of growing in the
Netherlands and the United States.

By David Kuack

When John Pieterse left the Netherlands just over two
years ago to become head grower of orchids at Mid-American Growers in Granville, Ill., he knew that he was going to face some challenges. Prior to
the move to the United States, Pieterse had successfully operated his own cut
rose production facility in Moerkapelle, the Netherlands, for 10 years. After
selling his business in 2009, he went to work in February 2010 for a neighboring
company SO Natural Orchideeënkwekerij growing
potted orchids. It was during his time with SO Natural, which assisted
Mid-American Growers and Green Circle Growers in Oberlin, Ohio, in setting up
their orchid production facilities, that Pieterse got his first exposure to
living and growing in the Midwest.

“When I was 18 years old, I worked as a trainee at a
greenhouse operation in Florida for three months,” Pieterse said. “I thought
the U.S. was an amazing country. If ever I had the chance to come over and work
here, I would take the opportunity.”

That opportunity came when Nick van Wingerden, owner of Mid-American
Growers, asked Pieterse, who had visited the operation twice during 2010, if he
would accept the position of head grower.
 
One of the biggest challenges John Pieterse faced when he started
growing orchids in the United States was the drastic weather changes
 that can occur quickly.

“During my visits to Mid-American I was quite impressed
and I thought this was something that I could do,” he said. “My wife was also
in favor of the move. It took about a year for us to complete the paperwork.
During that time I was able to learn more about the orchid business in the
Netherlands.”

Pierterse said since the orchid production methods used
at Mid-American are similar to the ones that he used in the Netherlands the
transition went relatively smoothly. He now oversees 8 acres of phalaenopsis orchid
production.

“I quickly realized the need to be flexible, nothing is
exactly the same, but overall the way the orchids are produced here is the same
way I was growing them in the Netherlands,” he said.

Climate
differences

Pieterse said that the climate in the Netherlands is
influenced by the North Sea. The sea borders the northern and western parts of
the country.

“The sea climate is very stable so there are a lot of
days that are similar in regards to temperatures and light levels,” he said.
“It is a very easy climate to grow in because it is so stable. There are not a
lot of differences in the temperature and it is cloudier.”

One of the first things that Pieterse learned about the
weather in the United States was the major fluctuations in temperature.

“In the Midwest the weather changes can be drastic. The
differences in the weather can occur from week to week, from day to day or even
from the morning to the afternoon,” he said. “It’s not surprising to have the
temperature go from 51ºF
one day to 20ºF the
next. And the light levels here in January can be higher than the light levels
during May in the Netherlands. You have to really pay attention to the climate
and the changes that can occur because they can occur so quickly.”

Increasing public,
government pressures

Pieterse said the overcrowding that has occurred is some
areas of the Netherlands has made the availability of clean water a major
issue. In order for Dutch growers to continue operating they have had to learn
how to minimize the amount of water they use to produce their crops, to recycle
and to capture the rain water off of the greenhouses.

“Since there are so many people now living near the
greenhouses, the growers have no other options but to conserve, collect and
recycle,” Pieterse said. “Also, because of the concern with water quality and
contamination, there are many chemicals no longer available to growers. In the
U.S. there are many more chemicals available that can’t be used by growers in
the Netherlands.”

The restrictions on chemical use in the Netherlands have
forced growers to turn to biological controls. In cases where biologicals have
not been as effective in controlling some pests, growers have eliminated
producing some crops.

“Poinsettia growers in the Netherlands can have issues
with whitefly control,” he said. “The growers have only a couple of chemicals
available to control whitefly. For some growers who feel the current chemicals
and biologicals aren’t effective enough to produce a good poinsettia crop, they
are changing to other crops. That is happening with other crops too. Once a
grower has to throw away part of his crop because he doesn’t have the chemicals
he needs, it’s not difficult to switch crops since he’s not making any money.
The growers feel they don’t have the necessary chemicals available because of
the regulations.”

Pieterse said the increase in regulations is just part of
the overall disinterest the Dutch government has for horticulture and the agriculture
industry in general.

“Many government officials don’t seem to be concerned
about passing regulations that impact horticulture and whether or not growers
are able to continue to grow their crops,” he said. “This probably occurs more
with horticulture, but even those involved with agriculture, are feeling the
pressure and moving to other countries. With all of the regulations, it’s
difficult to raise chickens, cows and sheep and make any money.”

A feel for the
market

Pieterse said the one of the major differences between
the U.S. and the Netherlands is the growers’ knowledge of the market. Dutch
growers don’t have the same direct contact with their customers the way that
most U.S. growers do. A lot of product in the Netherlands is sold through the
auctions and is shipped to surrounding countries.

“Europe is made up of many small countries,” he said.
“For transporting flowers into these countries, there are special distributors
or exporters that buy the products at the auctions and then ship them to
various retailers. There is this middle layer of distributors.

“The Dutch growers aren’t really growing for a particular
customer. A lot of growers specialize in just one crop or even one variety.
This can make it difficult for the growers to know what the market really
wants. Growers don’t necessarily know for sure if they can sell the plants they
are producing. Once the crops are taken to the auctions, the exporters buy
plants from different growers so that they can ship their customers a mix of
products.”

John Pieterse said one of the major differences between the United
States and the Netherlands is the growers’ knowledge of the market.
U.S. growers have much more direct contact with their customers.

 

Pieterse said the meetings between U.S. growers and the
retailers allows growers to know what the market wants.

“Talking directly with a buyer from Aldi, Home Depot or
Walmart, growers know what the retailers want, what the market wants,” he said.
“In the Netherlands there are hundreds of small growers. Here in the U.S. there
are much larger growers who grow a wider assortment of plants. It’s easier for
the retailers to deal with fewer growers who can provide a variety of plants. It
makes it much easier for the retailers.”

Since there are so many smaller growers in the
Netherlands and no industry-wide plant specifications, Pieterse said there can
be a lot of variability in the products that are sold at auction.

“In the Netherlands if you buy mums from four different
growers they may be different in size, variety and flower type. Here in the
U.S. that is not a concern because the growers and retailers discuss what is
going to be produced. Here the growers take care of those details along with
the shipping of the finished plants.”

For more: John
Pieterse, Mid-American Growers, johnp@midamg.com; http://www.midamg.com.

David Kuack is a freelance technical writer in Fort
Worth, Texas; dkuack@gmail.com.

Visit our corporate website at https://hortamericas.com.

Hort Americas attends Greenhouse Vegetable Hydroponic Workshop at U of F

William Fry, Hort Americas
customer service representative

University of Florida IFAS Extension held a Starting a Successful Hydroponic Business workshop in Live Oak, Fla., on Jan. 6-7. The two-day workshop will be repeated in March. William Fry, customer service representative at Hort Americas, attended the event and provides some insight about the audience and topics covered.

Who attended and what were they looking to learn about?
The people who attended the hydroponic workshop were there for a variety of reasons. The predominant reason I heard was a need to bring in new income to their existing business. Attendees included cut flower growers looking to restart their businesses, berry growers and people passionate about gardening who wanted to take it to the next level. There were also some people who are currently involved in hydroponics either as growers or as some type of product developer.

What were some of the topics covered in the workshop?
The basics about what hydroponics is and how it is done were covered first. The attendees learned about various aspects of propagation including how to select the proper growing medium for different applications. Other topics included irrigation systems and the importance of water quality. Multi-county extension agent Bob Hochmuth demonstrated several ways that drip irrigation systems can fail to operate properly and how to correct the problems including choosing the right emitters for specific applications. The first day ended with dinner and a discussion about how to successfully market a business.

The second day was spent learning about integrated pest management (IPM) techniques, scouting crops and nutrient management. Classes were conducted at Vertical Horizon Farm in Hobe Sound, Fla. Co-owner Kevin Osburn demonstrated the step-by-step process of how he prepares fertilizers. He explained how to mix fertilizer recipes in different tanks and how to use injectors to deliver nutrient solutions to crops. The class was a very hands-on learning experience, which was not only fun but also very practical.

What did you learn about hydroponics?
There seems to be quite a bit of interest in hydroponics with current growers looking to take their businesses in a new direction. Many of the workshop attendees look at hydroponics as the wave of the future for crop production. The workshop was geared to Florida growers and their specific circumstances. Staff members at the University of Florida extension office in Live Oak seem to be in tune with the needs of state growers and are working diligently with them to achieve success. For more information: University of Florida IFAS Extension, Suwannee County Extension, Live Oak, Fla.; (386) 362-1725.

Visit our corporate website at https://hortamericas.com

50 shades of boom lighting

Although growers who use boom lighting may not know
exactly how much light they are delivering to their plants, they know it is an
efficient and cost effective way to control photoperiod.

By David Kuack

Growers have been using artificial lighting to control
plant photoperiod for over 50 years. Initially growers installed incandescent
lamps for photoperiod control. The lamps were used to either keep short day plants
from flowering or to hasten flowering of long day plants. Growers started using
constant light for different periods during the night.

“At some point the industry and research zeroed in on a
four hour night break,” said Royal Heins, senior technical specialist at Fides Oro. “Lack of electrical service to provide incandescent lighting to the entire
greenhouse at one time led to the need to determine if plants needed to be
lighted continuously during this time period. Research was done and the
recommendation was made that plants should be lighted 20 percent of the time
with a maximum cycle of 30 minutes.

“What was developed was cyclic lighting where one part (20
percent) of a greenhouse would be lit for six minutes and then the lighting
would cycle to the next 20 percent and so on so that within 30 minutes the
lighting would be back to the area where it had started. This cycling would
occur during four hours during the night. This enabled growers to light five
times the area of greenhouse during the night using the same electrical
service.”

Heins said that research also found that 10 footcandles
of incandescent light was sufficient to prevent flowering of short day plants
like chrysanthemums and poinsettias as well as being able to promote flowering
of long day plants like petunia.

Boom lighting uncertainties

Heins said growers who use stationary cyclic lighting in
their greenhouses to prevent or promote flowering know how much light to
deliver and its duration.

“It is relatively easy using stationary cyclic lighting
regardless of whether a grower is producing short or long day plants,” he said.
“What has complicated the issue is growers are now using moveable booms
equipped with lights to create a photoperiodic response. The question becomes
how do growers know whether enough light is being delivered to their plants?

“Research with boom lighting is difficult to do because a
boom delivers light in a cyclic pattern where the light intensity goes from
zero to a maximum level and then back down to zero. How fast does the boom
travel and how bright is the light when the boom comes over the plants
ultimately determines if sufficient light is delivered to provide the desired
photoperiodic response.”
It is more difficult for growers who are using
boom lighting to determine if they are
delivering a sufficient amount of light to
provide the desired photoperiodic response.
Photos courtesy of Catoctin Mountain Growers. 

Adding to the difficulty of determining the proper light
level and duration with boom lighting is the variable length of greenhouse
bays.

“When the boom goes over the plants in the middle of the
bay and then comes back there is a periodicity that is very regular,” Heins
said. “For example, for plants in the middle of the bay it may take 2½ minutes
to go from one end of the bay and then another 2½ minutes to go back. This
results in the plants receiving light every 5 minutes. However, for plants at
the end of the bay it’s going to take 10 minutes before they receive light
again. Trying to manage light delivery with different periodicities based upon
where a plant is located and trying to conduct research based on plant location
is very difficult to do.”

Heins said another factor that growers must consider if
they are planning to install boom lighting is that there is a qualitative and
quantitative response to photoperiodic lighting.

“The qualitative response is that the plant either
flowers or it doesn’t flower,” he said. “That’s simple and straightforward.
With the quantitative response going from no photoperiodic lighting to a
saturated level of photoperiodic lighting, there is a progressive enhancement
of time to flower. As light is added a threshold is passed where the plant
flowers earlier. As more photoperiodic light is added the plant flowers
progressively earlier.

“Growers who use boom lighting to flower long day plants may
know it works. What they don’t know is if it is working as efficiently as
possible. We don’t know if additional light is provided if the plants would
flower even earlier. The growers just know that the plants flowered earlier than
what they would have flowered under natural light conditions.”

Real world experience

Julie Iferd, head grower at Catoctin Mountain Growers in
Detour, Md., said her company has always used some type of photoperiodic lighting.
Initially the company installed fluorescent lights on its irrigation booms, but
most of those lamps have been replaced with metal halide fixtures. The company
grows primarily annuals, garden mums and poinsettias for big box stores,
grocery stores and landscapers.

“The boom lighting we are using is primarily for
photoperiodic control to either keep plants from flowering or to initiate
flowering,” Iferd said. “It depends on the time of year as to what crops we are
lighting.”
Catoctin Mountain Growers initially attached
fluorescent lights to its irrigation booms. 

In the spring Iferd said short day plants, such as
celosia, are lit to prevent them from flowering so the plants can be bulked up.
Long day plants, like petunia, calibrachoa, verbena and lobelia, are also lit
to initiate flowering.

“We also use the lights on our garden mums, some of which
we start as early as May,” Iferd said. “We light the mums to ensure that they
don’t bud up too early. We also use the lights on poinsettias to prevent early
flower initiation.”

Lighting set up

Iferd said one metal halide light fixture is installed at
the center of each irrigation boom truss to provide a more even light
distribution pattern across the greenhouse bay. She said some growers choose to
install two light fixtures per boom to deliver a higher light intensity and to
ensure plants at the edge of the bays receive as much light as those in the
center. When installing light fixtures on booms, Iferd said growers should be
aware of overhead equipment and plants such as hanging basket irrigation
systems to prevent any collisions.

Catoctin Mountain Growers installed one metal halide light fixture
at the center of each irrigation boom truss to provide a more even
light distribution pattern across each greenhouse bay.

“We have found that one metal halide fixture in the
center of the boom is adequate in our 33-foot wide by 300-foot long bays,”
Iferd said. “We have used a light meter to take measurements at the edge of the
bays with black out curtains closed. Even at the farthest distance from the
fixtures the light is perceivable. Also, we have not seen any difference in the
growth pattern between plants in the center and edge of the bays. What we
expect the lights to do, whether it be to keep the short day plants from
initiating flowers or to initiate flowering of long day plants, the lights do
that uniformly across the bays.”

By using the boom lighting Iferd said there are no
stationary light fixtures that can cast shadows on the plants.

“With the boom lighting there is only one lighting
fixture attached to the boom, which is constantly moving, so there isn’t the
concern of causing a shadow effect,” she said. “We have the flexibility of
being able to move the booms where we want them to be. We can also be selective
in what areas and what plants we light. We don’t have to light an entire
300-foot bay. If we had set up the greenhouses with stationary metal halide
lamps, we would have needed a lot more fixtures. That would have been very costly.”

Lighting different
crops

Iferd said when the lights are operating the booms
usually move at a speed of 20 feet per minute. She said depending on their design,
some of the booms can move at even a slower rate.

“We move the booms as slow as we can without having them
getting caught up on a weld,” she said. “Moving the booms as slowly as possible
enables the plants to receive the most amount of light during each pass.”

The time of day that the lights are operating depends on
the plant species.

“For those plants that we are providing a night
interruption that usually occurs between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.,” Iferd said. “Because
of the length of the bays we do extend the period that we light our mums. We
run a boom in a 100-foot section for four hours and the then move the boom and
run it in another 100-foot section for four hours and so on. For species like
begonia and dahlia we want to give a day length extension to provide 13-14
hours of light. For these we do the day length extension at the end of the day.”

For more:
Royal Heins, Fides Oro, rheins@fides-oro.com; http://www.fides-oro.com. Julie
Iferd, Catoctin Mountain Growers, julie@catoctinmtngrowers.com; http://www.catoctinmtngrowers.com.

David Kuack is a freelance technical writer in Fort
Worth, Texas;
dkuack@gmail.com.

Visit our corporate website at https://hortamericas.com

Hort Americas introduces New Employee, Maria (Bellrose) Luitjohan

We encourage you to take a couple of minutes and get to know Maria.

The following is directly from her:

Getting to know Maria (Bellrose) Luitjohan

My introduction to the Horticulture industry started when I could walk.  I grew up in a family greenhouse business, in Wildwood, MO.  I always enjoyed working at the greenhouse; seeing what was new and up and coming in the industry, networking with customers, and of course setting out mums on the hottest day of the year in the mum field…well maybe not that mum thing, but its all part of the industry.  I studied horticulture at the University of Missouri – Columbia.  During that time I ventured out with my internships at Ball Horticultural as a trial garden intern, during Ball’s centennial anniversary.  The next summer I spent at Goldsmith Seeds as a Breeder intern, that’s where I learned the value of a newly introduced plant variety.  

For the past five years I worked as a Regional Supply Manager for Ball Horticultural managing young plant supply in the Midwest, Great Lakes, and Eastern Canada.  I learned the value of strong supply chain and quality input products to making greenhouses successful.  

Getting married in June 2012 to a native from St. Louis, MO.  We decided being close to family was important enough to leave our careers in Chicago and seek out new opportunities.   I’m excited to be joining Hort Americas, LLC. I will be focused on Marketing, continuing to improve our website and working in customer service to make sure our customers receive the best customer care!

My reason and passion for this industry revolves around the people I have met and the people I am going to meet. So, I would love to hear and learn from you.  Do you have a question on a product, interest in new horticulture technology or information on an industry topic that you would like to share?  Please let me know. 

Maria and Dale recent wedding photo!


I look forward to working with you and Hort Americas thanks you for your business.

Maria 

Visit our corporate website at https://hortamericas.com

Hort Americas new Supplemental and Artificial Lighting Education Video

Hort Americas just released its newest video designed to help people interested in using supplemental or artificial lighting in hydroponic, vertical farming, urban ag, tissue culture and greenhouse applications.

Whether you are looking to purchase high pressure sodium lamps, need photo-periodic lighting, learn more about LED Grow Lights or simply have any other lighting questions…this video series will help.


Understanding Light Quantity and Its Effect on Commercial Horticulture from C Higgins on Vimeo.

Visit our corporate website at https://hortamericas.com

Seedstock is bringing agricultural entrepreneurs and investors together

While the tech world has received the majority of
investor attention over the last few years, Seedstock is out to make a case for
entrepreneurs focused on sustainable agriculture as a viable investment choice.
By David Kuack
Seedstock in Los Angeles, Calif., is a young company,
less than two years old. But it is a company that cofounder and managing partner
Robert Puro said has a lot of potential.
“Seedstock was started because we saw that there was a
growing opportunity with respect to sustainable agriculture as a viable
economic opportunity,” Puro said.
The product that Seedstock offers is being a facilitator
between entrepreneurs and investors.
“We looked at the major challenges facing the
agricultural system and the amount of food that will need to be produced in
order to supply a growing population. We looked at the world demand. We looked
at that against the amount of land and water that are available. There are a
lot of challenges, but there are also a lot of opportunities. We have become an
aggregator of all of the startups and farms that are using sustainable
practices to show that there is a groundswell of activity in this country.”
Puro said Seedstock is looking at companies that are
trying to use sustainable practices that are helping those companies make
money.
“We look at it from the perspective that sustainability
is not going to exist unless it can make you money,” he said. “The other
component is we want local economies to improve and we want to see the
environment improve, but unfortunately those things can’t happen if the
solutions that are used aren’t economically viable.”
Seedstock – Bringing Investors to Ag Entrepenuers.
Starting with a website
Seedstock began with a website to provide information for
investors and entrepreneurs.
“A lot of what we have been doing with our website is
building our brand and building trust among our reader base and our audience,”
Puro said.”
He said the Seedstock website is a resource of
information that people can’t find anywhere else.
“We track down the information and put it together and
try to get investors interested in it,” he said. “We provide investors with
information to make them more knowledgeable. Then we try to get the investors
together with entrepreneurs, at an event for example. Our goal is to facilitate
dialog between investors and entrepreneurs.”
Puro said that companies written about on the Seedstock
website can be either large or small.
“We really try to look at a company objectively, not
making any judgments,” he said. “In most cases we are writing business
profiles, including start-ups.
“We might write about the challenges a company is facing
with the LED lights it is using? How have its energy costs been impacted? What
are the company’s profits? How much funding has it received? What
considerations does sustainable agriculture play in the creation of the
company’s product? What are its objectives?
“We try to stay away from the advocacy stuff. If company
officials say that their company is trying to save the world, that’s them
saying it, not us.”
Other information posted on the website includes research
from relevant universities and product-related articles.
“It might be a 3-acre farm that is using an innovative
business application that could be potentially implemented in a bigger
operation,” Puro said.
Educational
opportunities
The educational events sponsored by Seedstock are an
integral part of achieving its goal of bringing entrepreneurs and investors
together. Seedstock’s initial event was held on Nov. 27, 2011 at the University
of California-San Diego Business School. It was a panel discussion on the state
of agricultural entrepreneurship.
The company held its first conference on Sustainable
Agriculture Innovation at the UCLA Anderson School of Management this past
October.
“The goal of the conference was to really focus on the
economic opportunities as well as the environmental and societal benefits of
developing and investing in sustainable agricultural solutions, technology and
practices,” Puro said.
The company is planning to increase the number of
educational events that it sponsors.
Seedstock conference in September featured big to small businesses,
including greenhouse tomato grower Casey Houweling.
Gaining momentum
While starting a new company during a down economy may
not have been the best timing, Puro is very excited about the opportunities for
Seedstock.
“We want to facilitate more interest and get more
investors who may be thinking about high tech and the Internet to think about
the opportunities in farming and agriculture,” he said. “There are so many
challenges that could be addressed. As sustainability continues to play a
bigger role in agriculture there are more companies popping up. We are also
seeing more business school students looking at ag ventures. There is
definitely a feeling of momentum.”
For more:
Seedstock, (424) 229-1460; http://www.seedstock.com.
David Kuack is a freelance technical writer in Fort
Worth, Texas; dkuack@gmail.com.

Visit our corporate website at https://hortamericas.com

Hort Americas visits Plant Factories (Vertical Farms), Tokyo and Chiba University

Hort Americas had the opportunity of the year this past week.  Hort Americas was able to visit commercial horticulture businesses (including but not limited to greenhouses, garden centers, vertical farms and plant factories) in Tokyo and Yokohama and then head to an International Meetings on Plant Factory at Chiba University.

We know pictures are worth a thousand words, so please enjoy.

Small garden centers and poinsettias were everywhere.
Plus we had a chance to visit the Sakata Garden Center.

Japanese consumers are definitely willing to pay for quality.

Vertical farming concepts at Farming Frontier 2012

Plant factory research was one of the many reasons for our trip.

Local farmers market in downtown Tokyo.

We will save the details of this one for later.

Green walls on high-end jewelry stores on Ginza St.

Just one display of some of the amazing orchids we saw.

Chiba University is, in our opinion, providing students with an amazing opportunity to innovate  in the green world.
Dr. Kozai – nothing more needs to be said.

Climate-controlled propagation of tomatoes for the greenhouse.

Chiba University branded tomatoes.

Mirai’s Plant Factory at Chiba University.

“Green-Innovation”

Plant factories in the mall – Mirai.

University of Wageningen and Chiba University working together to innovate the horticulture industry.

A very nice reception at Chiba – International Meeting of Plant Factory 2012.

Chiba University

New technology from Mebiol – Greenhouse-grown tomatoes

One final garden center photo.

Should you have additional questions on any of the images, please email us at infohortamericas@gmail.com.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Visit our corporate website at https://hortamericas.com

Video of Vertical Farm Growing Hydroponic Lettuce

Philips Horti LED Division releases a new video of a commercial farm using vertical growing methods, hydroponics and led grow lights to produce hydroponic lettuce.

Enjoy and let us know if there are any questions.  You can contact Hort Americas at infohortamericas at gmail dot com to learn more.

Visit our corporate website at https://hortamericas.com

Vertical Farming Ideology Takes Hold in South Carolina

Hort Americas is always excited to hear about new ideas surrounding innovation and agriculture.

In this case the story is on Vertical Farming and is coming from WBTW News 13 (a CBS affiliate) out of South Carolina.

Watch this video and let the ideas of Urban Agriculture and Vertical Farming inspire you.

If you are interested in learning more on urban agriculture, vertical farming and commercial greenhouse vegetable production (including the use of hydroponic technologies) please watch out for Urban Ag Products (www.urbanagproducts.com).  Urban Ag Products is a new online community being created to help encourage education, innovation and collaboration in the new worlds of commercial horticulture and agriculture.

Visit our corporate website at https://hortamericas.com

Collaboration and Sharing in Horticulture, Vertical Farming, Urban Agriculture and Commercial Hydroponic Vegetable Production

What is the industries willingness to share information?

Who is willing to collaborate to bring new technology to the commercial horticulture industry?

Will Dutch Growers continue to lead the way in innovation as it regards to the Horticulture Industry?

Peter Klapwijk, founder and co-shareholder of the consulting company GreenQ (http://greenq.nl) in Bleiswijk, the Netherlands, is a strong proponent of sharing production information. Klapwijk, who is a former greenhouse tomato grower, knows the importance of cultivation expertise. Peter started as a tomato grower.
Working with a lighting supplier 10-15 years ago, Klapwijk identified production techniques for using artificial light to increase the yield and quality of greenhouse tomatoes. Klapwijk shared what he learned with other growers leading to further advancements in the application of artificial light in the horticulture industry worldwide.
Speaking with Fresh Plaza (http://www.freshplaza.com/news_detail.asp?id=101877#SlideFrame_1), Klapwijk said there is great demand for Dutch agricultural knowledge worldwide. He said unfortunately, this knowledge is often undervalued. Although growers may sometimes feel threatened by competitors who seek this knowledge, Klapwijk said it is this same knowledge that keeps growers working to improve their own operations. Growers can also use their knowledge to make advancements in new markets, particularly foreign ones.
Klapwijk calls for global cooperation in which the sharing of information will benefit both the provider and recipient.

(Hort Americas also found this article from Fresh Plaza very interesting as it implies that the Dutch Fresh Produce Industry (and maybe the fresh produce industry as a whole) “hate the massive amount of high-tech gadgets…” coming to the market.  And Hort Americas would love to hear from you.  Who has an opinion about this article?  Dutch Greenhouse Growers, any opinions?  Dutch horticultural technology suppliers, any opinions?  We cannot wait to hear from you.  infohortamericas@gmail.com

Visit our corporate website at https://hortamericas.com

Algae Production Using LEDs at the University of Kentucky

Algae production could help reduce greenhouse gases

Researchers at the University of Kentucky are using a greenhouse and LED lights to study the feasibility of growing algae with flue gas from coal-burning power plants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

By David Kuack

Algae are considered a nuisance by commercial greenhouse growers. The warm, moist conditions that occur in greenhouses provide the ideal environment for algae growth.
Algae can be found anywhere these conditions exist, including floors, walkways, under and on benches, on greenhouse glazings and walls, in irrigation pipes and emitters and misting lines, on the surface of evaporative cooling pads and on the surface of growing media in containers and ground beds. Algae can also be a food source for fungus gnats and shore flies. But algae also hold great potential in the production of value-added products.
Even though algae are a problem for growers, these simple green plants hold great potential in the production of biofuels, fertilizers, cosmetics, fish and animal feed and other value-added products. Members of the algae program at the University of Kentucky in Lexington are looking at the potential of algae production to help lower the emission of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide, from the burning of fossil fuels, particularly coal.
Andy Placido, an engineer associate with the university’s Center for Applied Energy Research, said the restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions will only increase as environmental issues gain in importance among the public and government and regulatory officials.
“Kentucky’s Department of Energy Development and Independence is always looking for ways to make coal cleaner because it is a big part of the state’s economy,” said Placido. “State officials know that there is eventually going to be some type of restrictions or tax on greenhouse gas emissions. Coal produces more carbon dioxide per energy unit than natural gas and other fuels. So officials are trying to evaluate the technology that is available to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Algae Production with LEDs
This culture closet is equipped with LED lights and temperature
control. It is used to grow algae from a few milliliters up to
15-20 liters. The algae is then moved into a greenhouse for further
production under  higher light levels and warmer temperatures.

An ample source of carbon dioxide
While most coal-burning power plants in Kentucky have been equipped with scrubbers to remove sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, Placido said little has been done to restrict the amount of carbon dioxide that is generated in the flue gas.
“We are going to be using post-scrubbed flue gas, which is going to contain about 12 percent carbon dioxide and not a whole lot more,” he said. “There is a minimal amount of sulfur and nitrogen. That is the reason we are looking at using the carbon dioxide because there aren’t any mature technologies for the capture of this gas. Right now, we are basically following the same route that occurred during the 1980s when these power plants were looking for the technology to capture the sulfur and nitrogen.”
If the research is successful in capturing and using the carbon dioxide, there is the potential to use some of the sulfur and nitrogen currently being removed from the flue gas by the scrubbers.
“We know that algae use sulfur and nitrogen in addition to carbon dioxide,” he said. “Algae might eventually allow for the scrubbers to be eliminated altogether.”

LED lights and a greenhouse
Placido said the algae culturing system starts in the laboratory where the algae are allowed to multiply.
“We work with the university’s Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering which maintains the algae strains in beakers,” he said. “The algae are purchased in small vials and then cultured up to a few hundred milliliters.”
Placido said this is when he and the other researchers start to work with the algae in an in-house designed culture closet equipped with Philips LED lights.
“We are growing algae indoors with temperature control,” he said. “We are starting to bubble in 5 percent carbon dioxide to allow the algae to acclimate to a higher percentage of carbon dioxide along with the LED lighting as we prepare to move the algae into the sunlight. When there is enough algae that have acclimated (0.05-0.1 gram of algae per liter of water), they will be taken from the culture closet to the greenhouse. In the greenhouse, it will still be a temperature-controlled environment. We’ll allow the algae to grow in the greenhouse and once they become accustomed to the higher light levels and change in temperature, we will take the algae out to the power plant where it will be exposed to outdoor conditions along with the flue gas. That is our algae process chain.”

Maximizing algae growth
LED lights are being used 24 hours a day in the culture room to provide constant light. Placido said they are also looking at using the LEDs outside as a supplement at night and possibly during winter at the power plant so the algae continue to grow.
“During the night algae start to respire during which they release carbon dioxide and take in oxygen,” he said. “This is the reverse process of what happens during the day. By using the LEDs we can keep the algae growing for 24 hours or at least reduce the respiration process. Because the LEDs are very efficient, we expect more algae will be produced than the energy needed to operate the lights.”
Placido said algae split when they grow so production is judged on doubling time. Under optimum light and temperatures in the lab a doubling time of 12-24 hours is achievable.
“With the outdoor conditions we will have with the flue gas, we are hoping to have a doubling time of two to three days,” he said. “We would like to increase the growth rate, but that is going to take some nutrient work along with optimizing the light and temperature levels. Outside we’re at the mercy of Mother Nature.”
Placido said algae growth is much better with the LEDs in a controlled environment than outside under natural conditions. He said the difference in growth comparing inside and outdoor conditions has not been quantified.
“We have gotten much greater algae growth rates inside in the culture closet equipped with LEDs than outside or in the greenhouse even under the best days in regards to light and temperature,” he said.



Algae Production in Photo Reactors
Algae is produced in photo-reactors that can be placed inside or outside  of a  greenhouse.
 The ultimate goal is to build a large reactor adjacent to a coal-burning  power plant
that  will use the carbon dioxide given off in the plant’s flue gas.

Real world use
Placido said when the system is set up at the power plant, more flue gas will be produced than can be used to grow the algae. The flue gas will be pulled into the photo-reactor, which is a series of glass tubes on a steel frame, as carbon dioxide gas is needed.
“Once the system is saturated with carbon dioxide, the algae will be allowed to grow and then will be harvested. More carbon dioxide will be added as it is needed,” he said. “We know that our reactor isn’t nearly big enough to capture all of the carbon dioxide. The reactor we are using only holds about 2,000 gallons of water. That’s a good size, but nowhere near the size we would need to capture all of the carbon dioxide. We have estimated to capture all of the carbon dioxide from this one power plant would require a reactor that would cover 100 acres and take millions of gallons of water.
Placido said the power plant can provide an unlimited amount of steam to keep the water in the reactor tubes from freezing during the winter.
“During the winter with the sun’s heat during day the water temperature would stay above freezing,” he said. “With the steam from the power plant to heat the water along with keeping the water circulating continuously, that should be enough to keep the system from freezing. Then we would supplement the natural light with the LEDs if it was needed.”

Grower potential
Placido said there are some possibilities for commercial growers to produce algae and use algae in the future.
“That is our goal, to find out how we can improve the process for making fuel and how does that compare with other algae-derived products, such as fertilizers, animal feed, etc.,” he said. “Our end goal is to make biofuel. In the future the ideal situation would be for growers to produce their own energy source.”

For more: Andy Placido is Engineer Associate II, University of Kentucky, Center for Applied Energy Research, (859) 257-0223; andy.placido@uky.edu.
David Kuack is a freelance technical writer in Fort Worth, Texas, dkuack@gmail.com.

Visit our corporate website at https://hortamericas.com

New Video Shows Hydroponic Greenhouse Tomatoes being Grown with LEDs

New Video on Growing Hydroponic Tomatoes in a Greenhouse with LEDs

In this video you will see first hand how a Ukrainian Glass Greenhouse Tomato Grower uses the Philips GreenPower LED Interlighting Module to increase production on their hydroponically grown crops.

Please notice that the Interlighting Module does not replace HPS lighting.  It simply enhances other light sources by allowing the lower canopy of the crop to continue to be photo-synthetically active.

Please send any questions you may have to infohortamericas@gmail.com.

Visit our corporate website at https://hortamericas.com