Blog – Hort Americas

Hort Americas Expands to Canada

DALLAS and MONTREAL — September 28, 2022 — Commercial horticultural supplier Hort Americas announced today a new division within the company to bring quality, technically advanced and cost-effective products to commercial greenhouse growers in Canada.

Just like its U.S. counterpart, Hort Americas Canada will have a strong focus on providing the best-in-class products, educating growers and continuing to research advancements in controlled environment agriculture. The team will also continue working with vendors to bring locally manufactured products to Canadian growers.

“The greenhouse industry is rapidly evolving and expanding in Canada,” said Jordan Goulet, general manager at Hort Americas Canada. “We understand that established and new generations of growers are looking for reliable and knowledgeable partners to support them with their projects, and that’s what we’re here to help do.”

Goulet and Gabrielle Verdon, client services manager, will oversee operations for Hort Americas Canada. The bilingual team has extensive expertise in all aspects of controlled environment agriculture.

The first Hort Americas Canada office will soon open in Montreal. Plans are also underway to add a warehouse.

“We greatly appreciate all the support we received the last 15 years from our Canadian clients,” added Chris Higgins, Hort Americas president and co-founder. “Expanding our operations is a way to make it easier for them to do business with us.”

About Hort Americas

Hort Americas is dedicated to playing an integral role in the different niches of commercial horticulture. We work closely with key manufacturers to develop and bring the highest quality, technically advanced and most cost effective products to the greenhouse growers and vertical farmers in Canada, the United States, the Caribbean and Mexico. Learn more today about our commitment, services and products at www.hortamericas.com.

Grow Light Flowchart: Picking the Best LED for Your Plants

Wondering which LED grow light you should use?

Grow lights give you the advantage of cultivating a variety of crops in any climate during any time of year. You can also benefit from faster growth and improved plant quality.

But to determine the proper indoor LED grow light for your plants, you must consider several factors.

The flowchart below walks you through each step to ensure you choose the right grow light for your greenhouse or indoor environment. Simply start by selecting your facility type and then following the arrows. Once you land on an LED grow light, click the image to learn more about it.

HA-Lighting-flow-chart-090122 Download

Starting seeds indoors with LED grow lights

Whether you grow indoors or in a greenhouse, proper plant development is profoundly dependent on the quantity and quality of light your crop receives. The photoperiod, light intensity, and light quality are key lighting properties in regulating plant growth and development. Yet whatever setting you grow in, using the proper grow light for seed starting presents an opportunity to begin your crop on the path to higher yields and a quality product.

Free Download: Greenhouse Management, 9 CEA Variables

When asking: “How can a system with a controlled environment help improve crop performance?”, the answer is easy… The more you analyze data and control CEA variables inside of your system, the better your crop will perform. A greenhouse system depending on the level of technology will allow you to control all 9 environmental variables to a certain level.

Horticulture Lighting and Learning Event. Discover the latest science driving the future of horticulture lighting.

GE Current changes name, strengthens scale of production, distribution with acquisition

Current is prioritizing investing in technology to continue to develop its LED horticultural light fixtures in-house.

GE Current, a Daintree company, shortens name to Current and acquires Hubbell Lighting to increase range of products and distribution capacity.

Cultivate‘22: What You Can See (and Get) from Hort Americas

This year at Cultivate’22, we’re showcasing the latest in LED grow light technology from GE Current, a Daintree company.

While at our booth (#2421), you’ll see a variety of LED horticulture lighting products up close and in use, including:

We’re also introducing our new Intra-canopy lighting and a new higher output LED grow light.

Cooling Capacity in Greenhouses

Temperature is starting to rise! It is time to take precautions and learn how to manage our growing systems in warm climates. We can learn how helpful a cooling system can be for our growing system by calculating the cooling capacity of our greenhouse.

How to avoid calcium deficiency in controlled environment food crops

By Karla Garcia, Technical Service

Free Download: Key Aspects about the Use and Management of LED Lighting in Crop Production

As LED grow lights continue to become more affordable, an increasing number of greenhouse growers and vertical farmers are considering whether the lights would benefit their production systems. Several studies and growers applications have demonstrated the development of new lighting technologies such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) can increase the capability to provide ideal light conditions to crops, making possible the improvement of crop performance and product quality.

Photoperiod and Flowering

One of the most important environmental factors affecting flowering induction is Photoperiod. Photoperiod is defined as the time plants are exposed to light in a daily cycle.

Photons and Yield

Light incidence over our crops will have a direct effect on yield. Photosynthesis is the most important process in plants to produce energy. But how can we relate photons of light to yield? Based on research we know now one mole of photosynthetic photons is required in order to produce one gram o dried biomass (yield).

Hort Americas and its partners focus on community food production, people and jobs

Partnerships created the project AppLit resulting in the manufacturing of LED grow lights in the United States that will be used to grow greenhouse vegetables in the Appalachian region.

Free Download: Substrates and Rootzone Guide

Substrates are a key element in hydroponic systems. As growers, we must learn the needs of our hydroponic systems and crops. Crops and hydroponic systems demand particular characteristics from growing substrates. Substrates, along with all environmental variables managed at the root zone level, will have a strong effect on plant growth, development, product quantity, and quality.

Irrigation Systems: Key aspects to consider for drip irrigation

Irrigation can be a complex topic. In order to get to understand this topic, we need to have good base knowledge. In this article, we will summarize key aspects to provide a good introduction to irrigation management.

Hort Americas partners with Irrigation Design & Construction (IDC) to market GE Current LED grow lights

Irrigation Design & Construction has signed an agreement with Hort Americas to become an authorized dealer of GE Current, a Daintree company, LED grow lights.

Stomata Behavior

Stomata are pores constituted by two cells called: Guard cells. Guard cells are hydraulic valves making possible stomata closure and opening.

Stomata open or close depending on different factors: Light intensity, light quality, temperature, leaf water status, and intracellular CO₂.

Aquaponics

Aquaponics is a technique used to grow plants and aquatic animals in a system using the recirculation of water. In order to understand aquaponics, we need to have knowledge about aquaculture, hydroponics, and bacteria.

But how could aquaponics be a good option?

Hort Americas Brian Harris will be speaking at the 3rd Annual Controlled Environment Conference

December 9–10, 2021

The 2021 Texas A&M Controlled Environment: Urban Agriculture Conference is designed for new and prospective growers interested in specialty crop production under controlled environment and for experienced growers who want to learn more about the nuts and bolts of crop production in a controlled environment. This conference is also suitable for hobbyists and gardeners interested in hydroponic production.

Free Download: Fertilizer Management and Plant Nutrition Guide

Fertilizer management and plant nutrition are key aspects that need to be learned when working with hydroponic systems.

Category: Blog