Category: Blog

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Hort Americas looks to be a connecter of products and knowledge for the horticulture industry

Whether growers are producing vegetables, ornamentals or other hydroponic crops, Hort Americas is working to provide its customers with the products and knowledge they need to be successful.
When Hort Americas in Bedford, Texas, started operating as a wholesale horticulture distributor in March 2009, the company had no existing customer base.

“We would sell anything we could to anyone who would buy from us,” said general manager Chris Higgins. “That is not uncommon for new companies starting out, especially those that are doing wholesale supplies.

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Plant continues to function better under Transpar

Getting the crops to continuously grow well is the biggest challenge during the extreme summer heat in Ontario. Transpar makes the greenhouse climate at Howard Huy Farms, Leamington, somewhat milder. “We have to deal very cold winters and very hot summers,” says greenhouse director, Howard Huy. “The radiation in summer is very high reaching 1150 […]

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What are the benefits of maintaining the optimum substrate oxygen level?

Increasing the oxygen level in the root zone can ensure healthy root growth and can impact crop yields. Low oxygen levels in the growing substrate can play havoc with the health of both vegetable and ornamental plants. Shalin Khosla, greenhouse vegetable specialist at Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs in Harrow, Ontario, said […]

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Growing microgreens with LED grow lights in Sonora, Mexico

(Español abajo.) Urban grower Karla Garcia is proud to announce the creation of her new company, Microgreens FLN based in Sonora, Mexico. Karla is a recent graduate with honors and a master’s degree in plant science from the University of Arizona. She is proud of her company’s commitment specializing in microgreens production using an indoor […]

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What are the benefits of applying greenhouse shading products?

Sudlac shading products give greenhouse growers of flowers and vegetables the ability to increase and extend production during periods of warm temperatures and high light levels. High temperatures and high light levels, especially during the summer can have negative effects on ornamental and vegetable crops produced in protected structures, including greenhouses. An economical way for […]

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Over $17 million available for organic research funding

USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has released its Request for Applications (RFA) for the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative (OREI). OREI grants provide crucial support to the organic industry by funding research, education, and extension projects to improve and advance organic agriculture. A total of $17.6 million is expected to be […]

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What’s the future of conventional agriculture? Does it include vertical farming?

Leading Japanese indoor ag tech companies to visit the heart of U.S. agricultural research and biotechnology community to attend controlled environment networking event. If you are involved with the vertical farming or indoor agriculture industries, then you should plan on attending Ag Tech Worlds Collide. Scheduled for Feb. 21, 2018, at North Carolina State University, […]

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Essential Plant Elements

The 17 Essential Plant Elements include nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, boron, chlorine, iron, manganese, zinc, copper, molybdenum, and nickel.   The non-mineral essential plant elements include hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon. These are either taken up as a gas or water.   There are 4 elements that are beneficial to promote plant growth but […]

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Voices of Horticulture: Ricardo Hernandez

  Ricardo’s Journey Illumines Horticulture El viaje de Ricardo ilumina la horticultura https://hortamericas.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Voices-of-Horticulture-Ricardo-Hernandez.mp3 Ricardo Hernandez’s story is an inspirational journey of immigration, dedication, perseverance, and hard work that continues to shine light on unknown frontiers in horticulture. His story is exceptional. Ricardo was born in the small town of Valle de Allende, Chihuahua, Mexico (2010 […]

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Dissolved oxygen improves plant growth, reduces crop time

Incorporating dissolved oxygen into hydroponic production systems during warmer temperatures can help improve plant growth and reduce crop time. Trying to grow hydroponic crops like leafy greens can be a real challenge during warmer times of the year. Growers have few options to lower temperatures, including cooling the greenhouse and/or water temperature. Another production technique […]

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Nanobubbler generator delivers dissolved oxygen for improved plant growth

Hort Americas is excited to announce that it has been appointed the exclusive distributor of the Moleaer Inc. nanoBoost Nanobubble Generator. The generator delivers a supplementary source of dissolved oxygen that can significantly increase plant growth, improve size uniformity, reduce stress and prevent root diseases under extreme production conditions. It is ideally suited for horticultural […]

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New York City Council passes urban agriculture bill

New York City Council has passed legislation that requires the Department of City Planning to develop a comprehensive urban agriculture plan that addresses land use policy and other issues to promote the expansion of urban agriculture in the city. The department would be required to deliver this plan to the mayor and the speaker of the […]

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Moleaer™ Launches nanoBoost™, the Most Efficient Oxygen Delivery Mechanism for Commercial Greenhouses

Moleaer announces commercial partnership with Hort Americas LOS ANGELES Moleaer Inc., the leading manufacturer of industrial scale nanobubble generators, expands its innovative product line with the new nanoBoost Nanobubble Generator, ideally suited for applications such as hydroponics, pond management, and irrigation. Like the existing Moleaer industrial XTB Nanobubble Generator™, the compact nanoBoost is a cost-effective […]

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Voices of Horticulture: Leo Marcelis

Leo Marcelis Wageningen University Horticulture & Product Physiology Droevendaalsesteeg 1 6708 PB Wageningen Netherlands leo.marcelis@wur.nl Featured in Urban Ag News http://urbanagnews.com/emag/issue-15/ Greenhouse Technology http://greenhousetechnology.international/interview/urban-farming-will-not-solve-the-problem-of-world-hunger Wageningen University http://www.wur.nl/en/Persons/Leo-Marcelis.htm   Haifa Group Plant Nutrition Webinar Google Scholar LinkedIn FDCEA    

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What are the optimum nutrient levels for hydroponic edible crops?

Trials with organic and conventional fertilizers in hydroponic production systems are showing it’s possible to produce edible crops at much lower nutrient levels. How much different is it growing edible crops organically than it is with conventional production inputs? Hort Americas special projects manager Tyler Baras is studying the differences in trying to grow organically […]

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Hort Americas attends 2017 Philly Indoor-Ag Con

Focusing on community, innovation, and technology like A.I, The Philly Indoor-Ag Con brought together some of the leading experts in these areas to discuss Indoor Agriculture and how it is beginning to change the landscape of cities around the world. Philadelphia may be one of the most primed cities to welcome indoor and vertical farms alike with support from individuals like Mayor Jim Kenney who spoke at the event.

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Breeding crops for controlled environment production

Controlled environment agriculture growers have been trying to fit a square peg into a round hole by growing field crops in indoor environments. This is changing as research tries to match plant genetics with the production environment. During this year’s International Congress on Controlled Environment Agriculture (ICCEA) in Panama City, Panama, University of Florida horticulture professor […]