PART 3 OF 3 (discussion starts at 1:35): Best by color; most unusual; what each guest wishes was in their assortment but is not; what’s an old variety you wish would come back; the most challenging poinsettia requests from growers and retailers; BEST POINSETTIA OF ALL TIME.   For this 3-part episode of the Tech On Demand Podcast, host Bill Calkins turns the golden TOD mic over to Chris Beytes, editor-in-chief of GrowerTalks magazine. Let’s all welcome “Bossman Beytes” to his first-ever podcast!   Chris asked three poinsettia experts—Gary Vollmer of Selecta One, Rebecca Siemonsma of E ..read more

PART 2 OF 3 (discussion starts at 1:35): Best for poinsettia “trees”; best for large containers; best traditional straight-ups; best poinsettias as cut flowers; best for independent garden centers; best florist type; best for fundraisers; poinsettias for landscape (?); energy-efficient varieties for cool growing; best for natural, compact finishing; varieties less-prone to whitefly (?); variety with longest shelf life, sturdiest varieties.   For this 3-part episode of the Tech On Demand Podcast, host Bill Calkins turns the golden TOD mic over to Chris Beytes, editor-in-chief of GrowerTalk ..read more

Our guest today is Jason Twaddell. Jason joins host Bill Calkins to tackle an important topic for all growers. In this STEM Rewind, he digs into the Why, What and When of trialing in an effort to highlight the importance of this critical piece of the growing puzzle. With margins getting narrower and the tolerance for inefficiency and shrink dropping to near zero, trialing and testing new genetics before replacing existing varieties is more important than ever. Some of the topics he covers include trialing to solve problems and not just to evaluate what’s new; improving labor–intensive processe ..read more

RESISTANCE MANAGEMENT FROM THE APRIL 2024 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY DR. RAYMOND A CLOYD NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS   EXCERPT: Resistance develops when pesticides with similar modes of action are continually applied to manage insect and/or mite pest populations below plant-damaging levels. It’s important to understand that pesticides don’t cause resistance; instead, pesticides select for naturally occurring resistance traits in insect and/or mite pest populations by removing susceptible individuals from the population. Two strategies that may delay the onset of resistance deve ..read more

We are once again joined by Ball Horticultural’s retired Senior Technical & Research Manager Dr. Will Healy. The topic continues… watering and water management. This is part two in a two-part series and hese two episodes work best in tandem so try to listen to part one—The Language of Watering—before jumping into this one.   In the first part, Will delved into the importance of speaking the same language of watering throughout the company and qualitative and quantitative ways to teach water management so that accuracy and efficiency can be achieved.   This episode takes it to the ..read more

This episode of Tech On Demand, brought to you by GrowerTalks addresses one of the most basic tasks in a professional greenhouse, watering. But proving that water management is fundamental and critical, we are joined by Ball Horticultural’s retired Senior Technical & Research Manager Dr. Will Healy—one of the most experienced and knowledgeable experts in all things greenhouse production. He’s also a great storyteller, which you will learn throughout the episodes. And yes—episodes—because this one is a two-parter. Watering and water management is SO critical that we invited a PhD to help us ..read more

SCOUTING: ESSENTIAL & THERAPEUTIC FROM THE APRIL 2021 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY PAUL PILON NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS   EXCERPT: Regardless of the types of crops being grown or the size of the operation, scouting is essential to any company that produces plants. This important routine shouldn’t only be viewed as a necessary task to detect pest and disease problems, but as an opportunity to get intimate with the plants in a manner that really lets you observe the plants closely and provides a great indication of how healthy they really are.   Read the digital edition ..read more

TERRIFIC TRADE SHOW PREP & FOLLOW-UP FROM THE MARCH 2024 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY KATIE ELZER-PETERS NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS   EXCERPT: Attending trade shows costs a lot of coin. Whether you pay for a booth, ship plants and fixtures out to the show, and cover hotel rooms and meals for staff or you send staff (and pay for meals and hotel rooms and transportation), at a minimum you’re spending $1,000. But your outlay might be closer to $50K with a booth. Are you getting as much out of the shows as you could be?   Read the digital edition of GrowerTalks Magazine—Mar ..read more

AVOIDING CROP CONTAMINATION FROM THE FEBRUARY 2024 ISSUE OF INSIDE GROWER MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY DAVID KUACK NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS   EXCERPT: While food crop production in greenhouses or indoor farms might be considered safer than outdoor field production, plants can experience the same exposure to human pathogens regardless of where they’re produced.   The CDC reports many kinds of produce, including organic leafy greens, can be contaminated with human pathogens. According to the CDC, leafy greens produced with hydroponic or greenhouse-grown methods can also be contaminated with the ..read more

WHAT DOES “COMPATIBILITY” MEAN? FROM THE FEBRUARY 2024 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY DR. RAYMOND A. CLOYD NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS   EXCERPT: … integrating BCAs and pesticides is complex due to the various direct and/or indirect effects that pesticides may have on BCAs. For instance, any delay in the population growth of BCAs by pesticides (and even fungicides) can substantially affect the ability of BCAs to manage pest populations below economically plant-damaging levels. Another factor to consider is that combining BCAs with pesticides not only has to effectively manage pest ..read more