The Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, in collaboration with the Ontario Ministry of Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), has produced a number of videos demonstrating important greenhouse IPM practices. These videos are based on current information and best practices, and are in an easy-to-follow format. Better yet, they are all under 10 minutes long! Each week, we’ll be releasing a new video. All videos in the series are applicable to both greenhouse floriculture and vegetable pest management. Keep reading to find the link to the video and further reading for successful IPM! Video Descrip ..read more

Our thrips ID workshop in March in Vineland was a smash hit, and the May 16th date in Leamington ON is already full! So, we’ve decided to add an extra date to acommodate as many growers and industry reps as possible. The new date will be in Leamington on May 17th. And remember, there’s always the workshop at the Canadian Greenhouse Conference as well! Read on for what this workshop entails and how to register. Workshop Details: Learning to ID Thrips Fig. 1. Can you say for certain which species these 3 thrips are? If not, then you should attend our workshop. Photo courtesy of A. Summerfield ..read more

Fig. 1. Parvispinus feeding on a poinsettia leaf. Growers in Ontario continue to struggle with Thrips parvispinus on tropical crops like mandevilla, anthurium and schefflera. Unfortunately, reports out of Europe also indicate this invasive pest species can also attack poinsettia. Read on for what you need to watch out for, and potential management strategies. The Issue Although poinsettia (Euphorbiae pulcherrima) have not previously been reported as a host plant for Thrips parvipsinus (see https://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/lsolab/thrips/thrips-parvispinus/ for all reported hosts), a grower in Europe w ..read more

Calling the Canadian greenhouse sector! Public review for a technical specification called Biosecurity for Robotics in Greenhouses is open until March 21, 2024. Learn how you can provide comments by reading on. This document is not currently a standard but is being developed to address biosecurity risks that are unique to robotic use and operation within the greenhouse. The document is intended for the Canadian greenhouse sector including vegetables, floriculture, and nursery production. Provide comments by creating a one-time registration at the following link (English version): https://pu ..read more

Broad mite, Polyphagotarsonemus latus. Photo credit: USDA BARC Broad Mites (Polyphagotarsonemus latus) seem to be a regular occurrence nowadays in spring crops, especially Reiger begonias and New Guinea impatiens. Other crops that are commonly affected include torenia, exacum, ipomea and gerbera.   Broad mite are often difficult to detect and control. Read on for tips on monitoring and the latest management strategies for this pest. Monitoring Unfortunately, broad mite’s small size (0.2 mm) means that spotting the mite is near impossible using just a hand lens.  Damage ..read more

It’s no secret that recent outbreaks of thrips species other than western flower thrips (WFT) have made producing greenhouse crops in Ontario harder than usual. This includes species such as onion thrips, Thrips parvispinus, and chrysanthemum thrips. As control measures are different depending on the thrips species you’re dealing with, the very FIRST step in learning how to manage these pests is proper species identification. If you’re interested in having someone in your greenhouse operation learn how to do this (so you don’t have to rely on government specialists), then keep reading! Worksh ..read more

In case you missed the GrowON webinar by myself and Judy Colley from Plant Products on Jan 29th, we’ve now uploaded to Youtube! You can find it the ONFloriculture Youtube page, along with lots of other useful videos and webinars. Are recorded webinars not your thing? Well, then you have two additional options! 1. You can also watch me give a live GrowPro webinar on Feb 27th, hosted by the American Floral Endowment. This won’t be quite as in-depth as the material Judy and I presented together, but it will give you a good idea of where we are and where we’re going when it comes to Thrips parvis ..read more

OMAFRA is pleased to announce the new Agri-Tech Innovation Initiative, with $25M in funding to support growth and productivity for producers and processors. Read about the program below or sign up for one of the virtual webinars to learn more. The Initiative will be delivered under three funding streams. Intake opens Feb 15th 2024 and closes March 28th 2024 at 11:00 am. Across the streams, cost-share funding ranges from 35-50% of total eligible project costs. For greenhouse producers, learn more about streams 1 and 2 and how you can apply. For full application guidelines visit the Agri-T ..read more

This guest post was written by Ashley Paling, a research technician at the Horticulture & Environmental Sciences Innovation Centre (HESIC) and part-time instructor at Niagara college. Banker plants can be an effective part of a greenhouse IPM program. Using biological controls to control aphids as part of an IPM strategy is a popular choice among growers (Jacob, 2023). Aphid parasitoids can, of course, be purchased weekly from suppliers. However this is an expensive option that leaves you at the mercy of waiting for weekly deliveries to control your greenhouse pests. Enter the Banker Plant ..read more

Since it was first discovered in Ontario greenhouses in 2022, growers, IPM specialists, consultants, and technical reps have been joining forces to learn everything we can about what works – and what doesn’t – for this pest of tropical ornamentals. Join us for a GrowON webinar next Tuesday on real-world solutions for this pest from “boots on the ground” folks who’ve been working with this pest for 2 years in commercial operations in Ontario. Crops covered include mandevilla/diplodenia, hoya, anthurium and a few others. Webinar Details: Who: Our speakers are Judy Colley (IPM Technica ..read more