WisconsinOrnamentals.com

November 29, 2010 Newsletter

In This Issue
Worker Protection Standards
Garden Center Symposium
Daylight and Annuals
Controlling Plant Height
Suggest. . .
Systemic Insecticides
You Can't Grow Business. .
Maintenance Checklist
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Eileen Nelson
UW-Madison Department of Horticulture
608-265-5283 
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 Worker Protection Standard Refresher Course

December 8, 2010, Retzer Nature Center, Waukesha, WI

 

Prepare yourself with the latest information on the Worker Protection Standard in a presentation covering:

Worker Protection Requirements for Greenhouses and Nurseries-An Overview

 

 Common Violations-Challenges and Solutions

Regulatory Changes on the Horizon-Federal and State

 What to expect during a DATCP Worker Protection Inspection

 

No charge to attend. To register in advance call theWNA office at 414-529-4705

 

Download announcement: 

Garden Center Symposium Program and Registration 

Garden Center Symposium set for Jan. 26-27, 2011

Move confidently into your 2011 garden retailing season with four renowned presenters during the 2011 Garden Center Symposium, Jan. 26-27 at the Country Springs Hotel and Conference Center, Waukesha, Wis.   Learn about financial planning, up-to-date marketing ideas, merchandising suggestions, and successfully educating your customers about their plant selections.

Scheduled to speak at the 2011 symposium are:

         Terri Coldreck, owner of Color Results, and a consultant on visual merchandising strategies

          Robert Hendrickson of the Garden Center Group, with more than 30 years of experience working with garden centers on marketing, merchandising, management and strategic planning decisions

        Ed Lyon, Director of UW-Madison's  Allen Centennial Gardens  who also brings experience from plant selection in the retail industry

          Tom Shay, owner of Profits Plus, a resource devoted to small businesses and their financial well-being.

 New this year:  the speakers will hold a roundtable discussion for people to ask their specific questions.

Registration materials are available  on-line at www.gardencentersymposium.com or can be obtained by emailing [email protected] or calling 608-265-5283. The registration fee includes all meals. Additional details found here: www.wisconsinornamentals.com.

 

Daylight and Flowering of Annuals

Source:  GreenhouseGrower.com, November 2010

Matthew Blanchard and Erik Runkle of Michigan State have research results relating to how 30 different species and cultivars of common seed-propagated bedding plants resond to Daily light integral (DLI) - the cumulative amount of photosynthetic light received in one day.  Read the article. 

Non-chemical alternatives to controlling plant height and size

Source: Greenhousegrower.com, November, 2010

As part of the movement toward sustainable production of greenhouse crops, many growers are looking for non-chemical alternatives to control plant height and size. Fortunately, there are numerous options available. These options include genetic selection, planning and graphical tracking, environmental manipulation of light quality and air temperature, cultural manipulation of irrigation and mineral nutrition and mechanical control. Read article here.

Suggest Lilac when a customer asks for. . .

Source

Lilac

: GardenCenterMagazine.com

A regular column in Garden Center Magazine, this month they focus on marketing ideas for lilacs. . . . read more and Iris. . . read more 

Systemic Insecticides
Dr. Raymond Cloyd has authored an article in the American Nurseryman Magazine titled "System Insecticides 101" that is well worth reading.  There is information for both nursery and greenhouse growers. To get to the aricle, link here.
You Can't Grow Business by Cutting Cost 

Source: Lawn & Garden Retailer, November, 2010, Stan Pohmer

 

"By continuing to manage our costs and aggtressively communicating the power of flowers and plants, we have a real opportunity to set the stage for sustainable growth." 

 

Read Stan Pohmer's thoughts on fine-tuning your 2011 plans.

 Garden Center Maintenance Checklist

Source:  Canadian Garden Centre & Nursery Publication, Michael Lascelle

 

If you're a garden centre owner or nursery manager, you probably have your hands full with customer service, staffing and plant orders during the busy season.

 

But as the year winds down, we all need to turn our focus toward maintenance concerns in order to be prepared for next year's rush. In a perfect world, we would have the time and foresight to make comprehensive to-do lists, but that extra time often eludes us. So to help you out, I've compiled a master list of those little things that need attending to on an annual basis - just consider them a friendly reminder from one busy nursery manager to another.  Read on. . . .

 
Please forward this newsletter on to others. 
 
Thanks. 
Eileen Nelson  ([email protected])
www.WisconsinOrnamentals.com