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Two Final Notes on the 2011 Garden Center Symposium
One of the objectives of the Symposium is to raise money for scholarships. They do this through both a silent and Live Auction. This year's auctions raised over $5,000! Thank you to all the successful bidders.
If you weren't able to attend this year's symposium, Ann Morris has done a very nice summary of what went on during the two days. Give it a read. Thanks Ann.
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| Marketing Your Business | |
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This past week I attended an intense three-day program on developing an integrated marketing program, sponsored by UW-Madison's School of Business! So much to absorb, and so much very relvant to all horticultural businesses as they attempt to reach customers in new and different ways. As I have time I will summarize some of the things I learned. . . .and hopefully be able to give you things to think of as you plan your marketing strategies. |
| Producing Outstanding Combos |
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Source: Ball Marketing
Creating really outstanding combinations with annuals is pretty easy. All you need are plants that have the same exposure, watering and feeding requirements. Take a couple off the bench, plant them in a container and ship them to the retailer. Simple, sure, but when you add perennials to the mix, the game changes slightly. It's not exactly like putting cats and dogs in a room together, but the end result of a poorly planned combination container with both annuals and perennials can be disastrous for the last person in the supply chain-the consumer.
For more ideas, link here. |
| Black Velvet Petunias | |
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Source: Garden Center Magazine
Since launching Black Velvet and its companion petunias Phantom and Pinstripe at Spring Trials in 2010, consumer media interest has surrounded these unique varieties bred by Ball FloraPlant. Here are just a few of the high-profile media hits:
Phantom is the featured cover product for Garden Gate magazine's April issue. Phantom was also featured in Midwest Living (February) and will appear in an upcoming Better Homes & Gardens issue (April).
Black Velvet has been showcased in Birds & Blooms (January), several State-by-State Gardening publications (October) and The American Gardener (Jan/Feb).
For more information, continue reading here. |
| Fungus Gnat Larvae | |
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Source: Greehouse Management, February 2011
Monitoring of adult fungus gnats can be done with yellow sticky cards laid horizontally near the plant pot surface. Dudek said this card orientation generally collects twice as many adults as a vertically placed card on a stake.
The adults are easily identified with a 10X or 15X hand lens. Fungus gnat adults are dark-bodied, slender, long-legged, mosquito-like insects. The larvae are wormlike with a black head capsule and a white to transparent body.
Once cuttings have rooted, Dudek said allowing the growing medium to dry between waterings is the best way to reduce fungus gnat infestations. Both insecticides and biological controls are available for fungus gnat control.
Fungus gnat larvae can burrow into plant roots and into stems of cuttings that are being propagated. This can result in root damage and eventually plant death, said Tom Dudek, senior Mich. St. Univ. Extension horticulture and marketing educator. He said there have also been reports that fungus gnat adults can carry fungal pathogen spores of Botrytis, Pythium, Fusarium, Phoma and Verticillium.
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| Asian Vegetable Seeds | |
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Across my desk: Kitazawa Seed Company Catalog: Your source for Asian Vegetable Seeds.
seeds@kitazawaseed.com www.kitazawaseed.com |
