Greetings!
The results from last month's Grower Poll Question show 34% of respondents use more than 25% biological inputs for pest control. Answer this month's Grower Poll Question to give us an idea of your 2010 anticipated production compared to last year. |
| Ramping Up Summer Production:
Poinsettias, Pansies, and Perennials | |
By Scott Armstrong, Central Region Technical Sales Manager
Now that spring is winding down, it is time to ramp production up  again and fill up all that empty space. One of the biggest challenges in summer production is dealing with the high heat and humidity. These tough conditions help to create a growing environment of high disease and insect pressure.
Be prepared and proactive. Don't sit back and wait for the problem. By incorporating BioWorks products into your program, you are turning to a solution that will:
- Help your current inputs be more effective through resistance management - Provide lower REIs - Give you a safer alternative while at the same time providing you an effective solution from a both a costing and a product performance standpoint  As you are potting up those poinsettias, pansies, perennials, and other crops, keep the following BioWorks products in mind:
RootShield® (Granular and WP) will provide you with 10-12 weeks of protection against most of the major root diseases ( Fusarium, Pythium, Rhizoctonia, Cylindrocladium, Thielaviopsis, etc) for less than 2 cents per 6" pot. This is the perfect product for your summer production of poinsettias, pansies, hardy mums, cyclamen, and perennials.  CEASE® and MilStop® as a tank mix will provide you with a preventative on many foliar fungal and bacterial diseases ( Botrytis, Cercospora, Erwinia, Xanthomonas, Pseudomonas, etc.) as well as a curative for light to moderate powdery mildew infestations. With this tank mix, you are getting both a curative for powdery mildew, along with a great preventative on many other types of BOTH foliar fungal and bacterial diseases, with only a 4-hour REI! NemaShield® will provide you with effective control of fungus gnat larvae as well as an effective tool in helping combat thrips (attacks the pupae and pre-pupae in the soil).  BotaniGard® and Molt-X™ as a tank mix will provide you a very safe and effective solution to fight your insects (whiteflies, aphids, thrips, etc). This tank mix can be used as a great stand-alone, or in rotation with your other inputs. No resistance issues will help make your other inputs even more effective. SuffOil-X® is a great knock-down for both insects and mites. Due to its small oil particles and added emulsifiers, SuffOil-X is a highly effective knock-down, while maintaining plant safety. |
| Chemical Free Poinsettia Production | | |
Learn how top growers have had success with sustainable poinsettia production...
"We made it all the way to the end without a chemical fungicide. We're proud of our white roots!" touts Roger McGaughey of Michael's Greenhouse. McGaughey claims 2009 was their most successful poinsettia year. Find out what they did.
In 2008, Van Wingerden Greenhouse's poinsettia crop was grown entirely with no fungicides or insecticides. The product RootShield was incorporated into the soil to protect from root pathogens. See " Small Steps to Sustainability" GPN Magazine.
 According to Joe Volpe, Peace Tree Farms has been chemical free for the past 3 years. Relying solely on beneficials, and RootShield. Read more.
Have You Ordered Your RootShield Yet?
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| BotaniGard and Biocompatibility | | |
This is the first segment in a series of excerpts from an article written by Kevin Cullum of Koppert Canada Limited and Marla Faver of BioWorks.
Biocompatible refers to the ability of a pesticide to be safely used with biologicals (beneficial insects and mites).
Koppert's side effects guide classifies side effects on beneficials in two ways; reduction of control capacity and persistence. For instance, DDVP® would likely be classed as a 4 for all biologicals, but only has a 1-2 day residual. We consider it "biocompatible" because it can be used to clean up a situation and biologicals can be immediately reintroduced with no side effect. Something like Spinosad®, while being less harmful than DDVP on many biologicals, has a residual period of at least two weeks. It is not as compatible due to the wait of 2-3 weeks before introduction of biologicals.
Lacewing Aphid Mummies - photo courtesy of Koppert Canada | Biologicals can be generally broken down into four categories: Predatory bugs, predatory mites, parasites and gall midges.
Below is the side effects guide developed by Koppert:
 Harmless < 25% reduction  Slightly harmful 25 - 50% reduction  Moderately harmful 50 - 75% reduction  Very harmful > 75% reduction  Effect/persistence unknown (Persistence is indicated in number of weeks! (Spinosad, Avid®, Enstar®, etc.) More harsh materials, such as Thiodan®, which are listed as 3 or 4 and with a long residual (8-16 weeks), have no compatibility whatsoever. They are used only at the end of a bioprogram when there are no plans to go back to biologicals. A truly biocompatible pesticide such as Distance® can be used directly over top of a bioprogram with minimal disruption. BotaniGard® fits into this class for the majority of beneficials. BotaniGard is an excellent 'transition' material for growers moving from a traditional chemistry program to a biological program as it prevents the pests from developing until the chemical residue has dissipated sufficiently to be safe for beneficials.
BotaniGard is an excellent application over top of a bioprogram to reduce population down to more manageable levels for the biologicals.
(Next month read about Thrips and Whitefly bioprograms) |
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 June Grower Poll Question
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Over the balance of 2010 will your production be...
- More than last year
- Same as last year
- Less than last year
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Bio-Concepts Explained
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