Study shines light on ways to cut costs for greenhouse growers

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Greenhouse bedding plant growers can save themselves time, money or possibly both by giving cuttings in propagation more light, according to a Purdue University study.

Flower growers use cuttings from Central America and Africa to start spring bedding plants in greenhouses during winter and early spring. Those cloudy days and cool temperatures make propagation time- and energy-intensive.

Roberto Lopez, an assistant professor of horticulture, and horticulture graduate students Chris Currey and Veronica Hutchinson study ways to minimize inputs and production costs in the floriculture industry while improving product quality. Based on what they were hearing from growers, they realized that light wasn't getting the attention it needed from the industry.

"In their minds, temperature has always been the most important thing. They didn't think about light," Lopez said. "We knew that light was significant, but we realize we didn't know what level to recommend."

NL: Cygnus Greenhouse Control

For more than 30 years Hotraco has been manufacturing and supplying control systems, which provide both reliability and excellent value to their products. The experience gained in combination with the latest technology, provides a guarantee for state-of-the-art Hotraco products.

The CYGNUS-CO2 is a computer which is suitable for greenhouses to control on/off heating and guard temperature, relative air humidity and CO2 level. The computer can be set with day / night time option incase need different settings are required.

If needed, extra CO2 can be produced by the heating unit when CO2 level becomes too low during the day. When CO2 level and / or temperature becomes too high, the windows can be opened or ventilation can be switched on.

Also it is possible to control the humidification when a humidity sensor is connected to the CYGNUS-CO2. At a low relative air humidity, the humidifier can be switched on, or when it gets to high extra ventilation can be applied.

Furthermore, the CYGNUS is provided with an alarm contact which activates an alarm when temperature, CO2 or relative humidity exceeds set values. The control communicates with clear language independent symbols that immediately make sense to the user.

Sources:
FreshPlaza.com
Hotraco Horticulture

Holland: In glass horticulture planned expansions equal plans to stop

The percentage of glasshouse horticulturists with expansion plans is just about the same with 8.8% as those with plans to stop, namely 8.9%. The glasshouse vegetable sector is more positive than the average with 11% having plans to extend. This according to GlastuinbouwScanner Nederland 2011 of AgriDirect.

In the total group of glasshouse horticulturists the percentage of those with plans to extend or succession decreased by 9.5% in 2010 to 8.8% in 2011. The percentage of 'stoppers' increased in the same period from 8.4% to 8.9%. The same trends apply to companies with 2 HA or more of glass, although here the percentage of expansion plans is higher and the percentages regarding plans to stop much lower than the average in the sector.

Of the growers of vegetables under glass 11% have in the short term plans to enlarge the company or to arrange for succession. This is much higher than the average of the sector. Also the percentage of 'stoppers' in this group is one percent lower than in the total of the glasshouse horticultural sector. Growers of one-year garden and flowerbed plants are least positive, only 5.5% want to expand, 9.8% wants to stop or slow down in the short term.

Source: AgriDirect

Gustine High gets horticulture program - MercedSun-Star.com

                     Merced Sun-Star - SUBMITTED PHOTO

Students in the horticulture class gather in the new greenhouse.

The 2011-2012 school year has ushered in new times for the Gustine FFA Chapter and for Gustine High School. In addition to the popular agricultural mechanics, wood shop and food science classes, Gustine High School now offers an environmental horticulture class for students, according to a press release from the school.

The school's new greenhouse will allow for more students to be involved in agriculture classes and allows them to gain experience in the huge, fast-growing career field of horticulture. Because of the class, many students who wanted to have the experience in agriculture education, but weren't interested in woodworking or agricultural mechanics, can now take advantage of the career and leadership opportunities that are part of the FFA program through our new greenhouse, the press release said.

Read full article at Merced Sun Star: Gustine High gets horticulture program

Greenhouse Grower Magazine - Nov 2011 Issue

The November 2011 issue of Greenhouse Grower Magazine is now available, along with archived issues at:
http://www.greenhousegrower.com/magazine/

This month's cover story:
Garden State Growers Mirrors The Starbucks Model
Greenhouse operation uses the coffee giant’s strategy to improve the consumer’s experience.

Use benchmarking to measure your company's success

In the latest issue of Greenhouse Management & Production Magazine, a featured article discusses about how companies can use benchmarking to measure various aspects of their business, including production, marketing and customer service in relation to the best management practices in the industry.

Read full article at the Greenhouse Management & Production Magazine site>

An Internet-based Benchmarking System can be accessed (with free registration) at: https://hortbusiness.ifas.ufl.edu/analysis/

Michigan: St. Clair County Community College is offering a new horticulture/landscape certificate.

The program will allow students to enhance their immediate and long-term goals in horticulture and landscape careers.

Completing this certificate will prepare students for jobs such as landscaper, nursery technician, greenhouse technician, groundskeeper and garden center technician.

The certificate incorporates newer landscape courses such as soil management, landscape plant identification and selection, greenhouse management, nursery management and turf management.

Classes in the program also will transfer into SC4’s landscape design, turf and greenhouse management associate in applied arts and science degree.

Registration is open for fall semester classes that begin the week of Aug. 24. To register for classes, visit www.sc4.edu/wave or call (810) 989-5500.

Construction underway on the State Botanical Garden's Horticulture Complex

Construction began this week on the State Botanical Garden of Georgia's new $2.5 million horticulture complex, a facility that will support the 313-acre public garden. This facility will include outdoor growing areas, greenhouses, spaces for repair and storage of equipment and offices for the horticulture staff. Read more>

Canada: Hothouse fruit, veg sales up, flowers down

Sales of greenhouse products in Canada declined 7.6 per cent from 2007 to $2.1 billion in 2008, as an increase in fruit and vegetable sales was more than offset by a drop in sales of flowers and plants, Statistics Canada reported Monday.

Total greenhouse area amounted to 20.8 million square metres, down from 20.9 million in 2007, the second consecutive annual decline. It was accompanied by lower production and sales, and by a drop in employment. The nursery sector also experienced a slight decrease in sales, the federal statistics agency said.Total operating expenses fell five per cent to $2 billion. Labour costs of $544 million accounted for 27.7 per cent of total expenses for greenhouse operators. The number of seasonal and permanent greenhouse workers declined by 8.6 per cent to 38,375.

Greenhouse operators reported total sales of flowers and plants amounting to $1.3 billion, down 13.6 per cent from 2007. Operators in Ontario, the largest producing province, reported a 20.7 per cent decline.

Sales of potted flowers and plants reached $647 million, representing nearly one half of all sales of flowers and plants. They were followed by sales of ornamental plants for transplanting, valued at $226 million, and sales of cut flowers at $126 million. Sales fell in all categories of flowers and plants.

Source: www.grainews.ca

Verbakel-Bomkas realises big scale horticultural project in Antalya, Turkije

In Antalya a big scale horticultural project has recently started for 3S Tarim. Verbakel-Bomkas as head contractor has the whole region in it's hands. The company from De Lier, Holland is responsible for the realisation of the 3 hectare (7.4 acre) complex. The greenhouse has a height of almost 6.50 meters and the complete metal frame is covered in a white powder coating. Read more>

The Unlikely Orchid Smuggler: A Case Study in Overcriminalization

by Andrew M. Grossman

George Norris, an elderly retiree, had turned his orchid hobby into a part-time business run from the greenhouse in back of his home. He would import orchids from abroad--South Africa, Brazil, Peru--and resell them at plant shows and to local enthusiasts. He never made more than a few thousand dollars a year from his orchid business, but it kept him engaged and provided a little extra money--an especially important thing as his wife, Kathy, neared retirement from her job managing a local mediation clinic.

Their life would take a turn for the worse on the bright fall morning of October 28, 2003, when federal agents, clad in protective Kevlar and bearing guns, raided his home, seizing his belongings and setting the gears in motion for a federal prosecution and jail time.

Read more>

Video: Gerbera Greenhouse Production

Video - Greenhouse Construction Considerations

Video from Extremehowto.com on things to consider when building a greenhouse.

Video - Build a PVC Greenhouse

video from Dave Tidwell on how to build a 12' x 18' greenhouse with PVC pipe, treated 2 x 4's, and 4 mil plastic sheet.

"According to us this is the first hothouse in the world which is energy neutral"

Director Casey Houweling stands high above the plants in one of his new hothouses. By means of hi-tech facilities tomatoes are grown in a sustainable way, water is collected and electricity generated. Eight times more tomatoes are grown per hectare than in the traditional American nurseries. But the expenses are also substantially higher. In the hothouses of Houweling the varieties Success and Tricia of De Ruiter Seeds are grown.

Read more:

Vietnam: Greenhouse system for Phu Quoc island

A hi-tech greenhouse system imported from Israel early this year has helped meet the demand for organic vegetables on Phu Quoc island, which must transport most of its needed produce from the mainland.The 4,200sq m greenhouse, located in Cua Duong commune, includes a drip irrigation control system that allows for cultivation of up to 50 kinds of vegetables year-round.

Nguyen Minh Triet, Ecofarm director, said his company supplies 200-300kg of safe and clean vegetables for local residents a day, including water spinach, mustard leaf, spring onion and watercress.

Read more:

Open house scheduled at UGA's 'secret' trial garden

By Lee Shearer
lee.shearer@onlineathens.com

Nestled between the garbage bins of Snelling Dining Hall and a loading dock at the University of Georgia's Pharmacy Building, one of the university's hidden treasures is in rainbow bloom this week.

Although the UGA Trial Garden is free and open to the public year-round, thousands of people walk by every day without seeing the garden, hidden from casual view behind opaque fences, the pharmacy building and a handful of greenhouses.

But the garden will be on brilliant display at an open house from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday - with tours led by the man credited with starting the trial garden in 1982, UGA horticulture professor Allan Armitage.

Read more:

US: Grow your crop with help from Hort Americas

Hort Americas has been designed to offer greenhouse vegetable growers, as well as greenhouse growers of other niche crops, everything that they need to grow a healthy and profitable crop.
This includes: Cropping Accessories, Substrates, Irrigation Supplies, Greenhouse Structure Accessories and Environmental Control Management Tools.

Hort Americas, along with their parent company Horticoop, can offer products and services that add up to a selection of over 70,000 different items. “Depending on the type of grower and the location of the greenhouse, certain products may have a longer lead time, but they are all available to anyone who needs them. We can also accommodate greenhouse vegetable growers of any size”, says general manager Chris Higgins.

Read more:

LP Foundation grant funds greenhouse

www.redbluffdailynews.com

The Sacramento River Discovery Center staff met with the representatives of the Red Bluff Louisiana Pacific facility to show the 18 by 30-foot greenhouse that the LP Foundation funded for use by the SRDC. The Louisiana Pacific Foundation had chosen the Sacramento River Discovery Center to be the recipient of a grant for the use of Red Bluff High School natural resource Interns. This new facility will enhance the Native Plant Garden Intern Program for the Sacramento River Discovery Center, by providing a new and upgraded greenhouse and propagation facility for students at the center site. The construction of the greenhouse was completed with help for the Interns, volunteer community member Terry Applegate. "With the interest in plants that conserve water increasing, the new greenhouse will assist is meeting the needs of the public for both private residence landscaping and the landscaping of public sites," said Matt Pritchard, RBUHS natural resource instructor. A committee of LP facility members led by Marian Richardson, Travis Turner, Dan Ellis, Jerry Ford, Judy Heal and Brenda Joy helped the SRDC to apply for the foundation grant. The greenhouse will enable the high school interns to regularly have native and drought tolerant plants available both fall and in spring. "Until this grant, we have only been able to have a plant sale on the first Saturday in November," said Matt Pritchard. "Next year, it will become a regular part of the Watershed Celebration." The SRDC appreciates the donation of funds to purchase and set up the new greenhouse, but also the donation of wood products to help build the planting benches, tables and storage areas to keep the supplies necessary to produce increased numbers of plants. "We hope that members of the LP Red Bluff facility team will become active participants in SRDC activities," said Bobie Hughes. The Discovery Center is in the Mendocino National Forest-s Red Bluff Recreation Area at 1000 Sale Lane. The center is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and can be reached at 527-1196 or by e-mailing ccramer@tehama.k12.ca.us. The Web site is www.srdc.tehama.k12.ca.us.

Carpio Vegetable Farm Awarded $20,000

A year from now, students at MSU-Bottineau will be able to get a hands-on experience with a greenhouse, thanks to a grant given to a local organic vegetable grower.MSU Bottineau`s Entrepreneurial Center for Horticulture awarded North Star Farms $20,000 to build a greenhouse. The greenhouse will be passive solar for production of organic vegetables and transplants. North Star farms is 1 of the only certified organic producers in North Dakota. This partnership will not only allow North Star Farms to grow more product for their company, but it will allow MSU-Bottineau to do research on North Dakota produce.

"This partnership, as North Star Farms becomes an extension and test site for the ECH, is a very positive step towards increasing the production capabilities of North Dakota,"says Holly Mawby, Entrepreneurial Center for Horticulture. MSU-Bottineau`s Entrepreneurial Center for Horticulture is hoping to have credit classes available for students next year. They will then get a chance to work with the greenhouse as well.

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