Getting Ready for Spring

Roger McGaughey

Four years ago, when Chris Beytes asked me to write these columns, his directive was: “I don’t care what you write about, but try to make sure that there are a few take-home messages for your fellow growers.” Well, hopefully the following will help with some thought-provoking ideas for everyone.

Whether you have a small or large nursery, preparation for the season ahead is vitally important. It’s essential to be proactive rather than regretting, after you put the crop in the greenhouse, that you haven’t taken care of some things.

First, identify the jobs that need to be attended to. Second, write a procedure to ensure that they are completed satisfactorily.  Third, make someone responsible for the tasks necessary to carry out the procedure. Accountability is a wonderful tool!

When I sat down to analyze all that needed to be done on our nursery, I came up with 22 points—all equally important. Some of our plastic houses are 30 ft. wide by 144 ft. long with forced hot-air heating. Have the hot air furnaces been cleaned and serviced? Is there an ample supply of fuel in the oil tank? Are the horizontal airflow fans, the plastic inflation fan and exhaust fans in the house working properly? Have the greenhouse walls and irrigation filters been cleaned? Have the hanging basket and sprinkler lines been flushed out and are all the hoses/drips working properly? Did all the weeds get pulled or sprayed? Has the floor been swept and any trash taken out of the house? Is there a good calibrated thermometer in the house and are the thermostats or computer heating and vent controls working properly? These are just some of the questions I ask myself and if you think hard enough about it you will come up with other items specific to your own situation that need attention. It’s important to get these jobs done before the crop is in the house and to document your procedures so that next time it’s all laid out for you.

Next, take a water sample and send it to a soil test lab for analysis. With the results of this test, you will be better able to choose the right fertilizer for your crop’s proper growth.

One of my new tasks this year is to spray down the floor of the house with nematodes before the crop goes in. This will start control of the thrip pupae that are overwintering in the gravel floor or weed mat. It will also get a jump on controlling any hibernating fungus gnat larvae in the same area.

Last year, thrip control for me was very successful with the use of nematodes. I certainly plan to apply my little friends to every area of the nursery once a week all year long. It really only costs a few cents per square foot per year and I didn’t spray any chemical pesticides for thrip control in 2009.  Nematodes and other BCAs saw me through. One word of caution—don’t miss one week’s application as there are plenty of thrips just waiting to attack your nice, clean shoot tips and flowers, especially if you skip a week.

Now that I’m satisfied that my preparation is adequate, I will again make sure that Rootshield WP is applied to every pot/tray ASAP after planting. As with any application, make sure that you monitor properly and make sure the correct quantity is applied.  It’s amazing how little, if any, chemical fungicide you will have to use later. My whole poinsettia crop last year (2009) was grown without chemical fungicides. Nematodes and Rootshield WP are a powerful combination.

Here’s hoping we all have a successful year. If we growers stick together and share ideas, our customers will surely benefit from greener, cleaner crops that will be better business for us all.  GT

Roger McGaughey, head grower at Michael’s Greenhouses in Cheshire, Connecticut, was educated in Northern Ireland and England and has 34 years experience as a grower.