Keep it Clean

Sarah Brackman

The growing season is the best time to implement a practical sanitation plan. Consider this the season of good, fast growth in both your plants, as well as insects, diseases and weeds. Plentiful irrigation, nutrients and sunlight offer a paradise for both plants and pests alike. Sanitation is an afterthought during the busy season. Given the strains on labor and time, the focus is keeping your head above water and orders moving out the door.

Pictured: Irrigation lines look benign enough on the outside, but what’s on the inside? During active growing months, your worst nightmare inside the lines may turn up on your plants.

Adopting small practices throughout your growing cycle is an excellent way of maintaining a crop and making sure loss and disease pressure throughout the year remain under economic thresholds. Combining both a thorough cleaning at the end of a season and house-prepping after each crop is moved, maintained or sold through is a practical approach. Dedicating quick, easy tasks performed during common jobs minimizes loss, as well as maintains the quality of the plants.

You’re not trying to eradicate every pest or potential pest in your crop’s environment; rather, you’re trying to manage the build-up and prevent additional outbreaks. Although growers will often follow a thorough and rigorous program when production space is empty, once people, equipment and plants enter, so do pests. In order to keep these from creating crop loss, using a house-prep approach can reduce risk.

Helpful hygiene tips
An important objective with cleaning and sanitizing during your busiest growing months is to keep biofilm from creating an irreversible layer on surfaces. This is a gluey mass of bacteria, algae and other free-floating microorganisms that form into a colony. The mass is protected with large molecules that are similar to the polysaccharide layer found covering algae. Part of its survival strategy is creating a protective barrier using this slimy matrix.

It’s very science fiction. It’s also tenacious and has a tendency to be very difficult to completely eradicate. We’ve heard of biofilm causing trouble in irrigation lines, but when surfaces aren’t thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, bacteria will continue to build-up, forming the dreaded impenetrable force field. It’ll adhere to materials, such as stainless steel, plastic, copper, rubber and lead. Many of these materials are found in common growing spaces.

The best program takes the facility, equipment and crew into consideration. Physically, if your production area is cramped, has unrelated supplies, plants or is otherwise difficult to access, certain areas won’t get cleaned. Tool and machinery maintenance is something physical you can do to prevent biofilm from building up. Once degradation begins, the damage left behind from abrasions and scratches offers a spot for bacteria to attach and begin to grow.

When employees move plants, assign one individual to take the time to remove any debris and physical organic matter. This will help reduce some forms of pathogens from causing a potential problem by continuing to grow and reproduce. Other good physical control measures are cleaning up weed piles and pulling out diseased plants right away. These seemingly small actions will go a long way in keeping a cleaner growing space.

Don’t forget about your eyes in the field. Ensure that your employees and crew can identify a potential problem and know who to alert. Addressing something sooner rather than later can mean the difference between simple preventative action, and a hard-won and expensive battle.

Persistent pests, such as weeds, certain insects and diseases, will be better tamped down using a sanitizing agent or an herbicide. Be aware of your most common challenges and make the appropriate choice. Take the time to choose the right products. These are chemistries that are labeled to be used in a house that has a crop in production, and can quickly and safely be used with minimal PPE and REI.

Use methods that are quick to set up at the beginning of the work day. Make sure the designated employee understands the equipment needed and how to prepare and apply the material. A backpack sprayer and a granular applicator are good, portable tools.

In order to truly be effective on a pest population it’s important to review all non-crop areas that can host weeds, insect populations or pathogens. Treat non-crops areas as carefully as your dedicated production space.

Take into consideration the environment surrounding your operation, such as nearby bodies of water, lowlands and wetlands. Be aware of any imposed regulations or restrictions concerning your location. Materials that harm aquatic life or persist in the environment aren’t good choices. There are products on the market that assume less risk and are easier to handle and apply.

Look up
I grew up in Michigan and I remember an old local commercial that featured the Detroit Pistons team member Isaiah Thomas. He was teaching young children about electrical safety. Thomas asks one of the kids to look up. He responds, “But I don’t see anything.” The point was to look up for power lines.

I always think of this commercial when talking about irrigation lines. They look benign enough on the outside, some algae perhaps, but what’s on the inside? This is one of the last places that we think a problem can occur from lack of sanitation. Irrigation lines, whether underground, soil level or overhead have a literal hidden dark side … in the line itself. Water and nutrients make it a very conducive atmosphere for many organisms to take root, grow, reproduce and break off to travel to other areas. During active growing months, water is plentiful and your worst nightmare inside the lines may turn up on your plants.

Some common problems that can be associated with irrigation line cleanliness are water-borne pathogens such as phythium, fusarium, algae, etc. They can easily become attached and thrive in biofilm. Pieces will eventually get swept up and down stream and then deposited everywhere water splashes. Clogged sprinkler heads and emitters are indicative of a severe problem. In order to eliminate this, the irrigation lines will have to be addressed using a certain protocol. This is a sanitation practice that should be performed only when a production space is empty—normally at the end of a season or crop cycle.

If you regularly shock and flush your irrigation lines, consider maintaining them by treating your irrigation water throughout the season. This is a very effective way to keep free-floating microorganisms from attaching and growing. There are several options for treating irrigation water on a continuous basis. Take time when making your choice to consider your facility, budget and what your goal is.

Identify your biggest challenges in the summer months. Is it keeping weeds in control? Is it a build-up of algae on greenhouse surfaces? Mites and other heat-loving insects will thrive and multiply, leaving behind numerous opportunities for bad outbreaks or hot spots. Fungi also enjoy the extra moisture, and if they aren’t given the right conditions, they’ll leave behind dormant spores that can last through many seasons until the right conditions are met. Keeping a log of the houses that had pest problems during the production season can offer valuable information for later in the year when there’s time to commit to your full sanitation protocol.

Developing a plan to sustain a pest-free growing space during the chaos of spring is a challenge. Remember, the goal is not to keep a sterile environment; instead the goal is to maintain a healthy growing environment. In recognizing the need for such a protocol, keep things practical and simple. Adopting small jobs to keep pest outbreaks in check and reduce build-up will go a long way in your operation’s overall hygiene. GT

Sarah Brackman is a technical services representative for BioSafe Systems.