When Ken and Mary Jo Dries determined it was time for someone to start taking over the business management side of their orchard, their nephew John Bzdil was ready. Bzdil explained that the family’s interest in growing fruit began with Ken’s father, who cultivated some fruit trees in his yard and so...

A team of researchers has found that existing regulatory and ethical guidelines are not limiting the widespread introduction of invasive plants. Of the 1,285 identified invasive plants in the continental U.S., 61% – a total of 778, including 20 species that are illegal to grow or sell nationwide – r...

As soon as a family drives to your Christmas tree farm, they should be thinking about returning next year. Christmas tree growers know one of the main reasons people visit U-cut tree farms is for the experience. The initial part of that experience may influence whether or not a customer returns the ...

The versatile boxwood, or box tree, is one of the most popular shrubs in America. With dense, dark foliage, boxwoods are ideal for hedges, topiary and accent plantings. But boxwood is threatened by yet another pest: the box tree moth, an invasive pest that has decimated boxwood species in Europe. Cr...

You’ve probably heard customers waffling before when looking at a particular variety of vegetable, flower, fruit or tree. Is it a better fit for their soil or sun exposure? Or is it simply a better fit for their aesthetic? And how do you, the grower, figure out the best way to sell something to some...

Christmas Tree Promotion Board update No one had trouble selling Christmas trees last year, but Marsha Gray, executive director of the Christmas Tree Promotion Board (CTPB), said the board’s ongoing promotion efforts benefit every aspect of the industry. As she addressed growers at the summer meetin...

Whether it’s computer chips or clay pots, the supply chain for a wide variety of goods – and even services – continues to see massive upheaval. Amidst demand issues, there is also a transformation of the digital ecosystem occurring. Advances in technology, shifts in consumer behavior and the “Amazon...

Schools are back in session, and that means students are in classrooms – either physical or virtual in autumn 2021. It’s a great time to get involved with your local schools via Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC). AITC programs are implemented by state-operated programs, aiming to improve agricultu...

“Watering is one of the main factors that affects how your crop is going to grow. Always irrigating at the right time, at the right place, and using the right amount of water” is key to improving water use and plant health in the greenhouse or container nursery setting, Dr. Rosa Raudales, greenhouse...

As I was digging out some large tree stumps with my backhoe, my thoughts migrated to what the early pioneers must have experienced in clearing land for farming. I reflected on the past – windmills or hand pumps used to move water, wood for fuel, candles or oil lamps for light, and horses and wagons ...

Farmers have always had to deal with unpredictable weather. Erratic weather patterns are increasingly occurring, and dealing with the weather is simply getting more confounding as climate change becomes a day-to-day reality. While hot and humid conditions favor the development of some fungal pathoge...

When most of us begin our flower journey we start with the easy, tender annuals such as cosmos and zinnias. They grow profusely and produce many branches. When I started I didn’t know better than to cut at the natural juncture of branches. It never occurred to me to cut deeper into the plant to get ...

One of the most intriguing demonstrations at this year’s AmericanHort Cultivate Expo was from Dr. KrishnaNemali, Ph.D., assistant professor of controlled environment agriculture at Purdue University. He showed how floriculture and nursery growers, using nothing more than the cameras on their smartph...

In my last column , I wrote about a process that turns waste hop biomass into nanofibers. Good news! Another group of scientists have learned how to turn hazelnut shells into a potential renewable energy source. Isn’t science neat? Researchers at the Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Machinery Sc...

With re-opening your business and acclimating to your specific pandemic-related regulations, an important factor to take into account is keeping your customers informed by signaling your intentions. Are you changing hours of operation and/or days of operation, or offering new products? These are the...