Here’s a topic that’s as colorful as it is crucial for nursery production: the potential of colored shade materials to control hydrangea growth. Dr. Eric Stallknecht, assistant professor and greenhouse production specialist at Virginia Tech, led a vibrant discussion on whether different shade colors...

Due to the desired growth habits of Cannabis sativa, lighting may be more critical for this crop than many others. Even before it became legal again, growers were working on fine-tuning their lighting set-ups to achieve the perfect plant-to-flower ratio. Both public universities and private research...

The horticulture industry isn’t just about growing plants. Some of the real power players are behind the scenes – the decision-makers who control contracts, greenlight vendors and determine who gets the deal and who gets the door. In her high-energy session “Winning Business: How Decision Makers Cho...

A Ph.D. student in the department of Forest Resources & Environmental Conservation and an affiliate of the Invasive Species Collaborative at Virginia Tech, Harrison Miles has considerable experience with invasive species. One troublesome invasive he’s studying is the spotted lanternfly (SLF). Althou...

Life moves at a lightning pace these days, and the same can be said of the horticulture industry. Plant varieties are always being tweaked and improved, different methods of growing are tested, new technology is being developed – and pests and diseases are always a threat. That’s why attending a col...

Beaver Dam Sunflower Festival celebrates 10th anniversary BUCHANAN, VA – Sometimes you have to take your mind off things – try something new because the old ways aren’t working. In 2015, Frank Preston Wickline III decided to plant 30 acres of sunflowers on his dairy farm in Botetourt County. Like ma...

A relatively new strawberry disease has made its way out of Florida and is spreading throughout the South and Northeast. “ Neopestalotiopsis is the name of the disease and the pathogen,” said Nicole Gauthier, Ph.D., Extension plant pathologist, University of Kentucky. “Most people call it Neopest. I...

Those with orchards know apple trees need a certain period of cold, known as winter dormancy, to grow and produce properly. However, exactly how cold the trees need it to be and for how long can vary by variety, and depends on their scions and rootstocks. Testing the cold hardiness of apple scions a...

Michigan State University Extension Specialist Bert Cregg, Ph.D., said for most Christmas tree growers in the Midwest and Northeast, every new tree begins in a seedling bed. Cregg recently presented information on options to ensure seedlings have the best possible start. “It begins with ‘2-0s’, plan...