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Sustainability posts

Foliar Absorption of Nutrients Learning Module

Mar 9, 2016 | Written by

It is so refreshing to see companies doing great things to educate growers! Harrell’s LLC has a tradition of doing this and the following product is a wonderful example of that.

Thanks to Harrell’s LLC for allowing us to re-post.

Welcome to the Foliar Absorption of Nutrients Learning Module

This learning module explains how plants absorb liquid nutrients through their foliage, and how to maximize uptake in your nutritional spray program.

Enter Here

Precision Irrigation – Publications and Information Resources

Jul 27, 2015 | Written by

SCRI-MINDS

“Specialty Crop Research Initiative – Managing Irrigation and Nutrition via Distributed Sensing”

Our project is all about saving water, increasing efficiency and reducing the environmental impacts of ornamental plant production practices! We are using wireless sensor networks and environmental modeling to more accurately predict and apply irrigation water in nursery and greenhouse operations, and monitor green roofs for stormwater mitigation.

Our goal is to provide growers with the ability to precisely monitor and control applications of water and nutrients to plants in these production settings, based upon daily plant requirements.

Our vision is to provide the nursery and greenhouse industries with cost-effective equipment and strategies that can be used to reduce the volume and cost of inputs, increase profitability, reduce the environmental impacts of nursery and greenhouse production and encourage sustainable practices in the United States and beyond.

The purpose of this website is to provide you with an overview of our project and information about the research and development of an advanced environmental monitoring and irrigation system. We are actively collaborating with a number of commercial growers using their production areas as test environments. These collaborations will help us learn to best implement this new technology to minimize cost and maximize efficiency.

The SCRI-MINDS project has demonstrated multiple benefits of wireless sensor control systems for commercial nursery and greenhouse operations — This starts with reducing water applications compared to our best irrigation managers by between 40 and 70% depending on crop and season. However, these reductions in irrigation water use also extend to significant reductions in nutrient leaching and crop loss due to disease, with associated environmental benefits.

As importantly, we have demonstrated that there are multiple benefits which are associated with increased timeliness of irrigation decisions, which all translate into increased crop yield and quality and ultimately increased profitability for growers. The success of this project will culminate in the commercial release of the PlantPointTM advanced sensor network control system by Decagon Devices, Inc. in early 2015.

All of these benefits are highlighted in our Final Year 5 report, which you can access from our Impacts Page

Or check out our publications from the drop-down menu here.

You can also download a summary of our project impacts from: SCRI-MINDS Impact Summary

Systems-based Pest Management: Propagation Practices

Aug 29, 2014 | Written by

This video demonstrates how nursery crop producers can apply a systems-based pest management approach to propagation, eliminating or minimizing the spread of pathogens from propagation houses and beds into the main production areas. Five practical tactics are featured, providing an overview of ways producers can stop or minimize the spread and, consequently, reduce costs associated with damage and control measures. Funding for this video was provided by the Southern Risk Management Education Center, the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, and the UT Department of Plant Sciences. Narrated by Ms. Haylee Jones, produced by Ms. Halee Jones and Dr. Diana Cochran with assistance from Dr. Amy Fulcher.

To access Alan Windham’s carrot assay described in this video, use this link  and select Systems-based Pest Management.

Link to video here.

New Video – Systems-based Pest Management: Irrigation Practices

Aug 25, 2014 | Written by

This video demonstrates how nursery crop producers can apply a systems-based pest management approach to irrigation, eliminating or minimizing the spread of pathogens from recycled irrigation water and standing water in main production areas. It also covers the importance of testing water quality and refining irrigation volume to optimize plant health. Funding for this video was provided by the Southern Risk Management Education Center, the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, and the UT Department of Plant Sciences. Narrated by Ms. Haylee Jones, produced by Ms. Halee Jones and Dr. Diana Cochran with assistance from Dr. Amy Fulcher.

Link to video here.

Bees and neonicotinoids

Jul 14, 2014 | Written by

Originally posted on http://ecoipm.com.

Two recent publications will help growers, landscapers, retail outlets, and the public understand the risks and benefits of neonicotinoid insecticides without the hype. These extension publications provide a balanced account of the current research and restrictions. Planting garden center flowers is good for bees and other beneficial insects was published by Dr. Dave Smitley at Michigan State University.  

The second Neonicotinoid Pesticides and Honey Bees by Timothy Lawrence and Walter Sheppard at Washington State University provides an accessible literature review of research related to honey bee exposure to neonicotinoids.

Georgia Native Plant Initiative (GNPI) Industry Symposium 2013

Oct 21, 2013 | Written by
Successes and Challenges for Georgia’s Native Plant Industry: Wholesale Changes Required
Today’s modern nursery grower won’t get excited by selling a few 4” pots of goldenrod to a native plant enthusiast. And today’s requirements for habitat restoration cannot be satisfied by getting a few dozen native plants from a specialty grower or two. If native plants are to make it as a profitable enterprise for suppliers then production needs to stepped up and producers/users linked up.
That is the goal of the Georgia Native Plant Initiative; and the focus of our day of industry-based talks/discussions aimed at realizing the economic/ecological potential of native plants.
 
When: November 21, 2013
Time: 8.30 a.m. – 3.00 p.m. (lunch provided)
Where: State Botanical Garden of Georgia,
2450 S. Milledge Ave., Athens, 30605
Cost: $20 to cover food and beverages
Registration: 706 542 9353 or on-line at bitly.com/nativeplantinitiative
 
AGENDA
8.30-9.00 Registration, coffee
9.00-9.15 Welcome & Introduction (Wilf Nicholls, Director, State Botanical Garden of Georgia)
9.15-10.00 Trends in landscaping with native plants (Julie Evans, VP, Garden Designer, The Fockele Garden Company)
10.00-10.45 Needing GA ecotypes for US Forest Service Lands restoration (Joanne Baggs, Botanist/Ecologist, Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest Service)
10.45-11.30 Creating urban public landscapes using native plants (Greg Levine, Co-Executive Director & Chief Program Officer, Trees Atlanta)
11.30-12.00 GNPI Resources at your disposal (Jennifer Ceska, Conservation Coord., State Botanical Garden of Georgia)
12.00-12.45 LUNCH (please let us know any dietary restrictions)
12.45-1.30 Restoring the natural understory in longleaf pine forest (Carol Denhof, Understory Coordinator, The Longleaf Alliance)
1.30-2.15 Developing a native plant business from the ground up (J. Walter Bland, Managing Partner, Rock Spring Restorations)
2.15-3.00 Tour of the Mimsie Lanier Center for Native Plant Studies
 
Jennifer Ceska
Conservation Coordinator
State Botanical Garden of Georgia
at the University of Georgia
http://botgarden.uga.edu/