IFAS CEU DAY 3/30/10

A last reminder about the IFAS CEU Day for 3/30/2010.

You are welcome to walk-in to the seminar on Tuesday at 8:30 am. Here is your chance to get up to 6 of those CEU you need for your license. We will be having a lunch and the program will last until 4:00.

The program cost is $30.00 and will cover topics related to herbicides. CEU's for FNGLA and Certified Crop Advisers are also available.

For more information please call Shawn at 744-5519 ext 147.

Also please check the website for more detailed information for the agenda and speakers/topics.
http://hillsborough.extension.ufl.edu/Ag/AgOrnProd/Newsletters/Newsletter2010Spring.pdf

News From the Field

I figured it might be nice to relay information to the grower community from my trips out to the field to visit nurseries. Since it is hard to leave the production area and get out and about, I thought it might helpful to bring the nursery to your door.

Here are some interesting things that I found visiting with Cliff Richardson the production manager at Royal Crest Nursery located in Polk City.

One of the things they are utilizing for ease of movement of plant transport are plant racks that minimize the number of contact points of handling plants. They have eliminated a few times they pick up and set down plants. The racks are placed on the trailers, then the plants are loaded directly into the racks. When the racks are driven to the loading dock they are forked with a loader. The loader then drives right into the semi where the plants are unloaded and stacked for shipment. Each rack holds about 54 three gallon plants. They also have modified racks with high sides to accommodate trees.

Another labor savings device they are using is the hair mat for weed control. This is a weed barrier that suppresses the germination of seeds from the soil surface. Cliff said they can send one person to weed 25,000 three gallon pots in less than an hours time and eliminate and weeds before they go to seed. Thereby saving labor costs.

Florida Entomological Society Meeting

Do insects bug you? Tell your story and listen to others at the Florida Entomological Society. The entomologists are wanting to get information from the field about problems facing industry. Here is some information from them about their upcoming meeting.

The 93rd Annual Meeting of the Florida Entomological Society will be held July 25 - 28, 2010. Pre-registration form: http://www.flaentsoc.org/annual10.htm
More information will be available online soon, including industry workshops and CEU opportunities.
Meeting will be at the Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa, 5 North A1A, Jupiter Beach, FL 33477-5190. Phone: 800-228-8810. Website: www.jupiterbeachresort.com
Hotel Room Registration Deadline is July 12, 2010Room rates: $129/day (Jr. suites: $179/day)Jennifer L. Gillett-Kaufman, Ph.D. UF/IFAS Entomology & Nematology Department Rm. 3004 Bldg. 970, Natural Area Drive PO Box 110620, Gainesville Florida 326110620Note: New phone number (352)273-3950Fax (352)392-0190

Expanding Your Plant Palette

We had a great seminar here at the Seffner Extension office for those who are always looking for the next great plant to grow. The plantsmen Alan Shapiro, Larry Schokman, Stephen Pategas, Robert Bowden, and David Price showed us their favorite plants that they have either recently discovered or think that are underutilized in the industry.

Photo credit-- Mr. Bowden of Leu Gardens

If you were not able to be at the seminar I have the presentations saved on my webpage. You can download them and click through the images. They did a great job of capturing their favorites on camera. I have the presentations separated by speaker. Here is the link to the Expanding Your Plant Palette presentations. http://hillsborough.extension.ufl.edu/Ag/AgOrnProd/AgPresentations2009.html

Expand Your Plant Palette

Consumers are always on the hunt for something new. Especially during the Spring planting season in the landscapes. As a grower you might want to try a few new plants this year to add to your production lineup.

The University of Florida/IFAS is putting on a seminar called Expanding Your Plant Palette. Here is your opportunity to see what other industry and garden leaders are discovering new in the plant world. There will be five speakers (Alan Shapiro from Grandiflora Nursery, Robert Bowden of Harry P. Leu Gardens, Stephen Pategas or Hortus Oasis, David Price of Bok Tower, and Larry Schokman of the Kampong) who will enlighten us as to their new favorites.

We have plenty of seats available at the Hillsborough County Extension Office in Seffner. Just call me to reserve one for you.

Here is a link to a flier with more information.

http://hillsborough.extension.ufl.edu/Ag/AgOrnProd/CalendarPubs/Expand_Your_Plant_Palette_2010[1].pdf

Florida Strawberry Festival Youth Plant Show and Sale

There were a bunch of happy 4-H and FFA students this Sunday at the 36th annual Florida Strawberry Festival youth Plant Show and Sale. We conducted another successful auction with the help of many tireless volunteers, Strawberry Festival folk, youth, parents, industry supporters, and UF staff. The children earned $22165 on their plant lots. Last year there were more lots (223 versus 172) than this year but we had a severe winter and that probably knocked off a few lots from the auction. We also helped raise $240.00 for our youth program with the help of St. Clements Catholic Church and their "Make Your Own Strawberry Shortcake Tickets." Thank you for those who helped and please send me a comment below if there is anything that I can do to improve the auction for next year.

Integrated Pest Management Update

Pests are a perennial problem in the nursery and their proper identification and effective control are essential to best production practices. The University of Florida/IFAS extension is bringing you a great program on the latest and greatest from research and industry to help you in your combating pest at the production level.

We will be having our annual Integrated Pest Management Update in Balm at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. The session will be half a day and will cover topics in the following areas:

• how to effectively scout your production area
• two economically important weeds
• weed management
• industry updates from our sponsors
• shipping plants to and from Texas
• chilli thrips management
• banker plants
• biorational pesticides

This is a really good line up and you should take away some good information to put to immediate use at the nursery. The cost is $25.00 and will cover refreshments, materials, CEU's for FNGLA, ISA, and FDACS pesticide licenses.

Here is the flyer for the program: http://hillsborough.extension.ufl.edu/Ag/AgOrnProd/CalendarPubs/PMUFlyer2010.pdf

And here is the link to register yourself online. http://ipm030910.eventbrite.com/