2016 International Plant Propagation Society Southern Region Annual Meeting Highlights

I just got back from the IPPS-Southern Region meeting and had some great tours of some surrounding farms near our meeting site of Virginia Beach.  We also had lecture time to share what we are innovatively doing and protocols for production.  Here are some of the observations that I thought were interesting from the field....

Pot-in-pot production with drip for larger materials.  

Boxwood blight is a real problem in the Northeast.  We needed to protect the nurseries we visited with strict protocols such as wearing foot booties so no soil would be moved to other places.

A picture of a large cell, liner trays that are used for stepping up material

A home-made contraption for unrolling cold-frame coverings mounted on a fork lift.

This nursery uses guys on sheet rock stilts to perform structural pruning tasks.

These guys are using a jig made from a flexible plastic board to space plants.  The piece has a spacer (metal bar) for distance between rows and lines on the board for where plants should be placed in-row.

An interesting application for a garage door as an entrance in a greenhouse setting. This allows for pushing a button and opening the door for entry.  The springs and motor are enclosed in a gear box to protect from the elements.

Shipping plants holding a board to keep plants from moving using a simple angle iron and vice-grips.

Mum trials on capillary mats for water savings and quality improvements.

International Plant Propagator Society-Southern Region Meeting in Tampa

I attend a bunch of meetings every year; however, there is one meeting that really shines as a "grower's meeting," the International Plant Propagators Society-Southern Region Meeting.  This is one of the best meetings out there for growers (especially woody plant and tree growers) to get involved with.  The series of talks and tours don't just cover propagation but many aspects of growing plants.  Every meeting has a ton of useful information, not to mention all the great contacts you will meet.  This year the Southern Region meeting will be in Tampa (Sheraton Riverwalk Hotel) on Oct. 11-14th.  This meeting will also host an international delegation of nursery folk from around the world.

As hosts to this prestigious event, I am looking for nurseries to sponsor some aspect of the meetings and tours.  There are certain perks for those who commit to a sponsorship.  We already have our tour destinations picked out and are starting to line up educational speakers for the meetings.  If you would like to show your industry peers from the southern region, and around the world, a great time in our backyard by sponsoring the meeting, please call Shawn at the Extension office 813-744-5519 ex. 54147.

I also would like to showcase our area a little better by opening up more nurseries to the faculty, growers, and garden managers in attendance that will be here before and after the meetings.  If you would like to open up your nursery for folks to informally drop by and have a look around (have your current availability list ready), I will have two slots for you to pick.  Saturday 10/10/15 from 13:00-17:00 and/or Wednesday 10/14/15 from 13:00-16:00.  You could even do both.  This is a great way to gain some exposure for your nursery with other industry professionals in the southeast.  If you would like to be an informal host site also call Shawn at Extension or email ststeed@ufl.edu to confirm times and dates.