• Overcomeadversity through intense personal effort.• After due consideration, make what you feel are the right

decisions, however unpopular theymay be.Theworld is full ofindecisive leaders. Only by making decisions can you progresstowards your goals.

• Never lock yourself intoanything. Be prepared tochange.• Putinplace the best management team you can towork with

you to achieve your goals and give them a share ofthe profits, apiece ofthe action that will help make yoursuccess their success.

• Makecommitmentsand keep them. Beas good as your word.During these trying economic times, it may bewise toreflect on

the above practices of successful business management.

Reference

Hughes, J.et al. 1991. Tips to Success. Grower Notes. MinistryofAgriculture and Food, Ontario, Canada. Feb.:l-2.

Controlling Greenhouse InsectsDuring Hot WeatherRichard J. McAvoyAssistant Professor and Extension Specialist - Greenhouse Crops

The control of insect pestsisalwaysa major concern in thefloriculture greenhouse. When the days get long,the sun's

intensity increases, thetemperatures soarand insect populationscanexplode. Under these conditions, it isessential forgrowers tohave a good "game plan" tomanage pest populations withintolerablelimits.Hereare some things to consider when developingyour insect control game plan for the spring and summer months.

The rate of insect development is related to temperature. Astemperatures increase, the time required for the insect to completeitslife cycle will decrease and, asa result, insect populations willincrease rapidly. For example, thesweet potato whiterry's life cyclewill varyfrom 18 up to57 days depending on temperature andfood source.The implication of this fact is that the applicator mustbe that much more vigilantunder hot weather conditions.

In a 65-75°Fenvironment it takes the greenhouse whitefly about32 days tocomplete onelife cycle, sweetpotato whitefly complete alife cycle in 39 days, and thrips require about25 days. Under hot

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•

t

, .gjit^t. j

AAS Honors to Ron Parker forthe Second Year in a Row!Ron Parker is at it again. After receiving All-American Selection

(AAS) recognition for three newcultivars ofVinca in 1991 hehas another double winner in 1992.

This newest Vinca cultivar, available from Denholm Seed, isnamed 'Pretty in White'. Thiscultivarwasawarded in both theBedding Plantand Flower categories. 'Pretty in White' has largeblooms, up to 11/2 inches across, withoverlapping petals onacompact plant. 'Prettyin White' also branches well in thecell flatwithout pinching.

Congratulations to Ron Parkerforanotheroutstandingachievement.

Table 2. Annuals to beBotanical Name

Antirrhinum majusArctotis stoechadifolia^Cattistephus chinensisCentaureacyanusCattistephus chinensisCelosia cristata

CelosiaplumosaCleomehasslerana

Cosmos bipinnatusCosmos sulphureusDahlia hybridsGaillardia pulchdlaGerbera jamesoniiGomphrena globosaGypsophila elegansHelichrysum bracteatumHeliotropium arborescensLimonium sinuatum

Molucdla laevis

Nicotiana data

Salpiglossis sinuataScabiosa atropurpureaTagetes erectaZinniaelegans

used as cut flowers late in the season.

Common Name

SnapdragonAfrican Daisy; Blue-eyedAfrican DaisyChina Aster

Bachelor's Button, CornflowerChina Aster; Annual AsterCockscomb

Feather or Plume Cockscomb

Spider Flower; CleomeCosmos

Klondike Cosmos; Yellow Cosmos

Garden Dahlia

Blanket Flower

Transvaal Daisy; GerberaGlobe Amaranth

Annual Baby's-BreathStrawflower

HeliotropeNotchleafStatice

Bells-of-Ireland; Irish BellsFloweringTobacco; Ornamental TobaccoPainted TonguePincushion Flower

American Marigold; African MarigoldZinnia

*Flowers best incool seasons; these plants need tobe sown inlate summerforautumnflowering.

summer conditions the time required to complete one life-cyclewill be reduced to 14and 18days for thrips and whitefly, respectively.

Increasespray frequency during hot weather:When insectpopulations become aproblem under moderate temperature conditions spray at four- to five-day intervals for thrips and five- toseven-dayintervals for whitefly.Reducethe period betweensprayapplications to three daysunderhotweather conditions.

The number of consecutivesprayapplications to schedulein aseries and the frequency of theapplications willdepend on thepest involved, theenvironment and theseverity of theproblem. Ifthe infestation is high, continue the spray schedule forone complete lifecycle once the program begins. Evaluate theeffectivenessat the end of this period.

Early detectionis important Usescouting andmonitoring techniquesto detect insect populations before theyexplode. Monitorinsectpopulations by routinely inspecting plants for pests. Movearound the house and inspectplantsin different parts of the house,checking under leaves, the soiletc. for signsof a problem.

Looking in the right spot for a pest is the key to early detection.Whitefly tend to congregate on the undersideof leaves, thripsfeed in the growingtips and flowers of mostcrops, green peachaphids can usually be found clustered on thetender shoot tipsof acropbut the melonaphid showsno special preference for thissite.

Monitor the right plants. Plantsensitivity to an insect pest willvary with the species as wellasbetweencultivars. Growers canuse this to their advantage in two ways. One way is to use resistantcultivarswhen they areavailable. The secondway is to monitorsusceptible species for earlysigns of infestation. Checkthe plantswhich usuallyshow problemsfirst and takeimmediateactionwhen problems do occur. Inthisway, thegrower canspottreat theproblem, checking the infestation before it becomes epidemic.

Use insect traps and monitor them. Usesticky traps,yellow forwhiteflyand blue for thrips. Checkthe traps routinely—on a'regular schedule! Identifythe insects captured andmakenotesasto the location, the type and number of insects found, the actiontaken to combat the problemand the resultof thataction.

Identify the pest involved. To controlan insectpest, it is important to know what pest you aredealing with. It is alsoimportant toknow somethingabout the insect'slifecycleand feeding habits.Monitorand correctly identify pestsas they appear. If you cannotidentify the pest, seek help.

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Once insects are detected, act quickly. Rogue infested plantsand spot treat if only a few plants are involved. Spot treat if a smallarea is involved. If a largerarea is involved, schedule an application of the appropriate pesticide forthe crop.A sequenceof two,three or more applications many be warranted. If so,do it.

Match control to the insect involved and the insect's life cycle.Many insectspassthroughseveral stagesof development.Thephysical appearance of the insectwill change with eachstageofdevelopment. An insect'ssusceptibilityto achemical agentwillalsochangewith the stageof development. For example,thewhitefly canbe controlled with pesticides during threestagesofdevelopment; the crawler stage(immediately following egghatch),the earlynymphal stages and the adult stage.

Guard against resistance. Constant use of a single pesticide or asingleclass of achemical pesticide often resultsin a resistant insectpopulation. As insects build resistance to a pesticide, they willusually becomeresistant to anentireclassof pesticides. At thispoint it becomesnecessary to control the pestswith materials froma different chemical class, one to which they are not resistant.

Constant use ofa single pesticide...often resultsin a resistant insect population.

To avoid resistance, rotation or the alternatinguse of pesticidesfrom several different chemical classes is recommended. There aretwo schoolsof thought on chemicalrotation: (1) alternateeverysprayapplication and(2) alternate onceeveryinsect lifecycle. Ifone chemical is applied forone complete insectlife cycleonly theoffspring of resistant individuals shouldsurvive. Theclass of pesticide is then switched to one which most of the insects should notbe resistant.In this manner the insect population canbe controlled.

Mitesrepresent a special case. Mite populations areusually veryheterogenous, that is,there willbe someindividuals in the population that will be resistant to any particular chemical. The strategywith mites is to use one chemical until only resistant insectsremainand the populationbegins to increase again. At that pointswitch chemical agentsuntil resistance is againdetected in thepopulation.

Commonly used greenhouse pesticidesand the chemicalclassificationof these compounds are listed in the following table.

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Chrysanthemum xsuperbumCimicifuga racemosa

Cimicifuga simplexCoreopsis lanceolataCoreopsis verticUlataCrocosmia masoniorum

Daucus carota

Echinacea purpureaEchinops ritroErigeron hybridsEryngium bourgatiiEupatorium coelestinum

Gaillardia xgrandifloraGypsophila paniculataHelenium autumnale

Heliopsis hdianthoidesscabra

Liatris scariosa

LUium 'Oriental hybrids'Limonium latifoliumLobelia cardinalis

Lycoris squamigera

Macleaya cordataPhlox paniculataPhysostegia virginiana

Platycodon grandiflorusRudbeckia hirtapulcherrimaRudbeckia nitida

Scabiosa caucasica

Sedum spectabileStokesia laevis

Thalictrum rochebrunianum

Shasta Daisy

Black Snakeroot;BugbaneKamchatka BugbaneTickseed

Threadleaf CoreopsisCrocosmia; MontbretiaQueen Anne's LacePurpleConeflowerGlobe Thistle

Fleabane

Mediteranean Sea-HollyMist-FLower;Hardy AgeratumBlanket Flower

PerennialBabyVBreathSneezeweed,Helen's Flower

Hardy Zinnia;False Sunflower

Blazing Star;Tall Gay featherGarden Lilies

Sea-Lavender; Statice

Cardinal Flower;Scarlet Lobelia

Autumn Amaryllis;MagicLilyPlume PoppySummer Phlox

Obedient Plant;False DragonheadBalloon Flower

Black-eyed Susan

Coneflower

Pincushion Flower

Showy StonecropSedumStokes Aster

Lavender MistMeadow Rue

Early summer - frost

Mid-summer

Late sum. - mid-fall

Early- late summerLatesprg. - latesum.Mid- to late summer

July - SeptemberJuly - Sept.Sporadicinto fallLate summer

Mid-summer - frost

Summer

June - AugustAugust - September

July - September

Summer - late fall

AugustMid- to late summer

Early - late summer

Mid- to late summer

Mid- to late summer

July - AugustLate summer-fall

June - SeptemberJuly-September

Mid- to late summer

Summer

August - SeptemberSummer

Late summer

The postharvest livesof field grown cut flowers will be extended if flowersareharvested in the early morning or lateafternoon. Inflorescences should be cut with the longest possiblestems,and the foliage from the lower parts of the stems should beremoved beforeplacing in water.Similar species should begathered together andwrapped at thebottomwith rubber bands.Plants with woody stems,suchasRudbeckia and Aster,often havetheir stem ends crushed beforebeing placedinto water. Alwaysadd commercial flower preservatives to the holding water.

Powdery mildew can be a big problem duringthe late season

Powderymildewcanbeabig problem during the lateseasondue to the warmdays and coolnights. Avoid problemsby irrigating plants onlyin themorning before noon. Select cultivars whichare resistant to mildews and space the plants adequately to givegood aircirculation.

A late season flowergarden which is to be used forcut flowerproduction requires some planning. Thesuccession ofbloomandthe varietyof flower colors needtobe considered. Decide on thecolors yourmarket willrequire andthe timesduring the fall formaximum production. Thenschedule your flowers around thisplan.

Table 1. Herbaceousand are useful as cut

Botanical Name

AchilleafUipendulinaAconitum napellus

Anaphalis triplinervisAnthemis tinctoria

Aster xfrikartiiAsternovi-belgiiChrysanthemum xmorifoliumChrysanthemumnipponicum

perennials which flowerflowrs.

Common Name

Fernleaf Yarrow

Monkshood;Helmet Rower

PearlyEverlastingGolden MargueriteHardy AsterNew York Aster

HardyChrysanthemumNippon Daisy

late in the season

Months of BloomJuly - AugustJuly - September

Aug-SeptJuly-SeptemberJuly-SeptJuly-SeptAugust - frost

Mid-to late fall

Pesticide Name Chemical Class

Orthene OrganophosphateTalstar PyrethroidDursban OrganophosphateTempo PyrethroidKnox Out OrganophosphateSumithrin PyrethroidVapona OrganophosphatePounce PyrethroidMavrik PyrethroidDibrom OrganophosphateOxamyl Carbamate

Sulfotepp (Dithio,Dithione) OrganophosphateAvid Botanical

Malathion OrganophosphateDycarb Carbamate

Kelthane Chlorinated HydrocarbonPentac Chlorinated HydrocarbonVendex OrganoTinThiodan Chlorinated Hydrocarbon

Good coverageis important. When insect populationsreachepidemicproportions or the pest is hardtocontrol because theytend to hide (i.e. thrips), high volume sprays aredesirable, sincethey produce aheavier, more persistent pesticide residue on theplantsurface. Underthesecircumstances combining two or morepesticides in a tank mix may be needed to gain the upper handonthe problem.

Air movement, both inside and outside the greenhouse, has aneffecton pesticide application. For example, it is recommendedthatapplicators not use smoke formulations when it is windy outside as the effectivenessof the applicationwillbe diminished.However, plantcanopypenetration and coverage with fog applicationsmay increase with the useof horizontal airmovementin thehouse.

Try new materials.Recentadditions to the pesticidearsenalmay be effectivetoolsin your program. Here aresometo consider.Tame is a cyano-pyrethroidrecently put on the market. Enstaris ahormone, an old material just recently reintroduced. Growers havereported good successwith Enstarcontrolling both whitefly and

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aphid. Horticultural oils have been effectiveon a broad range ofinsects. These materials are extremely refined to limit plantdamage. The oils work by smothering the insects.Some toxicity tothe insects also occurs. Piperonylbutoxide (PBO) is a synergisticagent which lowers insectresistance to certain classes of pesticides.Alone PBOhas no toxiceffecton insect pests. However, when PBOis combined with pesticides such as Avid, Pentac, Talstar, or someother pyrethroids, theeffectiveness of the pesticideis increasedover and above its normal toxicity range.

Finally, biologicals such as predatory insects,mites, nematodesand disease organisms may represent sensible alternatives to pesticides for growers under certain circumstances. Many growers already use biologicalagents such as Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) informulations such as Gnatrol or Vectobac for fungus gnat control.

Be aware of the potential for phytotoxicity. In general, it is besttoapply pesticides eitherearlyor latein the day whenlight levelsare low. High light levels usually result in high temperatureswhich can reduce the effectiveness of some pesticides and alsoincrease the likelihood of plant damage.

A wilted plant will be more susceptible to pesticide damagethan a turgid plant. Thissame rule applies to other forms of plantstress. As the plant stress levelincreases, the likelihood of

, phytotoxicity increases and the plant's resistance to insectsanddiseases decreases. Beforeapplying a pesticide, make sure theplants have been well wateredand are in a turgid state.

Plants in flower are more sensitive to phytotoxic effects thanthose not in flower. Once in flower, aerosol and smoke formulations may represent the only saferecoursefor the applicator.

Prevention helps. Mow the grass and weeds around the greenhouse to reduce insect populations and to prevent their movementinto thegreenhouse. Thrips multiply rapidlyon grass flowers. Ifthegrassoutsidethehouse isallowed toflower, thrips populations willbecomeepidemicand the insects will be carried into thehouse on the ventilation air stream.

Growers who follow these recommendations will achieve betterpest controlduring hot weather.

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Late Season Field-Grown Cut FlowersDr. Mark BridgenAssociate Professor Floriculture

Have you ever seen a list of the cut flowers that the Dutch sendto the United States in late summer and early fall? There is a

tremendous variety of herbaceous perennials and annuals beingsent to the United States which could be grown in our own fields!Old "stand-bys" such as Phlox, Callistephus, Solidago, Dahlia andEchinops are being sold to florists as well as unusual flowers suchas Eryngium, Sedum spectabile, Aster tataricus, Scabiosaatropur-purea and Cimicifuga.

Although cut flower gardens require some work to producegood quality flowers, they are well worth the effort. Their flowersoffer a variety of form and color with differing stem lengths. Theperfumed fragrance of many of the field-grown flowers is anadded benefit. Field- grown cut flowers are ideal for the cottageindustry system which is so popular in New England.

In selecting annuals and perennials to be grown in the field,flower characteristics and cultural requirements are important.Flower color, shape, size and stem length should be suitable forthe many floral uses. The culture of the plant should not be toospecific as to make it impractical for the grower; consider the soiltype, pH and moisture requirements for the plants. If the flowerswill require staking, plant beds three to four feet wide and allowthe plants to gradually grow together. This system may make iteasier to provide support for the flowers.

The superiority oflocally-grown flowers over imported flowers makesthem wellworth the higher prices.