Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Poinsettia Issue
November 2013
The On-line Magazine for Interior Plantscapers, Green Walls, Green Roofs and Allied Associates
© 2013, Johnson Fediw Associates, The Woodlands TX. All rights reserved. If you wish to use any materials in this publication you must contact Kathy Fediw at [email protected] first for written permission. Thank you for protecting our copyrights.
5 From the Editor 9 Bilingual: Ten Tips for Poinsettia Care by Kathy Fediw 12 Poinsettias on a Two Week Schedule by Kathy Fediw 14 How to Laugh Your Way Through Poinsettia Season 19 Chamadorea cataractarum by John Mendozza, Morning Dew Tropical Plants 20 Directory of Green Earth-Green Plants® Certified Businesses 21 Upcoming Events
In this edition...
Interiorscape Suppliers and Associations: Interested in advertising with us? Contact [email protected] to find out how you can access interiorscape buyers and save money over print publication advertising.
Feel free to forward this to your staff, colleagues and clients or subscribe them at www.I-PlantsMagazine.com. If you’d like to use one of our articles in your newsletter please contact the author. All materials in this magazine including photos are copyrighted and may not be used without written permission by the author or editor.
About the Cover: The holiday décor at the John Hancock Tower in Boston, MA by Evergreen Tropical Interiors tied for the first-place winner in the 2013 I-Plants Magazine Awards Contest for the $10,000 to $20,000 category. This redesign features décor from Autograph Foliages and required collaboration with the BADD Brothers Iron-workers’ Union to install the 20 foot tree and 12 foot wreath. During delivery on a very windy day, the wind caught the top of the tree, sending it sailing across the courtyard, and one of the glass doors blew in and on top of one of the designers. Every-one, including the tree, were fine and the client was delighted with the results. Other holiday award winners included Atria, Inc. who also tied for first place in the same category, and Moore Landscapes who won first place in the $30,000 to $40,000 category. Their entries are featured in the article found on page 14. Remember to take plenty of photos of your holiday work and enter our 2014 Design Contest. You’ll find information in our December issue.
Happy Poinsettia Season! I’m guessing that most of you are knee-deep in the red stuff or preparing for your first delivery very soon. I fondly remember my days of letting all my frustrations out with a good, hard game of poinsettia bowling (with the rejects, of course.) But before you do that, read all about
poinsettias in this issue of I-Plants, including how to care for them even if you are on a two week service schedule. Plus our tips for surviving the weeks ahead should at least remind you that this, too shall pass. John Mendozza fills us in on the Cat palm, a plant that is incredibly hardy and often difficult to find. And you’ll find upcoming events for the rest of this year and the beginning of next year, just to give you something to look forward to. As always, thank you for your support of I-Plants Magazine, the only trade journal for the interior plantscape industry! We couldn't do this without the support of our subscribers and advertisers.
Your publisher and editor, Kathy Fediw, LEED AP ID+C, CLP-I, CLT-I [email protected]
PS—Next month’s issue will feature the best holiday displays so send us your photos! One per company, please. PPS—remember to forward Office Plants Magazine to your clients and prospects! To find out how you can advertise your business or be the cover story for Office Plants CLICK HERE.
Please support our advertisers who make this publication possible and free to you! Click on their ads and tell your suppliers you read this magazine!
TPIE sponsored by FNGLA Sippers/Topsiders Greenwalls Sturon Nursery Tropical Computers GTI Plantscaping Products Jay Scotts Collection H2OMG by Waterboy Plant PAWS Soil Sleuth Soil Probes No Sweat! Liners Morning Dew Tropical Plants Aquamate/American Granby Southwest Products: Brand X and other supplies Johnson Fediw Associates Green Plants for Green Buildings Join our list of advertisers and reach over 1,600 interiorscapers—just CLICK HERE for your free media kit.
From the Editor
©2013, Johnson Fediw Associates. Feel free to forward this publication to your friends and colleagues. Contents are copyrighted and may not be sold or duplicated without written permission. Please contact Kathy Fediw at [email protected] for details.
The poinsettias are here! You’ll need these quick tips to keep them healthy and beautiful. We’ve included instructions for you in both English and Spanish–good luck! 1. Open and unpack poinsettias from boxes as quickly as possible. Flowers produce a gas called eth-ylene. The ethylene gas becomes trapped inside the boxes and causes the poinsettias to droop and look as though they are wilt-ed.
Abre y desempaca las noche buenas de sus cajas tan pron-to sea posible. Las flores producen un gas llamado etileno. El gas etileno se encuentra atrapado dentro de las cajas y causa que las noche buenas se inclinen y parezcan marchitas.
2. Handle poinsettias carefully. Poinsettias become bruised easi-ly. Carry and handle them gently. Do not drop the boxes!
Maneja las noche buenas cuidadosamente. Las noche
buenas se magullan fácilmente. Transpórta-las y ma-néjalas gen-erosamente. ¡No dejes caer las ca-jas!
3. Keep the soil of poinsettias slightly moist – not too wet and not too dry! Add water as soon as the surface of the soil feels powdery dry.
Mantén la tierra de las noche buenas ligeramente húmeda – ¡ni muy mojada, ni muy seca! Agrega agua tan pronto la su-perficie de la tierra se sienta como polvito seco.
4. Use subirrigation to decrease how often you need to water the poinsettias. We will be visiting ac-counts only once a week to water the poinsettias by using capillary matting or Oasis disks for subirriga-tion.
Usa el sistema de subirrigación
para disminuir la frecuencia con que riegas las noche buenas. Visitaremos las cuen-tas solo una vez por semana para regar las noche buenas por medio del sistema de sub-irrigación usando la almoha-dilla capilar o los discos de Oasis.
5. You must protect poinsettias from the cold and from drafts. Do not leave poinsettias on a cold loading dock if temperatures are below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Poinsettias are tropical plants and like warm temperatures.
Debes de proteger a las noche buenas del frío. No dejes no-che buenas en un área fría si
By Kathy Fediw, LEED AP ID+C, CLP, CLT
10 Tips for Poinsettia Care
10 Consejos para el Cuidado de las Noche Buenas
la temperatura está por debajo de los 50 grados Fahrenheit. Las noche buenas son plantas tropi-cales y les gusta la temperatura cálida.
6. Each poinsettia needs a water-proof saucer or container. Foil by itself is not waterproof! We can avoid expensive insurance claims by using deep-dish saucers or plastic containers. 7. Look for whiteflies and fungus gnats. Whiteflies hide under the leaves and bracts and can spread to other plants. Fungus gnats hide in the surface of the soil and can stay in offices for a very long time.Tell Tammy if your plants have whitefly or fungus gnats.
Busca las moscas blancas –whitefly- y los mosquitos de hongo –fungus gnats-. Las moscas blancas se escond-en abajo de las hojas y en la parte baja de la flor y se pueden esparcir a otras plantas. Los mosquitos de hongo se esconden en la superficie de la tierra y pueden permanecer en las oficinas por un largo tiem-po. Dile a Tammy si tus plantas tienen moscas blan-cas o moquitos de hongo.
8. Keep water off the leaves and bracts. Water (especially cold water) can leave ugly black spots and cause plant diseases.
Mantén las hojas y la parte baja de las flores libres de agua. El agua (especialmente la fría) puede dejar feos puntos negros y causar enferme-dades a la planta.
9. Each week, remove any dead and yellow leaves, bracts and flowers. Keep your poinsettias looking fresh and healthy for a long time.
Cada semana, quita cualquier hoja, flor o la parte baja de la flor que se encuentre amarillen-ta o muerta. Manteén tus noche buenas con apariencia fresca y saludable por un largo tiempo.
10. Your supervisor or manager will tell you what to do with old poin-settias at the end of the holiday season. Some customers may want them for their employees and some customers will want us to throw
them out. Check with her first before you get rid of old poin-settias.
Su supervisor o gerente te dirá qué hacer con las noche buenas viejas al final de la temporada navideña. Al-gunos clientes podrían quer-erlas para sus empleados y algunos clientes nos pedirán que las tiremos. Verifica con Su supervisor o gerente pri-mero antes de deshacerte de las noche buenas viejas.
©2013, Johnson Fediw Associates. Feel free to forward this publication to your friends and colleagues. Contents are copyrighted and may not be sold or duplicated without written permission. Please contact Kathy Fediw at [email protected] for details.
Poinsettias are tough enough to keep looking good for weeks on end during the holiday season. Unpredictable weather and other challenges can wreak havoc on these delicate, cold-sensitive, water-hogging plants. If your maintenance program is on a two week schedule the challenges become even more pronounced. So what’s an interiorscaper to do? Keep in mind that the success of any of these methods depends greatly on where the poinsettias are located and the light, temperature and presence of any drafts will affect your success. When ordering, check the measure-ments of the bottom of your saucer or waterproof decorative container so you order the right size. Many sau-cers and containers taper to the bottom, so the bottom diameter may be smaller than the top diameter. So a 6 inch saucer may only be 5 ½ inch-es at the bottom. Option 1: One option is to ask clients to water the poinsettias in between your visits. In order for this to be suc-cessful you need a client who is will-ing to do this on a consistent basis and instructions for whomever they assign the task. Put in writing your recommendations for watering and be as detailed as possible. For exam-ple: “Please give each poinsettia one
cup of lukewarm water on the follow-ing dates: November 22, December 6 and December 20. We’ll water them on the alternate weeks.” Option 2: Hire an extra person or two to act as your Poinsettia Team. This person would have a separate route and go around to water poin-settias in between the tech’s regular-ly scheduled visit. This may work for larger companies but may not be practical for smaller businesses. You can also use an existing employee who may be in a different depart-ment or who may work part-time most of the year. Option 3: Use some type of subirriga-tion. There are many products avail-able for you to use, each has their good points and their limitations, and they are available in a wide variety of price ranges. A few of the most popular ones are: Cap mats: you may be able to find pre-cut circles, or buy rolls of capillary matting and cut it into round or square pieces to fit the bottom of deep-dish saucers, which you’ll
most likely need to use even with wa-terproof containers. This is an inex-pensive option but the labor costs will increase the price. You may not have enough labor available during the holi-days to cut the cap mat into pieces so start as soon as possible. This works best when the drainage holes on the grow pots are on the bottoms, not the sides, of the pots so check with your growers and distribu-tors. Place the cap mat in the bottom of a saucer and place the grow pot di-rectly on top of the mat. Remember the holes need to be in direct contact with the matting for this method to work. Most poinsettias can get by on weekly watering with cap mats but some may not last the full 2 weeks, depending on location and environ-
By Kathy Fediw, LEED AP ID+C, CLP, CLT
Poinsettias on a Two-Week Schedule
ment. You can double the cap mat to 2 layers and that may help in some cases. Cap mats can be reused on other plants after the holidays and generally last 6 months to 2 years. Aquafur and Oasis Disks: these systems are similar to cap mats but come precut, decreasing your labor costs. They also work best on plants with the drainage holes on the bottom of the grow pots. The extra cost is probably worthwhile, especially if you don’t have the labor to cut the capillary matting. Poinsettias can go one to two weeks between watering. Sippers™: these are compressed legs of capillary material formed into “stilts” that are inserted into the drainage holes in the bottom of the grow pots. Please note that the drainage holes MUST be on the bottom for you to use these! You’ll need a deep dish saucer or water-proof container and 3 to 4 Sippers per pot work best. These will raise the grow pot about half an inch so be sure your decorative container is deep enough. Sippers will last almost indefi-nitely and can be re-used many, many times. Poinsetti-as can go one to two weeks with Sippers before they’ll need watered again. CWI Inserts: these subirriga-tion pots will allow your poinsettias to go two to four weeks or more between wa-tering, depending on the conditions. They can be reused over and over again and the savings in labor and repeat visits may make the investment worthwhile. Order your supply now from Tournesol. You will need more labor upfront to re-pot the plants into the system so be sure to have extra hands on deck early in the season. Decorative containers do not need to be waterproof. Order now. Joey Pouch: this subirrigation system is a wrap of specialized foam-like material and requires that you take the poinsettia
out of its grow pot and wrap the root ball in the Joey Pouch material. The system can be pricey and labor-intensive but your plants may make it through the whole season with just the initial watering. A waterproof container is a must! Order now in case supplies are limited. There may be other subirrigation systems available so check with your regular supplier. Option 4: Use a wetting agent (or surfactant) such as Yuccah Extract or liquid soap. Wetting agents are con-
centrated liquids that are added to your water. Water the poinsettia as usual once you’ve mixed the wetting agent in our can (or use a propor-tioner with a hose or water ma-chine.) Wetting agents make your water “wetter” so it penetrates and stays in the soil media better. This is a quick, easy fix and most poinsettias can go one to two weeks between watering. You only need to apply it once at the beginning of the season, then water with regular water from that point on. Wetting agents can be used on other thirsty plants that are
not staying wet long enough be-tween regular maintenance visits. However, using wetting agents along with a subirrigation system may backfire, especially on en-closed systems. The soil may stay wet for too long and lead to rot. Option 5: Use water-absorbent crystals. These crystals work best when they are mixed into the potting media before a plant is potted up. However, some interi-orscapers have had good results by poking holes in the soil of finished
plants and sprinkling a few crystals down into the holes, then covering them up with soil media. The crystals absorb water and increase in size when you water the plant, so a little goes a long way. Excess crystals may float up to the top of the soil and create a gelatinous cover-yuck! The plants’ roots are able to draw water out of the crys-tals as needed and go for one to two weeks or more. In the past we’ve been able to get tubes filled with the same material used for these crystals, with water added to create a Jell-O-like mass. The tubes are
about 5 to 6 inches in length and about the width of a tube of sau-sage or ground beef. You split the tubes and set them on top of the soil so the material is in direct con-tact with the soil media. Some peo-ple had great success while others complained that the tubes were too visible. Check your supplier for availability. You may find that certain options work best with certain clients. Be sure to order your supplies as early as possible so you’ll have them on hand throughout the season.
©2013, Johnson Fediw Associates. Feel free to forward this publication to your friends and colleagues. Contents are copyrighted and may not be sold or duplicated without written permission. Please contact Kathy Fediw at [email protected] for details.
1. Get plenty of beauty sleep. Learn from children--take lots of naps (preferably not in front of customers or your boss.) 2. Drink plenty of liquids. Installers should drink plenty of Coke, Pepsi, coffee and other highly caffeinated beverages. Managers and supervisors should drink plenty of herbal teas and those beverages not usually sold in the grocery stores Sunday mornings.
Remember, don’t drink and drive! Everybody’s too busy to bail you out. 3. Get an early start and prepare ahead of time. February is not too soon. Now is way too late. 4. Buy presents throughout the year, then in November decide what you
want to keep for your-self and what you want to give away. 5. Address your Christ-mas cards for next year right after this year’s holiday while you know who sent you one and who you still like. 6. Give everyone a list of what you want them
to buy for you so you won’t be disappointed.
Don’t wait for them to ask, since many people are not as highly orga-nized as you are. 7. Some advice on entertaining—don’t! Instead of throwing a party, invite yourself to somebody else’s house for the holidays. You’ve worked hard. You’ve earned it. 8. Eat out—a lot. This is no time to learn how to cook. Remember, the kitchen is the most dan-gerous place in the house so stay out of it as much as possible. 9. Eat by candlelight. Do everything by candlelight. Remember, most folks look better in the dark, especially after pulling an
all-night installation. 10. Buy yourself something pretty. The more sequins the better. If you are a male, you may want to cut back on the sequins thing, but to each his own. 11. Carry a really big backpack with lots of snacks. You won’t have time to make anything healthy, so go ahead and eat all the junk food you can find. You’ll feel better, and you can diet in January along with everybody else. 12. Wear knits—they don’t need iron-ing. Leggings are not an appropriate substitute for work pants unless you are 12 years old. Remember the 11th commandment—keep thy butt cov-ered at all times. Happy Holidays!
By Kathy Fediw, LEED AP ID+C, CLP, CLT
How to Laugh Your Way Through Poinsettia Season
The award-winning holiday display at Corporate Leader-ship Development Center in Crotonville, CT by Atria, Inc.
Award-winning holiday décor at the Wrigley Build-ing in Chicago, by Moore Landscapes, Inc.
John Mendozza is president of Morning Dew Tropical Plants, Inc, and can be reached at [email protected]. Photographs are copyrighted by John Mendozza, please contact him for permission to use any of these photos.
By John Mendozza, Morning Dew Tropical Plants, Inc.
©2013, Johnson Fediw Associates. Feel free to forward this publication to your friends and colleagues. Contents are copyrighted and may not be sold or duplicated without written permission. Please contact Kathy Fediw at [email protected] for details.
Chamaedorea cataractarum A palm that has been gaining popularity the last few years is the Chamaedorea catarac-tarum, commonly known as the “Cat” Palm. The Cat Palm is native to Southern Mexico, and can best be described as a cross between an Areca Palm and a Bamboo Palm. The growth habit is shorter than Areca, maxing out at approximately 6’ at maturity. The fronds are dark green and glossy, with long thin pinnate leaflets. Cat-aractarum prefer to be kept
moist. Cat Palms have an attractive, dense clumping appearance at the stems. Like the Bamboo Palm, they can tolerate medium light, and prefer bright light. They can take high light, but will need to have increased watering. Main pests to keep your eyes open for are mites and mealy bug. Many Interiorscapers use Cat Palms as an alternative to Bamboo and Areca. The overall appearance is similar to both palms, and are sometimes mistaken for the other varieties. They are also commonly used as an exterior palm where the shorter growth habit is preferred for partial shade conditions. The Cat can tolerate cool temperatures, and are propagated from
seed. Chamaedorea Cataractarum is currently grown in Florida in 8
in to 17 in containers, with 10 & 14 in being the most popular.
Chamaedorea Cataractarum 17 in
Cataractarum 14 in
Cataractarum 10 in
Protect the Environment in Your Green Building – Make sure your plants are cared for by a
Green Earth-Green Plants® Certified Business! IP: Interior Plantscape certified businesses
Arizona:
Plant Solutions, Inc. IP Scottsdale, AZ
Phone: (480) 585-8501
Owner: Joe Zazzera, LEED
AP,GRP
California:
Good Earth Plant Company, Inc.
IP San Diego, CA
Phone: (858) 576-9300
Owner: Jim Mumford, GRP, CLP
Growing Roots IP Long Beach, CA
Phone: (877) 475-2689
Owner: Jennifer Bermudez-Perez
McHenry Plantation, Inc. IP Costa Mesa, CA
Phone: (714)689-9992
Owner: Nicole McHenry
Steve Wolff & Associates, Inc. IP Villa Park, CA
Phone: (714)282-1155
Owner: Steve Wolff
Colorado:
Design Perfected, Inc. IP Denver, CO
Phone: 303-817-8070
Owner: Patty Seabolt
Connecticut:
Atria, Inc. IP Cheshire, CT
Phone: 203-753-6200
Owner: Bruce Crowle
Illinois:
Interior Tropical Gardens IP Huntley, IL (Chicago area)
Phone: (866) 427-5268
Owner: Mark Martin
Mimosa Interior Landscape IP Elk Grove Village, IL (Chicago
area)
Phone: (847) 545-1800
Owners: Paul Zaccarine and David
Biggus, CLP
Phillip’s Interior Plants & Dis-
plays Oak Brook, IL (Chicago area)
Phone: (630) 954-3600
Division Manager: Jean Berg
plants inc IP Chicago, IL
Phone: (773) 478-8208
Contact: Jane Rodgers
Maryland/DC area:
Interior Plantscapes, Inc. IP Laurel, MD
Phone: (301) 498-5028
Owner: Sandra Mobley
New Jersey:
Raimondi Horticultural Group,
Inc. IP Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ and New York/New
Jersey/PA areas
Phone: 201-445-1299
Owner: Chris Raimondi
North Carolina:
Foliage Concepts IP
Asheville, NC Phone: (828) 253-2888
Owner: Les Love
Pennsylvania:
Hoffman Design Group, Inc. IP Philadelphia/New York/Deleware
Phone: (800) 550-3655
Owner: Bryan Hoffman
Plantarium Living Environments,
LLC Philadelphia, PA
Phone: (215) 338-2008
Owner: Bob Bashore
South Carolina:
Foliage Concepts IP Spartanburg, SC Phone: (864) 576-9186 Owner: Les Love
Texas:
Green Oasis Plantscapes, Inc. IP San Antonio Phone: (210) 653-8900 Owner: Mike McAbery Plant Interscapes, Inc. IP Most major cities Phone: (210) 696-4003 Owner: Mike Senneff Silversand Services, Inc. IP Houston, TX
Phone: (713) 722-0336
Contact: Lisa Hathaway
Virginia:
Buckingham Greenery IP Buckingham, VA
Phone: (434) 969-4711
Owner: Connie Hom
Greatscapes & More IP Richmond, VA
Phone: (804) 657-7080
Owners: Meg and Rob Watson
Florida:
PLANTZ, Inc. IP Tampa, FL area
Phone: (813)258-1940
Owner: Steve Stanford
CLICK HERE for more information
UPCOMING EVENTS
November 2013 November 15-18: ASLA Annual Meeting for landscape architects, Boston, MA. For more information go to www.asla.org November 20-23: Greenbuild Expo, sponsored by USGBC, Philadelphia, PA. For more information go to www.USGBC.org
December 2013 December 12: National Poinsettia Day in the United States. Do something special for a poinsettia today!
January 2014 January 22-24, 2014: TPIE, spon-sored by FNGLA, in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. For more in-formation go to tpie.org.
April 2014 April 10, 2014: Interiorscape Symposium at Longwood Gar-dens, sponsored by PLANET and AmericanHort (formerly OFA.) For more infor-mation go to www.landcare- network.org
July 2014 July 12-15, 2014: OFA Short Course at Columbus, OH (name to be changed in the near future.) For more information go to www.ofa.org
