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Insider Tips for Greenhouse Pros
Episodes
Tuesday Jul 16, 2019
Tuesday Jul 16, 2019
This episode is a solocast – meaning it’ll be me the entire time with no guest. I decided to talk about this episode’s topic because I’ve gotten a lot of questions and requests to share trends lately but not just trends – data driven trends. So I reached out to my friend and industry guru Dr. Marvin Miller for some current data and added some trends gleaned from industry reports from the past one to two years – state of the industry articles, year-in-reviews, research summaries and more.
We talk about a lot this episode but I want you to remember a few key things. First, we are currently seeing some of the highest lawn & garden participation numbers that we’ve seen in more than a decade, which means there’s a ton of opportunity out there. Next, Millennials make up a gigantic percentage of this growth and the population at large and they are into categories like fruit trees, vegetables, houseplants and decorative foliage. Also, customers desire experiences, not just a store and some products. You MUST stand out from the crowd as a wholesaler delivering the absolute best product or a retailer with a fantastic consumer environment. Finally, the more well-rounded you are in terms of product mix, events and workshops, activities for families and maybe even store locations or formats – the more exciting you will be and the more likely to attract a new, enormous customer base. So that’s the challenge – easy, right? I know it’s not but I have full confidence in our industry to figure this all out and remain relevant in the lives of a whole new group of end customers!
If you have any questions or comments, you know where to find me – bcalkins@ballhort.com or on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wdcalkins/.
Contact Links:
Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com
NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast
#STEMGreenhousePodcast
Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins
Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/
Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/
See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo
Monday Jul 01, 2019
Monday Jul 01, 2019
(Interview starts at 6:40) Our guest today our guest today is Dr. Will Healy and back for Part Two in a three-part miniseries focused on garden mum production intended to help you produce the absolute best mum crops you possibly can – using the newest genetics and latest strategies. Dr. Healy returns to talk about the heart of the mum production timeline addressing the common question, “Am I where I need to be with my mum crop?” Will and I dig deep into monitoring feed, graphical tracking to hit critical dates, catching problems early and what to look for when walking your mum crops. And because every year, a grower somewhere has an issue impacting the start of their mum crop (like weather, greenhouse backups, labor challenges, delayed shipments, etc, etc…) we talk about ways to adjust, pivot and get back on track. Like I mentioned back in Episode 30 – part one of this series - we’re not releasing these episodes back to back to back but instead when they are most relevant – because many of you listen in real time. This will be a great episode to share with your entire team – because keeping a large, seasonal crop on track requires a village. Looking ahead, Dr. Healy will be back in a month to continue the timing message and wrap up with finishing tips and tricks to fine tune your absolute best garden mum crop before sending it to market.
Resources:
NEW Ball Mums Page with Graphical Tracking Tool: https://www.ballseed.com/gardenmums/
Ball Mums Catalog with Culture and Propagation Guides: https://www.ballseed.com/Virtual/2018_mums/index.aspx
Ball Seed Chrysanthemum White Rust Awareness Document: https://www.ballseed.com/PDF/Chrysanthemum-WhiteRust-Awareness-2018.pdf
Cornell University Chrysanthemum White Rust Alert & Management: https://www.ballseed.com/PDF/Chrysanthemum-WhiteRust-Alert&Management-June2018.pdf
EC Monitor: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VVVEUI?pf_rd_p=2edffb5d-036e-4cd0-bc77-99980e2d4856&pf_rd_r=0BYNK2B0GCMMRYBKW6K9
Dr. Healy’s Past Episodes:
STEM Episode 30: Your Best Mum Crop Ever (Part 1) - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/your-best-mum-crop-ever-part-1/
STEM Episode 21: The Language of Watering - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/the-language-of-watering/
STEM Episode 22: Watering: The Rest of the Story - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/watering-the-rest-of-the-story/
Contact Links:
Email Guest Dr. Will Healy: whealy@ballhort.com
Email Ball Mum Hotline: bscmumhotline@ballhort.com
Ball Seed Customer Relations and Mum Help: 1-800-879-BALL
Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com
NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast
#STEMGreenhousePodcast
Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins
Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/
Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/
See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo
Thursday Jun 13, 2019
Thursday Jun 13, 2019
(Interview starts at 6:22) Our guest today is Helen Rortvedt, executive director of KidsGardening.org, a national organization that has been a leader in the school gardening movement since 1982. KidsGardening inspires, supports and connects educators and families by providing garden grants and curriculum, and as they say – by cultivating a community of practice. Check out their stated mission: We create opportunities for kids to learn and grow through gardening, engaging their natural curiosity and wonder. And it is also opportunity that encouraged me to not only reach out to Helen to join me on the STEM greenhouse podcast but also to join the organization’s board of directors in 2018. I am proud to be a part of KidsGardening.org and know for a fact that after listening to this episode, you will also be inspired to engage with them in one of many ways.
This episode is relevant to every person in the horticulture industry, no matter what your segment or role. We all know a teacher. We all know a kid. We are all a part of a community. We all love plants and understand how they can positively impact someone’s life or how they engage with the world around them. All of these commonalities mean we have what it takes to lend support to KidsGardening. But in the next 40 minutes we’ll all learn a lot more about how impactful a school garden can be, how important garden curriculum is across all ages of students subjects in schools, how a community garden program can lift the spirits of kids who feel alienated and lost and how getting youth excited about gardening will not only grow our future customer base but potentially also our future labor force.
Resources:
Newsletter sign up: https://kidsgardening.org/subscribe-to-kidsgarden-news/
Youth Garden Grant Info - the 2020 Youth Garden Grant will open Fall, 2019: https://kidsgardening.org/garden-grants/
2019 Youth Garden Grant with this year's sponsors and winners: https://kidsgardening.org/2019-youth-garden-grant/
Youth Garden Grant Sponsor Info: https://kidsgardening.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Youth-Garden-Grant-Sponsorship-Levels-2-page.pdf
Portal link for teachers: Either go to kidsgardening.org and use the "Educator Resources" menu in the navigation bar, or visit https://kidsgardening.org/educator-resources/
Growing Guides: https://kidsgardening.org/plant-of-the-month/
Kids Garden Month Info: https://kidsgardening.org/kidsgarden-month-2019/
Social Media Links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KidsGardening.org/ |@KidsGardening.org
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kidsgardening/ | @kidsgardening
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kids_Gardening | @Kids_Gardening
Contact Links:
Email Guest Helen Rortvedt: HelenR@kidsgardening.org
Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com
NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast
#STEMGreenhousePodcast
Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/
Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/
See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo
Saturday Jun 01, 2019
Saturday Jun 01, 2019
Our guest today is Jerry Gorchels, a long-time industry professional who’s worn many hats over his more than 45 year career – from managing his high school greenhouse to collaborating with leading breeders and researchers in the development of some of the industry’s legendary plants and always staying closely connected with greenhouse growers, many of whom rely on Jerry for his cultural and technical expertise. Jerry is one of the most recognizable faces representing PanAmerican Seed in the North American market and has been an example and mentor to many current industry leaders. And if you know Jerry, you’ll understand why I was so excited for him to join me on STEM to share stories of people and plants, advice for folks new to the industry, as well as for those who have grown for decades AND hear about the changes he’s seen over his career and what he expects in the future. Find out what Jerry looks for as soon as he walks through the door of a greenhouse and the latest tip and trick he learned from a grower. We cover a lot this episode so be sure to listen all the way to the end. Especially if you want to hear about Jerry’s home garden and the unexpected annual he makes sure to plant every single year.
From cut flowers to shade annuals and ugly ducklings to the most recognized plants of all time, you’re in for a fantastic ride with Jerry.
Resources:
PanAmerican Seed Website: https://www.panamseed.com/
PanAmerican Seed Crop Culture: https://www.panamseed.com/culture.aspx?type=Ann
STEM Episode 9 – Vegetable Breeding: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/today%E2%80%99s-vegetable-breeding-trendy-delicious/
STEM Episode 10 - Wave Petunias: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/wave-past-present-future/
STEM Episode 26 – Beacon Impatiens: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/battling-disease-with-beacon-impatiens/
Contact Links:
Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com
NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast
#STEMGreenhousePodcast
Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/
Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/
See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo
Wednesday May 15, 2019
Wednesday May 15, 2019
(Interview starts at 6:17.) Our guest today is Chris Fifo, former head grower and current technical expert working with Darwin Perennials and KieftSeed. Chris has been with us on STEM before – back in episode 13 where he helped demystify perennial production with Leland Toering but this time he will focus on one crop and dive deep into the lavender pool covering this popular crop from start to finish. We spend some time talking about the recent growth in popularity of lavender, as well as how it is currently positioned in the market. Then Chris takes us into the virtual greenhouse to help you develop a frost to frost lavender program using the most optimal methods to deliver the correct temperature, light, nutrition, gases and PGRs to your crop. The goal is to help you ship the absolute best lavender crop top market because we know that when top notch lavenders arrive at retail, they sell fast. After we talk production, Chris spends some time helping you select the best varieties for each use – from early season to Fall and from landscape performance to indoor use and essential oil production. Although I do like episodes where the guests and I jump from topic to topic, sometimes it’s nice to focus. And trust me – this episode is focused squarely on lavender.
Resources:
Build a Winning Lavender Program Slideshow: https://www.slideshare.net/bcalkins/build-a-winning-lavender-program
Darwin Perennials Blog on Lavender Trials: https://www.darwinperennials.com/Blog/2019/02/14/lavender-trial-results-chicago-botanic-garden.html
Darwin Perennials Resources: https://www.darwinperennials.com/Culture/
KieftSeed Resources: https://www.panamseed.com/perennials.aspx
Darwin Perennials 2019 Catalog: https://www.ballseed.com/Virtual/2019_Darwin_BSC/index.aspx
KieftSeed 2019 Catalog (Perennials P. 142): https://www.ballseed.com/Virtual/2020_21_PasCatalog/index.aspx
Darwin Perennials Day 2019! https://www.darwinperennialsday.com/default.aspx
Contact Links:
Email Guest Chris Fifo: cfifo@darwinperennials.com
Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com
NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast
#STEMGreenhousePodcast
Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/
Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/
See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo
Monday Apr 29, 2019
Monday Apr 29, 2019
(Interview starts at 7:30.) Our guest today is James Doukas, who knows a lot about calibrachoa. As well he should because he’s grown hundreds of thousands of them during his career as a professional grower and now helps growers in the eastern regions of North America produce the best crops possible in his role with Ball FloraPlant and Selecta One. In this episode, James takes us from start to finish with this popular annual plant, covering propagation and root health, pitfalls to avoid, planning ahead for pH issues, avoiding aphids, taking your crop across the goal line to sell quickly at retail and much, much more. We talk about a few of his favorite varieties and also did deep into the nuances of growing balanced multispecies baskets and combos that include calibrachoa. From start to Finish to Sold, you’re in for a calibrachoa lesson with James!
Resources:
Ball FloraPlant 2019 Catalog: https://www.ballseed.com/Virtual/2019_BFP/index.aspx
Selecta One 2019 Catalog: https://www.ballseed.com/Virtual/2019_Selecta/index.aspx
Ball FloraPlant Tech Talk on Cabaret Calibrachoa Baskets:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07dXEL7upLU&list=PLCj41LTtDwjPQ0uIFNKLDEFKOOJJlKRFh&index=18&t=0s
NC State Research on Powdery Mildew on Calibrachoa Crops: https://plantpathology.ces.ncsu.edu/2018/04/powdery-mildew-on-calibrachoa-million-bells/
Greening up Calibrachoa and Petunia from Michigan State University: https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/greening_up_calibrachoa_petunia
Cornell University on Crop Schedules with Less Heat: http://www.greenhouse.cornell.edu/crops/factsheets/SchedulingHeat.pdf
Media Moisture Scales – STEM Episode 21: The Language of Watering: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/the-language-of-watering/
Contact Links:
Email Guest James Doukas: jdoukas@ballhort.com
Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com
NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast
#STEMGreenhousePodcast
Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/
Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/
See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo
Monday Apr 15, 2019
Monday Apr 15, 2019
Interview starts at 8:00 - Our guest today our guest today is Dr. Will Healy and he’s kicking off a three-part miniseries focused on garden mum production intended to help you produce the absolute best mum crops you possibly can – using the newest genetics and latest strategies. We’re not releasing these episodes back to back to back but instead when they are most relevant – because many of you listen in real time. This episode is all about starting your crop – getting them vegetative and keeping them vegetative. Dr. Healy will go in depth into the two most critical factors at this stage in the game – Temperature and Feeding. He’ll cover the most effective temperatures – mums like it hot – and we will learn all about thermophotoperiodicity. Then he’ll transition over to fertilizer strategies because mums are heavy feeders early. We we’ll also touch on other pieces of the production puzzle including, insect and disease prevention, PGRs and more. With plenty of tips and tricks peppered throughout. This will be a great episode to share with your entire team – because starting your mum crop during some of the busiest spring shipping weeks probably means all hands are on deck.
Looking ahead, Dr. Healy will be back in a couple months to cover your actively growing mum crop and discuss starting short days, catching any problems and timing the crop to be retail ready when it’s needed in store. The third episode in late Summer will continue the timing message and wrap up with finishing tips and tricks to make sure the absolute best crop is going to market.
Resources:
Ball Mums Catalog with Culture and Propagation Guides: https://www.ballseed.com/Virtual/2018_mums/index.aspx
Ball Seed Chrysanthemum White Rust Awareness Document: https://www.ballseed.com/PDF/Chrysanthemum-WhiteRust-Awareness-2018.pdf
Cornell University Chrysanthemum White Rust Alert & Management: https://www.ballseed.com/PDF/Chrysanthemum-WhiteRust-Alert&Management-June2018.pdf
Dr. Healy’s Past Episodes:
STEM Episode 21: The Language of Watering - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/the-language-of-watering/
STEM Episode 22: Watering: The Rest of the Story - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/watering-the-rest-of-the-story/
Contact Links:
Email Guest Dr. Will Healy: whealy@ballhort.com
Ball Seed Customer Relations and Mum Help: 1-800-879-BALL
Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com
NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast
#STEMGreenhousePodcast
Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins
Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/
Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/
See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo
Monday Apr 01, 2019
Monday Apr 01, 2019
For this episode of STEM, we tried something very different. It’s an episode of stories heard while attending California Spring Trials. (Note: This is NOT an April Fools Day episode – these stories are real!)
Walking through greenhouse and displays of innovative new plants at the 2019 California Spring Trials is inspirational. That’s where I am right now – so this podcast is somewhat live for the first time. Not completely live since I’m actually in my hotel room – but live in a sense since it’s day three of the trials and there are two more days left. Seeing and learning about cutting-edge solutions for professional growers, garden center retailers, landscapers and home gardeners is so exciting and the energy out here is amazingly high. And why wouldn’t it be? I’m surrounded by product managers, plant breeders and marketing managers who have worked for years to bring these amazing genetics and programs to market. For some, these trials are the first time their new varieties are being unveiled after years or decades of work. The hours, sweat and even tears have finally paid off.
And behind every one of these introductions is a person or team AND subsequently, a story. The breeding, selection, trialing, testing and vetting can take years. Most have been evaluated around the world and subjected to a wide variety of climates, production scenarios, disease screens, shipping trials and so much more than most of us will ever see. The path to introduction is complex and the effort required is monumental.
For many new plants, the pipeline is established and the process has been perfected. For others, the path is opportunistic. And for some, it involves outrunning baboons. Seriously – outrunning baboons. You’ll have to listen all the way to the end to hear that one.
So I hope you enjoy this fun episode. It was fun hearing these stories and more and what really sticks out to me is the passion with which they were told. The folks in our industry who breed and select plants are dedicated individuals who really know their stuff. Sometimes their years of work pay off bigtime and millions of plants are sold and sometimes the trials are thrown out. But no matter what, they keep at it in an effort to bring new technology to the world of horticulture year after year after year. When you see all of the amazing new products coming to market in the weeks and months after California Spring Trials, remember that each product has a story.
How about you? Do you have a fun or unexpected plant breeding story to share? I’d love to hear it! Email me at bcalkins@ballhort.com.
Contact Links:
Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com
NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast
#STEMGreenhousePodcast
Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins
Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/
Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/
See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo
Wednesday Mar 13, 2019
Wednesday Mar 13, 2019
Interview starts at 5:30 - The last time we heard from GrowIt! cofounder Mason Day he was accompanied by the other founder Seth Reed. This time, he’s joining us because he’s the data guy at GrowIt! and they have some fascinating data to share – or Insights as we will call the info this episode. Get ready to learn some of the favorite plants and current trends gleaned from hundreds of thousands of users and millions of data points. Also, this will be the very first time GrowIt! goes into detail publicly about their Insights program – a new product that will bring customized data and insights (there’s that word again…) to you – data you can use to drive decisions in your business. Let me remind you that as I shared the last time GrowIt was featured on the podcast, the team behind this unique tech company are hort people first and tech people second, so the info Mason will deliver this episode is firmly rooted in our industry and applicable for professional growers, garden center retailers and the landscape trade – our STEM listener base.
But to me, the most exciting part of this episode is NOT the current insights Mason will share. The part that has my brain spinning and thinking forward is predictive analytics – creating models and trend lines not just to claim Monstera is a hot plant with millennials (which it certainly is) but to determine why that happened and what the next in plants will be. And as Mason explains, this can be done with data. In our industry. Today. This is HUGE!
Download the GrowIt! Mobile App and learn more about this tech company: https://www.growitmobile.com/
10 Insights from the GrowIt! Plant Community: https://www.growitmobile.com/resources/gardenshops/
Past Episode with GrowIt! – What Today’s Shopper Wants: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/what-today%E2%80%99s-shopper-wants/
Contact Links:
Guest Mason Day: mday@growitmobile.com
Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com
NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast
#STEMGreenhousePodcast
Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins
Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/
Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/
See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo
Thursday Feb 28, 2019
Thursday Feb 28, 2019
Show starts at 4:23 - This episode is going to be a solocast – meaning it’ll be me the entire time with no guest. Generally, this podcast stems from my role as Product Marketing Manager for Ball Seed – where I work with many of the business units and breeding companies at Ball to position and promote products and programs available from our distribution team. The podcast is often a way to transfer technical information from our experts to you through the audio podcast platform. But here and there, I swap that hat with my other role at Ball, one of our retail business managers working with retailers and the professional growers who supply them. In past episodes, I discussed selling to different tribes or groups of customers – like business travelers, young professionals, parents, recently retired boomers and more. I have also talked about tips for being the absolute best wholesale provider for your retail customers – from a retailers’ perspective. This time, I’m going to tackle a topic that near and dear to my heart, and one in which I hold some expertise. I would say a little bit of expertise, but my wife might put that bar a bit higher. How Men Shop and more importantly Why It Matters to Lawn & Garden. I’ll start by sharing some baseline statistics and then move to some generalized shopping habit differences between men and women and finally work through some research and share ways I feel this can impact our industry – the business of selling more plants.
Past Episodes Referenced:
- Selling to Different Tribes - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/selling-to-different-tribes/
- Be a Power Supplier - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/be-a-power-supplier/
- Drama in the Garden - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/drama-in-the-garden/
- Tanya Brings the WOW! - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/tanya-brings-the-wow/
- Battling Disease with Beacon Impatiens - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/battling-disease-with-beacon-impatiens/
Contact Links:
Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com
NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast
#STEMGreenhousePodcast
Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins
Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/
Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/
See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo