SCOUTING: ESSENTIAL & THERAPEUTIC FROM THE APRIL 2021 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY PAUL PILON NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS EXCERPT: Regardless of the types of crops being grown or the size of the operation, scouting is essential to any company that produces plants. This important routine shouldn’t only be viewed as a necessary task to detect pest and disease problems, but as an opportunity to get intimate with the plants in a manner that really lets you observe the plants closely and...
Mar 13, 2024•9 min•Ep 114•Transcript available on Metacast TERRIFIC TRADE SHOW PREP & FOLLOW-UP FROM THE MARCH 2024 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY KATIE ELZER-PETERS NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS EXCERPT: Attending trade shows costs a lot of coin. Whether you pay for a booth, ship plants and fixtures out to the show, and cover hotel rooms and meals for staff or you send staff (and pay for meals and hotel rooms and transportation), at a minimum you’re spending $1,000. But your outlay might be closer to $50K with a booth. Are you getting as much ...
Mar 05, 2024•9 min•Ep 113•Transcript available on Metacast AVOIDING CROP CONTAMINATION FROM THE FEBRUARY 2024 ISSUE OF INSIDE GROWER MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY DAVID KUACK NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS EXCERPT: While food crop production in greenhouses or indoor farms might be considered safer than outdoor field production, plants can experience the same exposure to human pathogens regardless of where they’re produced. The CDC reports many kinds of produce, including organic leafy greens, can be contaminated with human pathogens. According to the CDC, leafy greens ...
Feb 21, 2024•11 min•Ep 112•Transcript available on Metacast GET FAMILIAR WITH IN-HOUSE DISEASE TESTING FROM THE FEBRUARY 2024 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY NICK FLAX NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS EXCERPT: Since the naked eye cannot see bacteria or viral particles, test kits are really the only way to home in on exactly which pathogen you’re dealing with. The alternative is to send plant samples off to a lab equipped with similar, higher -resolution diagnostic tools, but this can be time-consuming and costly, depending on the lab. In the meantime, w...
Feb 13, 2024•6 min•Ep 111•Transcript available on Metacast WHAT DOES “COMPATIBILITY” MEAN? FROM THE FEBRUARY 2024 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY DR. RAYMOND A. CLOYD NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS EXCERPT: … integrating BCAs and pesticides is complex due to the various direct and/or indirect effects that pesticides may have on BCAs. For instance, any delay in the population growth of BCAs by pesticides (and even fungicides) can substantially affect the ability of BCAs to manage pest populations below economically plant-damaging levels. Another facto...
Feb 09, 2024•7 min•Ep 110•Transcript available on Metacast Host Bill Calkins is joined by Dr. Josh Henry, a Ball technical service specialist with expertise in plant nutrition and fertility, to take you through a range of topics related to crop nutrition with the goal of setting you and your team up for success with spring production. In this discussion, Josh covers an early-season checklist that includes water testing, injector calibration and the importance of having an in-house testing toolbox handy. Then he digs deeper into options for fertilizer—ma...
Feb 07, 2024•26 min•Ep 109•Transcript available on Metacast Something some of you might struggle with early in production is tip atrophy, often called tip abortion. This is when you see symptoms during propagation, often on calibrachoa or petunia, where it looks like the cuttings were accidentally pinched—but you know they weren’t. Poor rooting, stunted growth and strappy foliage can also cause you to wonder what the heck is going on? To answer that question, we turn to Dr. Will Healy. As Will explains, this issue can be triggered by a handful of differe...
Feb 01, 2024•38 min•Ep 108•Transcript available on Metacast AVOIDING TAX AUDITS FROM THE JUNE 2023 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY MARK E. BATTERSBY NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS EXCERPT: Today, the IRS enforces the tax law in a number of ways, including the increasingly more common correspondence (examination by mail) audits and the dreaded field (face-to-face audit) examinations. The result is that many businesses are being scrutinized far more often than the numbers indicate. Read the digital edition of GROWERTALKS Magazine—June 2023: https://www....
Jan 31, 2024•10 min•Ep 107•Transcript available on Metacast As we’ve discussed in other Tech On Demand videos and podcasts, the key to successfully producing high quality crops often starts at the very beginning. How you and your team approach the earliest stages of germination and propagation sets the stage for uniformity down the line. We’re pleased to welcome back frequent guest Dr. Will Healy who continues to think about ways to share his knowledge and decades of experience working with growers of all shapes and sizes. This time, he's here to focus o...
Jan 24, 2024•34 min•Ep 106•Transcript available on Metacast As we’ve discussed in other Tech On Demand videos and podcasts, the key to successfully producing high quality crops often starts at the very beginning. How you and your team approach the earliest stages of germination and propagation sets the stage for uniformity down the line. We’re pleased to welcome back frequent guest Dr. Will Healy, who continues to think about ways to share his knowledge and decades of experience working with growers of all shapes and sizes. This time, he's here to focus ...
Jan 23, 2024•41 min•Ep 105•Transcript available on Metacast TWO TOBAMOVIRUSES TO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR FROM THE FEBRUARY 2023 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY DR. ANN CHASE & DR. MARGERY DAUGHTREY NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS EXCERPT: Virus symptoms are notoriously hard to identify just by looking. They can be mimicked by genetic variegation, or by certain other diseases or disorders, even spray injury—especially from overspray or drift from herbicides. One virus disease can easily be mistaken for another. Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and tomato mosa...
Jan 12, 2024•10 min•Ep 104•Transcript available on Metacast THE RISE OF VERTICAL FARMING FROM THE FEBRUARY 2023 ISSUE OF INSIDE GROWER MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY DANIEL PILSWORTH NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS EXCERPT: The sky is the limit: In 1999, Columbia professor Dickson Despommier used the term “vertical farming” to describe a system of agriculture in which crops are grown indoors on vertically stacked platforms. His students imagined skyscrapers with lush greens, bursting from the sides of city buildings and providing hyper-local produce to dense urban centers...
Jan 09, 2024•10 min•Ep 103•Transcript available on Metacast REHYDRATING UNROOTED CUTTINGS FROM THE JANUARY 2024 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN AND NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS EXCERPT: Fact: Dehydrated cuttings root non-uniformly. This means in the earliest stages, unless rehydration strategies are in place, you run the risk of getting off to a weak start. Poor moisture management at the beginning of the process will cause problems throughout production. In a recent Tech On Demand video, Ball technical managers Dr. Will Healy (now retired) and Dr. Nat...
Jan 02, 2024•10 min•Ep 102•Transcript available on Metacast As we’ve discussed in other Tech On Demand videos and podcasts, the key to successfully producing high quality crops often starts at the very beginning. How you and your team approach the earliest stages of germination and propagation sets the stage for uniformity down the line. We’re pleased to welcome back frequent guest Dr. Will Healy. Will recently retired as Senior Manager of Ball’s technical services group but continues to think about ways to share his knowledge and decades of experience w...
Dec 26, 2023•43 min•Ep 101•Transcript available on Metacast Can you believe it’s the 100th episode of the Tech On Demand podcast? Well, it is—and this is going to be a special one! For the 100th episode, host Bill Calkins wanted to have some fun while also digging into a wide range of topics related to horticulture. His guest is none other than Chris Beytes, the editor-in-chief of Ball Publishing. Get ready for a fun conversation with a guy who’s one of the best storytellers around and someone who knows a little about a lot of things and a lot about plen...
Dec 21, 2023•35 min•Ep 100•Transcript available on Metacast THE IMPORTANCE OF TRANSPARENT COMMUNICATION FROM THE DECEMBER 2023 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY AUSTIN BRYANT NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS EXCERPT: The challenge lies in placing plants with similar watering, spray requirements and lighting together while considering the available square footage. This complex juggling act continues as salespeople manage prebooked orders, adjusting contracted versus speculative material. It’s a dynamic process that unfolds until the last cutting and plug f...
Dec 18, 2023•7 min•Ep 99•Transcript available on Metacast TRAIN TO RETAIN FROM THE DECEMBER 2023 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY BROCH MARTINDALE NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS EXCERPT: … there are numerous ways technology has changed even the simplest of tasks. As we hire and train the next generation of growers, it’s important to keep up with technology. Or are we waiting for the evening news to tell us what we’re doing tomorrow? Read the digital edition of GROWERTALKS Magazine—December 2023: https://www.ballpublishing.com/magazine/gt_23_12/index....
Dec 04, 2023•7 min•Ep 98•Transcript available on Metacast In a conversational episode, host Bill Calkins and his guest (and friend) Rich Christakes cover an extremely wide range of topics related to the modern greenhouse and garden center industry rooted in the goal of providing perspective and opportunities for action. Rich, CEO of Alsip Home & Nursery (a grower-retailer with two locations in Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland) and founder of the Ship My Plants online marketplace, has a unique perspective on garden center retail, variety selection,...
Nov 22, 2023•47 min•Ep 96•Transcript available on Metacast SANITATION & PREPARATION: STARTING STRONG FROM THE FEBRUARY 2021 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY PAUL PILON NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS EXCERPT: Many growers take for granted the benefits of having a strong start, and when less-than-ideal conditions are present from the beginning, they often struggle to stay ahead of these issues throughout the crop or the entire spring season. A strong start likely has different meanings for different growers, but here’s a few methods I like to employ...
Nov 20, 2023•6 min•Ep 97•Transcript available on Metacast VERTICAL FARM SITE SELECTION FROM THE NOVEMBER 2023 ISSUE OF INSIDE GROWER MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY DAVID KUACK NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS EXCERPT: A major consideration when starting an indoor farm is site selection, which can have a direct bearing on efficiency and profitability. There are lots of factors to take into consideration, from the physical location to the utilities available, nearby neighbors and more. Here we break down what to think about before your next retrofit or build. Read the digi...
Nov 13, 2023•10 min•Ep 95•Transcript available on Metacast COMMON PROPAGATION MISTAKES FROM THE NOVEMBER 2023 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY LYNN GRIFFITH NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS EXCERPT: Horticulture is an art as well as a science. Propagating plants vegetatively is even more of an art than growing in general. Sure, there’s research data on propagating the more common ornamental plants. However, variables such as variety, season, geography and structures can make large differences in what works and doesn’t work. Read the digital edition of G...
Nov 06, 2023•9 min•Ep 94•Transcript available on Metacast FLORAL PACKAGING EVOLVED FROM THE OCTOBER 2023 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY SARA EVENSON NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS EXCERPT: I’ll be the first to admit that navigating sustainability is complicated. It’s not enough to depict mountains of legal documents I’ve gotten lost under while trying to decipher the best path forward. Is it better to recycle or better to compost? What does post-consumer content even mean? What can I recycle at my house? I’ll even admit I spent the better part of t...
Oct 30, 2023•9 min•Ep 93•Transcript available on Metacast POINSETTIAS: THE FINAL STEP—SHIPPING FROM THE OCTOBER 2010 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY DR. P. ALLEN HAMMER NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS EXCERPT: Poinsettia growers have a responsibility for the post-production longevity of the plants we offer to consumers. Growers can’t afford to simply be happy to have the plants out of the greenhouse door. Satisfied poinsettia consumers make for repeat customers. As a poinsettia producer and marketer, you can do a great deal to maintain the potential ...
Oct 19, 2023•5 min•Ep 92•Transcript available on Metacast DIGITAL CROP TEMPLATES FROM THE OCTOBER 2023 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY BILL CALKINS NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS EXCERPT: Remember when the walls of your greenhouse office were lined with file cabinets? Maybe they still are … but perhaps at least a few have been tossed to the curb with the contents now residing on computers and phones. Some of those drawers, no doubt, held files on past crops and your growers could pull a folder and see some notes from years gone by. Unfortunately, th...
Oct 13, 2023•8 min•Ep 91•Transcript available on Metacast PERFECTING PERENNIAL PROPAGATION FROM THE JANUARY 2020 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY CHRIS FIFO NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS EXCERPT: My earliest memory of plant propagation was in second grade. I was taking cuttings off my mom’s Swedish Ivy and sticking them in a glass of water. I loved watching them grow roots. My passion for propagation had evolved by the fifth grade and I was propagating spider plants and giving them to teachers. I’ve come a long way since then and my career has focus...
Oct 09, 2023•7 min•Ep 90•Transcript available on Metacast ACRES & ACRES: GOOD QUESTIONS! (SO-SO ANSWERS) FROM THE OCTOBER 2023 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY CHRIS BEYTES NARRATED BY THE AUTHOR, CHRIS BEYTES EXCERPT: Chris Beytes, as the editor of a horticultural trade publication, you have a unique perspective on industry trends. What recent developments in the horticulture sector do you believe will have the most significant impact on businesses and professionals in the coming years? I guess my answer is that we’re a maturing industry, ...
Oct 04, 2023•6 min•Ep 89•Transcript available on Metacast A WAKE-UP CALL FOR BABY BOOMERS FROM THE OCTOBER 2023 ISSUE OF GROWERTALKS MAGAZINE WRITTEN BY AMY MORRIS NARRATED BY BILL CALKINS EXCERPT: The work ethic of Baby Boomers was deeply rooted in their experiences of economic struggle, as many of them grew up during times of scarcity and uncertainty. This instilled in them the value of hard work and the importance of saving for the future. As a result, they often put in long hours and were willing to make personal sacrifices to achieve their career ...
Oct 02, 2023•5 min•Ep 88•Transcript available on Metacast If you haven’t already listened to part one of this episode, you’ll want to jump back in the archive and start there. This is part two and we continue the conversation, picking right up where we left off. LINK TO PART ONE: https://techondemand.podbean.com/e/benefits-of-dynamic-lighting-part-one-with-rose-michael-from-sollum-technologies/ In this two-part episode of Tech On Demand brought to you by GrowerTalks, host Bill Calkins talks to Rose Séguin (agronomist) and Michael Hanan (U.S. senior sa...
Sep 26, 2023•23 min•Ep 87•Transcript available on Metacast In this two-part episode of Tech On Demand brought to you by GrowerTalks, host Bill Calkins talks to Rose Séguin (agronomist) and Michael Hanan (U.S. senior sales director) from Sollum Technologies about “dynamic” LED lighting and how this new technology allows for multi-zoning to meet the needs of multiple crops, as well as the ability to control light intensity and spectrums. Learn why fully-dynamic LED lighting is good for your crops, as well as your bottom line. Rose and Michael share case ...
Sep 26, 2023•29 min•Ep 86•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode of Tech On Demand brought to you by GrowerTalks, host Bill Calkins is joined by Dr. Jamie Gibson, technical lead for Syngenta Flowers, for a deep dive into dipladenia. If you’re listening in real time, plans for 2024 are most likely being made and if you’re like a lot of growers that means you’re looking to add tropical plants to the mix for next year. We’ve seen a lot of interest in Dipladenia recently—for many reasons—and new breeding and introductions are helping drive the cat...
Sep 21, 2023•34 min•Ep 85•Transcript available on Metacast 
