February 2010

Musings on 2009 & 2010

In my 31+ years in this industry, I don’t think I have entered a year with as much skepticism as 2009.  Now a year later, I’d like to offer a few thoughts on what I saw (or didn’t see) in 2009 and what 2010 holds in store for us in the green biz.

January 2010

"Baby It's Cold Outside!"

Wow---the southeast is under one of the coldest stretches of weather in nearly 50 years according to The Weather Channel. Growers throughout Florida have been cranking up heaters they haven't used in a long time. The feeling of "weathering" this economy has really taken a different look when Mother Nature is in this kind of mood but hold fast, as the saying goes, "this too shall pass".

December 2009

Southeast Ornamentals Overview w/ Brian McCaffrey

The Southeast, in particular Florida, has had a very mild start to fall so far. Florida has been a bit warmer than normal the past few weeks bringing with it some strong sales of color material. For Southeast growers, this warm weather and cooler nights has brought some downy mildew along with it and a late hit of spider mites and thrips. Another challenge facing growers this season is aerila phytopthora on Vinca, a popular bedding plant (see photos below). Confidence remains good for growers who grow "color" but pessimistic for growers of woody plants in 7-10 gallon pots and greater, especially field grown material.

November 2009

It's Grow Time in Hawaii

Last month I had the good fortune to travel to Hawaii to visit local growers and golf courses.  Sounds too good to be true – being paid to visit golf course resorts, greenhouses and nurseries in paradise.  And that’s not too far from the truth.  Hawaii is, well, Hawaii: perfect weather, friendly people and gorgeous plants.  But traveling to the islands does have its drawbacks. 

October 2009

Welcome Pylon!

An important goal of ours at BASF T&O is to bring the very best plant protection solutions to growers.  I think we are doing a pretty good job on that front. 

August 2009

Let’s Clear the Air

As the spring gives way to summer and more and more growers are moving from trying FreeHand to buying FreeHand, our competitors are apparently feeling the squeeze.

May 2009

Focus on FreeHand Success at Flowerwood Nurseries

I first visited Flowerwood Nurseries in Alabama in 1977, nearly 32 years ago, while I was still in graduate school at Purdue University. I had the privilege to be shown around the Dauphin Island nursery location by none other than Mr. Sidney Meadows.

March 2009

What’s Growing On?

California has always been one of my favorite states to visit. If you are a professional horticulturist, this is the state for you. California growers have more variety, more acres in production, and more unique crops than any place in the world. I have had the pleasure to work in California horticulture, mainly with greenhouse and nursery crops, for the past 25 years.

December 2008

New Product Progress Reports

At the beginning of this year, BASF was on the cusp of introducing three new products that contained new, novel active ingredients for the ornamentals industry. Tower® herbicide (containing the new active ingredient dimethenamid-p), Pageant™ fungicide (which contains pyraclostrobin plus a new a.i., boscalid), and FreeHand™ 1.75G herbicide (which contains pendimethalin and dimethenamid-p).

September 2008

Summer Musings

It’s been the busiest summer of my professional career.  I worked with our team to launch five new products (Pageant^™ fungicide, Tower^® herbicide, FreeHand^™ 1.75G herbicide, Stature^® SC fungicide and Segment^™ herbicide), host six regional launch/education meetings, attend three major trade shows, attend industry meetings, host distributor training meetings, visit customers, and I even squeezed in a short vacation.

July 2008

What is that anyway?

I’ve been trying to diagnose various pest problems on ornamental plants for nearly 30 years.  From my first job at Hines Nurseries in Houston, to my current day travels to commercial growing operations across the U.S., I’ve been trying to identify critters big and small.  Some are weeds, some are insects, while others are disease pathogens – and the question is always the same: What is that anyway?

June 2008

Pageant™ Fungicide and FreeHand™ 1.75 G Herbicide

The amazing story here is that each of these products alone would represent a potential blockbuster.  Both products are the result of years of lab and field research, hours of formulation chemistry, and even more hours of data review, label writing and regulatory scrutiny.  For one company to launch one new product in a year is a big undertaking, but to launch two in one year is, well, overwhelming! 

April 2008

Weeds—Persistence and Tenacity

I’ve had the good fortune to travel and see some of the world. Along the way I’ve photographed the sites and scenery, pretty much like any tourist. A morbid curiosity of mine is that I’ve always taken a keen interest in finding plants – actually weeds – growing in the most curious places.

March 2008

The Brookwood Community – Where the Spirit Soars

This summer marks my 30th year working in the green industry since graduating from college. Add to that my six years of undergraduate and graduate studies, and three years working in a local retail garden center during high school, and I'm approaching 39 years working around plants. And what a terrific journey it has been.