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2024 Greenhouse & Cut Flower Grower School

• Thursday, January 18, 2024, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Join a team of Cornell Cooperative Extension educators from across NYS for a Greenhouse & Cut Flower Grower school taking place on Thursday January 18th. The morning will feature the following speakers:

8:30am – 8:55am: Registration

8:55am - 9:00am: Welcome

9:00am – 10:00am: George Grant, Technical Service Manager, Griffin GH Supplies
“Saving Your Crop when the Weather Doesn't Cooperate”

10:00am - 10:30am: Margery Daughtrey, Senior Extension Assoc., Dept. of Plant Pathology, Cornell University -- “Tough to Tackle: Phytophthora, Fusarium & Bacteria in the Greenhouse.”

10:30am - 10:45am: Break

10:45am - 11:00am: NYS Flower Industries

11:00am - 11:30am: NYSDAM Updates

11:30am - 12:00pm: Dr. Neil Mattson, Cornell University -- “Fertilizer Management to Reduce Use of Pesticides and PGRs”

12:30pm - 1:00pm: Lunch

PM Sessions

1:00pm - 1:30pm: Carla Crim: Seeds Versus Plugs for Cut Flowers -- Which Work Better?

Whether greenhouse or field grown, cut flower varieties are selected based on stem length, vase life, and sensory attributes like color and smell. Most growers cultivate well over 100 different types of plants, so it is very important to optimize growing conditions and sources of material to ensure a healthy, disease-free crop. Many varieties will pop-up from seed with little fuss, but some high-value stems require very specific germination conditions and a lot of coddling. We will cover the species that are best grown from wholesale plugs and how/when to order them. In addition, we will discuss transplant timing, particularly with regard to cool season hardy annuals. We will also highlight some "must-grow" varieties for 2024. Participants will be provided with a sample ordering and planting plan.

1:30pm - 2:15pm: Betsy Lamb: Sustainable practices for cut flower pest management

Integratd Pest Management promotes the use of cultural, physical and biological techniques as a baseline for all pest management. But what does that actually mean on a cut flower farm? This program will cover methods such as solarization, the use of row covers, resistant cultivars and promoting beneficial insects for cut flower growers.

2:15pm - 2:30pm: Break

2:30pm - 3:00pm: Harris Seeds rep: “What’s New in Varieties”

3:00 - 3:15pm: Session Evaluation & Go Home!

DEC credits are approved in the following categories: 10, 1a & 24: 1.5 each. There are both in-person and virtual options for attending this grower school. The cost to attend the grower school is $50/person for the AM session and $35/person for the PM session. There is a virtual option. All in-person attendees will receive a coffee and morning pastries, as well as a mid morning and mid afternoon break, and lunch. There will also be networking time during the lunch for attendees. Payment is required at the time of registration. For those looking to attend virtually the zoom link will be sent the morning of January 17th to the email used in the registration. Registration is required by January 15th. DEC ID must be emailed to Laura Biasillo at lw257@cornell.edu for those looking to attend virtually and receive credits. Any questions can be directly to Laura Biasillo at lw257@cornell.edu. 

Register

https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/winter2024growerschool_203

Location

Taste NY - Broome County
840 Upper Front St.
Binghamton, NY 13905

Last updated December 12, 2023