WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3

BLOCK 1 (9:00 AM - 10:00 AM)

A fun and fast-paced presentation examining the perceptions we all have about different generations and how to lure each one in to become lifelong customers. Expect loads of concrete data, creative solutions and engaging stories applicable to both garden centers and landscaping companies.
LOCATION: Colonial
CREDITS: N/A

Lean Flow is all about working smarter, not harder. Lean out your process by reducing/eliminating non-value-added work, and making your product flow. Learn how utilizing Lean Flow techniques can improve your efficiency, and quality while at the same time making the job easier. /Lean Flow se trata de trabajar de manera más inteligente, no más difícil. Optimice su proceso reduciendo / eliminando el trabajo de no valor agregado y haciendo que su producto fluir. Descubra cómo la utilización de técnicas de Lean Flow puede mejorar su eficiencia y calidad y, al mismo tiempo, facilitar el trabajo.
LOCATION: Cotillion
CREDITS: N/A

The ability of Botrytis cinerea to cause disease in greenhouses and fields, as well as in subsequent handling, storage, and transportation makes this fungus an economically important pathogen in vegetable and ornamental industry. In this presentation, we will address different approaches used for Botrytis management, including sanitation, chemical methods and biological control.
LOCATION: Federal
CREDITS: NY: 1, 3a, 24, 25; NE: 26, 29, 31

The addition of silicon to our plant production and maintenance systems has been shown to have beneficial effects on growth and development, particularly in the areas of pest and disease resistance. We will explore some of these effects and talk about ways you can add silicon to your plant health management systems.
LOCATION: Seminar
CREDITS: N/A

BLOCK 2 (10:30 AM - 11:30 AM)

Lean Flow is a business strategy that can be applied to all parts of your business. Learn how Lean Flow can not only be applied in Shipping, and Production, but in the Office, and Sales and Marketing as well. Lean out all of your processes, reduce your cost and improve your profitability.
LOCATION: Colonial
CREDITS: N/A

During this session, participants will learn principles of IPM in ornamental plant production. Symptoms and signs of plant diseases. Plant Disease components and examples of bacterial, fungal and viral diseases./Durante esta sesión, participantes aprenderán acerca de principios de MIP en producción de cultivos ornamentales. Síntomas y signos de enfermedades en plantas. Los components que llevan al desarrollo de la enfermedad y ejemplos de enfermedades causadas por bacterias, hongos y virus.
LOCATION: Cotillion
CREDITS: NY: 1, 3a, 24, 25; NE: 26, 29, 31

It seems that the number of new invasive pest species affecting ornamental plants increases every year. Using spotted lanternfly, box tree moth, lily leaf beetle and elm zigzag sawfly, we’ll look at the role of the garden center/greenhouse in working with the public to keep them aware and ready to deal with the new species.
LOCATION: Federal
CREDITS: NY: 1a, 3a, 24, 25; NE: 26, 29, 31

Managing mineral nutrition for greenhouse crops is important for producing healthy and attractive plants. But there is more to managing nutrients than buying a bag of fertilizer. This session will focus on the fundamentals of fertilizer- nutrient concentrations, nitrogen form, phosphorous, and micronutrients- and get you thinking “beyond the bag”. This session aims to help develop a successful fertilization program, whether you are starting from scratch or fine-tuning what you are already doing.
LOCATION: Seminar
CREDITS: N/A

BLOCK 3 (3:00 PM - 4:00 PM)

Ideas to reduce stress and craziness that you can apply before the madness of the spring busy season even begins!
LOCATION: Colonial
CREDITS: N/A

Sales for home gardening products including transplants, containers, substrate, and other planting needs have steadily increased in recent years. There are numerous opportunities for the greenhouse industry to capitalize from this growing market trend. This presentation will describe general yield, growth, and quality characteristics from new compact fruiting vegetables for patio and indoor gardening. We’ll also discuss important details to consider when transitioning production from ornamental to edible plants. The talk will conclude with some tips to ensure consumer success and repeat purchases from the millions of new and seasoned home gardeners in America./Las ventas de productos de jardinería como trasplantes, contenedores, sustrato y otros, han aumentado de una manera constante durante los últimos años. Existen varias oportunidades para que la industria de invernaderos aproveche esta popular tendencia de mercado. Esta presentación describirá características generales de rendimiento, crecimiento y calidad de varios vegetales compactos para jardinería de interior y en patios. También discutiremos detalles importantes a considerar al hacer la transición de producir plantas ornamentales a vegetales. La charla concluirá con algunos consejos para garantizar el éxito del consumidor y asegurar más compras de los millones nuevos y experimentados consumidores involucrados en la jardinería de vegetales.
LOCATION: Cotillion
CREDITS: N/A

This talk will cover inside information about the pests (thrips, aphids and more)) and diseases (Fusarium wilt, Bacterial leaf spot, Foliar nematodes...) that can mess with your mums. Learn how to avoid problems, how to recognize trouble when it arrives, and ways to manage pestilence and plagues particularly for mums from the specialists’s perspective.
LOCATION: Federal
CREDITS: NY: 1, 3a, 24, 25; NE: 26, 29, 31

This presentation addresses why you should use sanitation practices at plant production, mechanically transmitted plant diseases, common disinfectants and improved sanitation/hygiene practices through research results
LOCATION: Seminar
CREDITS: NY: 1, 3a, 24, 25; NE: 26, 29, 31

BLOCK 4 (4:00 PM - 5:00 PM)

John Kennedy’s “Start Moving Mountains” platform is utilized by each of his strategic planning clients and is the very best way to drive engagement, accountability, and execution of your game plan. The overall outcome is a balanced approach to “Vision, Values, and Volition” along with an Accountability Coach to ensure measurement, metrics and traction are being delivered on a consistent basis. Without traction and accountability, it’s just a plan!
LOCATION: Colonial
CREDITS: N/A

During this session, participants will learn principles of scouting for pests and diseases in nursery crops. Examples of types of reporting and tools to use./Durante esta sesión, los participantes aprenderán acerca de los principios del monitoreo de plagas en cultivos de viveros Ejemplos de reporte de plagas y materiales a usar.
LOCATION: Cotillion
CREDITS: NY: 1, 3a, 24, 25; NE: 26, 29, 31

This presentation will cover results of some recent pest management trials we’ve been working on. We’ll also review some new pest issues to watch for in production of herbaceous ornamental crops.
LOCATION: Federal
CREDITS: NY: 1, 3a, 24, 25; NE: 26, 29, 31

Griffin’s GGSPro fielded over 18,000 technical inquires in 2019. There are some problems and inquires that come up much more than others. In a solution based presentation we will identify some of those key issues and how best to remedy them.
LOCATION: Seminar
CREDITS: NY: 1, 3a, 24, 25; NE: 26, 29, 31

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4

BLOCK 1 (8:00 AM - 9:00 AM)

Are some of your specialty cuts flowering too early and others too late? Many specialty cut flowers are daylength sensitive and providing the correct photoperiod during the plug and finishing can greatly impact time to harvest, stem length, and number of harvestable stems. Roberto will also show you how the light quality provided by supplemental lighting can influence time to harvest and quality of crops requiring long day lengths.
LOCATION: Colonial
CREDITS: N/A

Specialty leafy greens are increasingly popular with consumers, and producers want to meet that demand. Arugula, kale, pac choi, and swiss chard can diversify any leafy green production program, and this session will focus on how to produce these crops efficiently and effectively. Strategies for managing temperature, light, and mineral nutrition will be presented, and you will walk away with production silutions for your specialty leafy greens.
LOCATION: Cotillion
CREDITS: N/A

After labor costs, energy costs are typically the second highest production cost for greenhouse crop production. Therefore, it is important to assess energy consumption practices and evaluate alternative strategies. This presentation will focus on two of the main energy consuming practices in commercial greenhouse operation: Temperature and light control. Heating, ventilation, and lighting systems will be discussed as well as improvements or modifications that can help reduce energy consumption.
LOCATION: Seminar
CREDITS: N/A

BLOCK 2 (9:00 AM - 10:00 AM)

In this session Dr. Allison Justice will be discussing protocols for proper stock plant management. This will include IPM strategies, crop cycling, and expected yields.
LOCATION: Colonial
CREDITS: N/A

Growing culinary herbs or thinking about adding them to your crop portfolio? Roberto will share his teams recent research that shows how light (intensity and duration), carbon dioxide concentration, and temperature interact and can be utilized to reduce propagation and production time and increase quality and yield of potted and hydroponically grown cut culinary herbs. Learn how you can use light intensity to influence key basil volatile compounds that ultimately affect the flavor and aroma of basil and what consumers really desire when it comes to these attributes.
LOCATION: Cotillion
CREDITS: N/A

Dr. Wallhead will give an introductory presentation on the advantages and limitations of using drones to assess greenhouse structural health. Various methods of evaluating and monitoring structural health such as multispectral and thermal imaging will be discussed in addition to common hardware, flight planning software, acquiring a drone pilots license and regulations pertaining to the commercial use of drones.
LOCATION: Director's
CREDITS: N/A

Do you think you can outwit a one-celled organism? Think again! They don’t stay single for long—certain bacteria can cause leaf spots, soft rots, vascular wilts and galls to make your greenhouse crops unsaleable. Learn more about evil-doers such as Xanthomonas, Pseudomonas, Dickeya and Pectobacterium. Get a new appreciation for genetic resistance, culture-indexing and sanitation, and learn what materials can be used to fight back against bacteria that attack the plants you grow.
LOCATION: Federal
CREDITS: NY: 1, 3a, 24, 25; NE: 26, 29, 31

Penn State added Perennial Plants to the trials in 2014, and have tested hundreds of perennial entries since that time. Plants are grown for three successive winters to evaluate hardiness in USDA zone six, and evaluated four times during the growing season. Plants are evaluated for uniformity, overall growth, foliar quality, and flowering. These plants are grown in-ground in mulched beds, with drip irrigation. Fertility is provided by liquid soluble formulas during the growing season, and plants are protected from deer browsing by fencing from October to early May. This presentation will elaborate on the best performers from the last five years, but will include some stars from earlier testing.
LOCATION: Seminar
CREDITS: N/A

BLOCK 3 (10:30 AM - 11:30 AM)

Lighting is essential and one of the largest cost components in controlled environment (e.g., indoor and greenhouse) drug-type cannabis production. Drug-type cannabis production can roughly be divided into the following stages: propagation, vegetative growth and flowering stage. Different stages of cannabis cultivation requires different light quality (i.e., spectral combination) and intensity. This talk will discuss on what light (e.g., light spectrum and technology) and how much light to use in controlled environment cannabis cultivation from propagation to flower harvesting. It will mainly be based on the results from our extensive research over the past few years.
LOCATION: Colonial
CREDITS: N/A

A healthy hydroponic crop begins with adequate water quality and nutrient management plan that supplies all 12+ essential nutrients to your crop. The session will cover what to look for on laboratory water test and how to solve common water quality issues. Fertilizer recipes for leafy greens and herbs will be presented and daily/weekly management discussed. The session will conclude with symptoms and solutions of common nutrient disorders.
LOCATION: Cotillion
CREDITS: N/A

The use of mycorrhizal fungal inoculants has gained popularity in the last few years in ornamental and horticultural production. Growers use mycorrhizal inoculants to increase water and nutrient uptake, promote vegetative growth, enhance plant health, reduce stress effects on the plants, etc. These inoculants are widely accepted as potential alternatives or complements to chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Mycorrhizal inoculants contain living organisms that require special attention and knowledge of their compatibility with other production technology elements. In this session, attendees will learn about how these organisms affect water and nutrient availability, how long they persist in the soil, how the growing media/substrates are affected on a physical and chemical level by these inoculants, and how these organisms can be combined with traditional pesticides and fertilizers. This session will help growers understand how to make the best decision about which of these inoculant products will benefit their production and provide maximum return on investment.
LOCATION: Director's
CREDITS: N/A

Pathogens below the soil-line offer unique challenges, remaining hidden until the damage is done. Knowing the likely suspects and their favorite targets can help design effective prevention strategies. Tips on what to do when disease is already established will also be provided.
LOCATION: Federal
CREDITS: NY: 1, 3a, 24, 25; NE: 26, 29, 31

Plant growth regulators are simply another production tool that you can use to improve the quality, habit, and salability of your herbaceous perennials. Learn more on how growth retardants as well as growth enhancers can fit into your production practices.
LOCATION: Seminar
CREDITS: N/A

BLOCK 4 (1:30 PM - 2:30 PM)

Cannabis growers face many challenges, pests being one of them. This session will cover the key pest insect and mites commonly found on cannabis crops as well as their control options focusing on biological control.
LOCATION: Colonial
CREDITS: N/A

Understanding greenhouse climate control for high yielding leafy greens and herbs
LOCATION: Cotillion
CREDITS: N/A

At one time gardening and horticulture would have fit in this definition, but in the late 20th century and early oughts, we began to worry about "plant blindness" and how to attract younger people to horticulture. Twenty years after the turn of the century, people have begun to turn back to plants. Starting with the renewed interest in houseplants and vegetable gardening, and reinforced by image driven social media, plants began to once again enter the mainstream. This was kicked into high gear during the pandemic of 2020, and the demand for plants and interest in gardening that started when people were quarantined at home continues to grow. This talk looks at where and how we can continue to build on these trends. C.L. offers ideas for how IGC's and others in the green industry can keep new gardeners interested and help them to be successful. We'll look at how we can meet the public where they are, and make links between plants and what people care about.
LOCATION: Director's
CREDITS: N/A

How can you ensure that the beneficials you’ve purchased will work their best? Learn how to avoid making mistakes in how you release and manage beneficial organisms to maximize the cost-effectiveness of your investment. Learn best practices for receiving shipments and storing a variety of beneficials (and which ones should not be stored), and how to release them into your greenhouse for best results.
LOCATION: Federal
CREDITS: NY: 1, 3a, 24, 25; NE: 26, 29, 31

From function, to aesthetic, to food source – producing plants that provide ecosystem services has become a rapidly expanding market opportunity for nursery growers and installers globally. Today, green infrastructure projects, including stormwater management and mitigation, green roofs, rain gardens, and bioswales are simultaneously curbing runoff, providing seasonal appeal, and nourishing our environment. Native plants used in these systems are beneficial for pollinators and create a lasting aesthetic impression. Join this session and learn more about why native plants are integral to providing solutions to stormwater management.
LOCATION: Seminar
CREDITS: N/A

BLOCK 5 (2:30 PM - 3:30 PM)

This talk will discuss the important aspects of rootzone management (e.g., nutrient recipes and rates, water and oxygenation) and how to do Integrated Rootzone Management (IRM) in drug-type cannabis production for achieving better quality and yield. IRM is key for the success of all controlled environment (e.g., indoor and greenhouse) plant productions. IRM is a comprehensive approach to creating and maintaining a rootzone with adequate water, nutrients, and oxygen within an appropriate temperature range, and without being limited by abiotic or biotic stressors. This talk will mainly be based on the results from the extensive research we have been conducting over the past years.
LOCATION: Colonial
CREDITS: N/A

Greenhouse herbs as transplants for consumers and for fresh produce have increased in popularity. In this session, growers will learn of the diseases that may occur on herbs and the effective approaches to prevent losses. Basil downy mildew will be covered in detail with information provided regarding the latest fungicide approaches and the available disease resistant cultivars.
LOCATION: Cotillion
CREDITS: NY: 1, 3a, 24, 25; NE: 26, 29, 31

Whether you are a grower, in garden retail, a designer, or a passionate plant geek, you are communicating to the public about horticulture. Gather today to first hear a talk titled "Compellingly Zooming Into The Future ~ the benefits of communicating with customers virtually once we no longer have to do so" by C.L. Fornari. Learn how virtual programs can benefit your business moving into 2022 and beyond, and how to make such talks compelling. After this 30 minute presentation, we'll break into four special interest groups so that you can connect with others about Social Networking, In-person Events, Retaining the COVID Customer, and Learning About the Association for Plant Communicators: GardenComm.
LOCATION: Director's
CREDITS: N/A

In this presentation Ronald will highlight current and upcoming challenges. In addition, a deeper dive into the subject of compatibility. What is compatible and what isn’t is not an easy question to answer. We will talk about the importance of how to approach BCAs and bio-control and will touch on the subject of ‘what can is still spray’ to more ‘ how do I avoid to get to the point I have to spray. We will also discuss this with an example of what can happen and did happen in a real situation.
LOCATION: Federal
CREDITS: NY: 1, 3a, 24, 25; NE: 26, 29, 31

Increasing production sustainability required improved application of production inputs. More efficient irrigation practices reduce the amount of water needed for production, decreasing the environmental impact of production, and can improve plant quality. Manipulation of irrigation for controlling plant growth will also be discussed.
LOCATION: Seminar
CREDITS: N/A

BLOCK 6 (3:30 PM - 4:30 PM)

In this session Dr. Allison Justice will be discussing how to optimize CBD (and other cannabinoid) yields in controlled environments and field production. This session will discuss lighting, planting times, and cultivar selection.
LOCATION: Colonial
CREDITS: N/A

In this presentation the focus will be on a systematical approach to using BCAs and Biocontrol in Leafy green and herbs. The use of sustainable systems, including banker plants will be part of this approach. The most common pest and theor BCAs will be highlighted. The approach of using BCAs as a first line of defense will be discussed.
LOCATION: Cotillion
CREDITS: NY: 1, 3a, 24, 25; NE: 26, 29, 31

Get the latest news on what is happening in the pest management world. This will include new biocontrol products, techniques and tools to help with your IPM program.
LOCATION: Federal
CREDITS: NY: 1, 3a, 24, 25; NE: 26, 29, 31

This presentation will include virus, Phytoplasmas (MLO’s), bacterial diseases, & fungal examples of diseases, as well as control procedures (chemical, cultural, biological, and the use of resistant varieties). Identification procedures for diseases will be elaborated and methods for successful control will be explained.
LOCATION: Seminar
CREDITS: NY: 1, 3a, 24, 25; NE: 26, 29, 31

Session Details

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4

Pesticide Recertification Credit

thank you to our 2021 conference sponsors!

Thank you to our 2021 conference exhibitors!

Location of 2021 Northeast Greenhouse Conference & EXPO

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