Root Like a Pro; INSV; Engaged Employees; Sunflowers & Ukraine

Last week, we pulled some of our dahlia tubers out of storage, potted them up, set them on a bottom-heated greenhouse bench and are eagerly waiting for the dahlia eyes to swell and start sending out shoots so that we can take cuttings.

The dahlia tuber shortage in the supply chain is prompting us to try our hand at taking cuttings. You can multiply your tuber stock even sooner if you take cuttings rather than wait to divide them. (Of course, I’ll say it anyway even though it goes without saying: Never propagate patented varieties without a license to do so!)

Now, the key with cuttings is that they root better when treated with a rooting hormone. When we take cuttings on the farm, we use either an auxin spray or auxin powder. The auxin compound in rooting hormone is indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). Plant hormones, such as auxin, regulate plant growth and development. In the context of taking cuttings, auxin promotes new roots in stem cuttings.

According to this e-GRO Alert by Dr. Brian Whipker and Patrick Veazie of North Carolina State University, the optimum rate for foliar sprays of IBA is 100 to 200 ppm. In their research, they also show that you can have too much of a good thing. Rates above 200 ppm cause distorted growth in the foliage, as well as hinders rooting by undifferentiated cells congregating at the base of the cutting. So remember, everything in moderation—including rooting hormone!

If you’re looking for more information on why you should use rooting hormone, check out THIS ARTICLE from the GrowerTalks archives in which Kris Carlsson and Luís Muñoz conducted rooting hormone trials on an assortment of bedding plant cuttings. Moral of the story is that plants treated with rooting hormone rooted faster and produced higher-quality liners. Check it out—it’s a super quick read.

Another important component to rooting cuttings is moisture. According to Dr. James Faust, the propagation media should be wet, but not saturated—85% to 95% moisture content is ideal; cuttings still need oxygen to live. In addition to the rooting hormone, there is such thing as too much moisture. Don’t get me wrong—you need moisture to prevent desiccation in your cuttings, but it’s a balancing act.

At the farm we have a propagation mist bench and the misters are set on a timer. The duration of the mist and the frequency depends on the relative humidity in the greenhouse. I highly recommend reading THIS ARTICLE from the GrowerTalks archives if you’re new to plant propagation. Dr. Faust lays out some best management practices for optimum environmental conditions for cuttings.

An armload of Jowey Winnie and Salmon Runner Dahlias.

Another important note specifically about dahlia cuttings is that dahlias are photoperiod sensitive. According to the American Dahlia Society, cuttings should receive 14 hours of light per day. In the early spring months, days are shorter than this, so when you take dahlia cuttings be sure to extend the daylength with supplemental lighting. The American Dahlia Society has some awesome troubleshooting scenarios for dahlia cuttings. Click HERE and give them a quick read before you stick your cuttings. It may save you some heartbreak in the long run!

You may be wondering why I’m bringing this disease to your attention, especially if you don’t grow impatiens. But hear me out! Impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV) attacks a wide range of flowering crops, not just impatiens, and its insidious nature can cause a ton of trouble in your greenhouse. Ranunculus, for instance, are highly susceptible to INSV, and it attacks plenty of other cut flower crops, too. So listen up, as this could save you some real trouble.

Disease and pest management in greenhouse systems are critical components to crop success. As you gear up for spring harvest, be sure to keep scouting your crops for not only insects, but for diseases, too. However, INSV may not be one of the diseases you scout for regularly. This virus infects hundreds of different floriculture crops and it expresses a wide range of symptoms depending on what the host plant is, including leaf spots, stem lesions and stunted growth to name a few. Also, lesions can vary in color depending on the host, which makes things even more complicated! HERE is a good resource from e-Gro Alert on how to identify INSV.

INSV is a topovirus that’s vectored by western flower thrips. For those of you new to the entomology scene, HERE is a good flower thrips primer from my alma mater, Michigan State.

Thrips ingest fluids from an infected plant and then move on to the next plant, thus spreading the virus. The adult thrips don’t pass the virus to its offspring (thankfully!), but the more thrips you have around your greenhouse, the more they move around, lay eggs, and the offspring continue to spread the virus, lay more eggs, and so on. You can see the writing on the wall—INSV can get out of control very quickly. A handful of infected plants can turn into a whole bed or bench fast.

A healthy stand of Amadine Pastel Lemon Ranunculus, with a lone ranger Amadine Violet. Scouting early in the crop cycle will help you maximize your harvest and keep your ranunculus productive longer.

Prevention is the best strategy for managing INSV. Be sure to keep your greenhouse and the areas around your greenhouse weed-free, as weeds can harbor INSV and make it super easy for the thrips to spread into your crop. Always monitor your farm for thrips using sticky cards and count the insects on them each week. Managing your thrips population is vital to keeping INSV at bay. If you see plants that have suspicious lesions, submit them to a diagnostic lab immediately or purchase your own testing strips if you’re having a reoccurring problem.

There’s no cure for INSV, so be sure to discard, not compost, infected plant material immediately. And be sure to inspect plant material you order in from other suppliers for thrips and INSV symptoms.

As I mentioned before, ranunculus are highly susceptible to INSV. Ranunculus are a major spring crop for many flower farms, including ours. We scout for INSV each week in our greenhouse and our consistent vigilance has saved us some heartbreak. Keep this e-GRO Alert for ranunculus handy in case you want to start scouting for INSV in your crop as well. Tater recommends that you do. Happy scouting! And, hopefully, you don’t find this monster lurking in your ranunculus.

As flower farmers and growers, we often think about how we can maximize our time. After all, you’re only one person and your lengthy to-do list is never finished. As much as we wish we could clone ourselves and have these ridiculously efficient superhuman “machines” cutting flowers, that’s not reality.

What’s the simplest solution? Hire help!

For those of you who already have hired help on your farm, this section is for you. If you’re still a one-person show, file this information away for when you decide to add employees.

When you hire help, there’s a new level of consideration and responsibility at play—we need to manage people. So in every other edition of Bloom Beat, Tater and I will share tips, tricks and resources to help you hone your management acumen.

One of my favorite websites to read is Harvard Business Review. Tater and I recently read an article there titled “How Companies Can Improve Employee Engagement Right Now.” On the farm, it’s easy for employees to fall into the doldrums of routine. Many important farm tasks need to be completed weekly, daily or even multiple times per day. Now more than ever we need to make sure employees understand how important their roles are on the farm. Engagement is key.

You may be wondering, “How do I get employees to become committed to the farm and identify with the farm?” According to the article’s authors, the first step in fostering employee engagement is to connect to what employees care about. The easiest way to do that is for you to live and breathe your farm’s mission statement.

A mission statement is a concise way to state why your farm exists. What is your farm bringing to the world? I know this sounds like corporate America talking, but I believe this principle is important. If you don’t know what role your farm plays in your community, how will your employees? If you don’t know why harvesting sunflowers every week is important (other than for the bottom line), how will your employees find value in it week after week? This, my friends, is the key to engagement!

You had a choice to do almost anything you wanted with your professional life, so why do you farm? Why do you grow flowers? Ask this question of yourself and the answer should come naturally. Now, naturally doesn’t mean quickly. Really put some thought into this. If you have a mission statement that your employees can rally around, that makes the remaining components of employee engagement fall into place.

I know this sounds really simple and a bit fluffy, but we’re working with humans, not machines. It only took me a few years of farming to realize that your people are your best asset.

With a busy season on the horizon, I think it’s important to take stock in your farm and your core values. If we can effectively communicate to our employees why we do what we do, we’ll have higher engagement. So take some quiet time this week to create your mission statement if you don’t have one already.

If you’re looking for some additional guidance on employee engagement and crafting your mission statement, check out the Harvard Business Review article HERE.

Sunflowers: A symbol of resilience for Ukraine

All over the world people are donning sunflowers on their clothing and social media profiles, and planting seeds to show support for Ukraine. Seeing all the sunflowers on social media prompted me to do some research on the significance of sunflowers to Ukraine.

A quick Google search revealed that the sunflower is Ukraine’s national flower, so it seems fitting that the sunflower is the symbol of Ukranian resilience. I also learned that sunflowers are a major crop for Ukraine; they supply more than half of the world’s sunflower oil, making them the world’s largest exporter.

Interestingly, according to this piece in the Washington Examiner, “On June 4, 1996, the [sun]flower was used as a sign of peace between Ukraine and Russia. Russian Defense Minister Pavel Grachev and Ukrainian defense minister Valery Schmarov … were photographed planting sunflowers to mark the disbarment of nuclear weapons in Ukraine. The sunflowers were planted at the former Soviet Pervomaysk missile base following the Cold War.”

It’s ironic how the sunflower was once a sign of peace between the two nations. Now when the world looks at a sunflower, we’re reminded of the unwavering spirit of the Ukranian resistance to Russia’s invasion of their country.

Well, that’s all for now! If you have any cut flower topics you want us to write about, send an email to ldaschner@ballpublishing.com. Also, if you want to see Tater’s daily shenanigans, check out our Instagram @forgetmenotfarmsmi.

Stay well and we’ll talk to you soon!