Choosing a type of covering for your structure is no small feat. It must mesh perfectly with your needs. Keep in mind these factors before making the big purchase.
“Paper or plastic?” asks the grocer. If only the choice in greenhouse coverings could be so simple. Greenhouse growers have many variables to consider before they make a substantial investment in a greenhouse covering, such as crop type; light diffusion and transmission; the R-value (insulation measurement) of the covering; to allow or not allow ultraviolet (UV) light; and geographical location. And
in the ever-changing business climate we’re in, it’s important to consider just how long you plan on being in business producing a particular crop.
“You need to weigh in a lot of factors,” says Jess Roethle, corporate facility manager at Floral Plant Growers in Denmark, Wisc. for nearly four decades. “Things have changed over the last 40 years. Ask yourself, ‘What is my payback and how long will I own this business?’”
Understanding these considerations for coverings will help you choose the appropriate greenhouse glazing and possibly save money in the long run.
Energy considerations
Next to labor, energy is the biggest cost greenhouse growers face. Northern growers need to fire up their greenhouses in late winter and early spring. This pretty much rules out glass as a covering, which lets in maximum light, but doesn’t insulate against the cold very well. For this reason, Floral Plant Growers, with locations in four different states, has chosen to use double poly in their northern houses.
Six mil double polyethylene is essentially the standard minimum thickness, according to Rick Hannigan, of Warps, a producer of various plastic products based in Chicago. It has an R-value of 1.4, when doubled up and inflated, while 8-mm twin-wall poly bumps the R-value up to 1.5. (The R-value is a scale that evaluates the thickness of insulation. The lower the value, the less the insulation quality.) Of course, the thickness of the material will also mean less light entering the greenhouse. Growers need to decide what is more important, heat retention or light transmission, which will be largely determined by the crop grown, climate, and time of year it is being grown.
Polycarbonate and acrylic have better R-values, hovering around the 2.0 range for both, depending on the thickness of the material. Finally, glass, which allows excellent light transmission, has a low R-value and is all but impractical in the northern region, especially with commercial growers.
Light transmission and diffusion
Polycarbonate and polyethylene will block out approximately 10 percent of light per layer, according to Debbie Remblence, sales director with International Greenhouse Company in Danville, Ill. In most climates, 80 to 90 percent of light transmission is sufficient for good growth.
Shading, in the form of knitted or cloth-type curtains, is often applied during peak seasons of sun and hot weather and for shade loving plants.
Rosa Flora Greenhouses in Dunnville, Ontario use acrylic glazing on all of their greenhouses
Photo courtesy of Evonik
“Seventy to 80 percent of growers can spray a liquid shade on their roof, and most do,” says Nick Holubowski, Greenhouse Project Manager with Evonik Cyro Canada, Inc. “Some remove the shade product in the fall to allow in more light,” he says.
The topic of light diffusion is currently the buzz in the industry, according to Holubowski. While not new, it is nevertheless garnering a lot of attention as growers seek to purchase a glazing material that will be most cost effective for their crop.
Diffused light scatters light throughout the house and reduces shadows caused by the greenhouse framing materials.
All glazing products —polyethylene, polycarbonate, glass and acrylic, can be manufactured or treated to diffuse light.
Growers should know the capability of a covering to diffuse light before making a purchase.
Coverings life expectancy
The old adage, “You get what you pay for,” certainly applies to greenhouse coverings. Expect about a four-year life expectancy from poly plastic, 10 years and possibly longer from polycarbonate, and up to 30 years with acrylic — a material that, unlike polycarbonate, won’t yellow over time. Glass has the longest life expectancy, but is most prone to damage, Remblence says.
Each of these materials increase with cost proportional to longevity. As mentioned earlier, greenhouse growers need to consider how long they will be in the business before they take the leap into some of the more expensive, albeit longer-lasting coverings.
“Warranty aside, with polycarbonate you can almost guarantee an effective usefulness of 15 to 20 years before replacement,” Remblence says. “Polyethylene can often last only two to three years if it is prone to winds or external elements … and lead to tearing.”
Polyethylene — the largest selling greenhouse covering in the commercial industry, according to Remblence — is currently going for about 12 cents per square foot, while polycarbonate runs approximately $1.65 per square foot.
Growers should also be mindful of potential for extremes of weather, such as the extended period of snow and high winds in the Boston area this past winter that destroyed some greenhouses. This should be a factor to consider, not only from the standpoint of what type of covering and structural supports to purchase, but how to position and protect houses against the elements.
“Depending on the snow event you get you have to pay attention,” Roethle says. “Shovel it off or burn a little heat.”
SolaWrap Greenhouse Plastic from International Greenhouse Company
Photo courtesy of International Greenhouse Company
Bubble wrap
A fairly new covering to U.S. markets, one that a number of key industry leaders are starting to use, features a heat-trapping plastic that resembles bubble wrap. The German-designed product was engineered to both insulate against heat loss while diffusing light inside the house. It is being touted as being more resilient to winds, hail storms and snow loads, having a 120-pounds-per-square-foot snow load rating and 100-mph wind rating. The structural framework of the greenhouse will contribute to the overall resistance to the forces of nature. The bubble wrap type covering has an R-value of 1.71.
UV Light Transmission
Ultraviolet light transmission (UV) is traditionally thought of as a negative for greenhouse growers due to its degrading effects — not only on glazing materials — but also components within a greenhouse, such as irrigation and electrical equipment. Some growers, however, welcome UV light because it contains the spectrum that is found in natural growing conditions.
By allowing UV light to enter a greenhouse, you have the best of both worlds: a protected growing environment, and the same light spectrum found outdoors. Holubowsky says some companies in the green industry have used glazing materials that allow UV light transmission, including acrylic products specifically designed to transmit UV rays to allow natural lighting for their breeding and test plots.
Holubowsky also says that botanical gardens and zoos use UV light emitting glazing because it keeps reptiles and other animals alive and healthy longer. It begs the question: Would biological pesticides and other controls, such as beneficial insects and even bacteria stay alive longer and be more effective in greenhouses that allow UV light transmission?
Neil is a horticulturist and freelance writer based in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
The Great Indoors
Features - Cover Story
A focus on indoor and miniature varieties may be just the gateway new gardeners need to begin appreciating and caring for plants.
Two Millennials harness ideas from green industry research to bring their indoor gardening concept-store to life.
STUMP's modern design aims to attract a young and trendy clientele by using a minimalist, boutique-style floor plan.
Photo courtesy of STUMP
In 2014, AmericanHort set out to discover how the horticulture industry could reach the new customer. The initiative — called SHIFT — called out to outside resources to help put the findings together, such as Emily Brown, a student at Columbus College of Art & Design. Little did they know at the time, Brown would become so inspired while working on the project that she’d go onto opening a shop of her own to experiment with attracting new people to plants head-on.
Brown and her business partner and boyfriend, Brian Kellett, opened a garden center of a different kind, called STUMP, in October 2015. Instead of aisles and aisles of plant and plant-related offerings, STUMP — a charcoal-grey brick structure in Columbus, Ohio’s Italian Village — lures in passersby with its crisp, clean, industrial aesthetic and minimalist offerings in a boutique-style display. The kicker? Only indoor varieties grace the shelves — for now.
Brown says STUMP’s limited offering approach was meant to make plant shopping easy, and not overwhelming, for their non-gardening customers by presenting only a few varieties.
“We don’t put everything out at once,” Brown says. “We usually pick through, and I think people like that. It’s almost better to minimize the amount of options.”
“One of the biggest things we realized was the education aspect,” Brown says. “You really have to look at the experience from the customer’s perspective. With STUMP, what we were thinking about were people who aren’t seasoned gardeners. They’re new to owning plants. [So we are] kind of walking them through with baby steps — like the process of choosing a plant…one that’s right for you.”
Photo courtesy of STUMP
At STUMP, customers can partake in a consultative method to picking the green that’ll fill their homes. After discussing factors like direction-facing windows and light levels, their choices are narrowed down to those that’ll work best—like philodendron, ZZ plants, string of hearts, indoor trees and mini succulents. Then, the plants are potted at the store and customers are given care cards to help them tend to the plant after they leave.
And to engage with the younger clientele, STUMP partners with local businesses to offer brunches with local chefs and restaurants, and vertical planter workshops with a local landscape architect. Brown also teaches terrarium-building workshops herself. Events range between $60 to $85 per session, and are usually limited to about 20 people.
STUMP's retail location in Columbus, Ohio
Photo courtesy of STUMP
The couple doesn’t spend much on marketing to bring people in. Brown’s background in design and Kellett’s in photography helped create an Instagram account (@stumpplants) with nearly 3,000 followers at press time.
Many of her walk in customers say they found STUMP on Instagram first, Brown says. And once they buy a product, that following spreads like a spider web.
“Lots of people will tag us in their photos and actually take a picture of the care card and be like, ‘Thank you so much, STUMP, for helping us understand how to take care of our plants,” Brown says. “I think that’s huge because I think the biggest thing [to stress is that] anyone can take care of a plant. You just have to get the right one to fit your lifestyle and your house.”
At GIE Media Horticulture Group's Uncensored conference in September 2015, Mark Foertmeyer, owner of Foertmeyer & Sons Greenhouse Co. in Delaware, Ohio and former AmericanHort chairman of the board said, “Two of them, because they were exposed to the industry, and they saw what it was about, and [realized], ‘Hey this is an industry where we can express our creativity behind, we can see our plant material for what it can do.’ They threw all of their chips on the table and they started a really cool little store.”
STUMP's co-owners Emily Brown (left) and Brian Kellett (right)
Photo courtesy of STUMP
“And guess what? It’s nothing like what any of us has ever seen,” he continues. “They took all the research [from SHIFT] and they packed it into the store. They discovered it for themselves. To me, that was one of the largest successes of that program because it made me realize: We’re worried about — we need people to work in the greenhouse — we need growers, we need all of the technical workers, and we do. But we also need fresh blood in this industry, and people who will not look at it this way, but people will see new opportunities and see what we failed to see because we’re so tunnel focused.” — Cassie Neiden
Gardens in a glass
Artsy Academy teaches students how to build terrariums with simple plants like moss to instill confidence, creativity and an appreciation for gardening.
Photo courtesy of Artsy Academy
While some indoor-plant enthusiasts are working to establish themselves in a particular community, others are out on the road teaching people how to make indoor plants eye-catching. While the concept of palm-sized glass gardens catches on, Artsy Academy — which launched in spring 2015 — educates adults in the creative arts while producing as little waste as possible and promoting environmental charities.
The group added a terrarium-building course this past summer, allowing students to use hand-blown glass containers to create their own miniature gardens for the indoors.
Artsy Academy’s co-founder Alison Meaney says the class is intended to introduce class participants to gardening basics in a fun, creative atmosphere. Public workshops take place in local restaurants or bars, and students are encouraged to order food and drinks while they work. People can also request private events at their homes, art galleries or other venues. Average class sizes are between 10 and 15 attendees.
Students of the Artsy Academy terrarium class have access to moss, hemp, quartz crystal and other natural materials to build their micro-gardens inside glass containers hand-blown by Artsy Academy’s other co-founder, Tracie Sell. In addition to crafting the glass terrarium containers, Sell also creates glow-in-the-dark mushroom figurines for the class.
Some Artsy Academy classes take place in informal places like restaurants and bars.
Photo courtesy of Artsy Academy
Although Sell often works with succulents and other plants in her art, the terrarium classes tend to focus mainly on sustainably-harvested moss as a plant base. Sell says succulents can be difficult to fit into the small openings of the glass containers she uses for the terrarium classes. While succulents are popular for open-container planters, moss is better suited to closed-container terrariums, she adds.
Artsy Academy and its terrarium class now has a presence in five U.S. cities: Asheville, N.C.; Chicago, Ill.; Pittsburgh, Penn.; Orlando, Fla. and Cleveland, Ohio.
“We give (customers) descriptions, tips and pointers and what kind of stress signs to look for in the moss, how to remedy them, how to water them and what kind of light they like,” Sell says. “I think people leave feeling like they’ve really learned something and they’re leaving with a new attachment to having plants in the home. That’s our goal.”— Conner Howard
THINK BIG, plant small
Most successful miniature gardens incorporate a mix of shrubs, tree-like plants, groundcovers and colorful blooms for a visual pop.
Photo courtesy of Central Florida Ferns
One grower shows that terrarium-building and miniature plants are not a brand new idea. Like many kids in the 1970s, Mark Langan planted a terrarium garden when he was young. He filled a 55-gallon aquarium with 2-inch foliage, creating a miniature world where his dinosaurs could play. But the plants soon outgrew the small space and needed bigger homes. Tiny bella palm seedlings grew 8 feet tall; ponytail palm and split leaf philodendron reached 15 feet. Many people — and plants — outgrew that terrarium trend, until a new era of mini gardening came into vogue this millennium.
Langan, who owns Mulberry Creek Herb Farm, a retail greenhouse and wholesale growing operation in Huron, Ohio, with his wife, Karen, got his first fairy gardening plant request about 15 years ago. As the popularity of fairy gardening grew, so did Langan’s frustration with the trend, as he kept seeing cute, but culturally incompatible plants plunked in a pot together.
“As an industry, we don’t put shade-loving begonias and [sun-loving] calibrachoa together in one hanging basket; that’s not horticulturally wise,” Langan says. “Yet somehow we’re allowing our customers to make ill-fated selections for fairy gardening. I got really frustrated because, one, they were mixing and matching plants that were culturally incompatible; and secondly, they weren’t miniature, so they quickly outsized the accessories.”
Langan began cultivating a line of easily pruned dwarf plants, launching Mulberry Miniatures (originally called Faery Plant Kingdom) three years ago. He now has a collection of 130 varieties of miniature plants.
As more small-scale growers emerge, the plant industry is catching up with the mini gardening trend, which had been driven largely by accessories. Breeders are actively producing varieties specifically for mini gardens.
How mini plants are made
Many miniature plants emerge as sports, or naturally occurring genetic mutations of larger plants. Instead of disregarding those “oddball curiosities,” as Langan calls them, horticulturists are collecting, propagating and patenting them.
Growers are actively producing small varieties to meet increasing demand, cross-breeding plants like African violets and hostas into smaller sizes. New varieties coming to Pixie Plants through tissue culture include Mini Alocasia Fairy, Mini Alocasia Polly, and a mini oak leaf ficus.
Pre-made fairy gardens that customers can buy or simply admire help boost sales. Cross-merchandise with plants, miniatures and growing supplies.
Photo courtesy of Batson’s Foliage Group
Langan mentions new varieties from Terra Nova Nurseries, including a series of fairy-sized Heucheras, which pack traditional color into 2-inch pots. Using Hana Bay Floral’s orange Nertera, Langan created a mini pumpkin patch at Halloween — which became so popular, he added it to the Mulberry Miniatures collection.
Rather than producing new varieties through tissue culture, Howard finds “throwback” varieties that “get lost or drop through the cracks because they don’t perform well with tissue culture.” Then Batson’s Foliage applies growth regulators to manipulate dwarf sizes, reintroducing old pilea, fittonia and begonias to a new generation of mini gardeners.
Langan says he doesn’t use any growth regulators on his plants. He’s heard complaints from customers who get frustrated when a once-cute plant like hypoestes “outgrows the growth regulator and then goes, ‘poof,’ and explodes out of the container.”
Can it grow?
Growers hear a common question about mini varieties: “Do these plants grow or stay this small?”
Unlike plants that outgrew ’70s terrariums, modern breeders are developing varieties that stay smaller longer. Plus, shallow containers and closed terrariums retard growth naturally. But all plants eventually grow.
“These are living plants that do grow,” Langan says. “Yes, golden baby tears will spread and cover the pathway, and yes, you need to keep it pruned. That’s the fun of doing this — that manicuring, pinching and shaping. Instead of a chainsaw, a wheelbarrow and a rake, you’re using pinking shears and a spoon.”
Opportunities abound
Small size contributes to the growing mini gardening trend by bringing higher returns per square foot, adding cross-promotional potential and making gardening accessible to small or feeble hands and gardeners constrained to small spaces.
“The best thing about the miniature trend is the opportunity to bring new generations of gardeners into the fold,” says Howard, suggesting fairy garden classes or parties to unite young and old. “The industry was waning, wondering how to reach the next generation, and miniature gardening has done that.”
With popularity exploding across demographics, the trend keeps growing. When Central Florida Ferns began trials of 2-inch plants on half a bench five years ago, “we thought this was just going to be a niche thing, one or two cases a week,” Roberts says. Now, Pixie Plants sell 100 to 150 cases a week in spring, growing 90 varieties across seven benches that hold nearly 40,000 pots each. Similarly, at Batson’s Foliage, Ittie Bitties production has increased at least 25 percent annually, with nearly 70 varieties.
Photo courtesy of Batson’s Foliage Group
“The 2-inch size is taking over our greenhouse, pushing out larger sizes,” Howard says. “Anything cutesy sells, and new hard goods each season help give the trend longevity.”
Though 2-inch plants can stand alone as impulse buys or small gifts, successful garden centers embrace the entire trend, cross-merchandising plants with seasonal accessories, small pots, and quart-sized packages of bulk soil, gravel, natural fertilizer and sheet moss. Tiny items bring high returns, contributing add-on sales without requiring much shelf space.
“Two years ago, I probably would have told you, ‘This is a fad that’ll quickly run its course,’ but I’ve changed my thoughts,” Roberts says. “I think the small plant market still has a long way to go. It has a lot of potential because you can use 2-inch plants for anything.”
Picture them planted in teacups, given as party favors, or used in miniature indoor living walls, in addition to fairy gardens, terrariums and other miniature worlds. The possibilities are endless.
“This is not a fad,” says Langan, who considers miniature gardening a crucial “gateway” to get children hooked on plants. “It is a growing trend. We can make it a really successful trend if we help customers be successful with small plants.” — Brooke Bates
Michelle Simakis also contributed to the selection about STUMP. Michelle is the editor of sister publication, Garden Center magazine. Conner is assistant editor for Garden Center magazine. Brooke is a freelance writer living in Cleveland, Ohio.
Editor’s Note:“Gardens in a glass” and “Think big, plant small” are excerpts from the Garden Center magazine’s October 2015 and January 2016 issues, respectively.
Lisianthus Corelli is a new series from Takii. Beautiful large, double flowers have slightly ruffled petals giving it an elegant, yet playful appearance. Corelli is top branching, making it superb for bouquet usage. Its long vase life also makes it ideal for arrangements. Available in Apricot, Light Pink, Rose, White and Yellow. All colors are Group III (mid-late). Blue is a new introduction for 2016.
The Post-it note was one of the great innovations of its time. The small, square piece of paper with the sticky back is as ubiquitous in offices today as it was 50 years ago. You might expect 3M, the international company that owns the Post-it brand, to rest on its laurels and enjoy its continued market presence. But in today’s business environment, it’s not enough to have the walls of your office (at home or at work) covered with colorful squares. With Post-it Plus, 3M created an app that aims to combine the digital and analog worlds.
There are already plenty of digital organizational tools in the toolbox for business owners. From Evernote to 2Do, Post-it Plus is entering a crowded marketplace. But to its credit, the app does not try to beat those apps at their own game. It has a built-in advantage: anyone willing to plunk down $2 on this deluxe edition of this app is probably more than familiar with the sticky note cards.
The Post-it Plus app is specifically designed for people who already use Post-it notes. Lots and lots of Post-it notes. But in a world where cloud computing has made it possible to access your notes everywhere, those people are stuck, just like their notes. The Post-it Plus app allows them to share the contents of those notes across devices and with other users.
Using your mobile phone or iPad’s camera, you capture a photo of up to 50 square Post-it notes at one time. The app will show you the captured Post-its with a little checkmark on top of each note. Uncheck the notes you don’t want to save, then confirm the capture. Now all the notes are saved to a white board in the app, where you can arrange, refine and organize them individually or as a group just by tapping and dragging them around with your finger.
Digitized notes are kept separate, moveable and easy to arrange in a grid or any other formation, creating an accurate but flexible documentation of any idea creation session. Organized boards can be shared with anyone to evolve great ideas and continue collaborating from anywhere. You can also create brand new notes in the app itself and add them to your existing boards. The Post-it Plus App creates a shareable record that exports to common software programs including PowerPoint, Excel, Dropbox, PDF and more.
The Post-it Plus app recognizes all square Post-it Notes, from 3-inch by 3-inch Post-it Super Sticky Notes to Post-it Big Pads, with additional sizes coming soon. The Post-it Plus App is available for free from the App Store on iOS 8 devices including iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. For more information, visit Post-it.com/app.
Matt is managing editor for Nursery Management magazine, a GIE Media Horticulture Group publication.
Safety first
Produce Expansion Guide - 2016 Produce Expansion Guide: Food Safety
Understanding Food and Drug Administration’s new produce standards is important in order to be compliant in your growing operation.
FDA’s Produce Safety Final Rule — as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) — became effective Jan. 26, 2016. The rule will implement standards for safe growing, harvesting, packing and holding of produce grown for human consumption, including guidelines for agricultural water, biological soil amendments, sprouts, domesticated and wild animals, worker training and health and hygiene, and equipment, tools and buildings.
Below are resources available for reference to understand how the rule applies to you, and how to implement the standards in your operation.
* Links are case-sensitive.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
FDA FSMA Final Rule on Produce Safety Factsheet
An outline published by FDA that includes an overview of each main component of the Produce Safety Final Rule.
Background on the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act
A breakdown of FDA’s key new authorities and mandates, including Prevention, Inspection and Compliance, Response, Imports and Enhanced Partnerships (also available in PDF).
A collaboration between Cornell University, FDA and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help growers meet regulatory requirements for new proposals of FSMA through information and training of produce safety and co-management practices.
Information regarding training, new recordkeeping requirements, development of technical and legal resources as well as budgeting for the capital and recurring costs.
An FDA/Institute for Food Safety and Health-Illinois Institute of Technology alliance that develops core curriculum, training and outreach programs for sprout growers to enhance industry understanding and implementation of best practices and requirements relative to the rule on standards for produce safety required by FSMA.
Matt McClellan
