We’ve all suspected as much – and the Cultivate’21 keynote address confirmed our suspicions – the state of our horticulture industry is very strong, coming off two consecutive seasons of strong product volumes and even stronger sales.

“We’re doing a great job growing healthy and attractive plants, our merchandising and marketing is strong, there’s not a lot of channel confusion right now, and consumers are happy to pay the established retail prices for plants – deep discounting isn’t necessary to hit our sales targets,” AmericanHort President Ken Fisher shared with the first industry gathering since 2019.

That’s great news of course, but it’s not to say we’re entirely on easy street in the greenhouse world. Economist Dr. Charlie Hall also addressed the crowd during the Cultivate keynote, highlighting some of the unique challenges you all will continue to face, even in the strongest of bull markets.

Supply chain disruptions (we are 40,000 truck drivers short of where we need to be currently), ongoing labor constraints (domestic job force quit rates hit an all-time high, 2.7%, in April), and rising input costs (26% increase in plastic goods alone in 2021) alongside rising plant prices (how will consumers, specifically the new plant parents we converted in 2020, react?) will continue to test even the most well-positioned businesses.

And yet, it is arguable that we’re better positioned than ever before to weather this multi-front storm. Growers had more cash, or working capital, for things like facility expansions or paying down debt, than in any previous season that Dr. Hall could recall. And demand from landscapers continues apace as the housing market continues to explode – there are 17% more landscape service providers in the market today than there was prior to the last Great Recession – a good sign that plants will remain in high demand in a hot housing market. Pre-bookings are also way, way up, with cancelled orders down as well.

For an industry that was toiling with how to attract more Millennial and Gen Z consumers, there’s no doubt it’s a good place to be in.

Best of luck with your fall and holiday plant production cycles, and let the good times keep on rolling!

PHOTO: Christopher J. Currey

Fall is loved for the red, orange and yellow leaves of hardwood trees, but this is not the only attractive foliage this time of year. Ornamental cabbage and kale have silvery blue-green leaves and colorful heads that add color to our landscapes. This Production Pointers column is going to cover some key tips to producing containerized ornamental cabbage and kale.

There are numerous cultivars of ornamental cabbage and kale available- but which one(s) are right for you? Regardless of what you choose to grow, ornamental cabbage or kale, they are both classified as the same species: Brassica oleracea var. acephala. Practically speaking, the foliage is the differentiating feature between the two. Ornamental cabbage varieties have foliage like “regular” edible cabbage with broad, flat leaves with smooth leaf margins. Alternatively, kale leaves are wavy and have serrated or fringed leaf edges. For both cabbage and kale series, there are a variety of colors available, including purple, red, pink, and white.

Ornamental cabbage and kale are seed-propagated, and plugs can be grown in-house or bought-in. If other plugs are being grown, ornamental cabbage and kale seedlings can be grown alongside other young plants easily. If there aren’t other plugs being grown, purchasing plugs and avoiding plug production mid-summer in the greenhouse can be a major labor-saver. Seedlings are planted into finishing containers filled with a standard 70 to 80% peat moss and 20 to 30% perlite substrate. If seedlings cannot be transplanted into final containers and have to be held for an extended period of time, consider transplanting them into packs for holding.

Both crops are often grown outdoors, making cultural practices including fertilization and growth regulation primary responsibilities. After transplanting into final containers, plants should be provided with 150 to 200 ppm nitrogen from complete, balanced fertilizers such as 20-10-20 and 15-5-15. Plant growth regulators (PGRs) can be used to control unwanted growth and keep plants compact, and several active ingredients are suitable for use on ornamental cabbage and kale. One or two foliar sprays of 5,000 or 2,500 ppm, respectively, are effective in controlling size. For a stronger active ingredient, spraying 2 to 8 ppm uniconazole can also be effective. As with any PGR recommendation, these are suggestions, but concentrations should be tailored for environmental conditions and cultural practices.

The attractive, colorful foliage on ornamental cabbage and kale is why these plants are popular. To achieve the best color, it is important to know what controls foliage coloration in cabbage and kale. Poinsettias are also popular for the colored leaves, or bracts; however, the mechanism for developing foliage coloration is different between the two crops. For poinsettias, short days induce a photoperiodic flowering response which, in turn, causes leaves to turn red. However, it is not the shortening days of fall inducing color change in cabbage and kale leaves; rather, cool air temperatures cause foliage coloration. Three to four weeks of 50 to 55°F nights is usually sufficient to induce foliage coloration. Growing under cool temperature restricts phosphorous uptake, and plants commonly turn purple as anthocyanin accumulates in response to the deficient phosphorous.

Some growers reduce fertilizer in an attempt to enhance foliage coloration, but this practice should be avoided. Reducing overall fertilizer concentrations will reduce phosphorous, which can help promote leaf coloration. However, reducing fertilizer concentrations to provide less phosphorous also reduces concentrations for all the other nutrients too. If deficiency symptoms develop, such as lower-leaf chlorosis from insufficient nitrogen, this can result in less- or non-marketable ornamental cabbage and kale. Maintain adequate fertilization, especially nitrogen, throughout finishing using a low- or no-phosphorous formula such as 13-2-13 or 15-0-15 to provide sufficient macro- and micronutrients while minimizing phosphorous.

The cool fall weather for ornamental cabbage and kale may seem far off, but now is the time to plan for a successful crop. Starting off with the right cultivars, maintaining healthy and attractive plants with fertilization from transplanting through finishing, and toning growth with PGRs will all contribute to great ornamental cabbage and kale crops, and you will just need to wait for those crisp nights to color-up the foliage.

To view the 2021 New Annual Varieties Digest, please click on the cover image, or click here.

Photo courtesy of Ken Fisher

Greenhouse Management: What did it take for AmericanHort to not just have Cultivate’21 in person, but to do so safely?

Ken Fisher: Our industry is ready to get back together and Cultivate’21 is our first opportunity to make it happen. Our team has done a great job planning another fantastic Cultivate event — trade show, educational programming, tours and professional networking opportunities, among others.

The health and safety of everyone involved in Cultivate, from exhibitors to attendees, speakers to volunteers, and our own staff is our top priority. In the months leading up to Cultivate’21, our team prepared for several possible scenarios based on anticipated health protocols. We worked closely with the Greater Columbus Convention Center and city officials as we prepared a risk mitigation plan. Because of rising vaccination rates and falling COVID cases in Ohio, Governor Mike DeWine rescinded all health restrictions on June 2. The city of Columbus recently followed suit including removal of social distancing guidelines and mask mandates. Of course, we encourage everyone to participate in the manner in which they feel most comfortable. For many Cultivate’21 participants, particularly those who are fully vaccinated, this will allow for a more enjoyable experience at Cultivate.

We will have hand sanitation stations located throughout the convention center, and we have made allowances for the education sessions to be held in large rooms to allow for people to spread out more. We have also designed the education schedule to help better control the traffic flow to minimize large crowds between session breaks.

GM: What are you most looking forward to about being back in person this year?

KF: Like everyone, I am excited to see our industry peers face-to-face. During the past year we have done our best to leverage available technology to stay connected through webinars and other digital programming, facilitate learning and industry best practices, and promote networking. But nothing can replace in-person meetings. It will be great to be able to address our members and the industry at our keynote programs on Sunday and Monday morning. Much of our industry has benefited from strong sales during the past two spring seasons, however labor and rising costs — among others — continue to challenge our members. Convening in person at Cultivate’21 will continue the important discussions necessary to best address these issues.

GM: What have you learned in the last year that you think can still apply now as the world opens up more?

KF: The experiences of the past year confirmed what we have always known: Businesses must create unique value for their customers and a positive customer experience is critical to any successful business. We learned to extend those characteristics to a digital platform and that will expand our programming options in the future. Garden retail centers quickly adjusted the business model to allow for online sales and curbside pickup, and we expect many will continue these business practices in the future. For AmericanHort, engaging with our members is as important as ever. We will continue to provide opportunities to serve our members and the industry by advocating on the critical issues in Washington D.C., delivering high quality educational programming, planning high-value industry events and providing avenues to connect to industry experts that will help our businesses and industry perform better, grow faster and prepare for the future.