“Heuchera are a very versatile perennial that have multiple seasons of interest and can also be used for multiple seasons of sales,” she explains. “The wide array of foliage colors, shapes and textures make this perennial a great compliment to a fall lineup, and many of them are the perfect shades of amber, purple, orange and black to invoke an autumnal vibe.”

Robles adds that Heuchera can be sold as “standalone crops that can be placed on a patio or walkway to complement containers of garden mums, or planted in combinations with other fall crops for a premium product for consumers.”

“And Heuchera is a great pivot crop for fall, since its foliage complements other more traditional fall crops such as garden mums, cabbage/kale, pansies and ornamental grasses perfectly.”

Of course, growers new to this variety will want to know how it can benefit their production cycles agronomically. Good heat and humidity tolerance, as well as some varieties thriving in low light, and even showing quicker production cycles compared to other traditional fall crops, top the list, according to Robles.

“If they are started when it is still hot and high light, the lighter foliage colors including chartreuse, green, amber and silver will benefit from 30-50% shade, and the darker colors including black, red and deeper oranges do well in a range of light conditions from shade to full sun,” she explains. “Heuchera also grow well at cooler temperatures, so they are quite adaptable for growing for a fall crop if temperatures drop before the crop is finished.”

Of course, none of the aforementioned benefits actually matter if today’s plant consumers aren’t interested in adding the crop to their homes or landscapes. Robles says the variety is growing in popularity and will likely continue to do so as consumers become more aware of them as an alternative fall crop.

“Heuchera have been gaining traction in the fall for decorating, and a Google or Instagram search for ‘fall containers’ will show them used in combinations with lots of other plants,” she shares. “They are very low maintenance and offer great color and texture through the fall, even tolerating light frosts.”

And, since they are a perennial, consumers can enjoy them for years to come, or even discard and buy a new one next year, if that’s what they choose to do.

“The only other thing I would tell [growers] is, with the greater demand for plant material over the last couple of years, to get their orders in sooner rather than later for next fall,” Robles explains, noting that as of press time, it is probably too late to start production for the 2021 season.

Off the shores of Lake Erie in Northeast Ohio, is the small community of Madison, formally known as the nursery capital of the world. In 1972, Richard and Patti Boonstra started a mail order perennial operation, Bluestone Perennials. As the business grew, their two teenage children started to help out. In 1983, after 3 years’ experience outside the business, Bill Boonstra returned with his wife Sarah and young family to help his dad until his retirement in 1994.

Bluestone Perennials has grown to 5 acres of greenhouse production of 1,400 varieties of perennials, grasses and ornamental shrubs grown in 4-inch biodegradable coconut fiber pots. Using one container size improved efficiency by simplifying inventory of containers, plants, packaging material, etc. Bill designed modular packaging that secures plants during shipping, ensuring they arrive in great condition with an appealing presentation.

All perennial flats have radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags that are scanned when entering their staging greenhouse to track inventory and placed in designated, UPC-coded slots for each plant cultivar. When pulling plants, the UPC code is scanned for invoicing and inventory management and then packed, boxed and shipped throughout the U.S.

A mail order business has several challenges. If an order is not right (plant is damaged, dead, not the right color, etc.), the problem must be quickly assessed and fixed. Thousands of orders must be tracked internally so they are not lost, plants cannot be shipped in cold weather, and snowstorms often delay orders. The shipping window is narrow, so it is imperative to get the order to the customer when promised.

There are many variables when growing a crop, but the growing medium should not be one. Bill used several types of growing media, but consistency eventually became a problem. When he considered Premier Tech’s PRO-MIX products, he wanted a consistent, lightweight growing medium that dries quickly, so plants do not rot during shipping. After doing trials, he found PRO-MIX HP BIOFUNGICIDE + MYCORRHIZAE was best for his propagation and PRO-MIX BX BIOFUNGICDE + MYCORRHIZAE was best as a transplant medium.

Bill admits using one growing medium for all crops with different watering requirements is challenging, but multiple growing media only amplified watering differences. Since using PRO-MIX HP BIOFUNGICIDE + MYCORRHIZAE and PRO-MIX BX BIOFUNGICIDE + MYCORRHIZAE, Bill has reduced both fungicide drenches for root disease and labor costs to apply them while having consistent crop growth and quality.

“Across the board, [Premier Tech Horticulture] are good people and are a joy to deal with. They do what they say they are going to do.”

Photo courtesy of Roehm America

As far as greenhouse roof glazing material solutions go, Roehm’s ACRYLITE product carries a few key distinctions when it comes to helping growers produce healthier plants under cover.

“It is the only rigid and lightweight glazing material that allows for natural growing conditions in a controlled greenhouse environment,” says Sibylle Viz, business manager – building & construction markets for Roehm America. “ACRYLITE offers a premium greenhouse glazing material that enables a full natural light spectrum to reach the plants, resulting in increased plant growth.”

Between the product’s high light level transmission capabilities and its ability to withstand tough working conditions through the years, Viz says most growers that add the glazing product walk away more than satisfied, specifically noting the solution’s 89% of PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) transmission capabilities.

“Every additional percentage in light transmission increases the yields of the products grown in your greenhouse,” Viz adds.

ACRYLITE also features what the company calls its NO DRIP coating, which reduces or even eliminates droplets that can sometimes form on the roof and reflect sunlight off-target. This allows for a more uniform, consistent delivery of the daily light integral (DLI) the plants need.

Of course, with any product on the market, there will be those with critiques. A common critique of most greenhouse glazing material is that the material itself tends to “yellow” or change color overtime due to sunlight exposure.

“ACRYLITE is different because the product naturally resists degradation while exposed to sunlight and does not require any additional UV coating [to prevent discoloration],” Viz states. “We are so confident of this performance that we warranty ACRYLITE against yellowing for 30 years.”

Another performance attribute that can help many greenhouse growers, according to Viz, is that the company offers the product in both UV-blocking and UV-transmitting options. For crops that do not require higher UV light rates, the UV-blocking version is ideal, and for the plants that do respond positively to a little UV light stress, they can go with the UV-transmitting glazing.

“The UV-transmitting version of ACRYLITE, called Alltop, is popular in these applications, where it reduces the need to invest in and operate supplemental UV light and increases the yield of high-value plants,” Viz says. “Not only do many of these customers report increased yields and reduced growth cycles compared to growing under poly or glass, but they also find that with the natural light, the crops have enhanced colors, flavors and nutrient density.”

And, lastly but certainly not least, by applying what Viz describes as “thick top and bottom skins” that allow for longer unsupported spans, the product reduces the amount of metal structure components that can block sunlight entering the greenhouse, and it also slows heat transfer – which means energy savings during cold month production.

“The thick skins combine with a large dead air space to provide significant energy savings over the life of the greenhouse, resulting in up to 40% compared to single skin greenhouses but also in reducing a facility’s carbon footprint.”

Jim Stepp is the head grower at Van Wingerden International (VWI) in Mills River, North Carolina. VWI is a medium-sized wholesale greenhouse operation that mostly sells its output to big-box stores. According to Stepp, they’ve been in the horticulture business since the ‘70s, specializing in “lots of annuals and potted floral crops, as well as garden mums and poinsettias.”

Stepp appreciates the flexibility he’s found with OHP-brand fungicides.

“We mainly use Segway O and Astun,” he explains. “Astun has really good control on botrytis, and it’s broad spectrum, so we can pretty much spray it on anything, and it’s really good in the spring.”

VWI’s use of Segway is more specialized, according to Stepp.

“We’ll use Segway in the spring on things like vinca vines, and since it has really good activity on pythium, we’ll use it on some things like our poinsettia program in the fall,” he adds.

Both products, as well as the other OHP solutions that VWI uses in its greenhouses, help the company ship healthy, beautiful-looking plants to their retail partners.

“The main way those products help us increase our profits every year is to have clean crops that are shippable and that hold up [well] going to the stores, and that results in good sell-throughs at retail,” Stepp says. “We lose less plants, and the ones that make it look better at shipping.”

Stepp notes that both products are fairly easy to mix and handle, and low re-entry intervals mean his workers can return to the greenhouse sooner after applications and get back to working the plants.

Production at VWI would certainly be tougher without the two OHP solutions.

“Anytime we have less chemicals that we can put into the rotation in production, yes, I would agree that it would definitely be tougher for us to hit our production marks,” Stepp says.

Peace of mind is another ancillary benefit that Stepp and the VWI management team attribute to their relationship with OHP.

“We are confident with these products, that if we put them into the rotation, that they actually work and we won’t have resistance issues, and they will do what the people at OHP say they will do,” he says.

OHP has impressed Stepp’s team with their level of engagement with the operation, as well as the customer service they continue to provide even after the product is delivered and paid for. It’s not just dropping off some pallets at the farm gate.

“Anytime I have a question or something comes up, I know I can call them,” Stepp explains. “As a matter of fact, I was on the phone with them yesterday. I’d say they are really good at getting right back to me really quick with technical information and they’re always quick to tell me what works and what doesn’t. It’s pretty nice to have that confidence [in the products], and also that technical support in the background for when you need it.”