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We have a women in horticulture problem. The problem isn’t that we don’t have plenty of women working in the horticulture industry — we do. The problem is one of access to power and adequate representation.

Power, accessing and creating it, is the focus of my Cultivate ‘21 Women in Horticulture keynote presentation – or rather motivational moment as I prefer to characterize it. There are many ways to define power, but I think academic and author Carolyn Heilbrun did a good job of it when she wrote “power is the ability to take one’s place in whatever discourse is essential to action and the right to have one’s part matter.” Power is action; taking one’s rightful place in a meaningful way that matters is how we manifest our agency.

Perspectives on power

There’s no need for me to go into all the external obstacles women still face when it comes to gaining power. I wouldn’t be telling you anything you don’t already know. I do, however, recommend we — men and women alike — consider how our attitudes about power could be self-limiting or limiting those around us. Those with power are often reluctant to share it, thinking doing so will mean less for themselves. Women often shy away from power or are uncomfortable wielding it. I suspect this happens because of how power is defined or modeled for each of us, both individually and collectively. Power may equate to domination, abuse, or hypocrisy, or some other equally unseemly condition. Power can seem negative or distasteful, and sadly, women who seek power are often characterized as such.

As a career woman myself, I can attest to feeling forced to exercise power in constructs and ways that did not make me feel comfortable or authentic. I’ve certainly also had power exercised over me in totally toxic and inappropriate ways. This is one of the reasons I started my own company; so that I could make my own definition of power (and the rules about power) and better shape the actions I took with my power, both for the benefit of myself and those working for and with me.

Voice youR power

One of the ways in which women can access and yield more power in the horticulture industry is to become more visible and vocal. Put yourself and your voice out into the public sphere. You don’t have to own your own company to be seen and get your voice heard. There are many ways to get louder, such as offering to write for your company newsletter or industry publication, taking an organization board position (better yet, take that president slot), being more vocal on industry social media platforms, and doing some public speaking in any capacity (even if it seems scary). Most importantly, share your opinions and ask for what you want and need. Ultimately, it’s about being willing to stick your neck out, in whatever capacity you’re able.

Yes, getting more visible and vocal will most likely garner you more scrutiny and criticism. But unless you’re willing to risk being criticized — and rejected from time to time — you’ll never get your voice heard or influence change. In the grand scheme of things when you, as a woman, decide to become more vocal and “opinionated” it really doesn’t take anything controversial to ruffle feathers. Like Jane Goodall said, “It actually doesn’t take much to be considered a difficult woman. That’s why there are so many of us.” So, don’t worry about potential push back and just speak up.

On the subject of public speaking, one issue that comes up regularly is the lack of women speakers at major industry events and conferences. Often the reason cited for this omission is the inability to find qualified women speakers. But let me challenge the industry on this point; what specific factors put most male speakers in the “qualified” camp…is it that they are all highly proficient and proven public orators? Or is it more often simply that they hold positions of perceived power and authority? I’d say the latter. The challenge isn’t that there aren’t enough women in the horticulture industry who can give a great talk. It’s that there aren’t enough women in positions perceived as powerful or commanding enough to consider adding them to the speaker lineup. At least, that’s my take.

Power-up your network

Building strong industry relationships and networks is also key for women looking to grow in their business or career. My friend and Garden Media Group President Katie Dubow heartily agrees. “As a new business owner, I had to get comfortable — fast — with the pursuit of power. Standing up for myself, my business, my employees, and my peers.” says Dubow. “They say there is power in numbers. Career advancement often depends on relationships. Women can be uncomfortable building networks or asking for advice. Believe me when I say, asking works.”

Lisa Fiore, CEO & co-founder of LandscapeHub offers similar advice. “As a female entrepreneur, in a heavily male-dominated industry, I have found it critical to invest, and perhaps, overly compensate, when it comes to building my professional network,” says Fiore. “It’s about introducing one’s self and asking for an opportunity to connect. Sometimes it’s necessary to put yourself out there and make a connection happen. Being bold, although it can be uncomfortable, will bring you positive results.”

Share your power

Sharing power is also crucial for all of us working in the industry. Powerhouse Katie Elzer-Peters, owner of The Garden of Words, can attest to gaining more success the minute she “let go” and began sharing more of her knowledge with others. “I have found that the most effective way to be a powerful force within the industry — especially power to effect change — is to share power.” Now, do not misinterpret any of us by thinking sharing power means giving yourself and your work away for free. It does not. Knowing your value is always your first priority.

If you are a business owner, run an industry organization, or manage or lead people in any capacity, now is the time to scrutinize how you may be limiting women — explicitly and implicitly — in your company from accessing power or exercising the power they already possess.

Being power-adjacent has never been good enough for me. I want, as most women do, to be power-possessive in my life, career, and the industry in which I’ve invested so much time and effort. The great thing about power is that it isn’t pie. There is no such thing as a limited number of slices; you may have and share as many as you’d like. Gaining power for yourself doesn’t mean you are taking it from someone else. Each of us is imbued with our own natural knowledge and talents from which we can generate our own limitless power. When women access and create power, we all rise together, as does the horticulture industry.

Photos courtesy Jen VanWingerden

Over his nearly 30-year career at Van Wingerden Greenhouses, Dean Oostra has played a role in every phase of plant production—from planning to growing to shipping. With this comprehensive perspective of production, he has helped introduce cutting-edge growing methods and programs to keep operations running more efficiently.

In his dual role as head grower and production manager, Oostra’s challenge is not just to produce healthy plants for wholesale and retail clients—but to “figure out how to do it and still be profitable,” he says. “Profit margins are so slim nowadays, and with the rate of employee turnover and minimum wage going up, you have to be as lean as possible to be efficient.”

Here’s how Oostra maximizes his small team by leveraging the right growing tools and techniques.

Planning ahead

Oostra joined Van Wingerden Greenhouses in September 1992. By the following March, he was managing the shipping department—a position he held for 12 years before moving over to work on growing. While working under the previous head grower, Oostra also performed the role of operations manager, which entailed working with the sales team to develop annual production plans.

Since becoming head grower and production manager in 2016, Oostra says his previous experience has helped him plan ahead as a grower. He knew firsthand what the shipping department had to deal with, like last-minute watering and scouting for pests while picking plants for orders.

Now, he says, “we’re looking ahead and making adjustments for the product going out. By seeing the daily pick list the day before, we know what’s going out tomorrow, [so we can] make sure we have proper moisture and check for bugs [so the shipping department] can pick it up and not have to worry about that. We’ve cut down picking time for our shipping department just by looking forward.”

Blending tech and touch

Oostra oversees 10 acres of greenhouse facilities at Van Wingerden’s main location in Blaine, Washington, which includes tissue culture, plug, liner, and finished plant production. About once a week, he also visits the operation’s other 4-acre facility.

To cut down on travel time between the two sites, Oostra stays in constant contact with the other site’s grower, Steve Van Wingerden. “We’re always communicating back and forth, and even Facetiming if we have to,” he says.

Modern technology makes real-time team communication much easier for Oostra, who oversees three growers at the main facility. He starts every day by walking through the greenhouse and making notes for his team’s to-do list, which he sends via group text to keep everyone on the same page.

During his morning walkthrough, Oostra also carries a soil sampling probe that collects EC, temperature, and moisture levels and then transmits the data to his cell phone. Meanwhile, environmental controls, automated irrigation, and supplemental LED lighting make it easy to manipulate growing conditions inside the greenhouse.

“Growing now is so user-friendly,” he says. “You just have to use the tools you’ve been given to make better judgements.”

Yet even with all this information at their fingertips, Oostra reminds his growers that technology can’t replace the physical signals that plants send. He still teaches his team to flip pots over to get a closer look at moisture levels and gives them lessons in “reading leaves.”

“If you look at the leaves, an active leaf is going to point up, so then you want to slow it down with PGRs,” he says. “A level leaf is easily growing and getting the right moisture. And a leaf that’s cupping downward has way too much PGR, so now you’ve got to push it a little bit.”

Passing down knowledge

Through the years, Oostra has absorbed knowledge from peers and colleagues across the country. Whether he’s calling his predecessor for advice, asking questions to a vendor rep, posting on a Facebook group or sending a request through Van Wingerden’s widespread family network of industry experts, Oostra takes a team approach to growing.

“The willingness and openness of [growers to help each other] is so much greater than it used to be when I first started in the industry,” he says. “Transferring this knowledge to future growers [is key to our success].”

Just as plants respond differently to various inputs, Oostra’s growing approach evolves as new insights are added. By weaving together personal experience along with the advice of others, Oostra says growers can continue to hone their methods as tools and technologies advance.

“Growing is like a puzzle,” he says. “You’re going to do research. You’re going to ask your peers. You’re going to bounce ideas off other people. But at the end of the day, you’re going to take all these pieces and put them together to do what works best for you.”

The author is a freelance writer based in Cleveland.

Lloyd Traven didn’t plan on working in the horticulture industry. The son of a Russian Jewish immigrant father and an American mother, Traven originally planned to become a doctor. In fact, Lloyd was in college taking medical classes and plants were not on his radar. 

“For us, it was all about education,” Traven says. “So if you work hard enough and apply yourself, you can be a doctor and if you’re not a doctor you don’t have a job. At least that was my father’s idea.” 

“That was where I was headed. I was going to be a thoracic surgeon. It was all ordained and decided and organized. And then I met a girl.” 

According to Lloyd, it was within a few minutes of meeting Candy, his now wife of 43 years, that he was going to marry her. Candy was into plants — she says she gave him a coleus that he almost killed once they started dating — and Lloyd decided he was going to dedicate his life to whatever Candy liked. 

“It was in the ‘70s and that was the last big plant boom — everyone had to create their own paradise,” Candy says. “I had given him a coleus and he had a great room with a wonderful window. And the plant wilted and he called me all frantic saying ‘it’s limp and hanging, what do I do’. I said ‘try water’ and of course it came back.” 

“So I left the medical world in the dust as quickly as I could,” he says. “I went back to school for floriculture. I went to graduate school at Cornell in floriculture.” 

After college, Lloyd and Candy moved to Chicago, where he worked for Ball Horticultural and was involved in early plug development. But something changed. 

“Once I figured out the people who hired me had left, I figured out the people now in charge of me didn’t understand my personality,” Lloyd says, noting that he loved working for Ball. “I’m always looking at something new, I’m always looking to learn something and try new things. What they wanted to do was shoehorn me into a position. Once you are in that position, that’s what you do. And I didn’t want that.” 

Founding Peace Tree Farm

In 1983, Lloyd and Candy started looking for their own place to grow and be their own bosses. After one day of looking, they found a farm for sale in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. They bought the farm soon after and have been there ever since. It also brought Lloyd back near South New Jersey where he was raised. 

From his time at Ball and the early days of Peace Tree, Lloyd found that he loved horticulture because of how he could apply science and technology. 

“You were kind of in control of it,” he explains. “While it was still bottom-line life and death, it’s not the same kind of life and death [as medicine]. Not even remotely close. But it required care and attention. And when I realized that there was a scientific base for everything and that you could work within other biologies and you could make it work for you, it was cool. And when I realized you could go to graduate school for this, it blew my mind.” 

Lloyd’s father wasn’t on board at first with the career switch, openly wondering about how Lloyd would make a living and support a family. But with a play of nostalgia, his dad bought it. 

“My grandparents, in Russia, were farmers. They raised chickens and had bees and made cheeses and butters. And they were peddlers — my grandma had a horse and wagon and she would drive around to sell general goods and farm products,” he says. “When I knew them, and they had moved to the U.S., they had a farm raising chickens and selling eggs near where I am now.” 

“So my father had experienced them being interested [in farming]. And his hobby, of all things, was bonsai trees — the precision of it and forcing this plant to your will. The more we talked about it, the more I was able to remind him what interested him about it. I told him ‘agriculture is a calling and I’m feeling that calling.’” Lloyd’s father died in 1995 and ultimately saw the farm grow and expand for over a decade, inching toward being the business it is today. 

Around this time, Lloyd and Candy had a son, Alex, who now works at the business in a managerial position. They also have an older son, Abraham, who lives in Boise, Idaho, and is a world-class rock climber and runs a gear store. 

In 2021, Peace Tree Farm is an established business producing a mix of organic herbs, annuals, perennials and houseplants. Plants are mostly potted vs. being sold in flats. Over the course of 30 years, the growing process has been fine-tuned and perfected. In the 1990s and 2000s, as the business made a name for itself, it started moving more towards what it is today.

But in 1983, in year one of the business, it was more chaotic. According to Lloyd, they took over the business in early April — far too late in the game to dive into spring plant sales. That could have left Peace Tree facing a full year without income. But instead, Lloyd used connections he had at Ball to launch a line of plants unique to Peace Tree and, in theory, something different than what was readily available. 

“I never wanted to be a bedding plant grower,” he says. “I can’t imagine breaking into the market with packs of annuals when I’ve got Dan Shantz and KubePak and major growers around us. We started out growing Rex begonias, English ivy that we made into topiary, and gerberas. We had a nice business with that.” They took on Ball genetics as well and for a time grew mums and poinsettias. They haven’t grown either in over two decades. They also grew basil in 3.5 inch pots from day one — at the instance of Candy — and sold 5,000 units in year one. Today, Peace Tree sells over 100,000 basil pots in a year, all of them certified organic. 

“We figured out ways we could stand out totally from what everyone else is doing,” Lloyd says. “And we did that from day one.” 

Empowering the next generation 

For Lloyd, a key part of his introduction to the business was learning from the generation of growers that came before him. Back in the late 1970s and the early 1980s, that meant learning from people he worked with at Ball and then connecting with various potted herb growers pioneering the space 30 years ago.

Today, Lloyd works to pay back his knowledge by mentoring and empowering the next generation. One way he does is by working with Dr. Charlie Hall, Ellison Chair at Texas A&M University, and the students Hall works with. 

“One of the best things about Lloyd — at least for me — is that you never doubt where you stand with him or what he’s thinking,” says Hall, who has known Lloyd for over two decades and has worked with him for the last 14 years. “He’s as honest as the day is long. It’s one of those things I really appreciate.” 

Lloyd works with Hall on the advisory board for the Ellison Chair. Hall says that he invited Lloyd because of his honesty and willingness to call it like he sees it. 

“When he disagrees with you, he’ll let you know,” Hall explains. “But if he does, he’ll do so respectfully. A lot of times, the majority of times I’d say, it’ll involve some type of humor. He’s not afraid to disagree and he’ll state his case, but also admit when he’s wrong.”

“With the people he really likes, he’ll come up with nicknames,” Hall adds. “So one of mine is ‘Professor Silver Lining’ because I always tend to find the positive factors in my economic outlooks, regardless of how dire the economic environment is.” 

With the younger growers, Hall says that Lloyd offers himself as a consistent resource as a way to give back to what was given to him. 

“I have seen Lloyd personally mentor younger growers in the industry about their path forward or how best to control an insect or whatever the question is,” Hall says. “It’s rare for a grower to do so so openly and readily. He’s just very open with someone who walks up to him at Cultivate with a question. He takes time for that.” 

Someone he has worked with directly as they climbed the ladder is Brie Arthur. Today, Arthur is an author and horticulturist who focuses on evangelizing gardening to end consumers, giving presentations and detailing her work on Instagram at @BrieThePlantLady. But in 2008, when Lloyd met Arthur, she was working as a grower and propagator at a greenhouse operation. At the time, Arthur says the industry was beginning to embrace networking online and the benefits of digital. She was a member of a Facebook group called ‘Plant Porn’ that Lloyd was helping to moderate. 

Big picture thinking 

Another part of LLoyd’s ethos dating back to the early days of Peace Tree Farms: thinking outside the box. 

On a day-to-day level, Lloyd empowered his son, Alex, to implement an integrated pest management program at the business. According to Alex, Lloyd let Alex shape the program and make it his own. It was something that he felt Alex was right for vs. him taking something on. 

He adds that he and Lloyd are different. Both attended Cornell and they work together on all aspects of the business. But whereas Lloyd is more outgoing, Alex is more reserved. They view plants differently, too. 

“He enjoys horticulture in a way that I don’t,” Alex says. “I love plants, I love gardening, but my view of it is much more utilitarian rather than mad collector. That has led to occasional conflicts where he loves a plant and I have to be the voice of reason saying ‘ya well, there’s a reason no one else grows it’ or whatever it is. But I respect where he comes from and how far it’s gotten the business, and how it sets us apart.”

“Whatever we grow, Alex wants them to buy it because it’s the best it can be, even if it’s a plant we don’t love,” Lloyd adds. “He’s more production oriented than I am.”

Lloyd has also been willing to work outside of standard marketing norms in the industry. In the past, Peace Tree Farm worked with more established brands, using their marketing programs. But over time, he and the rest of the Peace Tree operation wanted to expand beyond that and highlight more unique plants that don’t fit the cookie-cutter mold. 

“How do I figure out how to grow enough stock and reach a number that’s sustainable,” he asks. “It’s one thing to do 10 pots, but it’s a whole other thing to do 500 pots. How do I commercialize so I can get 500 or 1,000 or 2,000? So we had this collection of amazing plants that we would get from all over the world.” When this program developed, word of mouth spread at flower shows and among botanical gardeners about Peace Tree’s unique offerings. 

“It gave us huge notoriety,” Lloyd says. “We weren’t making a lot of money doing it. Herbs made the money.” But the business made it through, with Lloyd citing the great people as a reason why. And around 2008, after Peace Tree became certified organic, they began working with retail grocery chain Wegman’s to sell herbs. As part of their partner farm program — which puts Peace Tree in weekly ads and with a set place in Wegman’s stores — the business boomed. 

“They came to us for these live organic herbs and we are on the branding on it,” Lloyd says, noting that they do herbs and vegetables for Wegman’s all up the East Coast in the spring. “We still do this now. We do two significant loads twice a week all year. It’s something that paid off years after we got started.” 

Last year, Peace Tree went fully organic with its production, temporarily halting ornamental production and going all-in on herbs and vegetables. It was a big step and one that didn’t come without risks in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But thinking big again paid off, as it always seems to do. 

“I thought we were going to go out of business — it was really grim,” Lloyd says. “Even Wegman’s cut us off for about three weeks. But within four to five weeks, it was bigger than it ever was. In those sleepless nights, I was waking up at three in the morning and telling myself that Wegman’s was going to be open and any place that sells food will be open. Garden centers selling ornamentals might not. The next day, in the morning, I told everyone in a meeting what we were going to do and how we were going to adjust to it all.” 

“I’m not thinking about today, I’m not thinking about tomorrow,” he says. “I’m thinking about three years or five years from now and how I can develop customers that will stick with us.”

Photos courtesy of John W. Bartok Jr.

Fog cooling is usually a better choice than fan and pad for most greenhouses. It provides more uniform temperature and humidity conditions at a lower cost per square foot and provides a 3° to 5°F lower temperature due to smaller droplet size. A review of the basics and types of systems was covered in the article “Cooling Your Greenhouse with Fog” in the June 2018 issue of Greenhouse Management magazine. This column provides a few tips on installation and maintenance.

Droplet size is critical – Fog droplets are best in the 10 to 25 micron size (25 microns = 0.001”). Larger droplets take longer to evaporate and may wet the plant or soil. To get tiny droplets requires a high pressure pump that can generate 800 to 1200 psi and nozzles with a orifice diameter of 0.0045 – 0.15 inch.

Select hardened stainless steel or ruby orifice nozzles for reduced pressure drop and less wear.

The orifice in brass and plain steel nozzles wears resulting in the flow rate and droplet size that increases and spray pattern changes over time. Anti-drip nozzles will keep water from damaging plants below.

Clean, mineral free water is required.

With the tiny orifice, any particulate matter, debris or dissolved minerals could block or distort the flow. Solids can be removed by filters with a one micron mesh. Hard water with calcium or magnesium ions greater than 120 ppm should be treated to remove the hardness. This can be done with a water softener, reverse osmosis or deionizing equipment. The reverse osmosis equipment will remove suspended solids such as rust, bacteria and algae and dissolved solids.

Naturally ventilated greenhouses with shade screens require special consideration.

To get good heat removal, open the roof vent on the leeward to get the suction from the wind and open the side vents for air intake air. The movable shade screen should have an open weave or it should be cracked open to allow the warm moist to be drawn out.

Large naturally ventilated houses may require some fan assist.

Research in Australia has shown that under conditions where the outside air temperature is considerably higher than the desired greenhouse temperature, fog cooled, dense greenhouse air is difficult to replace with the hot, light outside air. In this situation, exhaust fans at plant level could be used to remove the air. Cracking the roof vents open slightly will provide a uniform intake that cools the top of the crop evenly over the whole area of the greenhouse. Using traditional intake shutters at one end and fans at the other results in large temperature and humidity gradients. Although there is an initial cost for the fans, the operating cost is low as the fans are only needed when the outside air temperature is high.

Design the system to fit the local climate and crops grown.

Components such as pump size, number and output of the nozzles, pipe size and controls need to be matched to have an efficient system. This can best be done by the equipment supplier using computer software. Depending on maximum outdoor temperature, water use will be about 0.2-0.4 gallons/minute/1000 sq ft of greenhouse floor area. This should be increased for houses with greater than 10’ gutter height due to the increased air volume that has to be cooled.

Adequate nozzle-to-crop- space is necessary.

To allow the fog droplets adequate time to evaporate, a minimum space of at least three feet above the crop is necessary. This prevents wetting of the leaf surface and the potential for disease development.

Frequent inspection of the system is necessary.

Fog systems require minimal maintenance as there are few moving parts. Checking that the nozzles are all working properly is the most important. The small size of the nozzle orifice and the potential for blockage from particulate matter and chemical residue are the main concern. Also frequent cleaning of the filters may be required.