Finding high-quality labor and transitioning businesses to a new generation of leaders has been a frequent topic of discussion at industry events and behind closed doors in recent years, so we went straight to the source of many future horticulturists — higher education institutes across the country. We surveyed 145 students in different horticulture programs – from general horticulture to greenhouse management to plant biology and turf grass management — who gave us a solid look into their goals, expectations and perspectives by completing a 17-question survey that we conducted in February 2016.

Throughout the following pages, we share not only that research and analysis with you, but also short, post-survey interviews with some of the student respondents. We also talked to several professors who gave their take on the upcoming generation of the horticulture industry and current greenhouse and retail hiring managers who are regularly in the pursuit of high-quality, reliable labor for their businesses. Finally, horticulturist and green industry business consultant Leslie Halleck weighs in with tips for understanding and managing employees from diverse generational backgrounds.

How we did it

On Feb. 9, 2016, we emailed professors at institutes of higher education in the U.S. that offer horticulture programs with a link to our survey on SurveyMonkey. The professors passed the survey link to their horticulture students, who then completed the 17-question online survey between Feb. 9 and Feb. 20. We closed the survey with 145 respondents on Feb. 20. We spoke with several students who both completed the survey and expressed willingness to share further opinions.

Belong to:

• Young Professionals Council for American Floral Endowment
• International Society of Arboriculture
• National Consumer Horticulture Initiative
• American Society for Horticulture Science
• New Jersey Landscape and Nurserymen’s Association

Attend:

• Cultivate
• U.S. Composting Council Conference
• Job fairs
• Landscapes educational convention at GIE+EXPO
• Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show

Compete in:

• National Association of Landscape Professional’s Student Career Days

Intern/work with:

• Sun Valley Floral Group
• The Botanic Garden at Oklahoma State University
• Local Community Supported Agriculture programs
• Community gardens with local nonprofits
• Texas Disposal System’s compost camps
• Penn State Horticulture Show
• Community landscaping with local churches
• Crop Production Services, Inc.
• E. & J. Gallo Winery
• Bobcat Blend compost facility at Texas State University
• Landscape maintenance at amusement parks
• Local greenhouses

What expectations are you seeing from students, and are they realistic?

Holly L. Scoggins, Ph. D., associate professor, Department of Horticulture, Virginia Tech: We require an internship experience, and a good fraction of students have done multiple internships by the time they graduate. I think this goes a long way in their understanding of real world challenges.

Tina Marie Cade, Ph. D., professor of horticulture, Texas State University: Technology gives them the expectation that an app will give them any information they need. They don’t need to remember a palette of plant materials because the answers will be on their phone. It’s sometimes hard to get them to realize they need to have some base knowledge and that this is the time to learn some stuff and then learn how to learn more later for when the technology will change again.

Students hesitate in choosing horticulture as a career because of the potential for a lower income in some areas. They also hesitate because of the uncertainty of skilled and unskilled labor to have as helpers in the field. These seem like realistic challenges and expectations.

Jim Klett, Ph. D., professor of landscape horticulture for Colorado State University: The nontraditional types of students that have been in different careers know that you can’t start at the top with big salaries. That’s why we really stress internships to make sure this is something they really want to get into.

You have some students thinking they should be making $60,000, $70,000 when they leave here. That’s not going to happen. [Entry level, green industry jobs] are in the $30,000, $40,000 salary range to start out with. Some of our places are very conservative and still want to pay by the hour. Those places have a hard time getting our students to work for them.

What struggles do students have? What are they excelling in?

HS: They struggle with/hate math and chemistry. After two semesters of both, you'd think fertilizer calculations would be a piece of cake. But no. They are soaking up business-related info = small business management and other great courses from Ag Economics. I'd say they have a pretty good grip on how tough it's going to be out there.

In Horticulture, anything hands-on really seems to be appreciated. Students are happiest building, digging, potting, growing, etc.

TMC: The students struggle with the math required for the business and economics courses. They also struggle with chemistry, which is required for Soil Science. I think a lot of American students have these struggles.

They excel in leadership and teamwork. They’re creative and do well in hands-on work. They are interested in grassroots endeavors. They are active in the community. They care about making a difference on campus and in the world.

JK: [We envision] our students to [eventually] be managers at garden centers or superintendents or head growers. … Right now, Colorado especially is booming with construction and housing, and the demand for plant material and growers is out there. There are more jobs now than there are students in our programs graduating.

What career paths/interests do students have?

HS: For horticulture in general, we have seen a surge in interest regarding food crops, self-sustainability, etc. Enrollment in landscape design and contracting has dropped, despite the number of job opportunities out there. Greenhouse and nursery production interests seem to be holding steady. We recently added a viticulture minor that is very popular.

We don't have nearly enough students to fill a fraction of these opportunities, which frustrates those looking for employees and interns.

TMC: They are leaning more toward food production and organic farming compared to the late ’90s when food production courses were almost phased out due to lack of enrollment. Turf and landscape design and landscape management were all the rage until about 2009. With the economic shifts, and the buy-local and organic attitudes, more students are interested in farming again. The turf class has been phased out. The students here at Texas State have always been very environmentally oriented/earthy, but it is even more so than when I arrived in 2001. I’m not sure if I have too, or if I influenced them or they influenced me. It’s hard to tell anymore.

JK: We have what we call a horticulture business concentration, and a landscape business concentration, where the students [essentially] get a minor in business. They get their degree in either horticulture or environmental horticulture, but they’ll have a minor in business. I hear that all of the time from companies, that students need more business [knowledge]. Whenever I take my students on field trips, [hiring managers] say they want business experience.”

We’ve seen an increase in floriculture because of marijuana production in the state [Colorado], they want to know about greenhouse technology, how the greenhouses work, heating and ventilating.” (Editor’s note: CSU does not have a marijuana production program, as that would be illegal.]

There are more jobs now than there are students in our programs graduating.” Jim Klett, Colorado State University

How have students changed during the years you've taught? What has surprised you about this new class?

HS: Brain dump is becoming a problem. By the time they reach a senior level course, they've had several classes covering similar ground: propagation, environmental factors, controlled environment horticulture, etc. But many [not all] struggle to build this into working knowledge. Learn the facts, take the test, forget it. I've seen this trend get worse over the past few years. ‘Teaching to the tests/standards of learning’ in K-12 may be changing how students deal with/retain information.

TMC: We have lots of interest in beekeeping and sustainable operations, native and local foods, native plant landscaping, wildscaping, edible native plants, the problem of invasive species, etc.

The students seem less independent these past few years. Their parents will follow them to campus (which is nice to be able to meet them), but their parents will also call or email me to take care of the student’s issues. I think that parents are hovering too much and not letting their student learn critical lessons that are supposed to be learned in college like the ability to manage their own problems.

The students will communicate on email with problems instead of coming to class or office hours and often this isn’t the most effective way to learn the concepts, so they continue to struggle with the perception that since they emailed, they tried). The online resources like email etc. can often be more of an obstacle to real communication than anything.

Older students arrive as folks who have changed careers and wanted to do something now in which they are passionate. Veterans are enrolling because nature is healing.

Are you a Millennial who’s frustrated with your lack of earnings, success, or even finding a place in the industry? Are you a Boomer who’s having trouble relating to and managing new, younger workers? Are you a Gen Xer who is irritated by having to work with both of them? Whichever the generational group you most closely identify with, getting along with the other generations in the workplace has become a prickly business for some.

Bringing the next generation up in the workforce is proving to be a challenge for all involved. Many have valid questions about whose responsibility it really is to do so, be it the employer or the employee themselves. There is a distinct clash of ideas when it comes to what younger employees and older employers expect from one another. With roles in businesses shifting between the generations, the gaps in mutual understanding seem to be getting wider.

Where do you fit?

Part of learning how to get along and manage better in the workplace is figuring out where you fit best within the generational dynamic, and how you individually approach both work and life. While generational generalizations are just that, there are certain traits and attitudes toward work and life that are common among the groups. While you might technically fall into the Millennial age boundaries, you may find your philosophies are more similar to those of Boomers. Or, as a Gen Xer, you might have more in common with your Millennial counterparts than your Boomer parents. As a younger Boomer, you may find you identify more closely with your Gen X colleagues. It’s up to you to decide where you fit best.

Once you’ve figured out where you fit into the generational equation, it then becomes your job to gain better understanding how each generation views work/life balance. As an owner or manager, it’s also about figuring out how to both adapt your management style and clarify expectations to improve relationships with those whose work/life philosophy differs from your own.

Roles are changing

It’s important to note that management styles are already changing organically within the industry as leadership roles are handed down to the next generation. And as such, we need to take a closer look at how the “next generation” will be guiding and managing the green industry. And before you get ahead of yourself and assume that I mean to say Millennials are taking over, let me remind you that there’s another entire generation that’s been patiently and quietly waiting its turn: Gen X.

While the media has focused an immense amount of attention on the communication disconnect between Boomer owners and Millennial employees, not much at all has been paid to Gen X and how they fit into the equation. While Gen X (birthdays from 1965 to 1980) will make up a smaller percentage of the work force by the time Boomers hand over their thrones, it’s important to recognize that many Millennials don’t yet have the experience and maturity to take charge. Therefore, it’s crucially important to understand how Gen X works and what it needs in order to lead.

Stuck in the middle

The Gen X crowd is firmly lodged between two much larger and extreme generational groups. Speaking for my Gen Xer compadres, we’re accustomed to having to balance between the wants and needs of both Boomers and Millennials. Basically, we’re Jan Brady. We’re used to Marsha stealing our thunder and Cindy driving us nuts. As such, Gen Xers tend to take a more moderate viewpoint on many things, from politics to work/life balance. A Gen Xer isn’t necessarily going to follow all the rules or do things the way their Boomer boss wants them to; but they also aren’t going to indulge Millennial employees in many of their expectations.

As employees, Gen Xers don’t want to be micromanaged. We’re used to working alone, unsupervised and without kudos. Tell us what you expect then leave us alone to get the job done; we work hard. As the original digital geeks, we’re very tech savvy. We don’t expect or need a pat on the back, but we do expect to be paid fairly. Unfortunately, the lone-wolf “let me get it done” approach can leave the Boomer owner/manager feeling unacknowledged and disrespected.

Helicopter management

Millennial employees were brought up under the much more watchful eye of the Helicopter Parent (some of whom, ironically, are Gen Xers). They often expect Gen X managers to be more collaborative and work with them as opposed to giving them marching orders. But that is the last thing many Gen X managers want to do. A Gen X boss is typically going to give you basic instructions, then leave you to it to figure it out on your own. Millennials that expect hand-holding from their Gen X manager may often feel personally neglected, all the while unknowingly annoying the heck out of their boss. But, if or when a Gen X boss does dole out the occasional compliment, you can be sure you’ve truly earned it.

As a Boomer or Gen X boss, there is one particular dynamic that may make your intergenerational communications most difficult for you: It’s that whole collaborative work thing. Younger employees seem to enjoy more face-time with managers and desire a bit more guidance than previous generations. While Gen Xers experienced a cell-phone and tether-free childhood (so much so to cause fierce independence) and Boomers had the value of hard work pounded into them (so much so to cause rebellion), most Millennials were under the constant close watch of their parents, both in person and digitally. Many are used to someone looking over their shoulder at all times, and many require more supervision.

Two-way street

Now, I’m not suggesting that it’s the manager’s responsibility alone to adapt their management styles for younger employees. Employment is a two-way street as far as I’m concerned. Employees of any generation must do their part to improve communication. However, as a manager, the key to better connecting with younger staff is perhaps is learning to be more personable, without getting too personally involved.

Advice to Gen X and Boomer managers

You may not have gotten any participation trophies or pats on the back for just giving it your best, but younger employees may not relate to or understand that attitude. Many Millennials don’t see any reason why they can’t expect to get the most out of their job, with great pay and plenty of kudos, while still having adequate time left over to focus on personal goals. Boomer and Gen X parents raised them with these expectations at home, but Boomer and Gen X managers didn’t necessarily have that kind of upbringing themselves; therefore, we tend to apply a very different set of expectations at the office.

Given the generational communication gap, it can be challenging to get the kind of work you want out of younger employees unless you’re willing to adjust your communication style. If you don’t first clearly define the terms of your one-on-one working relationship and clarify your job expectations of them, you’re going to leave younger employees confused. New employee orientations, clear descriptions of how you expect your new employee to communicate with you, and clear work/life boundaries are key. Don’t want them texting, Tweeting or Snapchatting half the day? You’d better put it in writing and have them sign it, from the get go. Expect them there on time every day and not leave before a certain time? Better put that in writing, too.

Advice to Millennial employees

Employment really is a two-way street, as I mentioned earlier. Employers don’t owe you a job, nor is it their job to worry about your personal life. You’ll find that Boomer and Gen X managers will be less than sympathetic to, or interested in, your personal goals or challenges. They simply do not feel it is their business or place to care about your personal issues, or pave your way to success. While you may feel emotionally neglected and disenfranchised by the seeming lack of concern for you as an employee, your success is ultimately your own responsibility. So, what can you do to better relate to your manager?

If you want to encourage your employer to feel more personally invested in you as a person, then you’re going to have to make an effort to learn about what they value. If your boss is a Boomer, then they probably want to see you show up on time every day, and they’ll want you to listen to them and acknowledge their ideas and success. Do so, and they’ll be more open to working with you on your needs. If your boss is a Gen Xer, learn that they may value independence and a more distinct separation of work and home life. Even if you make a mistake, they will be happier that you tried to accomplish the job on your own first, instead of hitting them with a million questions. The less you talk to them about your personal goals or problems, and the more you focus on your work, the more willing they’ll probably be to help you get ahead; so you can hit your personal goals and fix your own problems.

The making of a mentor

Younger employees tend to bring more of their personal life to work. This may not make you comfortable as a manager, but you’re going to have to figure out how to deal with it while still getting what you need from them as an employee. While it’s not your job to hold their hand, you can choose to adopt a more mentor-like management style.

A work mentor is not a personal counselor. A work mentor is someone who is going to help an employee grow professionally. When someone has professional success, it has a cascading benefit on their personal lives and goals. That is what you must clarify upfront to younger employees, that you care to a degree that they have a happy personal life, but that you are not part of it. Your job is to help them grow and achieve professionally at work, and that when they succeed in their job, it will bring them the stability and success they need to further their personal goals.

After you’ve made them sign your attendance and social media work policies, be sure your Millennial employee knows you’ll also be meeting with them once per month for a face-to-face check-up on how they’re doing. That way, you both get what you want.

Leslie (CPH) owns Halleck Horticultural, LLC, through which she provides horticultural consulting, marketing strategy, digital content creation, branding design, advertising and social media support for green industry companies. www.lesliehalleck.com

Often greenhouse growers must decide which supplemental lighting system is better: high-pressure sodium (HPS) or light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Meeting the necessary light requirement for certain crops during low-light periods can often be a challenge to greenhouse growers. Balancing operational energy costs, capital investment, and optimizing yield are the main concerns of selecting your lighting needs to overcome this common, yet unpredictable, limiting factor. Currently, the conventional standard in greenhouse supplemental lighting is HPS. Meanwhile, new horticulture-based light emitting diodes (LEDs) may be an option to replace or supplement HPS.

Before deciding which supplementary lighting is best for you, it is important to understand the differences in electrical efficiency, spectral distribution and other unique characteristics of the two lighting systems (HPS vs. LEDs).

Electrical efficiency

Horticultural Electrical Efficiency defines the ratio of electrical power that is converted to photons of light (micromoles per second: µmol s^-1) in the photosynthetic active radiation spectrum (PAR: 400 to 700 nm). In other words, it is measured by how many photons (µmol) a particular fixture emits every second (s) per every Watt (W) of electrical power provided.

This number is either provided or can be directly calculated from the manufacturer-fixture specs. For example, if the spec sheet gives the emission rate (µmol s^-1) and the power draw (W), you simply divide the emission rate by the total W. Alternatively, the specs will directly show the efficiency with the units of µmol s^-1 W^-1.

The efficiency of multiple fixtures ranges between 0.9 and 2.7 µmol s^-1 W^-1 for LEDs and 1.6 and 1.9 µmol s^-1 W^-1 for HPS. From the two highest advertised fixture efficacies, you can see that LED has around 40 percent greater efficiency than the new double-ended HPS. This, in theory, will generate a 40-percent energy savings. In the article, “Do the math, see the light,” published in the January 2016 issue, you learned that this number is key for electrical savings. As a warning, we have often seen horticultural LED fixtures with lower efficacies than HPS fixtures. For this reason, always make sure to obtain the efficiency information before you buy any horticultural light. Simply put, greater µmol s^-1 W^-1 is better.

All the power that is not converted into light photons is then emitted as heat. It is fair to note that because LEDs have relative comparable efficiency to HPS, they also have comparable heat production. This means LEDs produce almost as much heat than HPS, but in different forms. LED fixtures release most of their heat through convection cooling (most heat generated on the circuits), while HPS fixtures undergo radiative cooling (heat generated by the light spectrum). Although not visible, HPS heat energy is emitted as near infra-red (NIR). This can result in a 0.5 to 2°C increase in leaf temperature. Typically, plants under higher temperature have a greater growth rate, which may be beneficial during winter months; however, it may also be detrimental for cool-season crops or during high-temperature summer periods. Under identical light intensities, plants under HPS can have higher leaf/canopy temperature.

Spectral “tuning” of LEDs

The light emitted from LEDs can be customized, meaning that certain spectrum of color can be delivered in varying dosages. LED arrays can be comprised of many one-color diodes (making it all blue or all red, for example) or of several different diode types that would comprise a multiple color array (this can even include radiation that falls outside of the PAR spectrum such as UV and far-red radiation). Most commonly marketed LED panels contain some combination of blue and red light.

The advantage in customizing spectrum is the application of eliciting morphological responses by using different light qualities (colors) of light. This could potentially replace or reduce the use of chemical plant growth regulators in your operation.

For example, in one greenhouse study, cucumber transplants were grown under supplemental HPS, red-LEDs, and blue-LEDs. And cucumber seedlings under supplemental HPS and blue-light were 46 to 61 percent taller (less compact) than plants grown under supplemental red-LED (see Figure 1) (Hernández and Kubota, 2015). This could be a useful trait to utilize if a grower needs sturdier and more compact seedlings.

In another study, researchers found that petunia cuttings supplemented with LED lighting (consisting of 70 percent blue and 30 percent red light) had a larger accumulation of both leaf and root dry mass than when compared to those cuttings under supplemental HPS lighting (Currey and Lopez, 2013).

In contrast to LED spectral versatility, HPS has a set spectrum and the composition of the spectrum varies slightly between fixtures. However, the spectrum roughly contains 5 percent blue (400 to 500 nm), 53 percent green/yellow (500 to 600 nm) and 42 percent red (600 to 700 nm) (spectroradiometer scan on a 600W HPS lamp). The set spectrum limits the grower’s ability to manipulate a crop at the photomorphogenic level in novel ways.

It should also be noted that each crop species will react differently to specific lighting regimes, and thus more research is needed to know how horticultural plants will respond.

Future of LEDs

Ricardo is an assistant professor in Controlled Environment and Sustainable Energy, Department of Horticultural Sciences at North Carolina State University.

Hans is a Ph.D. student in Controlled Environment, Department of Horticultural Sciences at North Carolina State University.

For more: visit hortenergy.cals.ncsu.edu

Citations

Currey, C.J., and Lopez, R.G. (2013). Cuttings of Impatiens, Pelargonium, and Petunia Propagated under Light-emitting Diodes and High-pressure Sodium Lamps Have Comparable Growth, Morphology, Gas Exchange, and Post-transplant Performance. Hortscience 48, 428-434.

Haitz, R., and Tsao, J.Y. (2011). Solid-state lighting: ‘The case’ 10 years after and future prospects. physica status solidi (a) 208, 17-29.

Hernández, R., and Kubota, C. (2015). Physiological, morphological, and energy-use efficiency comparisons of LED and HPS supplemental lighting for cucumber transplant production. HortScience 50, 351-357.

The use of biological control is one means of dealing with insect and mite pests of greenhouse-grown horticultural crops by making releases of parasitoids or predators. The characteristics of an efficient biological control agent include: 1) high female reproductive capacity, 2) short generation time, 3) sufficient dispersal capabilities, and 4) life cycle that is synchronized with generations of the prey or pest. Biological control agents have to compete with pest population development and reproduction in order to successfully regulate populations. In fact, the intrinsic rate of increase (rate of increase of populations that reproduce within discrete time intervals, and have generations that fail to overlap) of biological control agents must be similar to pests in order to provide sufficient regulation.

Furthermore, in terms of application, it is important to understand the procedures that will ensure success when using biological control agents, including: a) ordering biological control agents early, b) checking to make the biological control agents are alive, c) making releases immediately upon arrival, and d) applying before pest populations reach outbreak proportions.

However, another critical factor that may affect the effectiveness of biological control agents in regulating pest populations is the environmental conditions associated with greenhouses, such as temperature, relative humidity, day length (photoperiod) and light intensity. These environmental parameters, if not appropriate for the specific biological control agent, can influence reproduction, foraging behavior and survival. Therefore, the greenhouse environment must be taken into consideration when implementing a biological control program.

Temperature

Temperature can influence the rate of development and reproduction of both biological control agents and pests. For instance, the predatory mite, Phytoseiulus persimilis is most effective at temperatures between 20 and 30°C (68 and 86°F) because at this temperature range, the development time of Phytoseiulus persimilis is shorter than its prey, the twospotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae). The optimal temperature for foraging, development and reproduction is 25 to 30°C (77 to 86°F). However, searching activity decreases when temperatures are greater than 30°C (86°F). Furthermore, at temperatures greater than 30°C (86°F), the development time of the twospotted spider mite is shorter than Phytoseiulus persimilis.

Relative humidity

A relative humidity less than 40 percent may affect egg survival, adult longevity and female reproduction of the predatory mite. The effects of temperature and relative humidity on the development of the larval and nymphal life stages of Phytoseiulus persimilis are presented in Table 1. Whiteflies, at temperatures between 17 and 30°C (63 and 86°F), disperse more quickly and across longer distances, which may impact the success of the greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum) parasitoid, Encarsia formosa.

Relative humidity may also impact the ability of parasitoids to attack prey. For instance, the parasitoid Encarsia formosa has a higher parasitism rate at a relative humidity between 50 and 70 percent. A relative humidity, below or above this range may result in decreased reproduction and longevity.

Day length and light intensity

Moreover, day length and light intensity may influence natural enemy-prey interactions. For example, the aphid predator Aphidoletes aphidimyza enters a resting (diapause) stage when experiencing short daylengths (less than12 hours). The predatory mite Neoseiulus cucumeris enters a diapause stage during the winter when temperatures are less than 21°C (70°F) and the day length is less than 12 hours. An option to overcome the direct effects of day length is to extend the photoperiod by using supplemental lighting, which can, in most cases, prevent the induction of diapause in certain biological control agents that enter a reproductive diapause under short daylengths.

Low light intensity may decrease the activity of certain biological control agents. For example, Encarsia formosa may be less effective during the fall months due to the direct effects of lower light intensities. However, reports indicate that the parasitoid Eretmocerus eremicus is more effective than Encarsia formosa in regulating populations of the greenhouse whitefly under lower light intensities. Therefore, more frequent release rates of Encarsia formosa may be required in order to compensate for this condition. Although, costs associated with purchasing the biological control agent and making frequent releases may be too expensive. Light intensity may also indirectly affect the performance of biological control agents. For instance, the heat generated from high light intensity (especially during the summer months) associated with sunlight may force Phytoseiulus persimilis to inhabit the leaf underside on the lower leaves of plants. This allows twospotted spider mite populations to escape exposure to the predatory mite because twospotted spider mites will feed on the upper portions of the plant.

When implementing a biological control program, be sure to take into consideration the existing environmental parameters in order to be successful when releasing parasitoids or predators. If you have any questions or comments regarding the appropriate environmental conditions for specific biological control agents, always contact your local supplier/distributor.

Raymond is a professor and extension specialist in horticultural entomology/plant protection in the Department of Entomology at Kansas State University. His research and extension program involves plant protection in greenhouses, nurseries, landscapes, conservatories and vegetables and fruits.

References

Stenseth, C. 1979. Effect of temperature and humidity on the development of Phytoseiulus persimilis and its ability to regulate populations of Tetranychus urticae (Acarina: Phytoseiidae, Tetranychidae). Entomophaga 24: 311-317.