Another weapon in the arsenal

“We use it on tropical perennials and bedding plants. We actually haven’t found an item that we have problems with Akari, in terms of phytotoxicity,” Lewis says.

 

Riverview was founded in 1982 and is now composed of three Florida locations, primarily situated around the Tampa Bay area. The company sells primarily to big-box stores within the state, but does do some contract growing for other nurseries.

 

Lewis says that a host of pest problems can present themselves throughout the year, depending on environmental conditions.

 

“Our biggest insect right now is whitefly. Aphids kind of go away in the high heat of the summer. Thrips are always a basic population. Mites, depending on rainfall, can be a constant battle,” he says. “You can throw [Akari] in your rotation with whitefly. We can use it on a couple of target pests. Akari definitely gives us rotational selection, it gives us another weapon in the arsenal.”

 

Lewis says that he has been at the nursery for 13 years and Riverview was employing Akari before he arrived.

 

“We haven’t found any issues with Akari. It’s been out for a few years, it’s not incredibly new,” Lewis says. “We have found that it’s extremely effective.”