Growers now have access to the latest insights on sustainable pesticide usage and effective phytotoxicity management within the context of production nurseries with two webinars now available to view.

The one-hour webinars were recently hosted online by Dr Andrew Manners from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF), and are now available on the Nursery and Garden Industry Australia (NGIA) YouTube channel.

Webinar 1: Pesticide selection for resistance management

This webinar discusses how pesticide resistance occurs, as well as the basic physiology related to pesticide resistance. Pesticide resistance management helps minimise the risk of resistance developing and includes practical recommendations from a production nursery perspective.

The webinar also covers how to choose pesticides within this framework and assist growers in putting together a pesticide plan for pest groups. More

Jong’s Nursery Director, Peter Jong.

The latest cohort of horticultural students are hitting the books for the 2018 Masterclass in Horticultural Business program, developed to equip Australian growers and business owners with high level leadership and business management skills specific to the horticultural industry.

Proudly supported by the Hort Frontiers Leadership Fund, roughly 30 participants will spend the next six months studying a range of topics, from financial management and law to marketing and communications, through flexible online study offered though University of Tasmania (UTAS) and face-to-face intensives.

There are two participants representing the nursery industry, Peter Jong, from Jong’s nursery in Mount Compass in South Australia, and Ben Scoble from Speciality Trees in Narre Warren East, Victoria.   More

John, tell us a bit about yourself (including previous nursery industry experience)

I joined Hort Innovation as the Relationship Manager Lead for the nursery, turf and mushroom industries just over two years ago. Prior to this, I was with IBM for more than a decade, where I held several management and business development roles.

While I’m fairly new to the horticultural sector, the skills I gained from previous roles – such as stakeholder engagement and relationship management – most certainly apply to the work we do at Hort Innovation.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed learning more about, and working with, the people and businesses driving the nursery industry forward. More

Month: May 2018

Disease: Grey mould – Botrytis cinerea, though other species may cause similar symptoms.

Importance: Common nursery pathogen

Symptoms: Include blights, spots, blotches, wilts, cankers, rots, damping off and storage diseases. Usually the softer tissues such as petals are blighted, though leaf spotting, stem blights and rotting of cuttings and seed occur, especially in crowded situations. Early symptoms are small spots, which can extend into large areas of blight and later the characteristic grey mould comprised of masses of spores, which mostly become air-borne. Botrytis can affect plants at different stages of their life from seeds, bulbs and cuttings through to mature plants.

Transmission: Masses of air-borne spores are produced which are spread by wind, water splash, insects such as bees and aphids and handling of infected material. Spores can also be carried on seed, cuttings, seedlings and bulbs. The spores need moisture for germination and infection. More

Species will undergo rigorous testing PHOTO: David Thompson.

As we move around our cities it’s evident that our urban landscapes are increasingly being filled with many of the same plant species.

While plant selection is often influenced by multiple factors, ‘bullet proof’ plants are often used because they have performed consistently in the past. But past performance is no indicator of future performance. Water availability, extreme temperatures and disease all pose threats of failure, especially when only one or two species are planted in an urban green space.

The five-year project Which Plant Where? (GC15002), a strategic partnership initiative under the Hort Frontiers Green Cities Fund, is investigating how well current landscaping species will cope under the more extreme climates that Australia’s cities will face. More

1. Four new plant life balance looks have been released – and they’re bloomin’ gorgeous

Plant Life Balance has released four new plant looks for Australians to try in their garden or courtyard, on their balcony and indoors. More than 30 new plants have been included in addition to helpful tips to create that perfect green space.

The newly launched looks mark the commencement of a three-month campaign that will target lifestyle, health and wellness and fashion publications to drive awareness of the new looks and the sales of green life.

Nurseries are encouraged to visit www.plantlifebalance.com.au to complete their Plant Life Balance accreditation; download the latest assets to promote in-store; and share the positive story with their networks via e-newsletters or social media.

More