Category: Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Upcoming Webinar: “Squeaky Clean Start to 2023”

Published on by Cara McCreary

Getting off on the right foot in the new year is important personally AND in your greenhouse, especially when it comes to pest management.

Join two of our Canadian greenhouse experts for some great talks on where, when and how to sanitize in your greenhouse to avoid pest outbreaks, and new research findings on dipping vegetative cuttings to reduce incoming pests.

More details can be found below on how to register for this joint event between Michigan State Extension and OMAFRA’s Grow ON Webinar series.

Free Webinar in GROW ON Series

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Greenhouse Waste Disposal Through Composting

Published on by Cara McCreary

Composting rockwool? Deactivating ToBRFV? Tell me more…

Walker Industries has developed a method to process and recycle spent rockwool slabs, turning it into a bulk agent for soil blends. This is a true win for a more sustainable approach to greenhouse waste disposal.

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A FRESH START: Making the Most of Crop Clean Out

Published on by Cara McCrearyLeave a comment

As we approach the end of the 2022 crop cycle for many greenhouse vegetable and fruit crops, there is an opportunity to start anew. Get out your brooms, power washers and scrub brushes! And dive into a critical component of integrated pest management (IPM): conducting a thorough clean out between crops. This cultural management tool reduces carryover of arthropod pests and plant pathogens, improving the success of IPM programs in your next crop.

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Thrips Identification

Published on by Cara McCreary
Western flower thrips in pepper flower

Simple Thrips Key for Growers:

This grower-friendly, pictorial key has been developed to make thrips identification easier on-farm. Recently, thrips species other than western flower thrips have become a significant problem in Ontario floriculture greenhouses. Correct identification is the first step to better control.

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Tropical Thrips Species Intercepted on Plant Material in Ontario: Be Aware – But Don’t Panic.

Published on by Cara McCreary

Written by: SARAH JANDRICIC, GREENHOUSE FLORICULTURE IPM SPECIALIST, OMAFRA

Figure 1. Thrips parvispinus is generally dark coloured (though the head and thorax can be lighter than the abdomen), has bright red ocelli and clear patches at the top of its wings.
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Pepper Weevil: Are we in the clear?

Published on by Cara McCreary

If you grow peppers in North America, then I’m sure you are familiar with pepper weevil, Anthonomus eugenii. This economically damaging pest is always at the forefront of our minds through production.

Figure 1. Snout of a pepper weevil emerging from an aborted bud.
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