THE COMING SEASON Many activities are already under way for the coming growing season. Producers of vegetable trans plants have either started their plants or will soon be seeding. As is the case with most other plant production processes, there are many factors that can cause failure during the growing process. Recently, several agents from this area hosted a vegetable trans plant production meeting in York County. Topics of discussion included diseases, greenhouse environment control, and the actu al growing of transplants. I know there are many growers in the area who were not able to attend the meeting so 1 thought I would summarize some of the information presented in this month’s column. While the meet ing was specifically for veget ables, the principles discussed will often apply to the production of bedding plants as well. Disease prevention in the green house starts with sanitation. Any materials that are reused from the previous production cycle need to be cleaned and disinfected. This includes flats, benches, and even the greenhouse itself. A “homemade” solution of 10 percent bleach or a preparation made from a commercially produced disinfectant product should be used for this process. Be CABLE SCRAPER SYSTEM FOR FREE STALL BARN Tired of scraping manure? If so, take a look at Houle Alley Scraper! IENE No manpower to operate Frees tractor or skidsteer for other jobs Reduces stress on cows § Drive unit with SS Cable (H.D. Drive unit with chain also available) ___ / Alley scraper is controlled by a multi-function \ clock which allows you to clean the barn continuously j intervals v Call us today! We will be glad to show you a recent installation and quote you on a system for your barn. 'We will design & install - Serving all the Mid-Atlantic' mm® FAftM EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER sure that anything to be disinfected stays wet for at least 20 minutes. If bleach is used, be sure to rise the flats, benches, etc. before see dlings come into contact with them.' If a commercially prepared product is used then be sure to fol low the manufacturer’s directions fen* mixing and application. Sanitation in the greenhouse also includes removing/ elimination other sources of infec tion. One such source is weeds under the benches. All weeds should be pulled or killed with an herbicide prior to bringing any vegetable seedlings into the green house. Ornamental plants should also be removed from the veget able growing area whenever possi ble. Many viruses will survive in weeds arid ornamental plants and then can be easily spread to the nearby vegetable plants. The final disease vector in the greenhouse is an established insect population, particularly thrips. Failure to con trol thrips prior to starting your vegetable transplants is an invita tion to a disease outbreak (not to mention a thrips problem!). The next component for suc cessful transplant production is selection of a good growing medium. The key qualities of a growing mix are: sterility, good drainage and aeration, and good water holding ability. I don’t think there is one “ideal” mix for all operations since each grower will • Allows alleys to be scraped more often * Lowers maintenance & repair costs 16° Tilting Scraper with Folding ends (others available) Mid-Atlantic Agrisystems Oxford, PA 19363 800-222-2948 use some different management procedures. However, almost all growers I know are now using a soilless mix because it has the key qualities listed. Seed selection is another impor tant link in the transplant produc tion cycle. One reference I have says to “Obtain the best seed money can buy!.” The authors state that the cost of the seed rela tive to the total production cost is small, so it pays to get good seed. Good seed will have a high germi nation rate, the resulting seedlings will have good vigor, and the seed itself should be free of any dis eases. However, there are no guar antees that any seed will be com pletely disease free. Seed can be disinfected but this is a time con suming and sometimes tricky pro cess. Be aware that you should not treat seed that was treated by the supplier and you should only treat seed just prior to sowing. Vegetable seeds should be ger minated as quickly as possible to help reduce susceptibility to dis ease. The seedlings should be kept at a warmer temperature early in their development to have the cotyledons come free from the seed coat as soon as possible. This reduces the opportunity for disease transferal from the seed coat to the seedling. Once the seedlings are free of the seed coat then they can be transferred to a cooler location, if necessary, for growing on. There were many details of greenhouse environmental control discussed along with the resulting effects on the growth of seedlings when changes are made within this closed environment. Unfortunate ly, the length of this column pre vents a detailed discussion of most of these factors. However, one important factor in the control of plant height and development in the greenhouse is temperature, particularly the difference between day and night temperatures. As you probably already know, war- • Agricultural • Commercial • Residential LET OUR EXP] €\ We Work Hii#For ' Customer mer temperatures promote greater seedling growth. One problem that sometimes occurs during trans plant production is that the plants become too large prior to planting in the field. You can reduce the height of your seedlings by reduc ing the difference between the day and night temperatures. By keep ing the temperature fairly constant, the intemodes of the seedlings will not develop fully and your see dlings will stay smaller. A warm greenhouse (day and night) will result in seedlings that are short but have more leaves than a cool (also day and night) greenhouse. High temperatures during the early morning hours (just alter sunrise) will also result in greater seedling height You can also reduce plant height by keeping the temperature cooler during this time. Another important factor in greenhouse environment control is maintaining the proper humidity levels. High relative humidity in the greenhouse, especially going into the evening hours, can be an invitation to a disease problem. As the temperature falls, the water vapor could condense on the roof of the greenhouse and then drip on the plants through the night Cool temperatures and wet plants are a major contributing factor in the development of plant diseases. Be sure to vent your production green houses, even on cool days, to pre vent this buildup of humidity going into the evening. The slight ft PAY OFF r 1 A - 16 Ft. High Circular Manure Storage Featuring Side-Mount Pump • Retaining Walls • Bunker Silos • Manure Storage, Etc. IRDSNCE WORK FOR YOU-ESTABIiS) 430 Concrete Ave., Leola, PA Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 22, 1987-E3 INC. 717-656-2016 increase in heating costs will be low when you consider the poten tial cost of losing all ora portion of your plants to disease. Preventing the start of a disease in your vegetable transplants is important but the way you respond to the appearance of any diseases is also critical. Plants showing any possible disease symptoms should immediately be isolated, if possi ble, to determine if a disease is actually present. If a disease is identified, then action can be taken on those specific plants and the rest of your transplants were not unnecessarily exposed to the dis ease while you determined the cause of the problem. The mixing of plants from different production areas should also be avoided to reduce the spread of disease. A rapid response on your part is most important in preventing the further spread of disease in your transplant operation. Ultimately, management of your greenhouse to promote the development of strong, healthy vegetable transplants will help reduce the possibility of a disease outbreak. Healthy transplants will also establish in the field faster and most likely result in greater yields throughout the growing season. Take some time to review your vegetable transplant production methods to see if there are any ways to improve. It will surely be time well spent ADS 5 ! & .M ID SINCE 1979! Sizes And Layouts To Your Specifications
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