ANLA posts freeze relief/crop insurance info
In the wake of last month's killer late freezes, ANLA has posted information for nursery growers with questions on disaster relief. There is a possibility that growers could be reimbursed for losses through federal programs: Emergency Conservation Program, Tree Assistance Program, Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program and Emergency Loan Assistance. ANLA also partnered with Hortica to post information on crop insurance. The freezes had the most impact on growers in the Mid-South (the Carolinas to Oklahoma), according to ANLA.

Drought, restrictions hurt Florida growers
Drought in Florida is being felt from the state's panhandle to South Florida. Palm Beach Post reported that growers in Palm Beach County are trying hard to stop South Florida Water Management District from implementing Phase 3 water restrictions. "In Phase 3 no one will buy plants," said Mike Kastenholz, at Boynton Botanicals in Boynton Beach. "You can only keep the number of people it takes to run your nursery on the payroll for a limited number of days." Toni Vorsteg, owner of Folsom Farms in Loxahatchee, said continued drought and tougher restrictions could put growers out of business.

Silicon could give soilless media a lift
The advent of soilless media could mean ornamental container crops are missing out on a helpful mineral – silicon. USDA researchers suggest that silicon, found naturally in soil, could protect some crops from fungal diseases. They have found some plant species collect silicon while others don't. For the ones that do, adding silicon to media helped protect plants from powdery mildew.

Georgia announces Gold Medal winners
The 2007 Georgia Gold Medal winners are Hibiscus coccineus (swamp hibiscus), Rhododendron 'Admiral Semmes,' Thuja 'Green Giant,' Trachelospermum jasminoides 'Madison' and Odontonema strictum (firespike). The Georgia Gold Medal awards were designed to get deserving but underused plants into Georgia landscapes. The goal is to break through a tough supply-and-demand barrier. "It's a vicious cycle," said Gary Wade, Univ. of Ga. horticulturist. "Plants have to go through a tough period of introduction. It can be a wonderful plant, but it takes a while for it to break into the market." A committee with representatives from the green industry and the university make the selections.

Protein manipulation could lead to new plants
Purdue Univ. researchers have discovered that 2 types of plant proteins are at work in the transport of an important growth hormone. This finding may lead to creating plants with specific characteristics. Together the proteins control the movement of auxin, a hormone that regulates plant architecture, tissue development and flowering time. Manipulating these proteins could lead to ornamentals that do not need pruning or have larger root systems to support more vegetation. Such plants would require less labor, fewer or no plant growth regulators and, with larger roots, less fertilizer, said Purdue professor Angus Murphy.

Worth a visit
The nursery business deserves its own action/adventure serial, "The Great Nursery Adventure: A Year in the Life of Greene Family Nursery." This month, the family faces a crop-threatening disease. Only on GreenBeam.com.

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