The STEM Podcast

STEM Greatest Hits (Part Two)

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 10:41:17 -0500

We’re back! Like I said last time, for our 45th and 46th Episodes, I wanted to stop and take a moment to express our appreciation for you as listeners. If you haven’t listened to STEM Episode 45, Greatest Hits Part One, I suggest you stop and listen. This one doesn’t necessarily build on it but it’s certainly a follow up. For the STEM Greenhouse Podcast, these two episodes wrap up our second year bringing you timely and relevant content – Insider Tips for Greenhouse Pros as our tagline says. And over these two years and 44 episodes, you’ve downloaded us more than 15,500 times and for that I’m very grateful. One question I often get when attending events or suggesting folks subscribe to STEM is – what are the best episodes to start with? Well, I definitely have my favorites but the most objective way for me to answer is to look at the download numbers. When I see a spike, I know listeners are sharing the episode. And that tells me the topic is trending. So, over the course of this episode and the last, shorter, holiday episodes I will share the STEM greenhouse podcast greatest hits – the 12 most downloaded episodes, which account for more than 6,000 downloads. I’ll touch on some of the highlights, in terms of what the guests and I discussed, as well as why I felt each episode made the list. All past episode links will be in the show notes so you can go back and check them out.

Once again, I am thankful for our guests! I’m thankful for our listeners. I’m thankful for our industry. And I’m thankful we have opportunities like this for life-long learning. Without further ado, here are the Top 12 STEM Greenhouse Podcast Episodes as chosen by our listeners – Part Two.

EPISODE 7 – New Innovations for 2019 & Beyond: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/new-innovations-for-2019-beyond/

EPISODE 15 – Poinsettia Selection & Production: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/poinsettia-selection-production/

EPISODE 40 – Success with Poinsettias (Part 1): https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/success-with-poinsettias-part-1/

EPISODE 41 – Success with Poinsettias (Part 2): https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/insider-tips-for-greenhouse-pros-success-with-poinsettias-part-2/

EPISODE 30 – Your Best Mum Crop Ever (Part 1): https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/your-best-mum-crop-ever-part-1/

EPISODE 35 – Your Best Mum Crop Ever (Part 2): https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/stem-podcast-insider-tips-for-greenhouse-pros-your-best-mum-crop-ever-part-2/

EPISODE 37 – Your Best Mum Crop Ever (Part 3): https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/your-best-mum-crop-ever-part-3/

EPISODE 23 – Tanya Brings the WOW!: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/tanya-brings-the-wow/

EPISODE 1 – Drama in the Garden: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/drama-in-the-garden/

Contact Links:

Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com
NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast
#STEMGreenhousePodcast
Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins
Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/
See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo

STEM Greenhouse Podcast Greatest Hits (Part One)

Mon, 02 Dec 2019 11:25:48 -0500

For our 45th and 46th Episodes, I wanted to stop and take a moment to express our appreciation for you as listeners. If you’re listening in real time, it’s the holiday season – in Hort terms, it’s weeks 49-52, the end of 2019. For the STEM Greenhouse Podcast, these two episodes wrap up our second year bringing you timely and relevant content – Insider Tips for Greenhouse Pros as our tagline says. And over these two years and 44 episodes, you’ve downloaded us more than 15,000 times and for that I’m very grateful. One question I often get when attending events or suggesting folks subscribe to STEM is – what are the best episodes to start with? Well, I definitely have my favorites, but the most objective way for me to answer is to look at the download numbers. When I see a spike, I know listeners are sharing the episode. And that tells me the topic is trending. So, over the course of the next two, shorter, holiday episodes I will share the STEM greenhouse podcast greatest hits – the 12 most downloaded episodes, which account for more than 6,000 downloads. I’ll touch on some of the highlights, in terms of what the guests and I discussed, as well as why I felt each episode made the list. All episode links are below so you can go back and check them out.

Once again, I am thankful for our guests. I’m thankful for our listeners. I’m thankful for our industry. And I’m thankful we have opportunities like this for life-long learning. Without further ado, here are the Top 12 STEM Greenhouse Podcast Episodes as chosen by our listeners – Part One.

EPISODE 21 – The Language of Watering: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/the-language-of-watering/

EPISODE 22 – Watering: The Rest of the Story: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/watering-the-rest-of-the-story/

EPISODE 14 – Grow More and Grow Better with LED Toplighting: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/grow-more-grow-better-with-leds/

EPISODE 10 – Wave Petunias: Past, Present and Future: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/wave-past-present-future/

EPISODE 5 – Plant Breeding: From Concept to Commercial: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/plant-breeding-from-concept-to-commercial/

EPISODE 2 – Getting Off to a Great Start: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/getting-off-to-a-great-start-1518718142/

EPISODE 38 – Leslie Halleck on Women in Horticulture: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/leslie-halleck-on-women-in-horticulture/

Contact Links:

Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com

NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast

#STEMGreenhousePodcast

Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins

Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/

See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo

GrowIt! Knows Why Houseplants are Hot!

Thu, 14 Nov 2019 10:05:49 -0500

This episode, I’m joined for the third time by Mason Day, Co-Founder of GrowIt! Mobile. GrowIt! is a digital plant community that helps users connect with other local plant people. With almost one million users across North America, it’s quickly become THE place for social plant conversations.

The GrowIt! team recently released a very in-depth Houseplant Report that captured tons of information and data to better understand the houseplant trend that’s been all the talk lately. We’ve discussed this trend on STEM in the past and referenced many articles from mass media that characterize the way people, mainly millennials, are seeking out indoor plants with a fervor not seen in decades. We’ve speculated about the reasons behind the trend and expressed excitement about the uptick in sales many growers and retailers have experienced. But we haven’t really seen much data and certainly haven’t explored the topic in depth. Until now.

In this episode, Mason shares the top findings from the GrowIt’s Houseplant Report – from confusion around light requirements and how to apply supplemental lighting to an emerging sub-trend related to large plants and unique foliage patterns. We spend some time discussing the pots indoor plants are sold in, as well as a term new to both Mason and me, Double-Pots. With each of these findings, Mason is quick to offer suggestions from a plantsman’s point of view, as well as tips for growers and retailers looking to capitalize on the wants and needs of real consumers. Some of the other topics we touch on include pricing – how NOT to leave money on the table via across-the-board pricing – and a newly identified shopper wish for more indoor trees and shrubs. Would you have guessed people want indoor Weeping Willows, yeah… me neither. But they do!

We wrap things up by discussing big plans for the GrowIt! Mobile community in 2020 and beyond. When I say big things, I mean big things for growers, retailers and other hort professionals. Armed with tons of data, expect more detailed reports and information from GrowIt! In the very near future.

Mason is a terrific guest and brimming with ideas – all couched in a holistic understanding of the industry. As I always say, GrowIt! isn’t a tech company trying to plug into horticulture, it’s a hort company bringing cutting-edge technology and predictive analytics to industry. You’re going to want to listen all the way to the end of the interview because it’s truly an action-oriented conversation.

GrowIt! 2020 Houseplant Report: https://www.growitmobile.com/houseplantreport

Download the GrowIt! Mobile App and learn more about this tech company: https://www.growitmobile.com/

Past Episodes with GrowIt!

Episode 8: What Today’s Shopper Wants: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/what-today%E2%80%99s-shopper-wants/

Episode 28: Consumer Insights from GrowIt!: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/consumer-insights-from-growit/

Contact Links:

Guest Mason Day: mday@growitmobile.com

Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com

NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast

#STEMGreenhousePodcast

Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins

Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/

See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo

Capitalize on Dahlia Mania!

Wed, 30 Oct 2019 10:47:46 -0500

This episode, we’re joined by Gary Vollmer, Product & Technical Manager for Selecta One. Selecta’s portfolio includes many best-in-class products but for this episode we’re focusing on dahlias.

We’ve covered a lot of crops over the course of 42 STEM episodes – from seasonal must-haves like poinsettias and mums to calibrachoa, lavender, Wave petunias and more. These deep dives tend to be some of the most downloaded and when I was putting together plans for future episodes earlier in 2019, dahlias came to mind almost immediately. We’ve seen many new series come to market in the past couple seasons, watched the class grow in popularity with home gardeners and spotted thousands of dahlia pics pop up on social media. It’s pretty clear this is a hot crop – for breeders AND consumers. It’s not a new crop by any means – dahlias have been popular for decades and have specialist groups and clubs in just about every state. But new developments in breeding and supply chain dynamics are opening these beautiful bloomers up to the mass public for many reasons. I also knew our guest, Gary, is a true expert on dahlias and has grown them for years and now is helping lead some of the latest developments.

Get ready to learn why dahlias are gaining in popularity. From diversity in color, form and size options to ongoing, cutting-edge research in modern production strategies, Gary will share reasons he and many others believe this crop is on the verge of a breakthrough. We discuss the trends but spend most of our time on selecting the best series and type for different uses and tips and tricks for producing a spectacular crop. Gary shares some specific dahlia challenges and how to avoid them and wraps up with best practices to put in place that will ensure the beautiful plants you ship out will perform at retail and ensure high sell through. And of course, he also calls out some of his favorite series, varieties and colors for quarts, gallons and larger formats. You’re definitely going to want to listen all the way to the end of this one.

Resource Links:
Dahlia PowerPoint with Growing Information: https://www.slideshare.net/bcalkins/capitalizing-on-dahlia-mania-support-file
Selecta One Catalog 2020: https://www.ballseed.com/Virtual/2020_Selecta/index.aspx
Selecta One Website: http://www.selectanorthamerica.com/
Ball FloraPlant Website: https://www.ballfloraplant.com/

Contact Links:
Email Guest Gary Vollmer: gvollmer@ballhort.com
Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com
NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast

#STEMGreenhousePodcast

Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/
See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo

Welcome to BloomStudios!

Wed, 16 Oct 2019 12:00:00 -0500

(INTERVIEW STARTS AT 7:27) This episode of STEM is true Breaking News! A new business unit at Ball Horticultural Company was launched and the name revealed within days of this podcast’s release! In fact, my guest and I recorded this beforehand - only after I was sworn to secrecy. But now that internal announcements have been made, the logo has been unveiled and everything is off and running, I’m thrilled to welcome you to BloomStudios!

In this episode, general manager Scott Rusch shares exactly why Ball has entered the global cut flower space in this new and exciting way, how BloomStudios got its name, how critical collaboration will be as this new unit evolves and a bit about his team. Then, we get into macro trends in the cut flower and indoor plant market and some top varieties for growers to consider when approaching this expanding category. Next, Scott shares resources to help greenhouse growers of any size get started in cuts – there are a ton! – and we wrap up with a look at some goals for BloomStudios over the next 3 years.

There’s so much great information packed into this episode and Scott is such a fantastic guest – I’m really psyched for you to hear all about BloomStudios!

Connect Four Articles:
https://www.latimes.com/home/la-hm-millennials-plant-parents-20180724-story.html
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-leafy-love-affair-between-millennials-and-our-houseplants
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-04-11/the-one-thing-millennials-haven-t-killed-is-houseplants
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/young-urbanites-are-filling-their-homes-and-the-void-in-their-hearts-with-houseplants/2017/09/06/ec98993c-89c8-11e7-961d-2f373b3977ee_story.html

Previous STEM Podcasts that discuss Cut Flowers:
Episode 18 - Jamie Kitz on Growing & Giving: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/jamie-kitz-on-growing-giving/
Episode 20 - Dr. Marvin Miller Unplugged: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/dr-marvin-miller-unplugged/

Resource Links:
PMA Flower Trends Forecast: https://www.flowertrendsforecast.com/flower-trends-forecast-2020-publication
LocalFlowers.org Intro Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEXs9UUgqqg
American Grown Flowers: https://www.americangrownflowers.org
Ball Seed Cut Flower Catalog: https://www.ballseed.com/PDF/Catalogs/18463%20BSC%20catalog_CutFlowers_Final_LR.pdf
Ball Seed Cut Flower Guide: https://www.ballseed.com/CatalogsBrochures/PdfAssets/pdfpage.aspx?pdfid=961
PanAmerican Seed Cut Flower Catalog: https://www.panamseed.com/PdfAssets/pdfpage.aspx?pdfid=280

Contact Links:
Email Guest General Manager Scott Rusch: scott@bloomstudios.com
Email Portfolio Manager Mary O’Connor: mary@bloomstudios.com
Email Product Development Manager Reid Snyder: reid@bloomstudios.com
Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com

NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast

#STEMGreenhousePodcast

Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/
See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo

Insider tips for greenhouse pros: Success with Poinsettias (Part 2)

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 07:34:17 -0500

(INTERVIEW STARTS AT 5:24) Our guest today is Dr. Todd Cavins, who’s been a guest twice before covering seed propagation and vegetative propagation and this time he’s back to finish up our two-part episode on poinsettias. Dr. Will Healy kicked off the topic last episode focusing on nutrition, explaining that when it comes to poinsettias, if you have the nutrition right, most of your problems will be greatly reduced. If you haven’t listened to that episode yet, I suggest stopping this one and going back to Success with Poinsettias (Part 1). See link in the show notes. If you have listened, great! Todd is going to pick up where Will left off and wrap the topic up by covering tools for height measurement and management, as well as pest monitoring and control strategies. If you are listening in real time, you know it’s week 39 or 40 and it’s a critical juncture for this important crop. As Todd tells us, it’s transition and adjustment time and he’s going to share knowledge, tips and tricks to help you make the most of your poinsettia crop, how to use a new graphical tracking tool available from Ball Seed, determining your optimal PGR regime and even some postharvest tricks to maximize sell through at retail. We have a lot to cover this time and Todd certainly lives up to the challenge.

Previous STEM Podcasts on Poinsettias:
Success with Poinsettias (Part 1): https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/success-with-poinsettias-part-1/
Poinsettia Selection & Production: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/poinsettia-selection-production/

Resources:
Ball Seed Poinsettia Growth Tracker Tool: https://www.ballseed.com/CatalogsBrochures/#digital-tools
Q-Type Whitefly GrowerTalks Article: http://agrilife.org/etipm/files/2011/01/Whitefly-GrowerTalks.pdf
Selecta One Poinsettia Catalog (Culture Guides on Page 32): https://www.ballseed.com/Virtual/2019_poinsettia/index.aspx#

Contact Links:
Email Guest Dr. Todd Cavins: tcavins@ballhort.com
Ball Seed Customer Relations and Poinsettia Help: 1-800-879-BALL
Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com

NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast

#STEMGreenhousePodcast
Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins
Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/
Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/
See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo

Success with Poinsettias (Part 1)

Fri, 13 Sep 2019 10:06:44 -0500

Our guest today is Dr. Will Healy returning to cover another seasonal crop. Our three-part miniseries on Garden Mums has had hundreds (if not thousands) of downloads and we’ve heard tremendous feedback. So, I couldn’t wait to have Will back to kick off a two-parter on Poinsettias. If you are listening in real time, you know it’s week 37/38 and your greenhouse is full of poinsettias. If you aren’t listening in real time, that’s great because the tips and strategies shared over the next two episodes will be invaluable as you start planning your next poinsettia crop.

In this first part, Dr. Healy takes a deep dive into Nutrition. As he explains, when it comes to poinsettias, if you have the nutrition right, most of your problems will be greatly reduced. We start with an overview of the importance of monitoring EC and pH and quickly get into the nitty gritty details of how to approach feeding your crop, the benefits of front-loading fertilizer and even why withholding feed is a bad strategy. Will does a great job explaining how your feeding decisions impact the EC of the crop, as well as how feed leads to excellent or poor crop presentation at retail. If you are wondering what to do if EC starts to creep up, be sure to listen all the way to the end.

We also spend time on pH and what can be gained by staying in the optimal 5.8 to 6.2 range. One of the most applicable parts of this episode is Dr. Healy’s explanation of how to determine crop needs based on the size of leaves on the plant and how you can effectively measure them using your two hands! As we wrap the episode up, Will talks about watering and shares some poinsettia specific watering strategies. As I mentioned before, you are going to want to listen this one all the way to the end. And also, share it with your entire poinsettia team because when you’re all on the same page, good things will happen.

Resources:

EC Monitor: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VVVEUI?pf_rd_p=2edffb5d-036e-4cd0-bc77-99980e2d4856&pf_rd_r=0BYNK2B0GCMMRYBKW6K9
Selecta One Poinsettia Catalog (Culture Guides on Page 32): https://www.ballseed.com/Virtual/2019_poinsettia/index.aspx#
Ball Seed Poinsettia Growth Tracker Tool: https://www.ballseed.com/CatalogsBrochures/#digital-tools

Dr. Healy’s Past Episodes:

STEM Episode 30: Your Best Mum Crop Ever (Part 1) - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/your-best-mum-crop-ever-part-1/
STEM Episode 35: Your Best Mum Crop Ever (Part 2) - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/stem-podcast-insider-tips-for-greenhouse-pros-your-best-mum-crop-ever-part-2/
STEM Episode 37: Your Best Mum Crop Ever (Part 3) - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/your-best-mum-crop-ever-part-3/
STEM Episode 21: The Language of Watering - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/the-language-of-watering/
STEM Episode 22: Watering: The Rest of the Story - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/watering-the-rest-of-the-story/

Contact Links:

Email Guest Dr. Will Healy: whealy@ballhort.com
Ball Seed Customer Relations and Poinsettia Help: 1-800-879-BALL
Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com

NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast

#STEMGreenhousePodcast

Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins
Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/
Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/
See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo

AAS & NGB: The Power of Plant Promotion

Mon, 02 Sep 2019 09:00:00 -0500

Interview starts at 5:03 – My guest this episode is Diane Blazek, Executive Director of All-America Selections (AAS) and National Garden Bureau (NGB). During my 20 years in horticulture, I’ve encountered All-America Selections and National Garden Bureau on many occasions, at events, in trial gardens, in trade articles, through the consumer press and even while visiting garden centers and greenhouses. These days, I see both organizations all over social media and digital media. It’s this relentless dedication to plant promotion, as well as exciting recent growth that inspired me to reach out to Diane to talk about the goals and missions of each organization and more importantly ways everyone in the horticulture industry can get involved and leverage the power of AAS and NGB to connect and inspire today’s gardeners – our customers.

During this episode, Diane and I discuss how these two venerable organizations are structured, the goals of each, key activities and how they work together, factors behind recent growth and what to expect in the near future. With the trialing expertise of AAS and the consumer engagement driven by NGB, there is an awful lot of firepower here and major opportunities to get involved and capitalize on the power of plant promotion. NGB’s “Year Of” programs are some of the easiest to start using in your own marketing. From the history of each organization and their phenomenal growth over the past decade to tips and tricks to use digital media and tangible ways to leverage existing marketing campaigns, there are ideas in this episode that will be relevant to everyone. Be sure to listen all the way to the end because we spend a lot of time on the specific tools available from AAS and NGB for all green industry businesses.

Resource Links for All-America Selections and National Garden Bureau:

National Garden Bureau website: https://ngb.org/
How to join: https://ngb.org/become-a-member/
New Varieties program: https://ngb.org/new-plants/
Year of program: https://ngb.org/year-of-2019/
Combinations program: https://ngb.org/combination-ideas/
NGB’s “Inspirations” Blog: https://ngb.org/inspiration/
Garden Books from our author members: https://ngb.org/garden-books/
Garden Products program: https://ngb.org/gardening-products/
Shop Our (retail) Members: https://ngb.org/shop-our-members/
Therapeutic Garden Grant program: https://ngb.org/therapeutic-grant-program/

Social Media links:
AAS Blog: https://all-americaselections.org/news/
NGB Blog: https://ngb.org/inspiration/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/nationalgardenbureau
https://www.facebook.com/AASWinners
https://www.facebook.com/groups/Flowerandvegetablewinners/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/national_garden_bureau/
https://www.instagram.com/aasgardenwinners/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/nationalgarden/pins/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/AllAmericaSelectionsFlowersVegetables

Slide Share (downloadable presentations)
https://www.slideshare.net/allamericaselections
https://www.slideshare.net/NationalGardenBureau

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/AASGardenWinner
https://twitter.com/NatGardenBureau

Contact Links:
Email Guest Diane Blazek: blazekdiane@gmail.com
Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com
NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast
#STEMGreenhousePodcast
Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins
Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/
Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/
See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo

Leslie Halleck on Women in Horticulture

Wed, 14 Aug 2019 08:00:00 -0500

Interview starts at 7:58 – My guest this episode is Leslie Halleck and you can find her online at https://lesliehalleck.com/ or live an in person at many industry events. Leslie and I have known each other for many years and I’ve always thought of her as a leader – in terms of management when she was in her role as GM of a leading garden center, leadership in terms of ideas and strategies as a consultant and as a leader when it comes to trends demonstrated by her books and speaking topics. This episode of the STEM greenhouse podcast, we’ll tap into all of those leadership areas and more. Our driving topic today is the role of, challenges facing, skill sets related to and opportunities available for women in horticulture. As Leslie will explain, she’s in a very good place to bring this topic forward – as a business owner, a female and someone who isn’t known to pull punches.

During this episode, we’ll discuss the big picture fact that the work world was built by men for men, stereotyping in its many forms, strengths and skills women bring to management, the importance of self evaluation and also why women in horticulture must support one another. And we will also address harassment and the fact women often feel like prey – even in a work setting – and Leslie’s “best practices” for women when harassment situations arise, as well as for all green industry companies because reporting and documenting are actions that require processes and practice. We wrap it all up with a discussion about how women are and could be working together to make improvements, share information and raise the tide for all.

At times, you might disagree, at times you might not or shake your head in disbelief but at the end of the episode I expect you will have learned a lot and no matter your gender will come away with new ideas, new strategies and a new appreciation for what is a reality for many people in our great industry.

Connect Four – Garden Center Group Retailer Awards from Cultivate 2019:

https://www.greenhousegrower.com/management/15-innovative-products-that-grower-retailers-loved-at-cultivate19/

Contact Links:

Leslie Halleck Contact Info and Social Media: https://lesliehalleck.com/

Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com

NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast

#STEMGreenhousePodcast

Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins

Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/

Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/

See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo

Your Best Mum Crop Ever (Part 3)

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 06:00:00 -0500

Interview starts at 3:45 - Our guest today our guest today is Dr. Will Healy who returns to wrap up a three-part miniseries focused on garden mum production intended to help you produce the absolute best mum crops you possibly can – using the most effective strategies. This time, Dr. Healy is back to guide you from the core production season to the end of the process – finishing strong and timing your crop for prime retail appearance and sell through. We start by checking in on the crop growing in real time and what any early-season, natural season mums should look like above the pot and below the pot. Then we revisit thermoperiodicity and how to time your crop during hot days in the field. The Will discusses what to do if the crop is too big or not big enough. We cover black cloth techniques and Will’s tips and tricks for getting that right. Finally, we conclude with a number of quick hit topics from pests and disease to speeding up and slowing down a crop in an effort to send the absolute best garden mums to market on time. Like I mentioned back in Episode 30 – part one of this series - we’re not releasing these episodes back to back to back but instead when they are most relevant – because many of you listen in real time. As with the first two – episodes 30 and 35, this is a great episode to share with your entire team – because keeping mums on schedule and in line requires a team effort. So grab a notebook, sit back and enjoy the last in a three-part miniseries to lead you to mum stardom.

Resources:

NEW Ball Mums Page with Graphical Tracking Tool: https://www.ballseed.com/gardenmums/
Ball Mums Catalog with Culture and Propagation Guides: https://www.ballseed.com/Virtual/2018_mums/index.aspx
GrowerTalks Special Editions: https://www.growertalks.com/SpecialEditions/
Ball Seed Chrysanthemum White Rust Awareness Document: https://www.ballseed.com/PDF/Chrysanthemum-WhiteRust-Awareness-2018.pdf
Cornell University Chrysanthemum White Rust Alert & Management: https://www.ballseed.com/PDF/Chrysanthemum-WhiteRust-Alert&Management-June2018.pdf
EC Monitor: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VVVEUI?pf_rd_p=2edffb5d-036e-4cd0-bc77-99980e2d4856&pf_rd_r=0BYNK2B0GCMMRYBKW6K9
Infrared Thermometer: https://www.amazon.com/Non-Contact-Digital-Infrared-Thermometer-58%C2%B0F-1022%C2%B0F/dp/B07LBN33VT/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=infrared+thermometer+greenhouse&qid=1564421671&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Dr. Healy’s Past Episodes:
STEM Episode 35: Your Best Mum Crop Ever (Part 2) - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/stem-podcast-insider-tips-for-greenhouse-pros-your-best-mum-crop-ever-part-2/
STEM Episode 30: Your Best Mum Crop Ever (Part 1) - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/your-best-mum-crop-ever-part-1/
STEM Episode 21: The Language of Watering - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/the-language-of-watering/
STEM Episode 22: Watering: The Rest of the Story - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/watering-the-rest-of-the-story/

Contact Links:

Email Guest Dr. Will Healy: whealy@ballhort.com
Email Ball Mum Hotline: bscmumhotline@ballhort.com
Ball Seed Customer Relations and Mum Help: 1-800-879-BALL
Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com

NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast

#STEMGreenhousePodcast

Hort Trends: Data & Discussion

Tue, 16 Jul 2019 08:09:34 -0500

This episode is a solocast – meaning it’ll be me the entire time with no guest. I decided to talk about this episode’s topic because I’ve gotten a lot of questions and requests to share trends lately but not just trends – data driven trends. So I reached out to my friend and industry guru Dr. Marvin Miller for some current data and added some trends gleaned from industry reports from the past one to two years – state of the industry articles, year-in-reviews, research summaries and more.

We talk about a lot this episode but I want you to remember a few key things. First, we are currently seeing some of the highest lawn & garden participation numbers that we’ve seen in more than a decade, which means there’s a ton of opportunity out there. Next, Millennials make up a gigantic percentage of this growth and the population at large and they are into categories like fruit trees, vegetables, houseplants and decorative foliage. Also, customers desire experiences, not just a store and some products. You MUST stand out from the crowd as a wholesaler delivering the absolute best product or a retailer with a fantastic consumer environment. Finally, the more well-rounded you are in terms of product mix, events and workshops, activities for families and maybe even store locations or formats – the more exciting you will be and the more likely to attract a new, enormous customer base. So that’s the challenge – easy, right? I know it’s not but I have full confidence in our industry to figure this all out and remain relevant in the lives of a whole new group of end customers!

If you have any questions or comments, you know where to find me – bcalkins@ballhort.com or on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/wdcalkins/.

Contact Links:

Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com

NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast

#STEMGreenhousePodcast

Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins

Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/

Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/

See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo

Your Best Mum Crop Ever (Part 2)

Mon, 01 Jul 2019 14:55:07 -0500

(Interview starts at 6:40) Our guest today our guest today is Dr. Will Healy and back for Part Two in a three-part miniseries focused on garden mum production intended to help you produce the absolute best mum crops you possibly can – using the newest genetics and latest strategies. Dr. Healy returns to talk about the heart of the mum production timeline addressing the common question, “Am I where I need to be with my mum crop?” Will and I dig deep into monitoring feed, graphical tracking to hit critical dates, catching problems early and what to look for when walking your mum crops. And because every year, a grower somewhere has an issue impacting the start of their mum crop (like weather, greenhouse backups, labor challenges, delayed shipments, etc, etc…) we talk about ways to adjust, pivot and get back on track. Like I mentioned back in Episode 30 – part one of this series - we’re not releasing these episodes back to back to back but instead when they are most relevant – because many of you listen in real time. This will be a great episode to share with your entire team – because keeping a large, seasonal crop on track requires a village. Looking ahead, Dr. Healy will be back in a month to continue the timing message and wrap up with finishing tips and tricks to fine tune your absolute best garden mum crop before sending it to market.

Resources:

NEW Ball Mums Page with Graphical Tracking Tool: https://www.ballseed.com/gardenmums/
Ball Mums Catalog with Culture and Propagation Guides: https://www.ballseed.com/Virtual/2018_mums/index.aspx
Ball Seed Chrysanthemum White Rust Awareness Document: https://www.ballseed.com/PDF/Chrysanthemum-WhiteRust-Awareness-2018.pdf
Cornell University Chrysanthemum White Rust Alert & Management: https://www.ballseed.com/PDF/Chrysanthemum-WhiteRust-Alert&Management-June2018.pdf
EC Monitor: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VVVEUI?pf_rd_p=2edffb5d-036e-4cd0-bc77-99980e2d4856&pf_rd_r=0BYNK2B0GCMMRYBKW6K9

Dr. Healy’s Past Episodes:

STEM Episode 30: Your Best Mum Crop Ever (Part 1) - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/your-best-mum-crop-ever-part-1/
STEM Episode 21: The Language of Watering - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/the-language-of-watering/
STEM Episode 22: Watering: The Rest of the Story - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/watering-the-rest-of-the-story/

Contact Links:

NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast
#STEMGreenhousePodcast
Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins
Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/
Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/
See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo

KidsGardening.org: Helping Young Minds Grow

Thu, 13 Jun 2019 08:47:43 -0500

(Interview starts at 6:22) Our guest today is Helen Rortvedt, executive director of KidsGardening.org, a national organization that has been a leader in the school gardening movement since 1982. KidsGardening inspires, supports and connects educators and families by providing garden grants and curriculum, and as they say – by cultivating a community of practice. Check out their stated mission: We create opportunities for kids to learn and grow through gardening, engaging their natural curiosity and wonder. And it is also opportunity that encouraged me to not only reach out to Helen to join me on the STEM greenhouse podcast but also to join the organization’s board of directors in 2018. I am proud to be a part of KidsGardening.org and know for a fact that after listening to this episode, you will also be inspired to engage with them in one of many ways.

This episode is relevant to every person in the horticulture industry, no matter what your segment or role. We all know a teacher. We all know a kid. We are all a part of a community. We all love plants and understand how they can positively impact someone’s life or how they engage with the world around them. All of these commonalities mean we have what it takes to lend support to KidsGardening. But in the next 40 minutes we’ll all learn a lot more about how impactful a school garden can be, how important garden curriculum is across all ages of students subjects in schools, how a community garden program can lift the spirits of kids who feel alienated and lost and how getting youth excited about gardening will not only grow our future customer base but potentially also our future labor force.

Resources:

Newsletter sign up: https://kidsgardening.org/subscribe-to-kidsgarden-news/
Youth Garden Grant Info - the 2020 Youth Garden Grant will open Fall, 2019: https://kidsgardening.org/garden-grants/
2019 Youth Garden Grant with this year's sponsors and winners: https://kidsgardening.org/2019-youth-garden-grant/
Youth Garden Grant Sponsor Info: https://kidsgardening.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Youth-Garden-Grant-Sponsorship-Levels-2-page.pdf
Portal link for teachers: Either go to kidsgardening.org and use the "Educator Resources" menu in the navigation bar, or visit https://kidsgardening.org/educator-resources/
Growing Guides: https://kidsgardening.org/plant-of-the-month/
Kids Garden Month Info: https://kidsgardening.org/kidsgarden-month-2019/

Social Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KidsGardening.org/ |@KidsGardening.org
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kidsgardening/ | @kidsgardening
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kids_Gardening | @Kids_Gardening

Contact Links:

Email Guest Helen Rortvedt: HelenR@kidsgardening.org
Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com

NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast
#STEMGreenhousePodcast
Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/
Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/
See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo

Jerry Gorchels: A Day and a Life in Horticulture

Sat, 01 Jun 2019 06:00:00 -0500

Our guest today is Jerry Gorchels, a long-time industry professional who’s worn many hats over his more than 45 year career – from managing his high school greenhouse to collaborating with leading breeders and researchers in the development of some of the industry’s legendary plants and always staying closely connected with greenhouse growers, many of whom rely on Jerry for his cultural and technical expertise. Jerry is one of the most recognizable faces representing PanAmerican Seed in the North American market and has been an example and mentor to many current industry leaders. And if you know Jerry, you’ll understand why I was so excited for him to join me on STEM to share stories of people and plants, advice for folks new to the industry, as well as for those who have grown for decades AND hear about the changes he’s seen over his career and what he expects in the future. Find out what Jerry looks for as soon as he walks through the door of a greenhouse and the latest tip and trick he learned from a grower. We cover a lot this episode so be sure to listen all the way to the end. Especially if you want to hear about Jerry’s home garden and the unexpected annual he makes sure to plant every single year.

From cut flowers to shade annuals and ugly ducklings to the most recognized plants of all time, you’re in for a fantastic ride with Jerry.

Resources:

PanAmerican Seed Website: https://www.panamseed.com/

PanAmerican Seed Crop Culture: https://www.panamseed.com/culture.aspx?type=Ann

STEM Episode 9 – Vegetable Breeding: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/today%E2%80%99s-vegetable-breeding-trendy-delicious/

STEM Episode 10 - Wave Petunias: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/wave-past-present-future/

STEM Episode 26 – Beacon Impatiens: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/battling-disease-with-beacon-impatiens/

Contact Links:

Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com

NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast

#STEMGreenhousePodcast

Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/

Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/

See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo

Build a Winning Lavender Program

Wed, 15 May 2019 06:00:00 -0500

(Interview starts at 6:17.) Our guest today is Chris Fifo, former head grower and current technical expert working with Darwin Perennials and KieftSeed. Chris has been with us on STEM before – back in episode 13 where he helped demystify perennial production with Leland Toering but this time he will focus on one crop and dive deep into the lavender pool covering this popular crop from start to finish. We spend some time talking about the recent growth in popularity of lavender, as well as how it is currently positioned in the market. Then Chris takes us into the virtual greenhouse to help you develop a frost to frost lavender program using the most optimal methods to deliver the correct temperature, light, nutrition, gases and PGRs to your crop. The goal is to help you ship the absolute best lavender crop top market because we know that when top notch lavenders arrive at retail, they sell fast. After we talk production, Chris spends some time helping you select the best varieties for each use – from early season to Fall and from landscape performance to indoor use and essential oil production. Although I do like episodes where the guests and I jump from topic to topic, sometimes it’s nice to focus. And trust me – this episode is focused squarely on lavender.

Resources:

Build a Winning Lavender Program Slideshow: https://www.slideshare.net/bcalkins/build-a-winning-lavender-program
Darwin Perennials Blog on Lavender Trials: https://www.darwinperennials.com/Blog/2019/02/14/lavender-trial-results-chicago-botanic-garden.html
Darwin Perennials Resources: https://www.darwinperennials.com/Culture/
KieftSeed Resources: https://www.panamseed.com/perennials.aspx
Darwin Perennials 2019 Catalog: https://www.ballseed.com/Virtual/2019_Darwin_BSC/index.aspx
KieftSeed 2019 Catalog (Perennials P. 142): https://www.ballseed.com/Virtual/2020_21_PasCatalog/index.aspx
Darwin Perennials Day 2019! https://www.darwinperennialsday.com/default.aspx

Contact Links:

Email Guest Chris Fifo: cfifo@darwinperennials.com
Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com
NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast
#STEMGreenhousePodcast
Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/
Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/
See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo

Calibrachoa: From Start to Finish to Sold

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 14:23:51 -0500

(Interview starts at 7:30.) Our guest today is James Doukas, who knows a lot about calibrachoa. As well he should because he’s grown hundreds of thousands of them during his career as a professional grower and now helps growers in the eastern regions of North America produce the best crops possible in his role with Ball FloraPlant and Selecta One. In this episode, James takes us from start to finish with this popular annual plant, covering propagation and root health, pitfalls to avoid, planning ahead for pH issues, avoiding aphids, taking your crop across the goal line to sell quickly at retail and much, much more. We talk about a few of his favorite varieties and also did deep into the nuances of growing balanced multispecies baskets and combos that include calibrachoa. From start to Finish to Sold, you’re in for a calibrachoa lesson with James!

Resources:

Ball FloraPlant 2019 Catalog: https://www.ballseed.com/Virtual/2019_BFP/index.aspx

Selecta One 2019 Catalog: https://www.ballseed.com/Virtual/2019_Selecta/index.aspx

Ball FloraPlant Tech Talk on Cabaret Calibrachoa Baskets:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07dXEL7upLU&list=PLCj41LTtDwjPQ0uIFNKLDEFKOOJJlKRFh&index=18&t=0s

NC State Research on Powdery Mildew on Calibrachoa Crops: https://plantpathology.ces.ncsu.edu/2018/04/powdery-mildew-on-calibrachoa-million-bells/

Greening up Calibrachoa and Petunia from Michigan State University: https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/greening_up_calibrachoa_petunia

Cornell University on Crop Schedules with Less Heat: http://www.greenhouse.cornell.edu/crops/factsheets/SchedulingHeat.pdf

Media Moisture Scales – STEM Episode 21: The Language of Watering: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/the-language-of-watering/

Contact Links:

Email Guest James Doukas: jdoukas@ballhort.com

Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com

NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast

#STEMGreenhousePodcast

Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/

Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/

See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo

Your Best Mum Crop Ever (Part 1)

Mon, 15 Apr 2019 10:27:27 -0500

Interview starts at 8:00 - Our guest today our guest today is Dr. Will Healy and he’s kicking off a three-part miniseries focused on garden mum production intended to help you produce the absolute best mum crops you possibly can – using the newest genetics and latest strategies. We’re not releasing these episodes back to back to back but instead when they are most relevant – because many of you listen in real time. This episode is all about starting your crop – getting them vegetative and keeping them vegetative. Dr. Healy will go in depth into the two most critical factors at this stage in the game – Temperature and Feeding. He’ll cover the most effective temperatures – mums like it hot – and we will learn all about thermophotoperiodicity. Then he’ll transition over to fertilizer strategies because mums are heavy feeders early. We we’ll also touch on other pieces of the production puzzle including, insect and disease prevention, PGRs and more. With plenty of tips and tricks peppered throughout. This will be a great episode to share with your entire team – because starting your mum crop during some of the busiest spring shipping weeks probably means all hands are on deck.

Looking ahead, Dr. Healy will be back in a couple months to cover your actively growing mum crop and discuss starting short days, catching any problems and timing the crop to be retail ready when it’s needed in store. The third episode in late Summer will continue the timing message and wrap up with finishing tips and tricks to make sure the absolute best crop is going to market.

Resources:

Ball Mums Catalog with Culture and Propagation Guides: https://www.ballseed.com/Virtual/2018_mums/index.aspx

Ball Seed Chrysanthemum White Rust Awareness Document: https://www.ballseed.com/PDF/Chrysanthemum-WhiteRust-Awareness-2018.pdf

Cornell University Chrysanthemum White Rust Alert & Management: https://www.ballseed.com/PDF/Chrysanthemum-WhiteRust-Alert&Management-June2018.pdf

Dr. Healy’s Past Episodes:

STEM Episode 21: The Language of Watering - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/the-language-of-watering/

STEM Episode 22: Watering: The Rest of the Story - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/watering-the-rest-of-the-story/

Contact Links:

Email Guest Dr. Will Healy: whealy@ballhort.com
Ball Seed Customer Relations and Mum Help: 1-800-879-BALL
Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com

Tales from the Trials

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 06:00:00 -0500

For this episode of STEM, we tried something very different. It’s an episode of stories heard while attending California Spring Trials. (Note: This is NOT an April Fools Day episode – these stories are real!)

Walking through greenhouse and displays of innovative new plants at the 2019 California Spring Trials is inspirational. That’s where I am right now – so this podcast is somewhat live for the first time. Not completely live since I’m actually in my hotel room – but live in a sense since it’s day three of the trials and there are two more days left. Seeing and learning about cutting-edge solutions for professional growers, garden center retailers, landscapers and home gardeners is so exciting and the energy out here is amazingly high. And why wouldn’t it be? I’m surrounded by product managers, plant breeders and marketing managers who have worked for years to bring these amazing genetics and programs to market. For some, these trials are the first time their new varieties are being unveiled after years or decades of work. The hours, sweat and even tears have finally paid off.

And behind every one of these introductions is a person or team AND subsequently, a story. The breeding, selection, trialing, testing and vetting can take years. Most have been evaluated around the world and subjected to a wide variety of climates, production scenarios, disease screens, shipping trials and so much more than most of us will ever see. The path to introduction is complex and the effort required is monumental.

For many new plants, the pipeline is established and the process has been perfected. For others, the path is opportunistic. And for some, it involves outrunning baboons. Seriously – outrunning baboons. You’ll have to listen all the way to the end to hear that one.

So I hope you enjoy this fun episode. It was fun hearing these stories and more and what really sticks out to me is the passion with which they were told. The folks in our industry who breed and select plants are dedicated individuals who really know their stuff. Sometimes their years of work pay off bigtime and millions of plants are sold and sometimes the trials are thrown out. But no matter what, they keep at it in an effort to bring new technology to the world of horticulture year after year after year. When you see all of the amazing new products coming to market in the weeks and months after California Spring Trials, remember that each product has a story.

How about you? Do you have a fun or unexpected plant breeding story to share? I’d love to hear it! Email me at bcalkins@ballhort.com.

Contact Links:
Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com
NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast
#STEMGreenhousePodcast
Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins
Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/
Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/
See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo

Consumer Insights from GrowIt!

Wed, 13 Mar 2019 14:36:45 -0500

Interview starts at 5:30 - The last time we heard from GrowIt! cofounder Mason Day he was accompanied by the other founder Seth Reed. This time, he’s joining us because he’s the data guy at GrowIt! and they have some fascinating data to share – or Insights as we will call the info this episode. Get ready to learn some of the favorite plants and current trends gleaned from hundreds of thousands of users and millions of data points. Also, this will be the very first time GrowIt! goes into detail publicly about their Insights program – a new product that will bring customized data and insights (there’s that word again…) to you – data you can use to drive decisions in your business. Let me remind you that as I shared the last time GrowIt was featured on the podcast, the team behind this unique tech company are hort people first and tech people second, so the info Mason will deliver this episode is firmly rooted in our industry and applicable for professional growers, garden center retailers and the landscape trade – our STEM listener base.

But to me, the most exciting part of this episode is NOT the current insights Mason will share. The part that has my brain spinning and thinking forward is predictive analytics – creating models and trend lines not just to claim Monstera is a hot plant with millennials (which it certainly is) but to determine why that happened and what the next in plants will be. And as Mason explains, this can be done with data. In our industry. Today. This is HUGE!

Download the GrowIt! Mobile App and learn more about this tech company: https://www.growitmobile.com/

10 Insights from the GrowIt! Plant Community: https://www.growitmobile.com/resources/gardenshops/

Past Episode with GrowIt! – What Today’s Shopper Wants: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/what-today%E2%80%99s-shopper-wants/

Contact Links:

Guest Mason Day: mday@growitmobile.com
Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com

NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast

Today’s Male Shopper

Thu, 28 Feb 2019 16:30:49 -0500

Show starts at 4:23 - This episode is going to be a solocast – meaning it’ll be me the entire time with no guest. Generally, this podcast stems from my role as Product Marketing Manager for Ball Seed – where I work with many of the business units and breeding companies at Ball to position and promote products and programs available from our distribution team. The podcast is often a way to transfer technical information from our experts to you through the audio podcast platform. But here and there, I swap that hat with my other role at Ball, one of our retail business managers working with retailers and the professional growers who supply them. In past episodes, I discussed selling to different tribes or groups of customers – like business travelers, young professionals, parents, recently retired boomers and more. I have also talked about tips for being the absolute best wholesale provider for your retail customers – from a retailers’ perspective. This time, I’m going to tackle a topic that near and dear to my heart, and one in which I hold some expertise. I would say a little bit of expertise, but my wife might put that bar a bit higher. How Men Shop and more importantly Why It Matters to Lawn & Garden. I’ll start by sharing some baseline statistics and then move to some generalized shopping habit differences between men and women and finally work through some research and share ways I feel this can impact our industry – the business of selling more plants.

Past Episodes Referenced:

Selling to Different Tribes - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/selling-to-different-tribes/
Be a Power Supplier - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/be-a-power-supplier/
Drama in the Garden - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/drama-in-the-garden/
Tanya Brings the WOW! - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/tanya-brings-the-wow/
Battling Disease with Beacon Impatiens - https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/battling-disease-with-beacon-impatiens/

Contact Links:

Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com
NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast
#STEMGreenhousePodcast
Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins
Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/
Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/
See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo

Battling Disease with Beacon Impatiens

Fri, 15 Feb 2019 07:00:00 -0500

Interview starts at 5:38 - Our guest today is Lisa Lacy and she is going to tell us all about a game changing new product that has the opportunity to impact every one of us in horticulture, as well as everyone who gardens and enjoys landscapes. You may have heard clips and stories and seen press releases about cutting edge new impatiens with resistance to the Impatiens Downy Mildew disease that has decimated one of the world’s most important bedding plants – Impatiens walleriana. Well, Lisa is the product manager and leading expert on Beacon Impatiens, a brand new series bred by PanAmerican Seed that’s proven to exhibit high resistance to the Plasmopara obducens microorganism that leads to Impatiens Downy Mildew.

To put this disease in scope, 10 years ago there were billions of seeds of Impatiens walleriana sold worldwide and PanAmerican Seed alone offered 9 impatiens series. Since then, due to the widespread nature of the disease, sales of Walleriana seeds have dropped as much as 50% and this garden mainstay has disappeared from retail shelves and commercial landscapes in a big way.

Now it’s time to hear the story that began in 2008 when PanAm started planning and building a team around the problem and continues to this spring, 2019, when the new Beacon series will debut at California Spring Trials. It’s a story filled with emotion but built on a foundation of science. It’s a story of collaboration. It’s a story with an amazing moral – because a portion of the sales of the new Beacon series will benefit lesser known causes and foundations. And most of all, it’s a story our guest, Lisa Lacy, is proud to share with the STEM listeners because as she clearly states in this discussion, seeing will lead to believing and it will take an industry effort to share the message that impatiens are back!

NEW Beacon Impatiens Website: http://www.beaconimpatiens.com/

Connect Four Article - Garden Design 2019 Trends: https://www.gardendesign.com/trends/2019.html

Contact Links:

PanAmerican Seed Website: https://www.panamseed.com/

Ball Seed Customer Relations: 1-800-879-BALL

Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com

NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast

#STEMGreenhousePodcast

Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins

Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/

Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/

See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo

Starting Strong with Vegetative Production

Thu, 31 Jan 2019 16:45:49 -0500

Our guest this episode is Dr. Todd Cavins. Todd is one of our technical services experts at Ball Seed and has been helping professional growers solve greenhouse production challenges for more than ten years in the field and before that was a professor at Oklahoma State University. He was actually my second guest on STEM almost a year ago and shared tons of tips and advice for getting off to a great start with plugs and seed raised young plants. If you missed the episode or hadn’t started listening to STEM yet, I’ll put a link in the show notes. Well, Todd is back in episode 25 to talk about vegetative production – Unrooted Cuttings and Liners – and how to start strong and work to ensure a top-quality saleable crop with few to no losses.

This is a very informative discussion where we cover topics including some ways to be prepared to receive and handle inputs, the importance of maintaining an optimal environment for cuttings, managing conditions that are less than ideal and the overall life of a URC. He shares tips and tricks for creating a replicable process for your production team from high tech systems for misting and computerized VPD to low tech approaches like posting pictures and specs to get everyone involved in young plant production on the same page. We spend some time discussing what to do when things start to go wrong and common times the uh-ohs happen and a reminder to go back to the five factors of plant growth when challenges pop up. Todd ends by sharing specific crops that need to be treated differently and also some of his favorite resources and go to materials if you want to dig deeper into this critical topic. This is definitely an episode you’ll want to share widely within your greenhouse team.

Check out Todd’s previous podcast episode!

STEM Episode 2: Getting Off to a Great Start

Refer back to STEM episodes on Watering:

Pt. 1 - The Language of Watering: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/the-language-of-watering/

Pt. 2 – Watering, The Rest of the Story: https://stempodcast.podbean.com/e/watering-the-rest-of-the-story/

Technical Resources Referenced:

BFP TV: https://www.ballfloraplant.com/BFPTV/
Grow a Better Liner Video Series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbUnKHXk07I
E-Gro Online Resources: http://www.e-gro.org/

Contact Links:

Email Guest Dr. Todd Cavins: tcavins@ballhort.com

Ball Seed Customer Relations: 1-800-879-BALL

Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com

NEW! Connect on Instagram - @STEMGreenhousePodcast

Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins

Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/

Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/

See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo

Creating Your Trial Plan

Mon, 14 Jan 2019 07:00:00 -0500

Our guest today is Jason Twaddell. Jason was one of the first guests on STEM almost a year ago, episode number 3. And he’s back to tackle a completely different topic this time. Jason is Sales and Marketing Manager with Ball FloraPlant and Selecta One, companies that sit on the cutting edge of new genetics in the vegetative world and also understand the importance of trialing for many reasons we will explore during this episode. Jason will dig into the Why, What and When of trialing in an effort to highlight the importance of this critical piece of the growing puzzle. With margins getting narrower and the tolerance for inefficiency and shrink dropping to near zero, trialing and testing new genetics before replacing existing varieties is more important than ever.

Some of the topics he covers include trialing to solve problems and not just to evaluate what’s new; improving labor–intensive processes and the importance of an internal champion to maximize resources. Jason details the steps to take when implementing an effective trial strategy and also how to plan and prioritize to achieve the goals you set. This episode is appropriate for many roles in your greenhouse operation from management to section growers. Getting your team aligned when putting trials in place is critical to the whole process.

Check out Jason’s previous podcast episode!

STEM Episode 3: Executing Your Plan with Priority and Timeliness

Ball FloraPlant & Selecta One Resources:

Ball FloraPlant Territory Managers: https://www.ballfloraplant.com/BFP/Team.aspx
Ball FloraPlant Website: https://www.ballfloraplant.com/
Ball FloraPlant YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallFloraPlant
Ball FloraPlant Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bfpsocial/
BFP TV: https://www.ballfloraplant.com/BFPTV/
Product Growing Culture: https://www.ballfloraplant.com/Culture/
Current Ball FloraPlant virtual catalog: https://www.ballseed.com/Virtual/2019_BFP/index.aspx
Selecta One North America Website: http://selectanorthamerica.com/

Contact Links:

Email Guest Jason Twaddell: jtwaddell@ballhort.com

Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com

Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins

Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/

Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/

See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo

Tanya Brings the WOW!

Thu, 20 Dec 2018 08:44:32 -0500

This is our first Holiday Episode and my guest definitely represents the cheer and energy of the season and just happens to spend a good part of her current role supporting poinsettias, one of our most traditional holiday crops. I’m welcoming Tanya to STEM to talk about the overall retail experience – what garden centers and nurseries AND the growers who supply them can do to inspire the shoppers of today and tomorrow.

Tanya brings a ton of energy but more importantly actionable ideas for offering in-demand products at retail, presented in inspirational packages. She shares tips and tricks for exciting customers, bringing communities together, putting on dazzling and effective events and igniting the senses. We get into some of her favorite WOW varieties, amazing greenhouse events she’s attended recently – like GLOW festivals – the importance of sharing knowledge and educating and also introduce a concept she calls the “full circle experience.”

When I asked Tanya to be on the podcast I had a feeling it would be a fun episode with plenty of great retail ideas, but I must admit I had no clue that her background includes a stint at Proctor & Gamble and how she brought some of those amazing consumer insights to the world of horticulture. I really enjoyed this conversation and I’m pretty sure you will, too. Definitely share this one widely throughout your organization and encourage your team to think about Tanya’s predictions for the future of horticultural retail. I have a feeling she’s on the right track.

Connect Four Article Link:

Ten Ways to be 10X More Productive at Work from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2018/02/17/ten-ways-to-be-more-productive-at-work/#649c1580126a

Ball FloraPlant & Selecta One Resources:

Ball FloraPlant Website: https://www.ballfloraplant.com/
Ball FloraPlant YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallFloraPlant
Ball FloraPlant Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bfpsocial/
BFP TV: https://www.ballfloraplant.com/BFPTV/
Product Growing Culture: https://www.ballfloraplant.com/Culture/
Current Ball FloraPlant virtual catalog: https://www.ballseed.com/Virtual/2019_BFP/index.aspx
Selecta One North America Website: http://selectanorthamerica.com/
Selecta Poinsettia Catalog: http://www.selectanorthamerica.com/Literature/2019_poinsettia/index.aspx

Contact Links:

Email Guest Tanya Carvalho: tcarvalho@ballhort.com

Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com

Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins

Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/

Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/

See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo

Watering: The Rest of the Story

Thu, 13 Dec 2018 09:21:12 -0500

We are once again joined by Ball Horticultural’s Senior Technical & Research Manager Dr. Will Healy who I referred to in episode 21 as one of the most experienced and knowledgeable experts in all things greenhouse production. Our topic continues… watering and water management. These two episodes work best in tandem so try to listen to part one – The Language of Watering – before jumping into this one.

In the first part – which you can find on your favorite podcast player or linked below - Dr. Healy delved into the importance of speaking the same language of watering throughout the company and qualitative and quantitative ways to teach water management so that accuracy and efficiency can be achieved.

This episode takes it to the next level getting into specific plant demands, how to determine wet/dry targets, how to optimize any greenhouse for water management and even suggests an inexpensive gift for all of your production team members.

PART ONE - Episode 21: The Language of Watering https://www.greenhousegrower.com/sponsor/ball-seed-company/the-language-of-watering/

Ball Seed Technical Resources:

Production Guides, Culture, Pests & Diseases, Charts and Tables: https://www.ballseed.com/QuickCulture/ProductionGuides/

Water Management Level 1-5 Training Presentation (English): https://www.slideshare.net/bcalkins/stem-episode-21-ball-seed-water-management-levels-15-english

Water Management Level 1-5 Training Presentation (Spanish): https://www.slideshare.net/bcalkins/stem-episode-21-ball-seed-water-management-levels-15-spanish

Good Scale for Weighing Pots and Trays: https://www.amazon.com/Ozeri-ZK14-S-Digital-Multifunction-Kitchen/dp/B004164SRA/ref=sr_1_5?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1543593422&sr=1-5&keywords=kitchen+scale

Contact Links:

Email Guest Dr. Will Healy: whealy@ballhort.com

Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com

Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins

Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/

Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/

See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo

The Language of Watering

Fri, 30 Nov 2018 08:48:17 -0500

The Language of Watering

This episode of STEM: Insider Tips for Greenhouse Pros addresses one of the most basic tasks in a professional greenhouse, watering. But proving that water management is fundamental and critical, we are joined by Ball Horticultural’s Senior Technical & Research Manager Dr. Will Healy – one of the most experienced and knowledgeable experts in all things greenhouse production. He’s also a great story teller, which you will learn throughout the episodes. And yes, I did say episodes because this one is a two-parter. Watering and water management is SO critical that we invited a PhD to help us learn as much as possible about it AND will spend two sessions on the topic. The first part will be all about The Language of Watering and this one is perfect to share with your entire production team and others across your organization.

As Dr. Healy will help us understand, speaking the same language of watering throughout the company is critical and there are qualitative and quantitative ways to teach water management so that accuracy and efficiency can be achieved. Getting watering right WILL reduce your costs and result in better crops.

So gather your team, grab a pen and notepad and get ready for part one in a two part session on watering.

Ball Seed Technical Resources:

Production Guides, Culture, Pests & Diseases, Charts and Tables: https://www.ballseed.com/QuickCulture/ProductionGuides/

Water Management Level 1-5 Training Presentation (English): https://www.slideshare.net/bcalkins/stem-episode-21-ball-seed-water-management-levels-15-english

Water Management Level 1-5 Training Presentation (Spanish): https://www.slideshare.net/bcalkins/stem-episode-21-ball-seed-water-management-levels-15-spanish

Contact Links:

Email Guest Dr. Will Healy: whealy@ballhort.com

Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com

Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins

Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/

Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/

See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo

Dr. Marvin Miller Unplugged

Tue, 13 Nov 2018 13:47:11 -0500

It’s hard to believe that this is the 20th episode of STEM – Insider Tips for Greenhouse Pros. And this time we’re talking to our first returning guest. Ever since the first episode of STEM launched, I’ve thought about more topics to discuss with Marvin, from industry data and research to current product trends and consumer groups. Now, seemed like as good a time as any, with another season of travels under his belt and new industry data and research being released.

Dr. Marvin Miller recently celebrated 35 years as Ball Horticultural’s Market Research Manager and he’s quick to remind me that he has been studying our industry for longer than that and also that being a researcher means he has looked at data going back far beyond those 35 plus years. Bottom line – Marvin has a ton of knowledge and ideas to share. And because his first episode was on the shorter side of STEM as we’ve progressed through 20 episodes, I decided to turn off the timer and let him go.

This one’s almost an hour but it’s worth every minute. We start by going through some current industry research and data related to today’s consumer and setting participation and consumption records and quickly move into topics ranging from the current indoor plant trend and potential of the cut flower market to millennials as consumers. We also discuss lessons learned from more than 15 trips to Alaska and what politicians can learn from a pod of whales. Seriously – I’m not joking about that one. We also talk about how social media is like the shopping malls of the 1980s! You’ll want to listen all the way to the end of this one – Dr. Marvin Miller… Unplugged.

Resources:

Ball Seed WebTrack: https://wtlogin.ballhort.com/Pages/Login.aspx

WebTrack To Go Mobile App: http://www.webtracktogo.com/

Catalog Product Search: https://catalogsearch.ballseed.com/

Drama In the Garden – STEM Episode 1 with Dr. Marvin Miller: https://www.greenhousegrower.com/sponsor/ball-seed-company/drama-in-the-garden/

Jamie Kitz on Growing & Giving – with a discussion of cut flower opportunities: https://www.greenhousegrower.com/sponsor/ball-seed-company/jamie-kitz-on-growing-giving/

Contact Links:

Email Guest Marvin Miller: mnmiller@ballhort.com

Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com

Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins

Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/

Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/

See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo

Perennial Problem Children

Thu, 01 Nov 2018 10:57:16 -0500

Ball Seed recently hosted a meeting of our supplier partners and rooting stations that featured speakers addressing shared production challenges and offering many technical and cultural strategies. One of the top-rated speakers coming out of our post-event survey work was today’s guest. We asked him to join us on STEM to go through some of the concepts he presented at the meeting. We’re excited to be joined this time by Darwin Perennials’ Karl Batschke who’s going to take us through some new ways to better produce some of the latest and greatest perennial genetics.

But he’s not going to talk about the easy ones. Instead, Karl will address some of the more challenging crops and also new crops that require new cultural and technical regimes. Let’s call them the Perennial Problem Children. And like a good guidance counselor, Karl will treat each one as an individual and create a custom plan to maximize their potential and achieve the results you want – the best crop you can produce.

But since we have Karl on the hook for 40 minutes, we’re also going to ask him plenty of questions about the current market for perennials, what he’s seeing and hearing in his travels and thoughts and predictions for the future. Karl has tons of industry knowledge and experience and we’re really happy to have this chance to pick his brain for a bit.

Darwin Perennial Resources:

Darwin Perennials Culture and Scheduling Tools: https://www.darwinperennials.com/Culture/ProductionGuides/

Tons of Perennials Resources: https://www.darwinperennials.com/

Darwin Perennials Day Event Registration (Open to the TRADE ONLY): https://www.darwinperennialsday.com/register.aspx

Contact Links:

Email Guest Karl Batschke: kbatschke@darwinperennials.com

Email Host Bill Calkins: bcalkins@ballhort.com

Tweet Host Bill Calkins: @billcalkins

Connect with Ball Seed on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ball-seed-co/

Follow The Gardens at Ball on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GardensAtBall/

See Ball Seed Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BallSeedVideo

Jamie Kitz on Growing & Giving

Tue, 16 Oct 2018 11:41:02 -0500

In this episode, we talk with one of my favorite industry people, Sakata Seed America’s Jamie Kitz about a whole range of topics. We start with plants – seed annuals, vegetative annuals, cut flowers and vegetables and then transition to industry support, charitable giving and philanthropy. Throughout we share tons of industry ideas and dig into where Jamie gets her energy and inspiration that’s so infectious. We wrap the episode up talking about the Sakata Gives program and actionable ways to bring a similar sense of corporate mission to your organization. And trust me, it’s not the old way of directing employees to give to a charity selected by corporate management. It’s far more grassroots these days.

Be a Power Supplier

Mon, 01 Oct 2018 15:41:44 -0500

Host Bill Calkins takes the mic this episode to address a challenge he keeps running into when he talks to garden center retailers at industry events – an emerging disconnect between the retail experience they are trying to create and the plants and service available from their wholesale grower suppliers.

Seed Your Future: Join the Movement!

Fri, 14 Sep 2018 11:01:16 -0500

Susan Yoder is executive director of Seed Your Future, an organization that’s working hard to engage the next generations of horticulture professionals. In this episode we’ll discuss current programs and future strategies to promote our industry and the passionate people that make it strong and relevant.

Poinsettia Selection & Production

Thu, 30 Aug 2018 12:26:37 -0500

With decades of experience, Gary Vollmer has a passion for poinsettias. Our discussion is equal parts history lesson, poinsettia selection and development insight and hardcore production tips and tricks. You’re going to love it!

Grow More & Grow Better with LEDs

Wed, 15 Aug 2018 10:58:40 -0500

In this episode we are lucky to be joined by Jason Grimmett, Key Account Manager for Philips Lighting. LED technology is all the talk these days and I know for a fact growers have a lot of questions about this new lighting option.

Demystifying Perennial Production

Wed, 01 Aug 2018 10:16:06 -0500

Perennials experts Leland Toering and Chris Fifo share best practices, tips & tricks, favorite varieties and pitfalls to avoid in this episode completely dedicated to perennials. From reasons behind current market growth and recent breeding breakthroughs to where the perennials industry is heading, these guys cover the market from all angles.

38 Stolen Retail Ideas

Mon, 16 Jul 2018 14:56:53 -0500

Take these 38 Stolen Retail Ideas for what they are – ideas meant to inspire creativity and fresh approaches. We’re entering a new era of retail – driven by an emerging massive customer base! I trust at least one of these ideas (and hopefully more) will resonate with you or your customers. The best way to vet out what will work and what won’t, is to share as many of these ideas as you can with your team and generate discussion. Let me know your thoughts. I’m always happy to talk retail!

Secrets of a Winning Product Launch

Mon, 02 Jul 2018 14:22:35 -0500

The guest for this 11th episode of STEM: Insider Tips for Greenhouse Pros is Kris Carlsson. Kris has a background is growing at the wholesale level before coming to Ball FloraPlant, working at Chico Propagators in California growing an A to Z assortment annuals, perennials and a full line of flowering foliage for nurseries and wholesale florists.

Wave: Past, Present & Future

Wed, 13 Jun 2018 15:18:39 -0500

Our guest for the tenth episode of STEM is Scott Rusch, the Product Development Director at PanAmerican Seed. Our topic is Wave – a fascinating history lesson, current grower, retailer and consumer solutions and what to expect in the near future from what I consider the top annual product brand in our industry.

Today’s Vegetable Breeding: Trendy & Delicious

Wed, 30 May 2018 13:27:29 -0500

We explore the latest vegetable breeding touching on the industry’s top sellers (tomatoes and peppers), current and future direction, the importance of earliness and disease resistance and even dig into the unique needs of home gardeners and fresh market farmers with PanAmerican Seed’s veggie expert, Josh Kirschenbaum.

What Today’s Shopper Wants

Tue, 15 May 2018 08:50:39 -0500

The cofounders of GrowIt!, Seth Reed and Mason Day, share insights into the wants and needs of today’s lawn and garden shopper with a focus on the under-35 demographic. GrowIt! is a “from the industry, for the industry” social gardening app, strategy for garden centers and botanic gardens and much more.

New Innovations for 2019 & Beyond

Tue, 01 May 2018 12:59:16 -0500

Jim Kennedy, National Sales Manager for Ball Seed joins STEM to share his favorite new varieties for 2019, tips for identifying viable innovations and thoughts on the direction of plant breeding today and in the near future.

Selling to Different Tribes

Fri, 13 Apr 2018 14:13:34 -0500

Bill Calkins is the host and guest of this episode of STEM identifying different tribes of likeminded shoppers and offering tips for how to attract and inspire them.

Plant Breeding: From Concept to Commercial

Wed, 28 Mar 2018 13:58:00 -0500

Dr. Laura Masor, a plant breeder for Ball FloraPlant joins STEM to explain the product pipeline from conceptualization, research, breeding and trialing to commercialization in floriculture.

Perennials: The Retail Color Bridge

Tue, 13 Mar 2018 07:50:55 -0500

Greg Soles, a Product Representative with Darwin Perennials and a true advocate for perennial plants joins STEM to talk about crop scheduling and new breeding that result in profit during shoulder seasons using fresh, flowering perennials.

Executing Your Plan with Priority and Timeliness

Thu, 01 Mar 2018 08:43:33 -0500

Jason Twaddell, Territory Manager with Ball FloraPlant, joins STEM to talk about everything you need to consider from planning to shipping a crop of annuals so you hit critical dates. Reduce shrink and maximize profitability by executing at all stages of production.

Getting Off to a Great Start

Thu, 15 Feb 2018 13:09:02 -0500

Dr. Todd Cavins, Ball Seed Technical Services, joins STEM to talk about proper care and handling of young plants – specifically plugs and liners. Todd begins by discussing reasons to start with young plants versus seed or unrooted cuttings and the benefits of buying in plugs and liners. He then digs into some of the common challenges the technical services team runs into each Spring and some specific tips and tricks for receiving young plants.

Drama in the Garden

Mon, 05 Feb 2018 16:26:03 -0500

Dr. Marvin Miller (industry legend, Ball Seed market research manager, economist and trend spotter) joins us to talk about a strategy for greenhouse growers to consider producing more Jumbo Packs and 1801 sized material to meet the new needs of today’s younger shoppers and homeowners. Dr. Miller walks us through the demand from a statistical (and anecdotal) perspective, as well as pointing out how the economics are positive for growers.