Proven Winners Takes Growers Back To School

Proven Winners Takes Growers Back To School

After years of hosting successful Retail Road Shows, Proven Winners launched an educational outreach event just for growers called Grower To Grower University on Sept. 12 at the Hyatt O’Hare near Chicago. More than 60 growers learned crop-specific production pointers from Proven Winners’ head growers: Dennis Crum of Four Star Greenhouse, Deke Jackson of Pleasant View Gardens and Minerva Ramirez of EuroAmerican Propagators.

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The day began with Proven Winners’ John Gaydos and Rick Schoellhorn covering all the new varieties for 2009 and production considerations for each. Crum then covered Proven Winners’ professional fertilizer program, which he helped develop with Green Care and Blackmore. “We’ve had the road shows for seven years and the question I consistently hear is ‘How do I keep these plants fed based on my water?’ It’s the No. 1 question,” Crum says.

Then the panel of head growers shared their tips on which crop classes can be produced together in the same greenhouse with the same environmental and nutritional requirements. For instance, Intensia phlox and Sunsatia nemesias should be grown on the dry side and although they won’t grow cold, they can hold in cooler temperatures. The new Bellagio begonias are also heavier feeders than Nonstops.

With combination containers being the rage, the growers also discussed the difference you get when you grow plants then plant containers, or plant containers and then grow the plants. There’s a difference in final presentation if you are assembling 4-inch plants or planting liners in combinations.

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One of the most exciting presentations was Crum sharing how his plants fared outdoors in early spring during snow storms. More growers could take advantage of their outdoor mum production space in early spring. Crum has identified which groups of plants could go out first (early April), second (mid April), third (early May), and which ones shouldn’t go outside at all in early spring. He has experimented with frost cloths and using sprinklers to coat plants with ice to prevent frost damage, just like strawberry growers do in northern Florida. As soon as temperatures drop to 37°F, the sprinklers turn on.

At the end of the day, Dave Konsoer, who is focused on Proven Winners’ retail programs, provided an update of marketing and retail programs, both at point of sale and national campaigns in general that will generate more awareness and demand for Proven Winners plants.

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