Horticulture Industry Mourns Loss of David Koranski
December 17, 2020 
Dr. David Koranski, considered by many in the horticulture industry to be a pioneer in plug production, passed away in early October due to complications from COVID-19.
“Dave was extremely popular with professional growers around the country, especially when it came to plug production,” noted the Iowa State University Department of Horticulture in a statement on its Facebook page. “His name was synonymous with this novel way of growing transplants in greenhouses and other controlled environments. On behalf of the ISU Department of Horticulture, we extend our deepest sympathies to the Koranski family.”
Greenhouse Grower Contributing Editor Allan Armitage recently offered his own reflections on Koranski’s legacy.
“I have lost a good friend and outstanding colleague to COVID-19 recently. For the people in the greenhouse industry, Dr. David Koranski was a rock star. He was one of the pioneers of everything and anything to do with plug production of annuals, perennials, and vegetables. His research at Iowa State University on the interaction of light, water, and nutrition on the growing of plugs opened the flood gates to efficient production in this country and abroad. If you have produced or bought an annual, perennial or any plant started in a greenhouse in the last 30 years, you have benefitted from Dr Koranski’s work.
“My friend Scott Swift runs a large highly successful greenhouse concern in Iowa. Dr Koranski served as his professor and advisor first at the University, and later at Swift Greenhouses. He, too, was energized and benefitted from David’s work and told me, ‘Dave would visit our greenhouse and basically be our consultant for free, because we could not afford it. He recommended we drop all of our houseplants and pot crops and focus on growing annuals and perennials from plugs. Dave saw the plug as the future method of production! This is exactly what we did!’
“Scott goes on to say that Dave mentored the business, his staff, and his family for over 35 years, and anybody who knew Dave realizes he did the same with anyone who needed him. ‘We are extremely grateful for all the contributions Dr. Dave made for our business, we may not have continued if it wasn’t for him.’
“As for me, I take my hat off and raise my face to the light David brought. Every one of us reading this today benefited from his legacy.”
If you worked with Koranski, we invite you to share any thoughts below.
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