The Benefits and Most Effective Use of Plant Growth Regulators

Posted by Brian Sparks|October 6, 2022

Educational videos on YouTube can be a great resource for plant production information. When it comes to making best use of plant growth regulators (PGRs) in the greenhouse, here are two resources to check out:

What are the Benefits of Using Plant Growth Regulators?

Plant growth regulators can improve the quality of greenhouse grown ornamentals. Growth retardants control plant height/size by reducing plant growth rate. Therefore, less space is used per plant which reduces cost of production. The grower can meet shipping height requirements and ship more plants per load which reduces per unit cost of transportation. In addition, PGRs provide a buffer period of growth control that improves shelf-life and reduces shrinkage.

In this video, Joyce Latimer, an Extension Specialist for Greenhouse Crops at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA, outlines how PGRs affect plant quality by improving plant color, increasing stem strength and stress resistance, and even disease resistance in some cases. In addition to reducing production and shipping costs, PGRs improve the quality and marketability of plants.

Effective Use of Plant Growth Regulators

George Grant, Griffin GGSPro Technical Specialist, discusses how to effectively use plant growth regulators and how to manage plant growth with other cultural practices in this video. The recording is part of the 2021 UConn Bedding Plant Meeting sponsored by UConn Extension.