Looking for a new plant species to diversify your offerings? Maybe succulents are your answer.

Succulents — those tiny, cacti-looking weird spikey plants that are becoming more and more ubiquitous at IGCs and even in Big Box retailers — were a big seller during the 1970s and 1980s, and like most consumer trends, they’ve come full circle and are once again a hot seller.

Millennials — and their social media accounts — are the main drivers of the recent succulent renaissance, says Dave Holley, general manager at Moss Greenhouses, a wholesale plant distributor in Jerome, Idaho.

“By 2027, succulents will be an $8 billion in revenue annual business segment,” he shares, adding that Moss started growing succulents with 200 flats back in 2021 and today they’re averaging 5,000 flats of succulents annually.

Some key revelations about succulent production that Holley shared during his presentation at the AmericanHort Finished Plant Conference in mid-October:

Greenhouse growers that want to avoid sticker shock when they open their latest utility bills should heed these four tips from Michigan State University’s Dr. Erik Runkle.

There is a sea of change coming — heck, it’s already here for much of the country — and it’s 100% going to affect your bottom line as a CEA grower.

We’re talking, of course, about rising energy costs.

This is a touchy subject that was covered adeptly by Michigan State University horticulture professor and researcher Dr. Erik Runkle at AmericanHort’s inaugural Finished Plant Conference. The event took place in Grand Rapids in mid-October, and it featured a solid program of production-focused content perfectly suited for serious commercial greenhouse grower leads and section growers.

“Energy prices have been (relatively) cheap for some time,” Runkle told attendees. “Now, we’re seeing pricing increases almost across the board — especially when it comes to heating costs.”

Those increases are being driven by supply chain difficulties, inflation and just a generally higher level of demand (since more people are spending more time at home), but luckily, it’s still not as bad as what our friends who grow in greenhouses across the pond are dealing with. At least … not yet.

“Natural gas prices are going up quite a bit lately, but it’s still not as bad as it was during the economic crash in 2008, or the prices they’re paying over in Europe,” Runkle explained. “We’re fortunate to have relatively cheap energy here in the U.S., knock on wood.”

Runkle and his team of researchers in East Lansing and around the Mitten State are responding by focusing a portion of their research on ways that growers can produce high quality crops in shorter crop times with the least amount of energy possible.  

During his presentation, Dr. Runkle shared these four “no-brainer tips” for growers looking to uncover greenhouse energy savings this coming season as energy prices spike:

Plantpeddler founder Mike Gooder gives his top production tips for begonias at the 2021 Finished Plant Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Begonias were originally farmed in Africa, close to the equator where very little day length change occurs.

If you’re growing begonia varieties in the greenhouse, there are several production best practices you should be aware of to ensure success with the crop. Plantpeddler’s Mike Gooder went over his top tips during a session at AmericanHort’s recent Finished Plant Conference.

“Stress management is the key with this plant. If you take home any message from this presentation, I’d want it to be to focus on stress management,” Gooder told attendees.  

Specifically, he said to reduce stress early in the plants’ life cycle to get more vegetative growth initially, and then to induce stress to get them to flower.

“Once they leave your propagation area, no more [supplemental] lighting,” he added.  “And then you want to pull back on the stress as they finish up.”  

Gooder has also uncovered the ideal planting manner for begonias. He said that since begonias have a front and back, it is important to plant them back-to-back, and you should always turn young cuttings to all face one direction, backs together with two fingers worth of spacing between them when planting in trays.  

On the subject of pinching, he was quite clear: Don’t do it.  

“No, you’re going to add a whole bunch of time onto the production cycle [if you pinch], and you lose uniformity in flowering; you do not need to pinch,” Gooder advised. “And if your begonias stretch, bury them. Don’t fear planting them too deep — you’ll get branching below the soil line and you want to have stability in the pot, and this will give it to you.”

As far as climate conditions in the greenhouse, Gooder said you “can’t cheat the heat” with begonias.

“Begonias need every bit of love — they want to feel warmth, be coddled, that sort of thing,” he explained. “You want a soft environment with high humidity, and average temps in the 70s.”

“The biggest problem I see is people that cheat the heat on this crop,” Gooder added. “Once the outside temperature starts to dip, then you induce flowering. But run them in vegetative at at least 75-78 degrees F. You might even run them in the low 80s because it’s a tropical plant. This is not to be grown with petunia in a 55-degree block.”

Gooder and his team at Plantpeddler also highly recommend night interruption or day length extension, saying that either one will suffice. And you want to plant this crop later in the spring so you can take advantage of the naturally longer days and warm greenhouses.

As far as fertility recommendations, Gooder and co. run what he called a gentle, ammonia-based feed at around 250 ppm.

“Begonias are all water, so if you want a bigger begonia, just add more water,” he added, noting the crop is not a heavy feeder in vegetative (stage) or in flower. “Want a smaller plant? Add less water.”

And once you’re ready to start finishing begonias, Gooder said it’s simple: you increase watering frequency and reduce the ppm levels of your feed (to around 100-150 ppm) while also switching from ammonia to calcium-based nutrients.

As to common production challenges with begonias, Gooder says his team will occasionally battle premature budding, flowers that are too small and powdery mildew. Managing the growing environment, staying on top of sanitation, and monitoring EC will go a long way in alleviating most of those concerns, he said. 

Evan Lee joins as director of policy and government relations; Craig Regelbrugge and Tal Coley promoted.

AmericanHort continues to deepen investment in resources and capabilities to address key advocacy issues important to the success of their member-business owners while protecting the industry from potentially harmful effects of legislation and government regulation. The breadth of issues being managed, and relationships developed, continues to expand and the announcement of additional staff resources will help AmericanHort be an advocate for the green industry.

AmericanHort is pleased to announce Evan Lee has joined AmericanHort as director of policy and government relations. He most recently served as chief of staff for the Office of Congressional Relations, USDA acting as the principal deputy for the assistant secretary for congressional relations. In this role, he directed development and advancement of the department’s strategic legislative goals and advised the secretary on pending legislation and policy matters applicable to the department’s leadership in agriculture, and natural resources management, food safety and COVID pandemic relief and response. Prior to that, he was legislative director for Congressman Neal P. Dunn, M.D. (FL-02) and legislative assistant for Congressman Daniel Webster (FL-10). In these roles, he led policy and legislative programs in agriculture, labor, energy and environmental issues.

Tal Coley has been promoted to senior director of advocacy and government affairs, recognizing his growing impact on association priorities of transportation, infrastructure and taxes, among other key issues. In his tenure at AmericanHort, he has led issue campaigns that have created significant value for the industry and help expand their advocacy reach across the industry. Coley is AmericanHort's key liaison with strategic partner K-Coe Isom. He was the project lead on their Impact Washington Summit held in September and also serves as executive director of the Nursery and Landscape Association Executives (NLAE), which AmericanHort serves as managing partner.

Craig Regelbrugge has been promoted to executive vice president of advocacy, research and industry relations, recognizing his contributions to AmericanHort and the industry. While Regelbrugge key focus areas continue to be labor, workforce and immigration policy, as well as plant health and trade, he is an industry leader with expertise on just about every other legislative and regulatory issue affecting the industry. Regelbrugge will focus more time on strategic advocacy programs and assisting to solve member issues.

“This is an effort to recognize the growing effectiveness of our advocacy capabilities at AmericanHort over the past couple of years”, says Ken Fisher, CEO of AmericanHort. “Craig’s influence and standing in D.C. continues to put AmericanHort in the middle of every important advocacy issue for our industry. The work Craig and Tal did for the industry during the pandemic kept our supply chains open, helped our members navigate changing workplace rules, and ensured our member companies had access to the available COVID stimulus programs. Tal’s growth on industry issues and member relations has allowed us to continue to expand our issues management. We are excited to be able to hire someone with the policy and legislative experience that Evan brings to AmericanHort.”

A short list of early-release varieties gives growers access to new introductions for the upcoming 2022 sales season.

PanAmerican Seed released a select group of new 2023 introductions for sale. These early-release seed products provide growers a chance to purchase larger quantities of new varieties a year in advance and sell them during the 2022 season, rather than only offering small quantities for sampling.

This year’s 2023 early-release list includes three new Beacon Impatiens mixes, named for famous lighthouses across the globe to “shine more light” on color for the shade with high resistance to Impatiens downy mildew. PanAmerican Seed is also releasing seed for Cool Wave Blue Spreading Pansy to meet spring-season demand for pansy baskets and landscape color.

“Giving early access to our newest genetics as soon as we have seed in stock supports the sales timeline for growers and expands our plant trial season,” says Mark Gross, sales account manager for PanAmerican Seed. “PanAmerican Seed remains committed to plant trials with growers before wider introduction to confirm performance. Launching new products early helps generate market interest and feedback from consumers and landscaper customers.”

To see the full list of 2023 early sales products, visit their website. Watch for additional 2023 product launch announcements closer to California Spring Trials in March 2022.