Nursery Notes: MTNA trade show offers educational topics

More than ever before, a nursery producer must offer superior quality and do aggressive marketing because of increased competition from other states closer to our market, an abundant supply of plant material being offered on the market and high fuel costs.

A producer must learn as much as possible, plan well and work smarter, not harder. The best management of time, labor and resources is important. Staying busy and working hard is not enough to break out of the pack.

Learning to recognize pests, when to anticipate certain pests, and the best method of control is part of it. I have heard several producers wish for an opportunity to learn to recognize more of the symptoms associated with the various pests.

Drs. Frank Hale and Alan Windham will offer a Woody Ornamental Disease and Insect Workshop at 1:30pm – 4:30pm Thursday, Sept 29, on set-up day for the MTNA trade show at the McMinnville Civic Center. A trade show badge will be required for all of the educational sessions. All badges will be $7 at door, after 9-15-05. They were $5 or free to exhibitors before 9-15-05. This workshop will not be identical to previous workshops. It will be of value to your employees as well.

Consider suggesting your customers attend this workshop or any of the others. Most of the topics are geared this year to our garden center or landscape visitors, especially those needing pesticide points.

Friday’s slate of topics: Gene Hyde is Chattanooga’s Urban Forester, speaking on Keeping Trees Alive and Healthy in Urban Environments at 8:30am. It might benefit a nursery producer to hear the problems of an urban forester. Gene brings a mature approach to this interesting talk. Hugh Conlon, my counterpart from East Tenn. will discuss Using Shade Tolerant Plants Correctly at 9:15am.

Alan Windham will talk at 10am about Diseases That Your Customers Ask About.

Frank Hale will cover Insect and Mite Troublemakers in Ornamentals at 10:45am.

You may know how disheartening it is to slice into the caramel colored wood of cold damaged peach trees ready to sell. Dr. Dennis Deyton, an experienced UT fruit tree physiologist will share what he has learned about which shades of caramel will die and which lighter shades will recover. What Can Be Done about Freeze Damage on Woody Plants will be at 11:30am.

The ‘Air Spade’ will be demonstrated at 12:15 by Dr. Douglas Airhart and Nick Kuhn. High pressure air safely removes the soil and exposes the root system. This tool is beginning to be used in the landscape to determine if a declining tree has any root issues; such as girdling roots or if it was planted too deep.

Carol Reese, my counterpart in West Tenn. will present a dazzling slide show entitled “Star Search: Plant Superstars, Wanna-bes, Oughta-bes, and Has-beens…/Bullet Proof Plants That Do Not Require Pesticides” at 1:30 p.m.

Weed Management in Ornamental Landscape Plantings will be discussed by Darren Robinson at 2:15 p.m.

Tom Stebbins has looked at a lot of sick plants from one end of Tennessee to the other. He will play with The Pros and Cons of Guaranteeing Plants at 3 p.m.

Pests of Regulatory Concerns — An Update by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture with Gray Haun at 3:45 p.m.

A trade show badge will be required for all of the educational sessions. All badges will be $7 at door, after 9-15-05. They were $5 or free to exhibitors before 9-15-05.