New Hampshire Plant Growers' Association 



Summer 

 Meeting 



Wednesday, August 5 



University of New Hampshire 



Research Greenhouses 



Mast Road Extension, Durham, NH 03824 



At this year's NHPGA summer meeting, hosted by 

 the University of New Hampshire, the research and 

 renovations taking place at the UNH greenhouses 

 will be a major focus. 



But there is more. Tours focus upon greenhouse 

 technology, the horticultural farms, landscape mate- 

 rial, and turf. Topics — marketing, new crop develop- 

 ment, computer usage, etc. — and personnel — from 

 Cooperative Extension, Thompson School, and Plant 

 Biology — are wide-ranging. 



Along with all this, there is the tailgate trade 

 show, an all-you-can-eat barbecue, and the auction 

 benefiting the NHPGA scholarship fund. 



It is also the day of the annual open house at the 

 Woodman Farm. 



And August is a time to see the UNH campus — and 

 all its changes — at its most pastoral. It's a time to re- 

 member — and appreciate. 



Registration information, along with a more de- 

 tailed list of the day's activities, will be sent to all 

 members. 



Support these people; 

 they support the NHPGA 



B.E. Supply 



Bobcat of Boston 



Capitol Forest Products 



Paul Cavicchio Greenhouses 



Chestnut Hill Marketing 



The Conard-Pyle Company 



The Don Ward Company 



Fletcher Granite Company 



Florists' Mutual Insurance 



Harry Stoller and Company 



Hop River Nursery 



K&S/Greenhouse Supply (of Maine) 



Laughton Greenhouses 



Liberty International Truck 



Northeast Nursery 



Pleasant View Gardens 



Prides Corner Farms 



Rimol Greenhouse Systems 



The Robert Baker Company 



Tuckahoe Turf Farm 



Western Maine Nurseries 



W.H. Minkowski 



Winding Brook Turf Farms 



Research for the Green Industry 



Dr. Paul Fisher 



New research on display will be one of the 

 highlights of the NHPGA's summer meet- 

 ing held here at the UNH greenhouses on Au- 

 gust 5. Many projects are underway. 



Some of our greenhouses have been set up to 

 provide precisely controlled growing conditions 

 and these are packed with a variety of crops re- 

 ceiving different environmental controls. Here, 

 rather than formal talks, there will be poster dis- 

 plays throughout, with people to help you inter- 

 pret the information. 



Jeremy Bishko, a Master of Science student, is 

 evaluating strategies for controlling pH, espe- 

 cially for bedding plant species. There are many 

 materials that have been recommended to control 

 pH: for example, potassium bicarbonate and 

 flowable lime to make media basic, or sulfuric 

 acid and iron sulphate to acidify the media. 

 We're running tests to find which products and 

 what rates can effectively correct a problem. 



Plant breeder Dr. Rosanna Freyre is beginning 

 a new crop development program for ornamental 

 plants. One of her first projects, with student 

 Linda Bilodeau, is an evaluation of over a dozen 

 sources of blue pimpernel (Anagallis monellii) 

 for landscape and hanging basket use. 



Another crop we are evaluating is 

 sandersonia, sourced from New Zealand as an al- 

 ternative cut flower. 



If you are growing or planning to grow lilies, 

 our greenhouses contain trials of fifteen cultivars 

 of oriental, Asiatic, and hybrid lilies, a project in 

 collaboration with Dr. Heins at Michigan State, 

 Ednie Bulbs, Inc., and several New England 

 growers. My technician, Brandon Smith, and I 

 are developing graphical tracking tools to help 

 growers time lilies for target flowering dates and 

 to optimize growth retardant applications. 



So come along. These are just a few of the 

 projects on display. I'm sure you will learn 

 something of value for your business. 



Paul Fisher, Department of Plant Biology, can 

 be reached by phone at 603-862-4^2^, fax at 

 6o3-862-4j^j, or e-mail at prf@hopper.unh.edu. 



THE PLANTSMAN 



