^a**' 



THE GREEN SPOT 



Greenhouse temperatures are hovering close to 90 

 degrees. The temperature Inside your WPS (Worker 

 Protection Standard) -required PPE (Personal Protective 

 Equipment) Is around 120. Sound familiar? Have you been 

 assaulting your thrlps with chemicals to assure their de- 

 mise? Have you been successful? Or are your thrlps be- 

 coming resistant? How 'bout your aphlds, your whiteflles, 

 your gnats? 



In twelve hours, after the lapse of your REI (Re- 

 stricted Entry interval), you can go back Into the green- 

 house and check It out. And, If you've sprayed thor- 

 oughly. Including all plant parts — even leaf undersides, 

 you may have a temporary victory. 



Doesn't sound too glamorous, does it? For most 

 growers I talk to. It's a real pain in the (expletive), in 

 the ads. It sounds like peaches-and-cream; in real life, 

 it's an arduous, labor-intensive, expensive ordeal. And 

 the real kicker is that It doesn't always work: the re- 

 suits are often unpredictable. 



Bio -control, like chemicals, Is also unpredictable to a 

 certain extent. We see an 85% success rate among our 

 customers. It's good — but It's not 100%. Bio-control and 



Integrated Pest Management practices tend to be more 

 expensive as well — not that chemicals are cheap; how- 

 ever, labor-wise, they are much less of a drain, instead 

 of suiting up and spraying in the greenhouse for two 

 hours in the sun, you tap bugs out of a bottle for ten 

 minutes In the cooler evening or early morning hours. 



The movement and use of biological pest control 

 agents is regulated locally by state agriculture departments 

 and, nationally, by the USDA. (Your bio-control distributor 

 Is legally required to obtain these permits for you.) Bio- 

 controls are exempt from EPA regulation. Growers using 

 bio-controls do not fall Into the web of worker protection 

 standards during those activities: no PPE; no REI. 



What's In It for you? Well, If the reasons above aren't 

 enough, one grower said about his bio-control expenses: 

 "Sure, they seem to cost more; and labor Isn't an Issue, 

 because I don't pay myself anyway, but I figure I'll save a 

 bundle on my cancer treatments someday." 



Mike Chertm Is president of The Green Spot, Ltd., The 

 Department of Blo-lngenuHy, 93 Priest Road, Nottingham, 

 NH 03290-6204. He can be reached at 603-924-8925. 



i.*^^?'^: 



GARDEHMS 



WHOLESALE GROWERS and SUPPLIERS 

 of QUALITY PLANTS 



Spring Annuals • Geraniums • Hanging Baskerts 

 Perennials and Foliage Plants 3" to 10" 



P.O. Box 360 • Alton NH 038(» • Tel: 6(13-875-4444 

 Located on Route 28, 1 ' /\ mile south of the Alton Traific Circle 



Chimef!^ Bnice i)nd Linda Hohms 



Laughton's Garden Center Inc. 



Cal Laughton, Florist 



Distributors of Nursery Overwintering Blankets 



WHOLESALE AND RETAIL NURSERY 



NURSERY STOCK • ANNUALS • PERENNIALS • FERTILIZERS • INSECTICIDES 



1-800-633-0159 

 155-165 Princeton Blvd., No. Chelmsford, MA 01863 



CHARLES LAUGHTON. PRESIDENT • DAVE POLGREEN. NURSERY SAI.ES 



AUGUST 8. SEPTEMBER 



