May 30, 2008

Cornell Floriculture Field Day: An Educational ExperienceSource: Cornell University

Networking. Education. Inspiration. All great reasons to attend the 2008 Cornell Floriculture Field Day, taking place on July 22 at the university, located in Ithaca, N.Y.

The morning educational seminars will feature talks by leading industry experts:

• Rick Schoellhorn, director of new products for Proven Winners, on “Growing and Enjoying New Annuals.”
• John Sanderson on “Insect Wars: Battling Some Big Pests.”
• Neil Mattson on “A Prescription for Healthy Plants: Avoiding Common Plant Nutrient Disorders in the Greenhouse and Landscape.”

In the afternoon, participants will visit the extensive plant trials, featuring over 1,000 different annuals and perennials. Cornell professionals will lead informal tours in the gardens.

The annual beds are sponsored by Ball FloraPlant, Ball Seed, GroLink, Oro Farms, Pan American Seed, Proven Winners and Syngenta Flowers (seed and vegetative).

Attendees will have the opportunity to discover creative uses of plant material while viewing entries in the fifth annual Kathy Pufahl Memorial Container Design Competition, or submit a container of their own. Mixed containers will be displayed and judged with all proceeds benefiting Crohn’s Disease research. To enter the contest, contact Karen Hall, New York State Flower Industries, at (716) 941-3502.

For ornamental producers not afraid to get their hands a little dirty, there will be a hands-on workshop from 1 to 5 p.m. July 21 on the Cornell campus. Participants will practice testing container media and looking at Botrytis and thrips.

To register for these educational opportunities, visit http://www.greenhouse.cornell.edu/. For additional information, contact Dolores Higareda at (607) 255-1789 or dh29@cornell.edu.