Smart growing solutions: Technologies designed to help growers improve efficiency and production management
New products at Cultivate’26 highlighted advances in testing, labeling and propagation. Discover featured exhibitors and evaluate the latest growing solutions.
Key takeaways
- Bluelab introduced the pH PenPlus with a replaceable probe and pH/temperature measurement.
- Dreamtree Horticulture Services is promoting its on-demand plant label printing platform.
- Dreamtree’s solution aims to reduce label inventory and simplify printing operations.
- Oasis Grower Solutions introduced a RhizoPlug Sheet Propagation Kit for smaller growers.
- Oasis also launched Eleganz, a cleaner and leaf shine product for tropical foliage plants.
Attendees at Cultivate’26 had an opportunity to see new products and plant varieties from national and international companies.
Over 20 companies participated in the New Product Exhibitors display and more than 40 companies participated in the New Varieties Exhibitors display. These companies also participated in the trade show, giving attendees a broader look at their products, plants and services offered.
Here are some of the new products showcased in the New Products Exhibitors display.
BLUELAB
Bluelab is a New Zealand-based company that has been in business for over 30 years. It is a global company with customers in over 40 countries working primarily in the horticulture sector with an emphasis on water and nutrient testing. The company manufactures testing equipment focusing on pH, electrical conductivity (EC), oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) and temperature.
At Cultivate’26, Bluelab showcased its new Bluelab pH PenPlus, a waterproof meter that delivers fast, reliable pH and temperature measurements. It also features a replaceable probe. The pH PenPlus has a pH range from 0-14, displays temperature in Celsius or Fahrenheit, and has a bright backlit display for easy reading. Its screw-cap probe design provides for quick replacement when the probe reaches the end of its life. The pen has a simple two-point calibration with a 30-day reminder.
“The Bluelab pH PenPlus builds on the success of the Bluelab pH pen, which is our top-selling SKU globally,” said Kevin Willetts, Bluelab national sales manager. “It’s been a mainstay for us.
“The primary difference between the Bluelab pH PenPlus and the Bluelab pH Pen is that the PenPlus offers a replaceable probe where the pH pen does not. This new product is for growers who want equipment designed for continuous use. The pH PenPlus enables growers to replace the pH probe at a marginal cost compared to replacing the whole pen.”
Bluelab also offers the OnePen, which tests pH, EC and temperature. The OnePen also connects to Edenic, Bluelab’s mobile app, to capture and log readings in real time. Like the new pH PenPlus, the OnePen has a replaceable probe.
“All of Bluelab’s testing equipment can be used with any type of substrate,” Willetts said. “Many ornamental growers test the pH and EC of the runoff once the nutrient solution has made its way through the substrate and is collected. Growers can also use a pour-through extraction where the substrate is saturated, the leachate is collected and tested to provide a snapshot of what’s occurring in the root zone.”
DREAMTREE HORTICULTURE SERVICES
Dreamtree Horticulture Services has its roots in the United Kingdom, where the company has operated for more than 25 years, building technology solutions for commercial growers.
“Dreamtree has been providing technology solutions to U.K. growers that assist with production planning, inventory management and point-of-sale software,” said Gopal Ramanathan, Dreamtree founder and CEO.
“Our combined solutions effectively function as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software. They help growers with accounting, purchase orders, customer orders, production planning, inventory management and label printing in an integrated manner. The applications we create help growers improve their operations.”
Dreamtree entered the North American market in June 2024 with its full set of solutions but decided to focus on its On Demand Label printing solution, which helps commercial growers reduce large inventories of plant tags and simplify tag operations.
“Dreamtree doesn’t focus on ERP in the North American market,” Ramanathan said. “We are focused on helping growers simplify and lean out their label operations using our advanced label design and printing technology. The U.S. is by far the largest market for plant sales, and it has a major challenge when it comes to printing and delivering plant labels.
“Practically every grower operation has a label graveyard where unused labels are discarded each year. Growers are required to buy tags well in advance, often with minimum order quantities.”
Since many growers produce speculatively, they don’t always know which plants will sell each year. They also don’t grow the same varieties or quantities every year, leaving excess labels unused.
“Maintaining label inventories takes space and time because of the large number of plant varieties growers cultivate,” Ramanathan said. “In addition, customer requests such as barcodes and pricing often require thermal sticker labels to be added later, increasing labor and production time.”
Dreamtree currently offers growers the ability to print labels on demand within their own facilities using a combination of its software, recommended equipment and label substrate.
The company is also expanding into on-demand online ordering.
“Most growers need labels at the time of transplanting or when they are ready to ship the product,” Ramanathan said. “Regardless of what their workflow is, we can help growers print or order their own labels or order them only when needed so they don’t have to maintain large tag rooms. With our design software and ability to create custom labels, growers can also market more effectively. This is a problem we have successfully solved for growers in the U.K. and now want to bring to the U.S. market.”
Through its new platform, Dreamtree is also looking to add an online ordering service. This will enable growers to receive labels from a Dreamtree certified print shop within two to five days.
“This ordering service will enable growers who may not want to run their own label print operations to receive labels quickly when they need them,” Ramanathan said. “Any print shop in the U.S. and Canada, regardless of size, can sign up on our platform to serve the horticulture community.”
OASIS GROWER SOLUTIONS
OASIS RhizoPlug Sheet Propagation Kit
OASIS RhizoPlug sheets were introduced in November 2023 for the propagation of vegetative cuttings. The sheets, which typically come in cases of 20, have proved popular with commercial growers. Oasis Grower Solutions introduced the OASIS RhizoPlug Sheet Propagation Kit to bring professional-grade substrates to small-scale greenhouses, home growers and retailers.
“The new kit is for growers or home gardeners who only need a small quantity of substrate or may want to trial the OASIS RhizoPlug sheet before they buy a large quantity,” said Sarah Miller, Oasis Grower Solutions product applications specialist. “We have had great success with the OASIS RhizoPlug technology, which is an engineered foam substrate. Oasis Grower Solutions took the sheet and designed an easy-to-use complete propagation kit.”
RhizoPlug sheets are intended for the rooting of vegetative cuttings, including herbs, flowering plants and tropicals. The propagation kit is available in 50- or 104-count RhizoPlug sheets. The kit also comes with 1020 plastic trays, including one primary tray with drainage holes and one solid bottom tray.
“The trays in the kit are standard 1020 trays, which the sheets were initially designed to fit,” Miller said. “If growers already have 1020 trays and are looking to buy the OASIS RhizoPlug sheets to trial, they can do that as well. Oasis Grower Solutions also offers refill options.”
The kit also includes instructions that provide information to growers or first-time users who may not be familiar with using engineered substrates.
OASIS Eleganz
Oasis Grower Solutions also introduced OASIS Eleganz, a scalable cleaner and leaf shine product developed for use on tropical foliage plants. The product delivers an even coating on plant leaves and does not attract dust and dirt like some plant shine products. Rather than hiding any chemical residues or calcium deposit spots caused by hard water, it removes them.
Available in 1-, 5-, 15- and 55-gallon containers, this liquid concentrate can be diluted at either 2% creating a light shine, or 2.5% to produce a brighter shine and a more active cleaning effect. Eleganz can be applied with irrigation booms, or backpack and handheld sprayers depending on the number of plants to be treated.
Eleganz is plant-friendly, nontoxic and doesn’t negatively impact the plants’ ability to transpire. It protects the leaves from excessive drying and keeps the leaves clean and firm to prevent wilting.
FAQ
What new products did Bluelab exhibit at Cultivate’26?
The company featured the Bluelab pH PenPlus and highlighted its OnePen.
What does Dreamtree Horticulture Services offer?
The company provides on-demand plant label printing technology and related software.
What is included in the OASIS RhizoPlug Sheet Propagation Kit?
The kit includes RhizoPlug sheets, 1020 trays and instructions.
What is OASIS Eleganz used for?
It is a cleaner and leaf shine product for tropical foliage plants.
David Kuack is a freelance technical writer in Fort Worth, Texas. He can be reached at dkuack@gmail.com.