June 2025 Associations, Education, Events, Grower News
Biocontrol education at Cultivate’25

Workshops and sessions combine hands-on learning with pertinent pest and biocontrols updates

Manage pests and diseases; don’t let them manage you. These words are the perfect summation of the Cultivate’25 workshop and education sessions focused on using biological control methods for greenhouse production.

Cultivate’s biocontrols-focused educational offerings are an engaging style of hands-on learning, peer-to-peer sharing and Q&A, coupled with the traditional presenterplus- PowerPoint delivery.

Michael Brownbridge, senior technical services manager for BioWorks, is a presenter within the Greenhouse Pest & Disease Management Workshop on Saturday, July 12, as well as presenting the sessions “Biofungicides and Biostimulants: Friends with Benefits” and “Application of Biorational Pesticides: Tips and Considerations” in conjunction with Louis Damm of Dramm Corp.

The sessions are designed for all growers, no matter their experience level.

“There’s going to be information that everybody can use, even if it’s an affirmation of ‘OK, I am doing this correctly,’” Brownbridge said. “There’s no point in using materials if you can’t make them work or don’t know if it’s doing any good. You should pay attention to the materials that are being used and understand how to use them to get the best out of them.”

TEACHING THROUGH HANDS-ON TECHNIQUES

Suzanne Wainwright-Evans of Buglady Consulting will lead the Saturday Greenhouse Pest & Disease Management Workshop, sponsored by Mycorrhizal Applications. An additional 10 industry experts were chosen to contribute throughout the day based on their expertise in a particular area. These leaders teach skills or new technologies in a very hands-on way in a working greenhouse.

Some of the skills and topics participants will learn include:

Root bioassay techniques to assess activity of microbial biopesticides;
Root staining to assess mycorrhizal inoculation;
Setting up scientifically based trialing and assessment in production facilities;
Different sticky card technology and scouting techniques;
New biocontrol products;
Sub-irrigation and capillary mat systems;
Using virus test kits.

“The idea is you’re going to learn skills, but it’s also great networking for industry growers in a smaller environment with the people who are at the top of their game in their fields,” Wainwright-Evans said.

She also noted that each workshop participant receives a reference notebook containing how-to materials and information from each workshop leader, an invaluable take-home resource that participants can share with coworkers. The Greenhouse Pest & Disease Management Workshop requires additional registration, so add this experience while registering for Cultivate’25.

On Sunday, July 13, Wainwright-Evans will also present the Pest Management Update, a popular session she’s offered for several years. It’s a fast-paced run-through of new pest issues, new research, and new technologies that have occurred around the world during the last year.

“A lot of times there’s good information growers need to go through, but they don’t need to spend an hour with a presentation — they just want the answer and to know what works,” she said.

An accompanying handout with booth numbers for the makers of the products she mentions makes this session a must-attend.

Another session Wainwright-Evans is leading is “Ensuring Biocontrol Success: Quality Assessment of Beneficials.” This 3-hour hands-on session, sponsored by BASF, addresses challenges that may arise in shipping, storing or mishandling biocontrols.

All these biocontrol-focused sessions benefit a grower’s bottom line, “especially the quality control sessions,” Wainwright-Evans said. “It’s a waste of time and money to put out beneficials that aren’t viable, and then you get a pest problem and you have to come back and treat again.”

She makes a point of including information in her sessions about the economics of biocontrols and understanding that doing this early work will save money in the long run.

The sessions that fall under Integrated Pest, Disease & Biocontrol Management are available to Cultivate all-access pass holders. Learn more about these sessions, sign up for the workshop and register for Cultivate’25 at americanhort.org/cultivate.