Apr 27, 2009

Around the IndustrySource: Various

Athens Select Introduces Eco-Friendly Tags

Athens Select recently introduced a new, high-impact tag that’s sure to have the varieties jumping off retailers’ shelves. The tags, produced by MasterTag, not only update the look of Athens Select varieties, but they’re also an environmentally friendly choice: made from recycled material and also recyclable themselves.

“We were looking for a fresh new look for our tags, but we also wanted to minimize the impact on the environment,” said Dr. Allan Armitage, founder of the program and self-proclaimed “plant guy” of the group. “So we chose an environmentally responsible option without compromising visual appeal.”

Designed around Athens Select’s signature colors, bright orange and green, the tags feature sun-like graphics that emphasize the collection’s exceptional heat and humidity tolerance. The bold, sizzling hues and asymmetrical shape combine for a look that’s sure to draw in consumers.

Each tag features plant details and growing requirements including size, exposure, uses, water, USDA Zone, bloom, feeding and pruning.

The tags represent the first new look for the varieties since the Athens Select program began.

De Vroomen Announces 2010 Catalog Release

De Vroomen Holland will publish its 2010 perennials catalog on May 25. Among the almost 700 varieties picked for their reliability and performance, De Vroomen’s 2010 catalog will feature 91 additions to the previous year’s selections, including five brand-new introductions from the Netherlands.

Astilbe ‘De Luxe’, a new introduction for 2010, joins De Vroomen’s extensive astilbe collection, which includes many classics and recent introductions from the Dutch-bred ‘Music’ and ‘Younique’ series.

Arie Blom’s echinacea ‘Hot Papaya’ joins his ‘Coconut Lime’ and ‘Pink Double Delight’ to offer a color choice trio of doubles.

De Vroomen’s substantial collection of Oriental poppies gains another 5 selections from Eleonore de Koning, including four new introductions for 2010: ‘Little Patty Plum’, ‘Marlene’, ‘Paradiso’ and ‘Rococo’.

Several recently introduced varieties of daylily, iris and heuchera also bolster the choice in those popular categories.

For more information, visit www.devroomen.com.

Pöppelmann Group Mourns Company Leader

Gertrud Pöppelmann, sole stockholder of the Pöppelmann Group, died April 18, 2009. She was 84.

In 1953, she joined the company, which her husband, Josef, had founded in 1949. After his death in 1983, she assumed the role of managing director with her brother-in-law Karl-Heinz Diekmann. In 1997, she left management to join the company’s advisory board and remained a member until her death.

“Gertrud Pöppelmann has shaped the company’s unique spirit. She has ensured that a human touch, kindness and care for the employees ranked first,” said Pöppelmann managing director Friedrich Kühling. “We are very much indebted to her.”

The Pöppelmann Group, one of the leading enterprises in the plastics processing industry in Europe, currently has 1,400 employees who develop and manufacture high-tech plastic products in its plants in Germany, France and the United States. Their customers reside in more than 70 countries worldwide. Since 2007, Pöppelmann Plastics USA LLC is manufacturing the horticultural products of its TEKU division in Claremont, N.C.

For more information on the company, visit www.poeppelmann.com/index.gb.html.

Sumagic Registered for Vegetable Transplants

Valent Professional Products recently announced the registration of Sumagic plant growth regulator for use on multiple vegetable transplant crops grown in commercial greenhouses, including tomato, pepper, eggplant, groundcherry, pepino and tomatillo.

Sumagic has been used for years in greenhouse operations to increase marketability and shelf life of a wide variety of bedding and potted plants and woody ornamentals.

“Before Sumagic, transplant growers were forced to rely on environmental techniques and low levels of fertility to help maintain compact vegetable plugs,” said Jason Fausey, field market development specialist with Valent Professional Products. “Sumagic allows growers greater flexibility in managing these plants for shipping, helping improve the overall flow of the operation.”

Sumagic, which contains the active ingredient uniconazole, is now registered for use as a foliar spray on vegetable transplants. Sumagic’s recommended label rate for this new use pattern is 2 to 10 ppm at a volume of 2 quarts per 100 square feet of crop, though trials conducted at Michigan State University showed that as little as a single 1-ppm spray application of Sumagic had a significant effect on inhibiting extension growth of tomato seedlings.

Fausey recommended that growers conduct their own small-scale trials to find the ideal rates of Sumagic for their particular greenhouse needs. Sumagic is registered for use on vegetable transplants in all states except California and New York.

For more information on Sumagic or any of Valent’s products, visit www.valent.com.