Perennia Spray Guides

Sunday, March 17, 2024

We have some exciting news!

A few of Perennia's team members have taken on the enormous task of re-formatting our current spray guide layout! We are moving away from the classic word document summaries of all of the products that are listed for a particular commodity group, and towards a more interactive, searchable platform. You still have the capacity to print information if that is your preferred way to access the information, but with now the added flexibility to sort and filter based on exactly what your looking for! 

We will be hosting a full tutorial session coming up at the end of March, so be sure to register for your first look at the new format, and ask any questions you may have.

Hope to see you there!
-Talia 


March 2024 Newsletter

Sunday, March 3, 2024

Upcoming Events

Below is a summary of some of the industry events that are coming up in the next few weeks! The events listed below are primarily hosted by Perennia, and more information on each of them can be found here.

  • Pesticide Information impacting Horticulture and Field Crops - March 5, 2024
  • Nematode and Soil Health Convention - March 7, 2024
  • TunnelTalk
    • March 13- Reviewing the Efficacy of Botrytis control products w. Dr. Anissa Poleatewich
    • April 3 - Pollination w. Andrea Keddy
  • 2024 Berry Primer - March 21, 2024
  • South Shore Ag Day - March 25, 2024
  • Horticulture Nova Scotia presents 'Soil Moisture Tools' - April 9, 2024
    • This will not be a greenhouse-specific event, but should prove valuable for outdoor veg producers!

Program Updates

On Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF) Extended Funding for 2024-2025!
Perennia is excited to announce that our agreement with AAFC for an additional year of programming has been solidified! Applications for 2024 will open Monday, March 4. This is an extension of the program that was offered in 2022 and 2023, so we are still focused on supporting implementation relating to these three best management practices:
    Nitrogen Management
    Cover Cropping
    Rotational Grazing

For any questions about OFCAF, your eligibility, or anything else program related, reach out to our OFCAF technical lead, Georgia Lewis!

2023 Season Response Program
This program is intended to support farmers impacted by extreme weather and wildfires in 2023. It builds on other business risk management programs that were available last year, intending to help those still recovering, or who were not covered by other support programs. The new program covers crop damage and yield loss that was a direct result of flooding, excessive preceiptiation or wildfire damage. Other losses such as farm infrastructure, supply losses, and the cost of re-establishing fields may qualify and will be considered. 

THE DEADLINE TO APPLY IS MARCH 13, 2024.
 Click here for more details.

Hurricane Fiona Supplemental Relief Program

Seasonal Considerations

With crop planning underway, its important to start thinking about our nutrient management plans and assessing which amendments we want to use this season. We have talked a lot about nitrogen management last year, and the implications to greenhouse soil health when we don't look at the entire breakdown of our amendments. With a heavy emphasis on hitting the target nitrogen levels for our main cash crops, it can be easy to overlook the amount of phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and sodium that are also being added into the system. Without additional management plans in place, these nutrients will accumulate exponentially in our greenhouse soils, making it increasingly difficult to produce a healthy and productive crop. 

Check out the webinars we hosted with Judson Reid last year talking about this very issue, or our summary fact sheet:

Considering a new supplier of compost this year? Check out our compost analysis fact sheet, which provides a breakdown of what our reports are telling us, and what it means for our farm. 

Production Tidbits: Germination!

A few years ago, I played around with different combinations of heating mats, and domes, to assess their impact on germination uniformity and success. Here's what I found:

For the first round, the room was set to 70F (21C)

Results 7 days post seeding: 

  •     No seeds had germinated in the control treatment, or the heat mat treatment
  •     Staggered germination of 5/36 tomatoes in the plastic dome treatment
  •     Consistent emergence of 29/36 tomatoes in the heat mat + plastic dome treatment

A few other noteworthy comments from the first round:

  • Treatments without a dome were much more prone to drying out compared to those with domes. It required a more frequent application of water to the top of the soil to make sure seeds had the moisture they needed
  • The combination of the heat mat and the plastic dome saw much earlier emergence compared to the plastic dome on its own

For the second round, the room was set to 80F (26.7C) 

Results 7 days post seeding: 

  • 10/36 seeds germinated in the control treatment
  • 0/36 seeds germinated in the heat mat treatment
  • 28/36 tomatoes germinated in the plastic dome treatment
  • 19/36 tomatoes in the heat mat + plastic dome treatment

The plot thickens!

In this round, the added humidity around the seeds was the most beneficial in aiding successful and uniform germination. Because the temperature was considerably higher for this round, the heat mat was not advantageous to germination and likely resulted in the potting mix drying out at an accelerated rate compared to the control treatment. 

What can we take from this?

  • As with any input, it will only be worthwhile if it is implemented appropriately. Adding a heat mat to a cooler temperature germination space will give the seeds the boost they need for more successful emergence. Adding a heat mat to a warm temperature germination space is not going to give you an advantage, because temperature is not the limiting factor in this scenario. 
  • The domes were a very handy tool for creating a more humid space around the seeds, and reducing the amount of water that needed to be added to the system through the process. That being said...the dome should be removed once the majority of the seeds have germinated. Many post-emergence diseases do thrive in warm and wet environments, and we do not want to encourage their establishment. Do not wait for the plants to hit the roof of the dome before removing it. Once you see >60% of those stems and cotyledons break through the soil, it is time to remove the dome. 
  • It is cheaper to heat up a dome/heat mat system than it is to keep an entire greenhouse at 80F for the duration of emergence and early seedling life. 
  • For those of you who have trouble maintaining consistent temperatures in your germination space, consider adding both. From the first round of trialing, the heat mat on its own was not successful at boosting the quality of the transplants. While we did see some plants pop up under the dome treatment, the quality and consistency across treatment 4 (dome + heat mat) was significantly better. 
  • If properly cleaned and stored, heat mats and domes can be re-used from year to year, making the most of your initial investment.

Feature Pest/Disease

With transplant production top of mind, damping off seems like an appropriate choice for this months feature focus. 

Here are a few things we can do to reduce the degree of damping off we see in our seedlings:

1) Use clean potting materials! Seeding trays, carrier trays, domes, heating mats, gloves, shovels, and everything that can be re-used between seasons should be CLEANED before we get started. Ideally this includes a wash with soapy water, left to air dry, then followed by a sterilizing agent, to make sure there are no stow-aways year to year, waiting for fresh young roots to start growing again.

2) Careful moisture monitoring! Potting mixes are notorious for having different water holding capacities. Fine, small particle mixes are very effective at holding onto water for long periods of time, which requires less watering by you. It can also mean that your plant roots are constantly surrounded by water, with no opportunity to dry out or access air-filled pores, making them prone to fungal infection. Larger particle mixes are very good at draining water, meaning your plants may need more frequent water application compared to others. Ideally your potting mix consists of both fine and larger particle sizes, facilitating both drainage and some water holding capacity. 

The colour of the potting mix surface can be misleading in deciding whether or not the plants need more water. The weight of a tray or pot is a great indication of how much water your substrate is holding, and whether more needs to be applied. 

3) Consider preventative product applications! There are many biological based products which have proved very efficacious against early season fungal disease. Agents such as Trichoderma spp. will coat the new roots as they grow, and provide competition for any problematic agents that are also present in your potting mix. These products can be applied multiple times, according to label instructions, during transplant production and at the time of transplanting, so keep your eye out for these if you are wanting the extra assurance for strong, healthy transplants!

4) Make sure that your seeding tray/propagation setup allows for drainage. A substrate that is not allowed to drain will cause more headaches than solutions.

5) Environmental monitoring! Excess humidity, whether that's from standing water on the floor/carrier trays, or through a covering left on too long, can be hugely problematic. We want some humidity to give our plants everything they need as they set the stage for our 2024 crops, but its important to manage water in all parts of your germination space, not just the potting mix itself. 

Recent Uploads

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That's all for now! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to your extension specialist.

Happy growing everyone!
-Talia 

Innovating in increments

Friday, February 16, 2024

 Optimizing your production system is a daunting task. It’s easy to get lost in internet spirals promising to double your yields with one easy change... Fighting through the click-bait is challenging.

One of the most attainable ways of optimizing your farm is to make small easily achievable changes across several factors of your operation instead of trying to make one big change that could work but is harder to achieve and inherently riskier.

Relatively small changes can have incrementally huge impacts on your operation. Here are some resources to help make small but meaningful changes to your operation:

- Plastic mulches are not created equal. The type of plastic mulch you choose to use will dramatically affect your yield for a relatively minor change in input costs:

 See this demonstration that we carried out last year as an example: https://www.novascotiavegetableblog.com/2023/12/your-choice-of-mulch-dramatically.html

- Optimize your organic amendments based on nutrient release and be mindful of soil temperatures. Organic amendments require mineralization to release plant-available nutrients. When your soils are cold/wet in the spring very few nutrients are made available to your crops. Consider applying an immediately plant-available nutrient supplement until your microbes are active in your soil system.

See this fact-sheet for more information on nitrogen mineralization: https://ofcaf.perennia.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2023/09/Nitrogen-Mineralization-from-Organic-Fertility-Sources_3.pdf

- Switching to targeted biopesticides where possible can help eliminate pathogens while maintaining diverse and ‘beneficial’ microbial populations in your soils and on your plants.

See this fact-sheet for more information on biopesticides: https://www.perennia.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Biopesticides-Fact-Sheet-Final.pdf

Check out our YouTube channel for more ideas and suggestions for ways to optimize your systems. There are hundreds of videos specific to our climate and soils ranging from soil testing, marketing, cover cropping, to calving lambs and everything in between.

https://www.youtube.com/@nsperennia/videos

Hopefully you’re having a good start to the season!

Tim

Tunnel Talk(s) in 2024

Thursday, December 28, 2023

 Introducing the latest addition to Perennia’s extension portfolio, TunnelTalk


This series aims to provide a recurring virtual space for producers of all shapes and sizes to come together and discuss all things protected agriculture. The main topic for discussion will vary month to month, with outside expertise on relevant topics, grower roundtables, shared experiences with techniques and technology, and group troubleshooting. This series of meetings is intended to be driven by grower feedback, so if there are any topics you'd like to see featured in these meetings, don't hesitate to communicate them! 

Upcoming sessions:

January 10 from 8:30-9:30 with Guest Speaker Anna Teston

The main topic of discussion will be anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD). Join our in-house protected crop specialist and Anna Teston to hear about her research in this space and experience conducting ASD on farm. Anna is a Research Plant Pathologist with the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Her research program focuses on developing disease management strategies for horticultural crops in controlled environment agriculture, including high tunnels. She has been studying ways to reduce the impacts of soilborne diseases in high tunnels, including the use of anaerobic soil disinfestation, grafting and soil steaming.

This session will start off with a presentation, followed by participant questions. As always, there will be space for a general round table to voice concerns/pain points/success stories amongst the group after the main presentation.

February 7 from 8:30 - 9:30 with Guest Speaker Caitlin McCavour

The main topic of discussion will be nutrient management planning in soil-based systems. Join our in-house protected crop specialist and soil specialist for a discussion on some of the unique challenges tunnel and greenhouse spaces present when it comes to nutrient management planning. This session will start off with a presentation from Caitlin McCavour, followed by grower questions. As always, there will be space for a general round table to voice concerns/pain points/success stories amongst the group. 

March 13 from 8:30 - 9:30 with Guest Speaker Dr. Anissa Poleatewich

Dr. Anissa Poleatewich will summarize her work examining biological-based product efficacy against botrytis! 

Stay tuned for quarterly updates on upcoming dates and topics. For registration and question submission, visit our website!


Hope to see you there

-Talia 

Your choice of mulch dramatically affects plant growth and yield!

Thursday, December 14, 2023

 This year we carried out demonstrations on 3 biodegradable mulches and 3 non-biodegradable mulches to see how they compare in a sweet potato production system here in Nova Scotia.

As horrible as this year turned out to be, it was the perfect year to trial plastic mulches as for many they made the difference between growing a marketable crop.. or not. Sweet potatoes are a challenging crop to grow in N.S, they need a long season with warm soils to produce tubers that make grade.

We demonstrated six different mulches, 3 biodegradable, and 3 nondegradable to test a variety of colours and thicknesses/material. There was a 30% difference in yields between the highest and lowest performers as well as differences in tuber grades (sizing) for each mulch. Before I talk about the treatments, it’s important to remember that this is not a replicated trial; the results highlight striking differences between mulches, but this is by no means conclusive.

Treatments:

-          Dubois, black, 1 mil embossed plastic (non-degradable)

-          Heartnut Grove, green, 1 mil (non-degradable)

-          Solar Shrink, black, 0.5 mil (non-degradable)

-          Film Organic “88”, black, 0.8 mil (biodegradable)

-          Dubois Bio360, black, 0.5 mil (biodegradable)

-          Dubois Bio360, clear, 0.5 mil (biodegradable)

Method:

-          3 rows, 400ft long, of each of each mulch was laid on June 13, 2023. Raised beds were 10" high, 28" wide.

-          Slips planted in late June. Management practices identical to rest of field (fertility, pesticides, etc)

-          12ft sections from each row were harvested Sept 19. Weighed for above and below ground biomass; tubers graded with a standard sizing board (<1.5”; 1.5” – 2.0”; 2.0” – 3.5”; >3.5”).

Results:

The table 1 below details specific results, with green highlighting showing the best performer in each category/column. Here are some brief takeaways:

-          The three non-degradable mulches produced the highest grade A (2” – 3.5”) tubers.

-          The green mulch produced the highest average weight per tuber (160 g) and stimulated root growth over shoot growth (root to shoot ratio).

-          The two Dubois biodegradable mulches were slightly too thin. The black 0.5 mil adequately controlled weeds but was severely degraded by September. The clear 0.5 mil had ruptured by July 20th and was overrun by weeds.

-          From these results I would recommend choosing a black biodegradable mulch no thinner than 0.6 mil and a clear biodegradable mulch no thinner than 0.8 mil.

-          We did not assess the cost difference between each mulch or consider the added cost of removing nondegradable mulches at the end of the season. These costs needed to be factored in to determine the profitability of using each mulch.

Table 1. results of mulch demonstration


    Please reach out to me at tmorcom@perennia.ca to discuss mulches, our results, or your plans for next year.


    Tim












Cover Cropping Question Bonanza!

Monday, December 11, 2023

Interested in an opportunity to discuss your farm-specific cover crop questions with a Perennia specialist? Check out two upcoming virtual events, where the entire session is driven by YOU! Questions can be submitted beforehand, or live during the event, as your ideas are sparked by discussion happening in real time. 

'Cover Crops - Ask Us Anything!' taking place December 13 @ Noon 

Did you try cover cropping for the first time in 2023? Been doing it for a while but struggled with the wet conditions? Whatever your questions about cover crops, we’ve got answers!  


As a follow-up to last year’s Cover Crops: Ask Us Anything webinar, join Perennia cover crop experts Berry Specialist Sonny Murray and Fields Crops Specialist Caitlin Congdon for a live question-and-answer webinar about cover crops! Attendees are encouraged to submit questions in advance and join us on December 13 at noon to hear the answers and tune into the discussion.

Registration details can be found here!

'Cover Crops and Split Nutrient Application - Ask Us Anything! (Protected Ag Edition)' taking place February 6 @ Noon

This session takes a look at cover cropping and split nutrient applications in protected spaces! A spin-off inspired by the session listed above, this is a great opportunity to ask any questions you may have about implementing these practices in your tunnels. 

Join Perennia’s subject experts, Protected Crop Specialist Talia Plaskett, Berry Specialist Sonny Murry and Fields Crops Specialist Caitlin Congdon, for a live question-and-answer webinar! We will also be featuring two season farmers as well, to give their two cents on their own experience, and comment on practice feasibility. Where cover crops are a relatively new practice to protected spaces, we still have a lot to learn. The more perspectives we can bring to the table to come up with a solution, the better! 


Attendees are encouraged to submit questions in advance and join us live on February 6 at noon to hear the answers and tune into the discussion.
 Registration information can be found here!

Looking forward to seeing you there!

-Talia

Interpreting a Compost Analysis

Monday, December 4, 2023

The incorporation of compost into your production spaces is a great way to recycle nutrients and carbon back into the soil, turning waste into something that will feed future crops and soil microbes. The variety of materials incorporated into compost, however, is highly variable. Plant residue, municipal solid waste, food processing waste, pulp or paper mill solids, manure and seafood wastes are all contenders for being included in a compost. The range of materials, each with their own broad ranges of nutrient concentrations, makes it a highly inconsistent product between batches, even where the supplier remains consistent. This variation in composition is going to have implications for nutrient management planning year to year - we can't necessarily apply the same volume from year to year and expect the same impact on our soils. 

In order to approach our nutrient management and compost applications with increased accuracy, it is recommended to submit compost samples for analysis. Nova Scotia's provincial lab services offer this as an option, and the report will break down the nutritional composition of the compost for next season's planning. Once we can better quantify the amount of nitrogen (and other key nutrients) in the compost, application volumes and a plan for additional supplementation throughout the growing season can be put together to meet the crop needs, and reduce accidental over-fertilization. 

For greenhouse soils, where all overhead precipitation has been excluded, compost analysis is especially important. Some composts tend to run high in salts (ex. calcium, magnesium etc), and while these are crucial nutrients for crop production, it is important that they are not being over-supplied to the soils. With a lack of a seasonal reset via rain and snow in protected spaces, these salts can accumulate quickly over time, impacting crop health and productivity. 

Now that we have the data...what does it mean?!

The Department of Agriculture has an interpretation document outlining the line items included in a compost analysis report and the impact that each nutrient has on crop production. Once you have a good understanding of what is included in the report, Perennia has created a fact sheet that provides further information on some of the metrics included, and the implications that these metrics have on our nutrient management plan. Below is a brief summary of some of the information presented in the factsheet, but I highly recommend you check it out for yourselves! 

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Finished composts typically contain low levels of a wide variety of nutrients (though this is highly dependent on the materials included in the mix). This lower level of nutrients can translate to a tendency to apply large volumes of compost, however this can lead to excessive levels of certain nutrients in the soil in some cases. It is typically recommended that compost is not the sole fertility source for crops, but one of a handful of additives that come together to provide the target nutrient ranges for the crop in question. 

C:N Ratios

The amount of carbon present in a compost, in relation to nitrogen, impacts nutrient cycling, and how quickly nutrients will become plant available. Composts typically range from 8:1 - 30:1. If your compost has a ratio:

  •  >40:1, there is a good chance that any nitrogen that is present in the soil/compost will be 'tied up' through the process of breaking down carbon. This can lead to nitrogen deficiencies in your crop.
  • 12-22:1, there is more nitrogen available than the microbes need, meaning it will become plant available more readily
  • 25-32:1, it will slowly become plant available over the course of a few years.

Nitrogen

The provincial lab analysis of compost reports on total nitrogen in the sample, however nitrogen has many forms in compost. 'Organic nitrogen', which is the nitrogen included in microbial, animal and plant tissues, is not immediately plant available. It must be mineralized in the N cycle before a plant is able to take it up and use it for growth. The rate of mineralization is difficult to forecast, as it is dependent on a handful of variables (temperature, moisture, C:N ratio of the compost). When compost is the only source of nitrogen in a production system, it is challenging to match the times of peak demand for the crop, with the availability of high amounts of useable (i.e. mineral) N. 

'Mineral nitrogen', specifically ammonium-nitrogen (NH4-N) and nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N), are the plant-available forms of nitrogen. While these are key forms for plant production, they are easily lost to the environment if they aren't immediately taken up.

How do we know the amount of available nitrogen that is present in our compost analysis? Low N composts typically have low mineral (readily available) nitrogen. High N composts usually carry a fair amount of NO3-N, which is immediately plant available. Take a look at the table below, which estimates the breakdown of organic and mineral N based on your C:N ratio, and the total N (% dry weight). This chart was taken from Perennia's fact sheet linked above, and sheds some light on the percentage of organic, or plant -unavailable, nitrogen in a compost. 


From here, we can calculate how much compost we need to add in addition to our other amendments, in order to meet the target N needs of the crop in question. 

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Utilizing and understanding the tools available to us is a key step in maximizing on-farm productivity, and the inputs invested on the farm. Compost analysis, along with soil tests and water tests, are great ways to quantify and characterize our key production components, and figure out how they can work together to hit our crop-specific nutrient targets without overshooting them. 

For those who are interested in better understanding their compost analysis results, check out Perennia's fact sheet here, or contact your commodity specialist for further discussion! 

-Talia