40 UNDER 40 PERSPECTIVES The increased scouting is essential for an integrated pest management program to reduce unnecessary chemical applications. issues that show signs of impacting a large percentage of the crop. This spray schedule is sent to the growers and, in turn, they can suggest a preference to morning or afternoon spray in their area. Back to the docks! After lunch, the docks have completely changed and the plants from the morning should be on their way to customers, so there is a whole new set of plants to check. The plant protection team will handle most scouting of the docks the rest of the day so the growers can focus their time with the plants. Another part of our IPM program involves the application of predatory mites on select crops that seem to be magnets for twospotted spider mites. The package of predatory mites is usually delivered around lunch time and applied to plants within a couple of hours. We use two different species of predator mites, Amblyseius andersoni and Phytoseiulus persimilis. The andersoni is used more proactively and spread throughout the crops, while the persimilis is used as hot spot treatments when spider mites are found. As the day finishes, the plant protection team will make one final quality walk of the docks and begin planning for the next day. Trae Crocker is plant protection and research coach at Monrovia. He is also a member of GPN's Forty Under 40 Class of 2024 and can be reached at trae.crocker@monrovia.com. GREENHOUSE PRODUCT NEWS 45http://lgrmag.media/garden-center-show