November/December 2019 - 8

HEADLINES/CALENDAR
Much has changed in the four years since the
State of the Industry:
Neonicotinoid Use
By Jennifer Gray, HRI Administrator, AmericanHort
Our industry maintains a keen eye on pollinator
safety issues. Whether it's related to continued
pollinator health concerns, public perception, loss
of neonicotinoids for pest management, or any
combination of the three, a large contingency of
our stakeholders wants to be good environmental
stewards while producing a high-quality product.
Current developments on the issue include the
release of the managed honeybee colony losses
from April 2018-April 2019. Losses for this
time period are estimated around 40%, slightly
above the survey average since inception (37.8%).
Native bee populations continue to be much more
difficult to monitor and measure and, therefore,
less understood, especially across the continental
U.S. Also new is that four major neonicotinoids
are under review by EPA for potential registration
changes to, in part, address pollinator health.
Researchers continues to better understand
pesticide residue levels in pollen and nectar, as well
amass a large database of plants sortable by their
level of pollinator attractiveness. According to data
collected and collated by the research team of the
Specialty Crop Research Initiative project studying
pollinator protection in environmental horticulture,
only 4.4% of 183 of the most commonly sold
annuals,
herbaceous perennials, and woody
perennials are considered moderately attractive to
pollinators, the most conservative definition (three
or more bee visits in a ten minute period).
IGC Show Announces New
Product, Plant Award Winners
Two products and two plants were voted the best
by attendees at IGC Show 2019. The winning items,
highlighted in the New Product Zone and New Plant
Zone, were submitted by vendors all across the show
as their " latest and greatest. "
The following winners were presented with award
ribbons by IGC Show Founders Jeff and Cheryl Morey
on the IGC Show Center Stage.
New Product Zone, First Place: Complete Grow Kits
from A Pot for Pot, Oakland, California
Kits for growing cannabis at home, where legal,
include the company's living soil blend, grow guide,
container and saucer, beneficial bacteria, diatomaceous
earth, aeration top soil, coco brick, mycorrhizae,
microbe food, leaf shine, spray bottle and trimming
scissors. Includes a seed coupon to discount the
separate purchase of seeds from an online seed
fulfillment partner.
New Product Zone, Second Place: Fir Needle Products
from Bedrock Tree Farm, Wakefield, Rhode Island
Manufactured at the company's holiday tree farm in
Wakefield, Rhode Island, these soy candles are made
with real fir needles and a combination of natural
essential and fragrance oils in 100% soy wax. They
Horticultural Research Institute's initiation of an
industry-oriented pollinator health effort. In recent
years, many growers shifted production practices away
from neonicotinoids (and perhaps other pesticides)
following customer wants and demands. In some
cases, this change was mandated. For example, a few
key big-box chain stores instituted requirements that
plant material sold in their stores must be produced
under neonicotinoid-free practices.
HRI and AmericanHort are determined to better
understand this shift to ensure we best represent
the industry. To that end, we developed a short
survey to gauge the state of the industry on use of
neonicotinoids. The four active ingredients in question
include clothianidin (Arena), dinotefuran (Safari,
Zylam), imidacloprid (Merit, Marathon, others), and
thiamethoxam (Meridian, Flagship, others).
* 371 respondents participated in the survey. Over
half are involved in greenhouse production, and
nearly all have a diversified business structure.
Around 2-3% of respondents are located outside
of the U.S.
* Less than 20% of the respondents report not
using neonicotinoids in either greenhouse or
nursery production or landscape management.
Since no older, baseline data exist, we cannot
draw any inferences on changes in use, either
less or more. However, these data can serve as
baseline for future polls.
* Soil drench is the most popular application
method for these products, which makes sense.
These products are widely valued for their
systemic nature, translating to longer residual
control, better overall coverage and control, and
less impact on beneficial insects. However, foliar
applications are common as well, only slightly less
so than drenches.
come in libby jars with wooden wicks; mason and
turneen jars; galvanized pails with wooden wicks;
and vase, tumbler and votive cylinders.
New Plant Zone, First Place: Tillandsia
Arrangement of Yellow Star, Large Capitata
Maroon & Tropiflora from Russell's Bromeliads,
Clermont, Florida
The large specimens with showy blooms featured
in this unique arrangement are designed to stand
out from smaller air plants typically sold at the
boxes. The plants were selected for their variety,
size, color, texture and colorful inflorescence. They
are available for immediate ordering, with advance
orders recommended for spring.
New Plant Zone, Second Place: First Editions
Iceberg Alley Sageleaf Willow from Bailey Nurseries,
St. Paul, Minnesota
This small shrub features powdery, silver foliage
and adds texture and contrast when combined
with other colorful shrubs. It blooms in spring
with a silver catkin and red stamens that can be
cut for early spring decoration. The native plant
was discovered by the Memorial University of
Newfoundland and Labrador Botanical Garden.
IGC Show returns to Chicago's Lakeside |
McCormick Aug. 11-13, 2020. For more information,
visit www.IGCShow.com.
8 | LAWN & GARDEN RETAILER | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019
* Certain pesticides are labeled as restricted use,
meaning that they are not available for use by the
general public and must be applied by a certified
applicator. If these four products are deemed
restricted use, the majority of respondents indicate
they will continue to use them. A significant
number - around 17% - remain unsure.
* Nearly 94% of respondents make sure that either
they or their employees can identify a pollinatorattractive
plant, and nearly 60% would continue
using these products if they are allowed for use
only on plants not pollinator attractive.
Since no previous data exists measuring
environmental horticulture's use of neonicotinoids,
no inferences can be drawn on this survey data in
terms of changes or patterns in use of these four
products. However, the data can serve as a baseline
in the event the survey is repeated in subsequent
years, and they do provide a peek into our industry's
current use.
In 2015, the HRI recognized the need for
sound research to develop best production and
management practices, educate, and empower the
green industry about impacts to bee health. While
the green industry is diverse, some common threads
exist among greenhouse and nursery production
and landscape management where pollinator safety
is concerned.
Several research projects were funded with the
overall goal of developing stewardship practices to
better protect bees. HRI dedicated over $160,000 to
this effort, and the results include a BMP document
for bee health dedicated to our industry, a list of
pollinator-attractive trees (Plants Bees Like Best),
and participation in the Million Pollinator Garden
efforts. We continue to leverage our initial funds to
grow this knowledge base. More information and
the BMP document are available at HRIresearch.org
CALENDAR
L&GR Holiday Garden Center Bus Tour
Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.lgrmag.com
Great Lakes Expo & Michigan
Greenhouse Growers Expo
Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.glexpo.com
MANTS
Baltimore, Maryland
www.mants.com
The National Lawn & Garden Show
Dallas, Texas
www.nlgshow.com
Tropical Plant International Expo (TPIE)
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
www.tpie.org
IGC Show
Chicago, Illinois
www.igcshow.com
Jan. 22-24
Aug. 11-13
Jan. 9-10
Dec. 9
Dec. 10-12
Jan. 8-10
http://www.HRIresearch.org http://www.lgrmag.com http://www.glexpo.com http://www.mants.com http://www.nlgshow.com http://www.tpie.org http://www.igcshow.com http://www.IGCShow.com
November/December 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of November/December 2019
