Greenhouse exam 1

what types of products and services are in the green industry? What products and services are still horticulture but are not a part of the Green industry?

Describe the historical transition the North American floriculture an nursery sector from localized, family-owned retail-grower operations to a consolidated, highly specialized wholesale industry. What economic forces drove this structural shift?

Describe the general market reasons behind the rise and fall of cut flower production in the U.S.? What crops took the place of cut flowers in the U.S. and for what reasons?

Define and then compare/contrast a wholesale versus a retail greenhouse/nursery production business. Include things like general business model, market reach, and the capital risks associated with the wholesale producers versus traditional retail grower operations. Also include how pricing strategies and marketing approaches differ between these two distinct segments.

Big-box home improvement centers and supermarket chains dominate floral and plant retail volume. What are some supply chain implications, vendor agreements, and profit margin pressures the wholesale growers face when supplying the mass market?

Commercial greenhouse floriculture/nursery production is inherently vulnerable to weather extremes, market gluts, and economic downturns. What basic business strategies can growers use to buffer against reductions in cash-flow during poor spring weather seasons or sudden input prices spikes.

What is the role of regional, national, and international green industry associations and check-off programs in driving consumer demand, lobbying for legislative priorities, and funding cooperative research?

The “Greatest Generation” and “Baby Boomer” generation fueled green industry growth for decades. Now, market demographics are changing and “Millennials” and “Get Z” are entering with new values and priorities for living plant products. How is this changing the types of products and services being offered by the green industry?

Changes in green industry products and services are often correlated with changes in the housing market. How do you think consumer demand for products/services is influenced by( a) boom in housing development and landscaping, (b) pandemic like Covid-19 ©more consumers living in apartments and/or with limited time for gardening and (d) an economic recession

The majority of cut flower production has shifted off shore where production is cheaper. However, there a growing and profitable niche cut flower market in the U.S., despite higher production cost. What types of cut flower crops are grown (a) latin America and in (b) the U.S.? why is there a growing market in the U.S.? would prices paid by consumers be higher or lower for cut flowers growing in the U.S. or Latin America and why

You have two greenhouses in which you can grow plants. Greenhouse 1 is an A-frame (peaked roof) with a sidewall height of 7 feet. Greenhouse 2 is the same design but has a sidewall height of 17 feet. Describe the differences in environmental factors and management between the two. How might they differ in installing technology/automation and expansion?

You have two greenhouse ranges. Greenhouse 1 consists of multiple standalone greenhouses. Greenhouse range 2 consists of identical greenhouses but they are gutter connected. How does ease of growing, climate control, and costs differ between the two?

Grower #1 produces crops only on a fixed benches, grower #2 produces crops on rolling benches, Grower #3 produces crops on the floor. Describe the pros and cons for each of these “benching” strategies and who is most efficient on space?

Grower #1 produces crops on the floor and grower #2 produces crops on the floor and has hanging baskets above the floor crop. For each, what are the pros and cons in terms of space efficiency and managing the horticulture?

You have a grower in New Hampshire building a new greenhouse. They are contemplating (a) polycarbonate, (b) regular glass, and © diffuse glass as glazing options. Compare and contrast the pros/cons of each choice for this location. Which would they select?

You have a grower in Starkville budding a new greenhouse. They are contemplating (a) a roof and sidewalls made of polycarbonate, (b) a roof made of polyethylene and sidewalls made of glass, © roof and sidewalls made of polyethylene, (d) roof and sidewalls made of glass. Compare and contrast the pros/cons of each choice for this location. Which should they select?

You have the following type of greenhouse designs: A frame, venal, sawtooth, arch, shade structure, open-roof, retractable roof. for each design, select a location in the u.s. and a crop type for which that greenhouse design is suitable and justify why.

You have a grower in Louisiana looking to construct a 1,000,000 ft² gutter-connected greenhouse. How large should their headhouse be? Give specific recommendations on other major details.

Grower #1 is a foliage grower in South Florida, Grower #2 is a succulents grower in Southern Cali, Grower #3 is potted plant grower in Vancouver, B.C., and grower #4 is a young plant propagator in New Jersey. What features should each grower prioritize in a greenhouse and/or shade house design?

Grower #1 produces potted tropical plants in Vancouver, B.C,, Grower #2 produces potted chrysanthemum and kalanchoe year-round in Indiana, Grower #3 propagates young plants during summer in Denver. What type of curtain system does each grower need?

Grower #1 in the Netherlands has a venal-style greenhouse with large ridge vents; Grower #2 in fort smith has an open-roof greenhouse with retractable shade curtains; Grower #3 in Winter garden, Florida has a fan and pad cooling with a retractable shade shad curtains; Grower #4 in San Diego California has sawtooth greenhouse with pressurized fogging. DO these growers have active cooling, passive cooling, or both?

Grower #1 has a “summer” cooling system where as Grower #2 has a “winter” or cool-weather cooling system. Describe the differences in technology and concept for each.

Consider the following types of heating systems: Unit heaters, Floor heating, Hot water pipes, steam pipes, radiant heaters, and solar heaters. What are the pros and cons of each. For each provide a location in the US where the heating system would make sense with justification.

Why are air movement and ventilation in greenhouse critical? what is the effect on the crop when there is not adequate air movement or ventilation?

Thrips screens are common technologies used to keep thrips and other insect pests out of the greenhouse. How can these screens impact heating and cooling systems?

Grower #1 is outside Boston, Massachusetts, Grower #2 is in El campo, Texas, and Grower #3 is in fayetville , AR. for each grower, do they need to prioritize heating or cooling systems or both, and describe how this impacts their choice of greenhouse design and glazing materials.

Grower #1 is in a hot and dry climate, Grower #2 is in a hot and humid climate , Grower #3 is in cool and dry climate, Grower #4 is in a cool and humid climate. of the common cooling technologies, which are suitable for each grower?

What strategies can grower to implement to save on heating costs? What strategies or greenhouse design and technology features can they implement to save on cooling costs?

Describe the process or general concepts by which growers can use heating and cooling systems to dehumidify greenhouse.

Why is shading not a good cooling strategy during winter months in most of the U.S. locations?

Grower #1 hand waters all plants, Grwper #2 has all plants on drip emitters, Grower #3 uses an irrigation boom, Grower #4 has an ebb-and-flood benches and Grower #5 has flood floors. How does each method affect water distribution, movement, uptake and volume in the container? Also, how does it affect leaching pf fertilizer nutrients and disease risks?

Grower #1 is a “dry” grower whereas grower #2 is a “wet” grower. What does that mean, and what are the pros/cons and risks associated with each type of irrigation?

What are “wet-dry” cycles? Describe the importance of wet-dry cycles on plant growth and response, how the management of wet-dry cycles changes during the crop, and the consequences of over- or under-watering

Grower #1 is a good irrigator and grows a healthy crop. Grower #2 is not a good irrigator and consistently runs into poor plant health, disease, and pest issues. describe in detail the rules and practices of Grower #1 and grower #2.

When is the correct time and/or condition during the day to water a plant? When is the incorrect times and/or conditions to water

Let’s say you are growing a pansy seedling plug crop. Describe a plan to water and
manage moisture which outlines when to water using Will Healy’s 1 through 5 moisture scale (supplemental readings). Describe what the substrate should look and feel like before watering, how this changes through stages of the crop, and of course the moisture
level according to Dr. Healy

Let’s say you are growing a poinsettia crop (you may have to look up watering requirements). Describe a plan to water and manage moisture which outlines when to water using Will Healy’s 1 through 5 moisture scale (supplemental readings). Describe what the substrate should look and feel like before watering, how this changes through stages of the crop, and of course the moisture level according to Dr. Healy

Grower #1 irrigates overhead whereas Grower #2 uses sub-irrigation. Grower #2 uses half the fertilizer, and apply half the concentration, as Grower #1. How is this possible?

Grower #1 is a propagator, Grower #2 is a seedling plug grower, and Grower #3 grows flowering crops in containers. How do they differ in irrigation and management of substrate moisture levels throughout the crops.

In extremely hot weather (like late summer), growers will sometimes overhead irrigate plants to keep them cool even when the substrate is not dry. This can be effective because groundwater is often cooler than high ambient air temperatures. Although effective, what are the downsides?

Field soil and soilless substrates share major commonalities and differences. Describe commonalities and differences in terms of role for the plant, materials, and physical and chemical properties.

A grower currently buys substrate pre-mixed from a supplier. However, they are contemplating mixing their own. Describe the pros and cons of switching to mixing their own, and how they can assess whether it makes sense for their operation (financial and otherwise)?

Why are wood products gaining popularity as a component in greenhouse substrates?
Describe in detail.

Peat has stood the test of time as being a dominant component in soilless substrates. Why? (think about what makes suitable material and the properties of peat).

Cation exchange capacity (CEC) is an important chemical parameter in field soils, but it is not that important in soilless container substrates. Explain why.

A growing is trying to decide between two types of plastic container in which to grow their crop. Both containers have the same volume, but one is much taller than the other. How will the selection of the shorter container vs. the taller container impact substrate properties and management?

Grower #1 produces floriculture crops in a peat and perlite substrate, Grower #2 produces in a peat and wood fiber substrate, and Grower #3 produces in a peat and aged sawdust substrate. Describe how the growers likely differ in irrigation and fertilization practices.

A grower is producing floriculture crops in a substrate that consists of 80% peat (by volume) and 10% aged wood. They want to increase the percentage of wood up to 40%. How will the substrate properties change, and what will change about they way they manage irrigation and fertilizer?

What is the effect on plant growth and development of adding wood products like sawdust and wood fiber to the substrate? Describe in detail.

What is the best example of floriculture crop which does not tolerate high amounts of wood (sawdust or wood fiber) in the rootzone?