Case Study: TERRA NOVA® Nurseries
Innovation Breeds Success
How Pageant® Intrinsic® brand fungicide and Velifer® biological insecticide help growers thrive by achieving plant health goals
From its humble beginnings as a modest 10x30 square-foot greenhouse, Dan Heims and Ken Brown have built a thriving 100,000 square-foot research, propagation and product development business at their Canby, Oregon, location. From plant patents to breeding to licensing, TERRA NOVA® Nurseries has certainly made a name for itself in the industry. The nursery has always been committed to innovation, and the steady growth and development of the operation has led to partnerships with labs in China, New Zealand, Indonesia, Costa Rica and Vietnam, as well as unrooted cutting farms in Africa and Central America.
The nursery’s main crop is heuchera, with over 30 different varieties, but they have many top sellers, including echinacea, kniphofia, agastache, penstemon and more. “Throughout the chain of everyone that touches our product, we want TERRA NOVA breeding to be recognized as the best,” said Chuck Pavlich, director of new product development. “For the finisher, a faster finish with less work. For the retailer, eye candy that has huge consumer appeal and a great shelf life. For the homeowner, a plant that they feel good about buying, that stays the height the label says it will, plus a plant that has been trialed coast to coast, north to south.”
Even with all the success TERRA NOVA has seen over the past 28 years, there have been challenges that the nursery has had to overcome as well. Diseases and insects can be detrimental to an operation like this, so the team is constantly looking for ways to improve the production and health of the plants they grow. With the help of innovative products like Pageant® Intrinsic® brand fungicide and Velifer® biological insecticide, TERRA Nova has been able to shift their time and efforts away from treating and cleaning plants to a more proactive, preventative approach.
Some main issues the nursery has faced in the past have been Botrytis, a fungus that spreads quickly in humid conditions, and thrips, an insect that scars plants during feeding and stunts their growth. “We realized that if we would actually put Pageant on earlier in the stages, prior to seeing the Botrytis, then we wouldn’t get Botrytis. And it really changed the game for us,” said Tye Kyllo, plant health specialist at the nursery. “We use quite a bit of Velifer [biological insecticide] because I can use that as a weekly maintenance spray. I love it because it fits into my beneficial program. That’s where it just has its perfect niche.”
“We realized that if we would actually put Pageant Intrinsic brand fungicide on earlier in the stages, prior to seeing the Botrytis, then we wouldn’t get Botrytis. And it really changed the game for us.”
—Tye Kyllo, Plant Health Specialist, TERRA NOVA® Nurseries
When you add Pageant® Intrinsic® brand fungicide and Velifer® biological insecticide to your toolbox, you can worry less and grow more. Get healthier, more beautiful plants with products that provide broadspectrum disease control and exceptional plant health benefits while remaining soft on beneficials. “It gives me peace of mind because I know BASF is working toward the best chemistries out there,” said Tye. “That kind of stuff is huge for me — knowing that you guys are out there looking for the future, looking for the next best thing for us growers.”
Always read and follow label directions.
Intrinsic, Pageant and Velifer are registered trademarks of BASF. TERRA NOVA is a registered trademark of TERRA NOVA Nurseries, Inc.
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