Weathering the Storm

Florida nurseries face many challenges, but none can be more unpredictable (or devastating) to their operations than the weather. Outdoor nurseries battle intense conditions year-round: everything from heavy rainfall and drought, to sweltering heat and frost, to the looming threat of hurricanes. Extreme weather can wipe out entire crops and wreak havoc on the bottom line.

Those are the exact challenges Brian Green faces on a daily basis. Brian is a grower at Topiary Creations in Florida, and the success of the nursery is affected by his team’s ability to respond to the weather. Hurricane Irma in 2017 destroyed nearly 50% of their product and they needed to bounce back fast. One of the plants they needed to recover the quickest was their Bougainvillea. In order to propagate the plants healthy and fast, they turned to BASF.

Successful propagation is driven by many factors. There are environmental conditions like moisture and temperature. It’s also affected by timing, the skills of the grower and the quality of the products that help aid the process. Brian put it this way, “Propagation is a relatively simple concept; however, to do it on a large scale requires a lot more attention to detail, and a bit of finesse. BASF gives us that edge.”

Topiary Creations supplies major commercial vendors up and down the east coast and as far west as Texas, so successful propagation is key to keeping the business strong. For propagating of their Bougainvillea, Brian and his team used Pageant Intrinsic brand fungicide and Empress Intrinsic brand fungicide. “These products made a huge difference for us. We noticed a dramatic improvement in leaf integrity and root structure, as well as a noticeable reduction in leaf drop and disease,” Brian said.

Bougainvillea is a tropical plant, and one of the biggest challenges is maintaining its beauty and health throughout the year as the weather changes. “Pageant (Intrinsic brand fungicide) and Empress (Intrinsic brand fungicide) drench and spray programs simply helped get our plants to root faster,” Brian said. “Pageant and Empress increased our rooting percentage from 70% to over 90% as compared to results attained when using other products.”

Stronger, healthier Bougainvillea from the start saved Brian and Topiary Creations time and labor costs. He says BASF products helped get their product to market faster and reduced costs per plant because they were touching each plant less.

“I would absolutely recommend Pageant (Intrinsic brand fungicide) and Empress (Intrinsic brand fungicide) to any grower trying to run a successful operation, especially at this scale.”

Pageant Intrinsic brand fungicide and Empress Intrinsic brand fungicide promote plant health and protect against disease at every step of the growing process—from propagation through shipping. With these tools at their disposal, nurseries and their growers are able to consistently start strong and finish strong.