Stockslager’s Greenhouse grows many mums outdoors over the summer. | Julie Hullett
Cultivate is always jam-packed with cool things to do. Whether you are networking at the trade show, immersing yourself in education sessions, or observing new varieties at a local trial garden, you will find something to improve your business and sharpen your skills. Personally, I always buy a ticket to the greenhouse production tour.
Dan Johnston, co-owner of Tri State Foliage, shares best practices with the tour group during Cultivate’24. | Julie Hullett
Trade media is surely part of the horticulture industry. But in some ways, we are a little more removed than other industry members. We do not work in a greenhouse. We do not manufacture greenhouse equipment. Much of our work is done in an office. This is why I like visiting greenhouses. It’s one thing to write about production challenges, but it’s a different experience to see them in person. The greenhouse production tour at Cultivate’24 always opens my eyes to how each business operates, and how we can better serve them with our content as a resource.
The first stop on this year’s tour was Tri State Foliage in Cincinnati, OH. Co-owner Dan Johnston enthusiastically greeted the tour group and offered a few pieces of wisdom. Tri State Foliage does not grow the plants; they are a middleman between growers and retailers. Johnston has close partnerships with nurseries in Florida.
Every six weeks, he travels to Florida to visit the growers and check out the new varieties. The growers have come to expect this face-to-face interaction with Johnston, which he says is beneficial to his business. He only accepts top-quality plants, and Johnston will bring up any concerns he has the next time he is back in Florida. He says these regular visits with growers help build a professional relationship and ensure top-quality plants.
Tri State Foliage prides itself on a diverse array of unique varieties. With the high cost of transportation, usually growers want the least number of stops on a load as possible. Johnston prefers many varieties in small numbers. He says a truck picking up plants for Tri State Foliage usually has 30 stops before it is full.
Krueger Maddux uses goat fencing on its greenhouse benches. | Julie Hullett
The next stop on the tour was Krueger Maddux Greenhouses in Sunman, IN. The production team discussed the benefits of technology and automation in their greenhouses. For example, Krueger Maddux has two Javo potting machines. One has been in operation for 16 years while the other has been in operation for seven years. These potting machines produce up to 6,000 pots per hour, are used to fill containers from 2 inches to 14 inches, and require one to six employees to operate.
Krueger Maddux also uses two planting line machines from Bouldin & Lawson, which were installed in 2021. Each machine produces up to 1,800 flats per hour, but they can also be used for a wide variety of pots and baskets. These planting machines require two to six employees to operate.
At our last stop, Stockslager’s Greenhouse and Garden Center in New Lebanon, OH, Co-owner Jacob Stockslager took us on a tour of the grounds. He left the tour group with a critical piece of advice.
Jacob emphasized the importance of determining your customers before you grow the plants. Sometimes, growers in the industry may grow plants and then try to find somewhere to sell them to. Stockslager’s avoids this practice because the revenue is not guaranteed. If the business already paid for the inputs, such as water, fertilizer, lighting, and biologicals, the plant should ideally have a destination in mind.
The greenhouse production tour, among other tours at Cultivate’24, immerses attendees in the world of horticulture. Whether it’s a greenhouse, nursery, or garden center tour, there’s something for everyone.
