August 6
TOURS

Raker-Roberta’s Trial Gardens
10371 Rainey Rd. Litchfield, Michigan

August 7, 2024
EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS

Raker-Roberta’s Trial Gardens

Space is limited. Don’t wait to register!

Maximum number of attendees: 100

Please note that Regional Conferences will not be recorded.

Raker-Roberta’s Trial Gardens

Emily Wildt of Raker-Roberta’s Young Plants, Kelly Meringolo of InFlora Cut Flowers, and Scott Rusch of InFlora Cut Flowers.

Last year, more than 1,500 people visited the Raker-Roberta’s Trial Gardens. Predominantly from the Midwest, this collection of professionals is a representative cross-section of the horticulture industry including greenhouse owners, landscape designers and professionals, industry brokerages and sales representatives, trade writers, and most importantly, home gardeners.

For many years, the Raker-Roberta’s Trial Gardens have been a destination for the horticulture industry and this year is no different. In addition to expanding every aspect of our comparison trials (row, hanging basket, and large container) we are continually expanding our trial services to include additional types of research and genetic evaluation. The Trials are an extension of Raker-Roberta’s in-house Research & Development Team. The Team routinely conducts evaluation/trial projects focusing on internal production and breeder/university research.

Raker-Roberta’s Young Plants have been conducting outdoor trials since 1991. In 2003 R2 became a member of the Michigan Garden Plant Tour. In 2021 Raker-Roberta’s trialed a small number of cut flower varieties, and now has expanded to an acre of cuts in 2024, boasting 35 rows with an estimated 94 different varieties.

Attendees will tour eight different stops throughout these expansive facilities, ranging across different crops and meeting representatives from different cut flower suppliers such as InFlora Cut Flowers, Raker-Roberta’s, Sakata, Syngenta, PanAmerican Seed, Danziger, Evanthia, and more. This full day will provide a wealth of information about specific crops directly from the responsible vendor.

DAY ONE: August 6

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Welcome and Introductions

Emily Wildt, Raker’s Roberta’s Young Plants
Scott Rusch, InFlora Cut Flowers
Kelly Meringolo, InFlora Cut Flowers
Kristi Challender, Raker’s Roberta’s Young Plants
Amanda Cook, Cook’s Market
ASCFG North and Central Regional Director
Steve Crone,
ASCFG Executive Director

9:00 a.m. – Noon

Tour

Attendees will split into smaller groups and will tour eight different stops throughout these expansive facilities, ranging across different crops and meeting representatives from different cut flower suppliers such as InFlora Cut Flowers, Raker-Roberta’s, Sakata, Syngenta, PanAmerican Seed, Danziger, Evanthia, and more. This full day will provide a wealth of information about specific crops directly from the responsible vendor.

1. Dahlias
2. Zinnia & Scabiosa
3. Lisianthus
4. Snapdragons & Dianthus
5. Snapdragon Industry Comparison
6. Raker Cut Flower Trial Open Area
7. Greenhouse Tour
8. Sunflower

Noon – 1:00 p.m.

Lunch included

1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Tour

4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Mocktails and Mingle

Sponsored by:

DAY TWO: August 7

9:00 – 9:50 a.m.

Starting Crops for Cut Flower Farmers

Jarvis Green of Raker-Roberta’s Young Plants

This session will provide an overview of when and how Raker-Roberta’s starts their crops. The presentation will include what Raker’s does from sowing, germination, early stage growing, late stage growing, fertilizer, and gapping up/replugging. Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions.

10:00 – 10:50 a.m.

Ordering and Shipping Your Plants

Kelly Meringolo of InFlora Cut Flowers and Express Seed Company

In this session, Kelly will review common plug and liner sizes for different crops and address the required lead times for placing orders for plugs and seeds. Lastly, she will provide information on shipment zones with both truck and box delivery options before sharing the times of year new programs and pricing become available. While some of this information will be specific to InFlora Cut Flowers, attendees can expect similar practices and processes with other industry partners and suppliers.

11:00 – 11:50 a.m.

You Have the Plants. Now What?

Scott Rusch of InFlora Cut Flowers

In this session, Scott will provide an overview of best practices for receiving plugs and checking for quality and noting any issues right away. He will also discuss common processes like watering in, providing fertilizer, holding if needed, and how to transplant on time to avoid rootbound crops. Lastly, and if time permits, Scott will provide an overview of postharvest handling for these crops.

Noon – 1:00 p.m.

Lunch included

1:00 – 1:50 p.m.

Integrated Pest Management Best Practices

Dr. Raymond Cloyd of Kansas State University

In this session, Dr. Cloyd is providing an overview of integrated pest management practices when starting seeds and transplanting crops. He will cover what to watch for and how to remedy common issues through biological and non-chemical means of controls.

2:00 – 2:50 p.m.

Greenhouse Growing Best Practices

Dr. Roberto Lopez of Michigan State University

Associate Professor Roberto Lopez of Michigan State University is a specialist on greenhouse growing environments. In this session, Dr. Lopez will provide an overview of best practices for greenhouse growing with a focus on how to prevent soil borne illnesses.

3:00 – 3:50 p.m.

Floral Designs for Specific Markets

Adam & Jennifer O’Neal of PepperHarrow Farm

The goal of this session is for new farmer florists to understand how to create floral designs for different markets and venues. Adam and Jenn of PepperHarrow Farm will demonstrate their process for developing a floral design for a specific market and what materials are needed to fulfill that design at scale.

4:00 – 4:50 p.m.

Spreadsheet Templates to Grow Your Flower Business

Emily Patrick of Carolina Flowers

Planning a farm is so much more than browsing seed catalogs. In order to know what to grow, how much to grow, when to plant and what to expect financially, you need to make a plan! Spreadsheets are a wonderful tool to help collect and analyze data, build a crop plan, build floral recipes and harvest lists, and discover answers to questions you may have about your business. In this class, we’ll review some easy templates and essential spreadsheet skills, including filters and pivot tables.

Hotel Recommedations

Member Priority Registration – April 16 through April 30.

Please note, Regional Conferences will not be recorded and space is limited. Don’t wait to register!

Registration Information

August 6 – $150
August 7 – $225
August 6 and 7 – $350

Cancellation Policy
Due to the limited space at regional conferences, we do not offer refunds.
Contact us in case of emergency to inquire about a waiting list and your spot may be transferable. No guarantees.

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