BASF | "Baby It's Cold Outside!"

Wow---the southeast is under one of the coldest stretches of weather in nearly 50 years according to The Weather Channel. Growers throughout Florida have been cranking up heaters they haven't used in a long time. The feeling of "weathering" this economy has really taken a different look when Mother Nature is in this kind of mood but hold fast, as the saying goes, "this too shall pass".

So what to do now waiting for the good times. This is a great time to evaluate your insect , disease, and weed management programs. If you have not done so in a few years you may be missing out on a lot of great new products. From a disease standpoint, keep in mind the more your plants are in this unnatural state of being covered, cold, lower light levels, etc., they are under more stress than normal This stress can lead to more problems, most notably increased disease issues. The new fungicide Pageant from BASF offers one of the most broad spectrum labels available, covering both foliar and soil borne pathogens. The combination in Pageant of the active ingredients pyraclastrobin and boscalid offer one of the best preventative fungicide choices you can make. As soon as the temperatures warm up and the plants become actively growing, that's the time to start protecting your plants with Pageant.

In your greenhouse, starting clean is the BEST way to stay clean and clear of insect and disease problems. If you have struggled with any insect or disease problems, look around and see if you have any active algae or weeds. Eliminating these and keeping them out through out the growing season is a big first step to less problems. Green-Shield algicide and disinfectant from BASF is the product more professional growers choose for just that purpose. Keeping weeds down outside the greenhouse just got easier too! Applying Freehand or Tower, new pre-emergent products from BASF, as part of a good herbicide program, will keep weeds down for 8-10 weeks. The spectrum of this control includes those tough species like yellow nutsedge, crabgrass, goosegrass, eclipta, henbit and MANY others.

Keeping weeds out of your greenhouse and away from major openings can drastically reduce your insect and disease problems. Contact your local BASF rep to set up a program suited just for you.

Finally, it is trade show season so get out from the cold and go see what's new. The TPIE Trade Show in Ft. Lauderdale, FL opens next week (Jan 14-16). Stop by booth # 2523 and mention this blog to get a special BASF gift. The Gulf States Hort Expo is also coming up January 21st-23rd. I'll be in booth #831 with Wayne Ducote and Steve Larson. We'd love to show you how we can make your 2010 season more profitable with these incredible new products.

Stay warm!