Organic productions also for ornamental plants

Pesticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers can find their way into the air and groundwater, ultimately affecting the environment, wildlife and communities

by T N

A recent USDA report showed that acreage of organic nurseries and greenhouses in the United States has increased 83% since 2004. But supermarket sales of organic ornamental plants are not keeping up with this growth; organic herbs and flowers have been marketed primarily through the Internet, community-supported agriculture groups, and local farmers markets. Now, some larger ornamental greenhouse growers are starting to integrate organic production into their facilities in anticipation of a growth in consumer demand.

Stephanie Burnett and Lois Berg Stack of the University of Maine and the University of Maine Cooperative Extension surveyed growers in Maine to determine the perceived research needs of this emerging industry. Both organic and conventional greenhouse growers were included in the project to determine what problems organic ornamental bedding plant producers encounter and to find out what barriers prevent conventional bedding plant growers from converting to organic production.

Organic growers were asked to identify their greatest motivator to determine whether they felt that there is a real market for organically grown ornamental plants. The greatest percentage (75%) of organic growers indicated that they choose to grow plants organically because ''it's the right thing to do.'' Interestingly, none of the growers who responded said that "market demand" was their greatest motivation for organic ornamental production.

When asked to identify their challenges, organic bedding plant growers identified insect and disease management as their number one production challenge, and problems with fertility as their second greatest concern. Conventional growers indicated that they primarily avoid organic production techniques because they consider organic fertilization or organic insect management to be too big of a challenge.

The study findings appeared in a recent issue of HortTechnology.