2017 ASHS Annual Conference

The Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences (TPSS) Department undergraduate club, Horticulture Society, holds a poinsettia plant sale every December to raise funds for club activities. In previous years, the club sold plants purchased from local nurseries. Last year, they bought plants from Home Depot to sell. Recognizing a need for TPSS students to gain hands-on practical experience in growing and marketing poinsettia plants, we initiated a project based on mentoring by faculty and peer-to-peer teaching. A Ball Publishing GrowerTalks webinar on Princettia was viewed in February 2016. As a result, we requested 100 Princettia cuttings of four varieties from Suntory Flowers—Dark Pink, Hot Pink, Pink, and Max White. A team of students consisting of one undergraduate student and two graduate students spearheaded the project. Cuttings were treated with rooting hormone, planted in Oasis wedges, and placed under a mist bed in a glasshouse. Rooted cuttings were transplanted into 4-inch and 6-inch pots filled with potting media (Pro-Mix and Sunshine). After planting, fungicide was applied. The potted plants were grown in a saranhouse and hand watered. With the assistance of an undergraduate student and a graduate student, an overhead sprinkler irrigation system was installed. Pesticides to control whiteflies and mites were applied during the growing period. Plants were fertilized with a controlled release fertilizer and magnesium sulfate. During the Fall 2016 semester, we contacted the University of Florida Environmental Horticulture Club and arranged a Skype meeting with the Horticulture Society to learn about each other's club activities, poinsettia production practices, and plant sales. Students acquired much needed hands-on growing and marketing skills in the production of Princettia plants. They determined the selling price of the plants based on the cost of production and the sale price of similar plants in local stores. Two successful plant sales were held in December 2016. Plans for the Fall 2017 semester are to grow more plants for various plant sales, including the new varieties of Princettia. An experimental topics course, TPSS 491, will be offered to enable students to earn credits for working on the project. Students from TPSS 364 Horticultural Practices and TPSS 402 Flower and Foliage Crop Production will also assist in the growing of the plants through specific nursery activities, which will be integrated into their lab exercises. We thank Dummen, Suntory Flowers, Delilah Onofrey, Craig Okazaki, and Ronald Matsuda for their assistance.