
Pest Prevention Starts at Delivery
Inspecting incoming plant material is a crucial step in maintaining a healthy greenhouse environment and preventing pest infestations in floriculture production. As greenhouse growers, we must be vigilant when receiving unrooted cuttings, plugs, or rooted liners to ensure we're not inadvertently introducing pests or diseases into our propagation or production greenhouses. Even the cleanest greenhouse can quickly become compromised if infected plant material is brought in and placed in the propagation or production greenhouse. To mitigate this risk, it's essential to purchase high-quality plant material and thoroughly inspect all incoming plant material for specific signs such as discolored or distorted leaves, presence of eggs or insects, webbing, unusual growth patterns, sticky residue on leaves, or plant death. Train your staff to identify common issues so they can document problematic shipments and quarantine plants. Additionally, keep all incoming plant material separated from other plants already established in production greenhouses and keep plants from different suppliers separated to prevent potential cross-contamination. Conduct inspections not only upon arrival but also periodically thereafter to catch any issues that may have been missed initially. If you're unsure about the health of certain plants, consider using in-house testing or sending samples to university diagnostic labs or contact your Extension educator or specialist. By implementing these inspection practices, we can significantly reduce the likelihood of pest outbreaks and maintain the overall health and quality of our greenhouse crops.

W. Garrett Owen
Assistant Professor of Sustainable Greenhouse and Nursery Systems, The Ohio State UniversityW. Garrett Owen is an Assistant Professor of Sustainable Greenhouse and Nursery Systems in the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science at The Ohio State University. He has an appointment in research, teaching and Extension. His area of expertise is plant nutrition; plant growth regulation; and production problem diagnostics.
