Tips & Resources

Garden mums are a popular and relatively easy crop to grow. If grown outdoors, where they do their best, all they ask for is food, water,  light, and a bit of supervision.

Hummert International, a commercial horticultural supplier and greenhouse equipment distributor based out of Earth City, MO, announces the creation of their Educational Resources Division. This team will consist of Dr. Chad Follis - Director, Valerie Duever - Learning Technology Specialist, and Mike Hellmann - Manager Plants and Cutting. This newly formed department will be working with other specialists and the Hummert Marketing Team to develop a much-needed industry training for FFA programs, horticulturists, gardeners, and industry partners.The goal is to provide online student classroom resources and additional instructor resources to help FFA instructors maximize their campus greenhouses. The training modules could also be used to enhance ongoing corporate training for green industry organizations.

I hope this finds all of you settled in and preparing for the upcoming spring season with your greenhouses and fundraisers. The challenges this year have been incredible in so many ways, especially with all of us still dealing with Covid issues and policies. With the increased demand for horticultural products and plants, there are a lot of growing pains that have reared their heads in trying to accommodate the demand. With shortages of plants and delayed production of horticultural supplies,  the stress levels have been quite high. This was indeed the year to get your orders in early for both plants and supplies.

As we approach the end of the calendar year we find ourselves planning and hopefully looking forward to the next growing season and spring fundraiser. Growing successful crops is the result of planning,  scheduling, and discipline. While plants are predictable (much of what they do is stored in their genetics) many things surrounding and affecting their cultivation are not.

The new school year (for most) is now underway with a wide variety of scenarios unfolding compared to the almost complete shutdown that all experienced as last year ended. Some of you are teaching in-person,  some remote, some a unique form of hybrid, and many a combination of remote, in-person, and/or hybrid! Makes me dizzy just thinking about it and how you are managing to make this all work out in your particular situation. Then, of course, you have to be prepared to pivot back and forth regarding teaching mandates as new metrics dictate or as the school board decides. Everyone wants to be back at school as we once were and you all stand on the front line so it is indeed a stressful time.

Throughout my career, I’ve always said that “no two springs are the same”.  While indeed correct, this is truly an understatement concerning the spring of 2020.  This Covid pandemic has changed us and the way we do things.  It will also affect what we do in the future while taking us to a new normal, the extent of which remains to be seen.  I just hope that, in the end, people emerge from this appreciating the simple things again such as plants, flowers, and nature in general.  It’s amazing what plants can do to make one feel good.  As vacations are cancelled and families are forced to stay home, the appreciation for plants and nature, in general, will take on renewed importance in the lives of many,  hopefully on a permanent basis.  I’m hoping that we’ll now take a break,  slow down and be kinder to the environment and to one another as we move forward.

This is indeed an exciting time of the year! For many of us,  winter’s wrath (or at least the worst part of it) is past us, days are longer,  birds are singing and the Earth just has a better feel to it.  For those of you growing spring crops for fundraisers, depending on your location, baskets should be well on their way with other pots and bedding plants following just a few weeks behind. Below are just a few things to keep an eye on as we cruise into warmer weather and our crops continue to grow and mature.

Well, winter is here. The holidays are ahead and a much-deserved break  is drawing near. Prior to that break just a bit of extra work, if not  already taken care of, will help eliminate some of the stresses prior to  and during the next growing season.

Maintaining greenhouse gardens is not an easy task. All of the minor  details, like water PH levels, and having adequate sunlight. Though  seemingly arduous, it's well worth the effort! Especially, after seeing  the end results. 

If you want to have a successful greenhouse, you will need to put a lot  of work into creating and maintaining it. There are so many details, big  and small, but all equally important in creating a successful  commercial greenhouse. If you can attend to them all, you will not be  disappointed. 

A nursery is a business that  takes care of plants and grows them to the desired age. There are many  different kinds of nurseries, including retail nurseries that will sell  trees and plants to the general public, wholesale nurseries that will  normally only deal with retail businesses, and also private nurseries  that will assist institutions, organizations and large private estates.

Now that spring plant sales are soon over everything is fresh in our minds. The good and the bad experiences from this past spring can help shape next year’s success. But this must be acted on now to be the most effective. Below is a checklist of things to review before they’re forgotten later in the year, and especially next year. Even the vaguest of notes can be a big help when ordering plants and supplies and planning for next year. We’ve created a checklist where you can fill in the blanks then relax a bit until next fall when it can be used then to set the stage for next spring.

Taking care of your greenhouse now will pay off in the long run –  much like a car. As we enter a slower time of year it is always a good idea to review your greenhouse components to make sure all are working as they should and to provide maintenance where needed.

Hummert International announced the continued availability of their growing supplies, growing media, soil, fertilizer, and plant containers/pots, available immediately.

St. Louis, MO (March 2019) -- Hummert International is a huge distributor of commercial greenhouse supplies and kits, which is important to remember as the new spring season approaches. The beautiful weather is something growers and horticulturists don't want to miss out on. Spring is the perfect season to see plants blooming in the wind thanks to all of Hummert's products, which are ready for consumers to start or expand their gardens.

St. Louis, MO (Novemeber 2018) -- Hummert International is a large distributor of commercial greenhouse supplies and kits, which is an important fact to remember as the harsh winter months approach rapidly. Extreme weather of any sort used to spell disaster for people that made a living off of growing and selling plants. However, with the incredible technology of modern greenhouses, that is no longer the case at all. 

Hummert International is happy to announce that their new and improved website is a success. Founded in 1932, Hummert has seen many changes and advancements in greenhouse and growing supplies. In order to stay successful, they have kept up and even been ahead of the game with some of the trends.

Hummert International has improved their website to allow for a customer-friendly page through a new search bar and professional photographs for their gardening products.