Podcast
TECH ON DEMAND brought to you by GrowerTalks
Hosted by Bill Calkins · EN
Grow your best crop ever! Cultural and technical information for greenhouse professionals.
46episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Do Better! Ft. Susannah Ball & Seth Reed
Oct 2200:41:54Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Tech On Demand, host Bill Calkins sits down with Susannah Ball, fourth-generation owner of Ball Horticultural Company, and Seth Reed, Ball’s Global Sustainability Manager, for an inspiring conversation about what it really means to “do better” when it comes to sustainability in horticulture. They break down how a 120-year-old global company focuses on people, community and the planet—from aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to empowering the launch of impactful initiatives at Ball companies around the world. You’ll hear how teamwork drives innovation, how smart sustainability can lead to resilience and why Ball chose this moment to release its 2025 sustainability report titled “Sowing Sustainability.” Whether you manage a greenhouse or garden center, lead a team or just want to make your business more future-focused, this episode offers practical insights and plenty of inspiration to grow greener and stronger—together. WATCH THE VIDEO VERSION! Read the 2025 Ball Sustainability Report (English & Spanish)
Transcribe →Avoid Garden Mum Production Pitfalls!
Oct 1900:30:03Tap to summarizeIn exactly 30 minutes, Ball Seed Technical Services specialist Dr. Josh Henry covers garden mum production best practices, tips and tricks to help you avoid common issues experienced by growers. He basically offers concise “checklists” for you and your team to use during mum production—from propagation to finish. From managing all stages of prop to crop nutrition and environmental management to disease/insect control, this is an excellent overview that offers tactical solutions to help you produce your best mums ever. WATCH THE VIDEO! https://youtu.be/nNlrEREN7lo Josh mentions many Tech On Demand resources, linked below. Many of these and more can be found at https://www.ballseed.com/Products/Mums. Scroll to the bottom of the page for an Excel-based Growth Tracking Tool! RESOURCES: Mum Video Playlist Properly Conducting a Pour-Thru Test for pH and EC (Video) Why Mum Foliage Turns Purple (Video Short) Fast-cropping Fall Mums (Video) Garden Mum Podcast Miniseries PART ONE Garden Mum Podcast Miniseries PART TWO Garden Mum Podcast Miniseries PART THREE At Risk Crops—Garden Mums (Chrysanthemum White Rust)
Transcribe →Success with Ornamental Peppers—Propagation to Finish
Oct 600:25:15Tap to summarizeBall Technical Services specialist Dr. Josh Henry joins host Bill Calkins to share best practices for producing ornamental peppers as part of the Tech On Demand series covering crop culture for key annuals and perennials. From the importance of sanitation and purchasing tested seed to keeping temperature, light and nutrition up, Josh takes ornamental peppers from propagation through to finish to help you achieve success. He spends time on protocols for preventing INSV and TSWV as key diseases to watch out for, as well as bacterial leaf spot. WATCH THE VIDEO! Resources: At Risk Crops—Peppers (Bacterial Leaf Spot) TSWV & INSV Management Properly Conducting a Pour-Thru Test for pH & EC (VIDEO)
Transcribe →5 Tips to Level Up Your Calibrachoa Game
Oct 200:23:13Tap to summarizeBall Seed Technical Services Specialist Chris Ferguson joined host Bill Calkins to share 5 tips to help you take calibrachoa production to the next level—and avoid some common pitfalls. Irrigation—water by weight Pinching—chemical vs. mechanical pH Management—not above 6.2! Thielaviopsis—know your spores Tobacco Budworm—scout and treat ASAP WATCH THE VIDEO! Resources: AlkCalc from e-GRO: https://e-gro.org/alkcalc/dist/index.html Understanding Water Levels 1-5 (VIDEO): https://youtu.be/LBhc8_KlEBE?si=SimY3iTv72Izp9Rw
Transcribe →Artificial Intelligence in the Green Industry (Part 1) ft. Clint Albin
Sep 3000:52:48Tap to summarizeIn this episode, host Bill Calkins is joined by industry strategist and co-founder of A24 Consulting, Clint Albin, to discuss the artificial intelligence (AI) in the greenhouse and garden center industry. Bill and Clint explore the challenges faced by green industry businesses, including seasonal fluctuations and changing consumer behaviors and how AI can provide solutions to enhance customer engagement and streamline operations—what Clint refers to as “the front door and the overhead door”. The conversation emphasizes the importance of integrating AI thoughtfully and creatively into existing processes, the need for immediate customer feedback and some potential risks associated with AI implementation. Clint shares insights on future Green Profit article and podcast topics related to procurement and local marketing strategies, highlighting the significance of innovation in the horticulture sector. Some key takeaways from this episode: AI can empower businesses of all shapes and sizes. Our industry faces challenges due to seasonal business cycles. Customer visits to garden centers need to be increased. Immediate customer feedback is crucial for improvement. AI should not be applied to broken systems. The essence of abundance in AI can save time or make money. A policy on AI usage is necessary for each business. Understanding customer needs is always a key to success. This podcast supplements an article series in Green Profit magazine. Why You Need AI, No Matter Your Size (September 2025)
Transcribe →Growing Your Best Begonias ft. Syngenta’s Brian Krug & Jamie Gibson
Sep 2800:48:27Tap to summarizeSyngenta Flowers’ Dr. Brian Krug and Dr. Jamie Gibson join Tech On Demand host Bill Calkins to discuss the exciting world of begonias, focusing on both vegetative and seed varieties. They explore the latest introductions, production best practices and the importance of lighting and PGRs in growing high-quality begonias. The discussion highlights the growing popularity of begonias in gardening and their versatility in various applications. One of the top new introductions at California Spring Trials in 2025 was iCandy, a vegetative series of hybrid begonias for quarts and up—with double flowers and dark foliage—and Brian spends time detailing production best practices before moving on to other vegetative series including Adora (perfect for baskets), Birthday Bash (more traditional, waxy foliage and double flowers) and Florencio (a boliviensis hybrid). Then Jamie goes through tips and tricks for producing a few newer seed-raised series from Syngenta including Bossa Nova (boliviensis types), Bionic (large, interspecific landscape type) Tophat (early-to-flower interspecifics with huge flowers) and Limitless (tuberous). For each series, Brian and Jamie discuss production recommendations from propagation through finish—including lighting protocols, PGR regimes, temperature requirements and much more. Strategies to reduce the risk of blind cuttings are also shared. WATCH THE VIDEO! Resources: Syngenta Flowers Website Syngenta Flowers Technical Library (Search “Begonias” for culture on all varieties!) Vegetative Begonia Photoperiod Effects
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