Hans Hansen describes why he’s so enthusiastic about this trendy breeding program.
With their striking textures and interesting color combinations, Hans Hansen became smitten with Mangave some 15 years ago. The remarkable plant with the funny name (pronounced man-GAH-vay) would lead him to hybridize some of the coolest plants on the market.
Hans, the director of new plant development at Walters Gardens, leads a robust breeding program of Mangave, which is an intergeneric cross of Manfreda x Agave. Initially, his goal was to find hardier agave-like plants, he says. But as the program developed, the goal expanded to selecting colorful and attractive patio plants.
Because of their hybrid parentage, Mangave provide an array of colors and forms. The Manfreda line supplies the foliage spotting, as well as the cascading and wavy foliage. The Agave parentage delivers durability and architectural form.
Thankfully for transplanters, and anyone else working with Mangave, the plants are primarily void of the big, poky spines.
“I really enjoy the diversity of the plants, and the colors and form of the foliage. The plants are very adaptable and combine very well in container combinations, both with moisture-loving annuals, as well as plants with low water requirements,” Hans says.
Walters Gardens introduced its first Mangave cultivar, ‘Pineapple Express’, then began adding more varieties year after year. The Mad About Mangave Collection has grown to more than 30 plants.
The first Mangave was discovered in a tray of Manfreda seedlings and created by an unintentional cross pollination, he explains. Although Mangave is not from Hans’ own crosses, the interesting hybrid piqued his interest, and he was able to devote more time to Mangave when he moved to Walters Gardens in 2009.
During the last 15 years, he’s experienced some highs and lows, like any breeder.
“I’ve enjoyed discovering the diversity and ease of culture from the crosses, including some lovely purple, red, and variegated forms that came from my breeding work. But it’s disappointing when the some of the most attractive variegated selections are difficult to produce in tissue culture,” he says.
The trade and consumers alike have praised these groovy-looking plants. Consumers share their photos on Instagram and Facebook, complete with its own hashtag, #mangave. Hans attributes the popularity to the diversity of Mangaves.
“The segment of the population that has embraced it the most are the Millennials,” Hans explains. “Growers enjoy the faster growth rate of Mangave compared to Agave. Designers like the way Mangave anchors designs and using them as specimens in the landscape. There are individuals that collect them and want to have the complete set.
“Many friends mentioned they love the fact that they can go on vacation during the summer and not worry about the plants not getting taken care of on their patio. Compared to the petunia crowd, Mangave are very forgiving and look great all season.”
Consumers really dig the names, as well, with monikers like ‘Bad Hair Day’, ‘Purple People Eater’ and ‘Mission to Mars’.
“We try to come up with clever names that fit the plant,” Hans says. “Mangaves are edgy, so their names can be a little outside of the box.”
Austin Quimby, general manager at Green Lake Nursery in Dallas, Texas, is building up numbers of Mangave in production after a few years of healthy sales.
“Because Mangave are a good fit in the landscape and as an indoor plant, we’ve found that our landscape and our retail customers really like them,” he says.
Green Lake sells a 1- and 3-gallon Mangave.
“They offer a lot of interesting textures and colors, and they’ve performed pretty well for us. ‘Lavender Lady’ and ‘Mission to Mars’ are popular with our customers. We’re in the process of evaluating more selections and we’re really looking for cold tolerance.”
The crop was easy to onboard into production and it finishes quicker than a traditional agave, he says.
“They’re tough, safe and easy to use. I’d like to see them used in mass plantings in the landscape. If we can get one that’s cold hardy, that will be a big plus with our customers,” he adds.
Growers can produce a Mangave in a quart in about 10-15 weeks for most selections, while some of the finer leaf varieties take a little longer.
Good UV light is required for the best color and spotting, so if they’re being produced in a greenhouse or under poly, plants will color up once they’re outside in full intensity sunlight. Ideal growing temperatures range from 68-75°F. Maintain a higher pH — about 6.2 to 6.8 is ideal. Mangave are not heavy feeders and require about 100 ppm of nitrogen. Don’t allow them to dry out in production but avoid overly wet conditions to prevent root and crown rot.
“In liner production in our greenhouses, we treat the young plants the same way we grow our tissue culture hosta liners,” Hans says. “For the quickest finish times they need the moisture that other general perennials do. For growers, time in the greenhouse equals money. They can be grown lean and dryer but will take longer to finish.”
Walters Gardens, along with a select licensee network, provides wholesale liners throughout the United States and Canada. Walters Gardens also has licensed growers in Europe, Japan and Australia.
Thanks to both parents being native to alpine and desert areas, Mangave are drought tolerant in the landscape. And most Mangave can be safely overwintered in areas where temperatures drop to 20-30°F, with some doing well down to 10°F. Hans says he’s still working on cold hardiness traits.
Because of their thick leaves, as well as marginal and terminal spines, Mangave are rarely bothered by browsing animals, including deer.
Mangave are well-suited for containers. Hans suggests using them in combination with other succulents or to stand alone in a mono pot. Use a succulent or bark soil mix.
Hans has no plans to slow down the Mangave breeding program.
“I think the Mangave project is one of the most rewarding and exciting breeding programs I have worked on. It has opened many opportunities, and I have developed friendships and had a lot of fun,” he says.
For more: www.waltersgardens.com
Honesty and clarity go a long way toward preventing, handling, and surviving when the IRS comes calling.
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was aimed at helping small businesses keep workers on the payroll and pay other bills during the pandemic. However, confusion about turning PPP loans into non-repayable grants is palpable. The U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Small Business Administration (SBA) have promised they will audit all PPP loan recipients who seek loan forgiveness.
PPP loans are loans that may be forgiven if a business meets certain criteria, chiefly spending at least 75% of the loan amount on payroll and no more than 25% on rent, mortgage interest and utilities. Sweetening the pot, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act allowed any amount forgiven to be ignored for federal tax purposes. Of course, no tax deduction is allowed for otherwise deductible expenses (payroll costs, rent, etc.) if the payment of the expense results in forgiveness of the covered loan.
Most of the problems surrounding the PPP involve the conditions needed to turn the loans into grants. PPP loan recipients were required to certify that “current economic uncertainty makes the loan request necessary to support the ongoing operations of the Applicant.” What’s more, businesses seeking loan forgiveness were also required to certify they “used the forgiveness amount of keep employees and make eligible mortgage interest, rent and utility payments.”
Certifications found to be inaccurate or untrue are punishable under criminal and civil law. But how can anyone certify to an uncertainty and what makes the funds necessary? Ultimately, of course, it will be the courts that decide, but given the stakes, all borrowers can expect a bare-minimum file review — or a deep-dive forensic audit.
In addition to SBA audits, borrowers must prepare for investigation by the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery and reviews by the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee and the Congressional Oversight Commission, although these presumably will be limited to borrowers of larger amounts.
Businesses that fail a PPP audit jeopardizes all or part of their loan forgiveness and, potentially face False Claim Act prosecution by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). In the face of the threat posed by all these audits and reviews and a lack of guidance about calculating the portion of the loan that is forgivable, many contractors and other business owners are concerned that they’ll be on the hook to repay those amounts.
Many business owners, even those with no intent to commit fraud, often fall short when it comes to documentation and paperwork. Often, businesses are cautioned to keep good records for tax purposes. This time, those records could be crucial to forgiveness of a PPP loan.
Even if a business pays its taxes dutifully, it may be penalized for lacking documentation. After all, the law requires every taxpayer to retain the records used when preparing the tax returns. Those records generally should be kept for three years from the date the return is filed.
A good record-keeping strategy might include depositing PPP funds into a separate bank account. Beyond that, all expenses should be documented. Utility bills, rent statements, leases, cancelled checks, bank statements tracing any electronic transfers and other expenses that qualify for loan forgiveness such as health insurance. These amounts should be consistent with the amounts in the loan forgiveness application.
Auditors consider contemporaneous documentation — or an accurate written record of how the funds were applied — as more persuasive than information created once an audit or review begins. In other words, it is more efficient to organize records and documents now rather than attempt to create them later when under pressure.
Among the supporting documentation for funds used to cover payroll costs, mortgage interest, rent and utility costs should be:
When it comes to showing employee and compensation levels, from periods beginning Feb. 15, 2020, through the end of the period after the loan was made include:
Any remaining cash surpluses should be supported by documenting the use of those funds beyond the period analyzed. Naturally, the underlying supporting documents should provide enough support for the certification.
Computers are less forgiving than humans. Any business that hopes to survive and thrive under the new algorithm-based IRS, should follow a few guidelines.
Always be prepared for scrutiny. Understanding the tax rules and potential red flags is essential to knowing what information should be saved and for how long.
Be prepared to move quickly. Information Document Requests (IDRs) and face-to-face audits now move on a shockingly fast timeline so have a plan of action. Build a relationship with an accountant who can step in quickly when you get the dreaded IRS audit notice.
Consistency is key. Inconsistencies in paperwork happen even to honest people when the accounting is not handled professionally. The IRS, however, is increasingly seeing discrepancies as fraud until proven otherwise.
Expect no mercy. IRS agents are being allowed no wiggle room and no grace.
Mark E. Battersby is a tax and financial writer based in Ardmore, Pa. MEBatt12@Earthlink.net
Bayer has announced the divestment of its Environmental Science business. What’s next for one of the industry’s leading divisions?
The process of divesting a proven division from a giant global company started when Bayer announced on Feb. 24 its intention to sell its Environmental Science business. The move affects numerous industries, including the Turf and Ornamentals division.
Bayer maintains a large portfolio of fungicides, insecticides and herbicides in several industries besides nursery and greenhouse, including golf course management, lawn and landscape management, vector control, professional pest management, industrial vegetation management and forestry.
Bayer veteran Gilles Galliou will lead the divestment. Galliou had been serving as the head of commercial operations for Bayer Vegetable Seeds Americas. In an interview with GIE Media’s Golf Course Industry and its sister publication Pest Control Technology shortly after Bayer announced its decision to divest the Environmental Science business to focus on expanding its Crop Science division, Galliou explained the next steps for the business he now oversees.
“I’m going to be the CEO of this new company and the first role of that CEO is to separate the business and build a new structure,” he says. “We are fully integrated with Bayer today and the first step is to look at it as a separation. My role won’t only be on the focus and the separation, but also leading the organization as CEO when we are ready to be independent.”
The company developing from Environmental Science will be a big one. The business accounted for about $725 million in sales in 2019, according to a Bayer news release. Bayer intends to divest the professional business into one buyer, Galliou says. The commercial lawn and garden business, which includes products sold to consumers at big-box retailers, is part of a different Bayer division, thus not included in the divestment. The decision to divest Environmental Science will begin a lengthy separation process.
“It’s just the beginning of the evaluation of Environmental Science being an independent company and it’s a process that is going to bring us to mid-2022 before it’s finalized,” Galliou says. “So it’s a marathon, it’s a long process. It’s not easy to separate a fully integrated division.”
The Environmental Science business will be based in Cary, North Carolina, effective June 1. The division conducts business on multiple continents and Bayer devoted significant time following the announcement communicating with employees about how the divestment will affect current operations and interactions with customers.
“This is not going to affect our employees and it’s not going to affect our relationship with our customers,” Galliou says. “This case is based on growth and it’s not based on cost management and, therefore, we will continue to fully engage our customers with the team that we have today. During the whole process our No. 1 focus will be to maintain the service and the product and the engagement we have toward our customers. It’s not going to affect that relationship. Our expectation is that it will maybe bring additional opportunities in the short and mid-term to those customers and employees.”
Neither the COVID-19 pandemic nor lawsuits involving Roundup, an herbicide Bayer absorbed in its 2018 acquisition of Monsanto, are behind the decision to divest, according to Galliou. Bayer’s desire to bolster its presence in agricultural markets ultimately led to the move.
“It’s about being focused on the transformation and investment that Bayer Crop Science wants in the ag world and the fairness to Environmental Science that also needs investments,” Galliou says. “Maybe those investments are better placed outside. It’s not related to glyphosate or the pandemic.”
Research and new product development will not cease during this transition.
“The company we intend to build will be built on innovation,” Galliou says. “There will be a commitment of Bayer to continue investing in innovation in our markets and this new company will be the outlet. The framework of working together with Bayer on innovation is still to be defined, but that’s going to be a major part of the organization going forward.”
Guy Cipriano is editor-in-chief of Golf Course Industry, a sister publication.
Automated equipment requires an automation friendly container.
The horticultural industry continues to struggle with labor issues both in terms of cost (minimum wage and associated benefit increases) and availability (immigration reform; lack of skilled workers). Moreover, it has been difficult to encourage the younger generation entering their collegiate years to consider a career in the horticultural industry.
Therefore, it is not surprising that many nurseries are pivoting towards using automated equipment as a viable, scalable and cost-effective solution to current labor shortages.
Data collected by the American Society for Horticulture Science concludes that, “Greater than 40% of production costs are labor costs, totaling nearly $40 billion per year in the U.S. alone.”
Beyond alleviating some of the issues surrounding labor shortages, automated equipment at nurseries also increases overall proficiencies and reduces the amount of human error in the process.
But it is important to understand the pros and cons when it comes to automated equipment which has a high upfront cost, requires some additional oversight and inspection and, as it is a machine, can be finicky and plagued with issues if not utilized correctly.
Additionally, not all planting containers are created equal. If you are not using an automation-compatible container with your new state-of-the-art equipment, you run the risk of internal damage which may not be covered under the manufacturer’s warranty.
So what makes a growing container automation compatible?
An automation compatible container should have uniform spacing between the container rims when stacked and a defined round or square rim for automated de-stacking tools to grab for easy denesting. If there is not enough space for the automated flange, lugs or spool type strippers to grab the rim, you run the risk of pulling multiple containers into the machine all at once, with the loose containers becoming jammed in the equipment.
If you are planning on using automated handling equipment such as fork systems, you will want to make sure that the rim protrudes far enough from the container body so it can securely rest on the tines. Many fork systems typically recommend rims that protrude 3/8 to a 1/2 inch.
Additionally, a sturdy side wall construction is necessary in order to withstand the force of the automated equipment (especially helpful on conveyers). If the walls are too thin, they can often crush under the machine’s pressure.
Blow mold containers, while a popular choice for nursery growers in the field, are not ideal for use with automated equipment. Their thin, side wall construction and ribbing causes challenges with denesting equipment and conveyor tables, and the absence of a pronounced rim prevents them from being used with fork systems.
Injection containers on the other hand are a solid choice for automated equipment. Injection containers are manufactured with thick side walls and heavy bottom construction to withstand the force of automated machinery, and sturdy, protruding rims provide excellent support for automated handling equipment, as well as seamless denesting.
For growers familiar with thermoform containers, they do pose some limitations you must consider before implementing. While they are promoted as automation friendly, thermoform containers are not an ideal choice for dispensing equipment based on denesting challenges, but can be used with fork systems if the rims protrude sufficiently.
It is important to remember that thermoform containers are traditionally lighter weight for a lower cost, which means they may not be able to endure the physical demands of some automated equipment (such as pruning, pot washing and top dress tasks).
Another thing to be aware of is the shift from de-stacking automation (mentioned above) to suction type pot destacking equipment. In this application, a small suction cup grabs the bottom of the pot directly in the center – dropping or flipping it into the corresponding tray (or conveyor system) as part of the production line. If your automated equipment has this new technology, it is important that the bottom center of the pot be completely flat, otherwise the machine will be unable to properly grab the container. This is important to remember when purchasing containers with “feet” designed for water mat and other unique irrigation practices as there may not always be enough surface area for the suction cup to grab on to.
Investing in automated equipment can be scary, but as long as you do your homework and make sure that your containers are in fact automation compatible, the benefits will be plentiful.
For specific questions surrounding automation compatible containers or for a sampling of containers to test at your growing operation, contact Rick Friedrich today at 216-339-2914 or email RFriedrich@hc-companies.com.
The HC Companies is your first-choice provider for wholesale horticultural pots and planters, servicing greenhouse, nursery and cannabis growers, as well as retailers, throughout North America with facilities in Ohio, Florida and Nevada (resin containers), as well as Canada (fiber containers). https://hc-companies.com
The $250 million Longwood Reimagined project includes a new 32,000-square-foot glasshouse and several restoration projects.
In late February, Longwood Gardens unveiled plans for a “sweeping yet deeply sensitive transformation of its core area of conservatory gardens, in the most ambitious revitalization in a century of America’s greatest center for horticultural display.”
Longwood Reimagined: A New Garden Experience, will add new plantings and buildings across 17 acres. The project originates from a master plan developed in 2010 by West 8 Urban Design & Landscape Architecture with WEISS/MANFREDI Architecture/Landscape/Urbanism. Longwood will continue working with WEISS/MANFREDI as lead designer, in collaboration with Reed Hilderbrand, on Longwood Reimagined, a $250 million project.
The largest single element of Longwood Reimagined is the creation of a new 32,000-square-foot glasshouse, complete with gardens and pools. The gardens inside this new West Conservatory were inspired by “the wild and cultivated landscapes of the Mediterranean” and “conceived as seasonally changing islands set amid pools, canals, and low fountains,” according to a released statement.
The designers will build on the 19th-century tradition of glasshouses “through new sustainable technologies.” Plans call for cypress and 100-year-old olive trees “rising up into the soaring space, while other plantings are suspended from above.”
Besides the construction of a new education and administration building, and a state-of-the-art library and classrooms, six historic Lord & Burnham glasshouses from the early 20th century will be preserved and relocated.
“Longwood Reimagined will be the largest undertaking in our history, enhancing the dazzling and deeply satisfying Longwood Gardens that will continue to enthrall our public for decades to come,” says Paul B. Redman, president and CEO of Longwood Gardens.
The Orchid House restoration will reopen this fall and the entire 17-acre project will be complete in the fall of 2024.
Find more details and comments from designers at www.longwoodgardens.org.