Rose Rosette Disease Growers Manual
Transcription
Rose Rosette Disease Growers Manual
Rose star Production Guidelines ® ROSES & P L A NTS Conard-Pyle | From Star® Roses and Plants/Conard-Pyle | 2012 | Table Of Contents 1. Rose Classifications For Ordering 2. Procedures For Receiving And Handling 3. Growing Environment 4. Planting 5. Growing On 6. Crop Scheduling 7. Pest And Disease Control 8. Sanitation Star® Roses and Plants/Conard-Pyle 25 Lewis Road, West Grove, PA 19390 800-458-6559 | www.starrosesandplants.com | © 2012 Star® Roses and Plants/Conard-Pyle Star Roses® and Plants/ Conard-Pyle To maintain its tradition of innovation in its second 100 years, Star® Roses and Plants/Conard-Pyle has introduced The Knock Out® Family of Roses and Drift® Roses, both breakthroughs in rose breeding. The company is also involved directly in breeding perennials and woody plants through an investment in and close collaboration with NovaFlora, a creator of new genetics. It continues to bring new varieties of roses and plants to the public. And, as always, it continues to look for innovative ways to beautify the American landscape. If you have questions: If you have questions, contact John Rausch, Production/Operations or Steve Ramsay, Propagation Manager/Grower Extension. John and Steve have over 30+ years experience growing finished roses and they are happy to answer your questions by phone, by e-mail or in person. Call to set up a phone consultation or to schedule an on-site visit. John Rausch Office: 800-458-6559 ext. 255 Cell: 410-708-6456 E-mail: [email protected] Steve Ramsay star ® ROSES & P L A NTS Conard-Pyle Office: 800-458-6559 ext. 247 Cell: 610-721-9563 E-mail: [email protected] two-year budded 1. Rose Classifications For Ordering There are several classifications of roses that are available from Star® Roses and Plants/Conard-Pyle. 1. Two-year old, budded rose plants. These are the most common for garden roses, and are budded onto Dr. Huey rootstock. 2. One-year, own root rose plants. This method of production is being done more and more at Star® Roses and Plants/Conard-Pyle; initially the list consisted of only landscape shrub roses and miniature types like Sunblaze®, but is now being broadened to include many other popular rose varieties. One-year own root varieties include Knock Out® varieties, Drift® Roses, Floribundas like Marmalade Skies™ and Grandifloras like Mother of Pearl.™ 3. Standard trees or Patio tree roses. These range in age from one to three years old and are available in 24” & 36” in length. one-year own root 4. Rose plug liners. This plant form is most popular in more temperate climates, and is used mostly for smaller container finishing. The large number of rose types can be confusing to a grower so consult your Star® Roses and Plants/Conard-Pyle sales representative for advice. Your geographical location plays a big role, as northern growers will emphasize winter hardy own root varieties, while growers in moderate climates will have more choices. 36” Standard tree All our roses are virus-indexed through the University of California-Davis. This is important as more state agricultural departments are inspecting roses for the presence of virus. Our virus free roses also grow more vigorously and give better overall performance for you and your customers. Star® Roses and Plants/Conard-Pyle uses USDA specifications for grading plants. #1 grade are the largest and consist of 3-4 canes . Grade #1.5-#2 can offer a more affordable option although they typically finish a smaller plant and may need a flush and a trim, adding 4-5 weeks to the crop cycle; consult your sales representative for specific information. Star® Roses and Plants/ Conard-Pyle also offers a row run price for larger growers who have the capability to receive and pot a mixture of grades #1, 1.5 and 2. Your sales representative can provide additional details. When placing your plant order, you should place your container order. Be sure to consult your sales representative on these details. rose plugs Plant tags will be shipped with your order of bare-root plants or plugs unless you are a licensee, in which case your tag order is placed by you directly with Star® Roses and Plants/Conard-Pyle as per the license agreement. contact your sales representative to order branded containers 2. Procedures For Handling And Receiving Your Order 1. Bare-root Orders Harvest and grading begins in early November and is usually finished by mid-February, depending on the weather. Roses are shipped from mid-December to the mildest climates (Southern California, Texas, and Florida) until late March or even early April in the upper Midwest and North East. Because the time between the first harvest and late shipping is so long, storage of dormant plants is critical. Unless you have the proper refrigeration facilities, do not plan for your roses to arrive any more than a week to 10 days prior to planting. If you are storing bare-root roses, always use a refrigeration unit with good ventilation, and never store fruit or vegetables with roses as dormant roses are sensitive to ethylene. The optimum storage temperature for roses is 34 degrees F. As soon as you receive your bare-root shipment, open the boxes and examine the plants for possible damage caused by transit. Bare-root roses will tolerate freezing to some extent without detrimental effects if they are slowly thawed out. Carriers are instructed to maintain reefer temperatures of 36-40 degrees F while your order is in transit; however in rare cases a shipment could arrive frozen. In this case close the boxes and place them in a cool dark place or in a cooler at 35-40 degrees F to slowly thaw out. Do not water them at this time or try to thaw them quickly in a warm room. This could result in severe damage and possibly the loss of the plants. 2. Plug Orders Plugs are shipped either in boxes or shipper racks, and should be inspected upon arrival for any transit damage. The plug trays should be unboxed or unpacked immediately and potted as soon as possible. Tray plugs can tolerate additional time in their existing cells. Keep the plug trays above 34 degrees, properly irrigated, and exposed to sunlight prior to planting. 3. Growing Environment outside There are a wide range of growing environments, however most customers are growing roses either inside a heated greenhouse, directly outside in a mild environment, or in an unheated cold frame. Whether your location is indoors or outside, it must have ample light from dawn to dusk, should have good air circulation, and the plant material should never be in standing water. Cold frames covered with clear poly will provide the best light conditions for growing on. Some growers use a process called sweating to force bare root plants to break dormancy, and to insure a better start. Sweating is the process of creating a micro environment with the combination of high humidity, and warm temperatures inside a cold frame. This process can take as little as 3 days, and usually no longer than a week, and is discussed in more detail on the Growing On chapter. unheated cold frame with plastic heated greenhouse unheated cold frame without plastic 4. Planting Containers You can choose a wide range of container sizes for your crop. Typically plugs smaller than 4” are grown in containers less than 3 gallons. Two year or 1 year Bare-root plants are grown in 2 gallon sizes or larger, and bare-root tress are grown in 5 gallons. Remember to order branded containers as required as discussed in Chapter 1. Media Roses may be produced in a wide range of media. The mix should be well drained and high in organic matter (optimally 80%). Provide a starter charge with Calcium, NP & K, Magnesium and micronutrients. Your media recipe should be designed to fit your personal growing style. The optimum PH for growing roses is 5.5-6.2 It is important that the media be adjusted if necessary to achieve this PH range prior to planting. Prior to planting, prune the canes of bare-root liners to 6” above the bud union for two year roses, or 4.5-5.0 inches for one year plants. This pruning will encourage a more uniform break and a better finished product. Root pruning is not recommended, unless the roots are too big for the container in which case trim only the minimum and leave as many fibrous roots as possible. It is extremely important to keep the bare-root plants from drying out during the entire planting operation. Do not leave roses for very long without water between planting and spacing. Do not expose plants to extreme cold (below 22 degrees F) during planting and spacing. When planting a budded rose, the bud union (graft area) should be at or slightly above the soil line. Firming the soil around the roots during potting is important to reduce air pockets which can dry out the roots. It is a good idea to stake tree roses to keep them straight in the container. 5. Growing On The roses are now ready to be set down in the growing area. The growing area will vary depending on your geographical location (Chapter 3) and the size of the nursery / greenhouse. In most nurseries bare-root roses are spaced directly on the final spacing. Starting plants off with pot –to – pot spacing can save space initially, but this is usually not very cost effective. Furthermore, spacing too late may result in significant breakage. Roses grown from plugs can be set down pot to pot and spaced at a later date. Once set down, water plants thoroughly until the media mix is fully saturated. DO NOT APPLY HERBICIDE TO ROSES AT THE TIME THEY ARE POTTED. Forcing / Sweating This process is typically only used in a cold frame environment with bare-root roses to shorten the growing cycle. This practice although effective, requires extremely close attention to details. It is suggested that growers experiment with this practice on a small scale and gain experience first. Sweating starts by covering the newly potted roses with a thin clear polyethylene plastic sheet to create a seal and an environment that will have very high humidity; this will help force leaf expansion. Walk the crop daily to monitor for bud break and any dry media which may develop under the plastic blanket. When bud eyes expand and the uppermost shoots come in contact with the plastic, the blanket should be removed. Removal should be done in stages to avoid burning the foliage. First day, early in the morning, remove blanket back 1 row, to break the contact with the floor and allow humidity to escape. On the next day early in the morning remove the blanket back half way, continuing to not allow the plastic to have contact with the floor. On the third day early in the morning remove the blanket all the way, water roses to saturation, and begin a fungicide rotation (Chapter 8). Poly blanket can also serve as good protection against frost. In the event of below freezing temperatures pull the poly blanket back over the crop, this will help protect the new growth. This frost protection practice can be continued until the tender flush of growth becomes too tall and covering damages the young leaves. Cold Protection When growing in cold frames any roses sweated or forced for early spring sales, typically in colder climates, will need to be protected from temperatures below 32 degrees F. Poly blanket can be pulled until the new shoots reach a certain height. Once growth height becomes 6.0-8.0” tall, heat (if available) or irrigation bursts can be applied to raise temperatures above 32 degrees F. When newly potted roses are grown outside, they should be protected from wind and sun until plants are rooted in. Irrigation bursts can be used to prevent canes from drying out. Hardening Off Roses grown in greenhouses or cold frames are softer and more succulent and therefore need to be gradually acclimated to outdoor conditions at finishing. Sides of cold frames should be raised gradually over a 14 day period prior to shipping to harden the crop off. Fertility Nurseries use a wide range of fertilizer formulation and methods. A well balanced incorporated slow release, and soluble form, are the most common. Soluble or liquid applications should begin when shoots are 1.0-1.5” long, and when the first leaves have fully expanded. Feed at a beginning rate of 125ppm150ppm N, apply only clear water at every third or fourth irrigation to avoid salts buildup. Growers who use incorporated fertilizer should select a well balanced product with minors and as with soluble applications maintain a target EC of 1.0-1.5. Growers that plan to have plants go dormant for next season sales should reduce to 75 ppm N soluble in the fall and then stop feeding entirely, and if using a CRF, plan the longevity accordingly. Irrigation Roses prefer a thorough watering but do not want “wet feet”. To reduce disease, avoid leaving foliage wet into the night. Roses do best when they dry down so they are slightly moist before the next irrigation. It is important to make and execute irrigation decisions early in the day. You want your foliage to be dry and your humidity to be as low as possible at the end of the day. Trimming / Pinching As a general rule roots should be reaching the outside of the container before trimming. At that time the plant will begin to grow rapidly. Usually buds should also have begun to form before the first pinch. Generally, the second pinch should occur once you have one well developed “five leaflet” above the last pinch. Subsequent pinches should be made on the same basic schedule. Look for bud development to dictate the time of each pinch; this will usually occur in time frames around 5-7 weeks apart. It is important to irrigate your plants before pinching. During the hottest weeks of the year pinching can cause problems for growers, especially in Texas and Southern California when temperatures are above 100 degrees F. It is best to avoid pinching during extreme heat spells. Bare-root #1 grade plants in most cases do not need to be trimmed prior to finishing. 6. Crop Scheduling Crop scheduling and timing finished plants varies drastically with geographic location and environmental conditions. Most container rose sales occur from early to late spring, with a large percentage being finished for Mothers day. The following are examples of crop finish times for #1 grade bare-root plants without pinching: • Outdoor production in Southern California for early spring sales. Production time is nine weeks: Pot in mid December and ship late February. • Outdoor production in Northern California for Mothers day sales. Production time is twelve weeks: Pot late January • Cold frame production in the Northeast and Mid West for Mothers day sales. Production time is ten to twelve weeks: Pot in early February and ship from late April to early May. • Outdoor production in Texas for Mothers day sales. Production time is eight to ten weeks In general, smaller plants such as grade # 1.5 will usually require a pinch, adding three to four weeks to the total crop time, unless they are grown in very mild climates. The following are examples of crop finish times for finished plants started from plugs: • Plant liner in early spring and grow for 5-6 weeks, pinch the liner and then grow for another 5-6 weeks, pinch the liner again and grow for an additional 6-7 weeks to crop finish. Plant to finish time total 4-5 months, depending on location, facility and pot size. • Plugs can be planted in late summer or fall and then sold the following spring. In this case the plant would be allowed to grow and the first pinch would not be done 5-6 weeks after planting. In warmer climates and depending on planting date the first pinch could occur once the plant has fully bloomed out or at about 8-9 weeks after planting. The plant would then, under either scenario go dormant for the winter. The grower must then work backwards from his desired ship date to determine when the next pinch will be. Subtract 6-7 weeks from the ship date to determine the 3rd pinch. Subtract 5-6 weeks from the 3rd pinch to determine the 2nd pinch. Subtract 5-6 weeks from the 2nd pinch to determine when the 1st pinch should occur right after winter. 7. Pest and Disease Control Root Diseases There are three root diseases that could occur in growing roses. Pythium is typically encountered in cool media situations, Rhizoctonia in warm media situations, and Phytophthora is usually encountered in media with prolonged high moisture content. To prevent these problems, apply preventative chemical drenches. Applications to prevent these diseases should be done during the growing season. a. Chemical rates per 100 gal Pageant 16 oz. Protect DF 1 lb plus Agrifos 80 oz. Insecticides Aphids and spider mites are the most common insect and mite pests, although whiteflies and thrips can be problems, especially late in the season, when temperatures are warmer. IPM scouting is critical for identification of pests and timing of sprays. a. Chemicals 1. Aphids Subdue maxx 1 oz. plus Medallion 1 oz. 1% vv Horticultural Oil Segway 4 oz. plus Thiophanate methyl (label rate) Endeavor 5 oz. per 100 gal Adorn 2 oz. plus Pageant 12 oz. If you need to drench to control a disease outbreak (Phytophthora) it is important to correct the condition favoring the disease, most likely over watering. Allow the media to dry down to the point of being moist not wet. Any of the above drenches would be acceptable to correct an outbreak caught early in the disease cycle. After drenching and correcting an over watering situation new root growth should be seen in about 2 weeks. Fungicides Fungicide rotations are important to maintain healthy plant growth. Start the rotation when you have leaf break and continue until the plants go dormant. These rotations can be as aggressive as every 7 days during vigorous growth periods, and stretch to every 10-14 days during periods of slow or no growth. a. Chemical rates per 100 gal Protect DF 1 lb plus Clearspray 4 oz. (one time application) Affirm 8 oz. plus Micora 6 oz. Protect DF 1 lb plus Agrifos 80 oz. Botanigard 22 WP 16 oz. per 100 gal Flag Ship 25 WG 8 oz. per 100 gal 2. Mites Avid 4 oz. plus 1% vv Horticultural Oil per 100 gal APPLYING BENEFICIAL INSECTS Floramite SC 8 oz. plus Clearspray 4 oz. per 100 gal Akari 20 oz. plus TetraSan 10 oz. plus Clearspray 4 oz. per 100 gal 3. Thrips Conserve 20 oz. per 100 gal Avid 8 oz. per 100 gal Botanigard 22 WP 16 oz. per 100 gal (apply every 3-5 days if needed) Overture 35 WP 8 oz. per 100 gal 4. Whitefly Same as thrips rotation Downy Mildew Downy is probably the most common disease encountered in growing roses in cold frames, where controlling moisture on the leaves at night is not always easy. Downy mildew is observed on roses as angular purple / black blotches on the upper leaf surface. Favorable conditions for the development of this disease are when temperatures are 50-70 degrees F, relative humidity is 85% or higher, there is free water on the foliage, and reduced air flow due to crowded spacing. never in the evening. If conditions are favorable for disease development, time the spray application when foliage is dry from irrigation or morning dew. If a disease outbreak occurs spray Adorn 2 oz. per 100 gal along with the regular spray rotation. Use this combination only one time per crop cycle. If the disease pressure is still high, trim plants 7 days after the Adorn application and remove infected foliage and trimmings and reflush the crop. In 2011 Adorn was cleared by the EPA for use In NY and CA. Both these states have stricter requirements than the rest of the country so product registration to NY and CA always comes later. Powdery Mildew Powdery mildew is seen as long, white strands or chains of spores. Powdery Mildew will infect the upper and lower leaf surfaces as well as stems and buds. Conditions that favor the development of this disease are dry foliage, 6080 degrees F overcast days with dry conditions and no rain, and high relative humidity usually seen during late spring and early fall. a. Controls a. Controls 2% vv Horticultural Oil will help to smother the spores and reduce the spread of the problem. Follow the previously listed Fungicide controls for prevention Follow the Oil application 3 days later with Milstop 3 lbs. per 100 gal Water is needed for spore development, once spores develop and the foliage dries, the spores are released and dispersed via wind. Irrigate the crop by mid morning to ensure a quick dry down, avoid irrigating in the afternoon and downy mildew Follow the Milstop application 5 days later with Eagle 20EW 8 oz. per100 gal and a spreader sticker. Eagle 20 EW is not to be used in a greenhouse. For greenhouse roses apply Spectro 90 at 24 oz. per 100 gal. powdery mildew Downy and Powdery Mildew are much easier to prevent than to cure. It is important to react to weather conditions and spray before the disease develops. Applications on 7 day intervals during the spring and summer months are critical. a Early Symptoms c Late Symptoms Rose Midge Rose midge is an increasing pest to roses worldwide. The larvae feed within the emerging leaf and flower bud causing the buds to wither and turn black. The result can cause failure to the bloom cycle and thus make the plants unmarketable. The damage can be confused easily with pesticide foliar spray burn. Red elongated stem growth Deformed flowers b d Unopened flower buds “Witches broom” like cluster a. Control Perform a soil drench with a product containing imidacloprid as plants break dormancy. Follow in 60 days with foliar spray applications of dinotefuran (Safari) 18 oz. per 100 gal. Apply once in May and June. Rose Rosette Disease Early Symptoms: Plants infected for less than a month will typically display one or two shoots with red and elongated stem growth (see figure a), sometimes with excessive thorniness, and unopened flower buds (see figure b). Late Symptoms: Plants that have been infected for several months or longer will show multiple deformed shoots often bearing deformed flowers (see figure c), and very dense “witches broom” (see figure d) like clusters of leaves and stems. Once a plant is infected, there is no cure for RRD but infection may be prevented from spreading to healthy plants by removing the infected plants and using a combination of cultural and chemical measures described in this document. rose midge Confusion With Herbicide Damage: Herbicides can often cause symptoms similar to RRD. Glyphosate can cause a compressed witches broom habit over a large section of the plant. It generally does not result in increased thorns or increased redness of stem. See table 1 for additional information. Consumers and landscapers should be aware that many herbicides used in lawn control and broad leaf weed control products can cause symptoms similar to RRD. It has been documented that many of herbicides can survive composting. If compost containing lawn clippings is used around roses herbicide damage to roses can occur. Table 1: Rose Rosette Disease vs. Herbicide Damage Figure a - Caused by RRD: red, elongated stem growth. Figure b - Caused by herbicide: compressed witches broom habit. Leaves are reduced in size, long and narrow. Lawn treatment with glyphosate often produces symptoms. a b DNA Testing For RRD: The causal agent of RRD is now believed to be an RNA virus. Although we do not yet have definitive proof that the virus is the sole causal agent, its presence is strongly associated with RRD symptoms. Star® Roses and Plants/ Conard-Pyle’s research division NovaFlora® has optimized conditions for this assay and can now perform tests for growers for a minimum charge. Contact Star® Roses and Plants/ConardPyle for more details. PCR Testing For RRD: The Oklahoma State University Plant Disease and Insect Diagnostic Laboratory offers RRD PCR testing for both in and out of state clients (US only, lower 48 states). The cost is $25 per sample and checks can be made out to Oklahoma State University. They cannot accept credit card payments at this time. Snip off 2-3 symptomatic canes/leaves and place inside two plastic bags (double bagged) if from outside Oklahoma and send for testing with the form in the link below. Symptomatic leaves are the preferred tissue for testing. The mailing address is at the top of the form. http:// entoplp.okstate.edu/pddl/pdidl-form.pdf Results take about 2-3 days depending on how busy the lab is. Reports are sent directly back to the submitter preferably by emailed PDF. Rose varieties affected: Herbicide Carryover in Hay, Manure, Compost and Grass Clippings. NC State Cooperative Extension: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/fletcher/ programs/ncorganic/special-pubs/herbicide_ carryover.pdf. All hybrid roses are susceptible to RRD. Only a few native US species roses are resistant to the disease. Vector: RRD is spread by one species of eriophyid mites (Phyllocoptes fructiphilus). They are barely visible to the naked eye but are more easily seen with a 20X hand lens. The mites transmit the infectious agent which is most likely a virus. RRD can affect all hybrid roses and many rose species such as Rosa multiflora. Spread: The eriophyid mite is readily carried long distances by the wind to neighboring plants and neighboring fields. Distribution in USA: RRD has moved steadily Eastwards from its origin in the Rockies. Its incidence correlates strongly with the distribution of Rosa multiflora. It has been reported in the Mid-West, NorthEastern US and most recently in Texas. There are few reports of RRD West of the Rockies where the main host Rosa multiflora is absent. Control: Early Infection: In a landscape and garden setting, If caught early, infected canes should be cut down to the ground. The remaining shoot should be treated with a household mitocide such as Abamectin. In many cases this can sucessfuly rid the plant of RRD. In a production setting, growers should destroy infected plants as soon as possible and observe other adjacent plants for symptoms. In both production, garden and landscape settings, plants should be burned and or bagged. Eliminate multiflora rose. Multiflora rose is the most prevalent host for RRD. R. multiflora plants should be eliminated from surrounding fields within a 100-meter radius and if possible a 1.5 mile radius) of rose nurseries and gardens. Effective elimination procedures include use of mechanical and chemical methods: frequent, repeated cutting or mowing at a rate of three to six times per multiflora rose growing season, for 2-4 years. Herbicides have been used effectively, but because of the long lived seed in the soil, followup treatments are likely necessary. Application of systemic herbicides to freshly cut stumps or to regrowth is also recommended. Once eliminated surrounding fields should be monitored for regrowth in spring and early summer. See table 2 for more information. Pruning dormant plants just before new growth appears in late winter, will help eliminate mites and their eggs that hide in crevices of cane-petiole axis from infecting a rose crop. We recommend cutting plants back by 2⁄3 their size. Star® Roses and Plants/Conard-Pyle is aggressively funding and coordinating research on many different levels, in-house and with various industry professionals. While there is no cure at this point, we are committed to combating RRD. As a leading rose genetics company, we are dedicated to leading the charge against RRD. We will keep you informed as we learn more about RRD and we ask that you please keep us informed too. Table 2: Chemical Control For Multiflora Rose: * Name Manufacturer Active Ingredient Rate Additional Info DuPont™ Escort® Dupont™ Metsulfuron methyl 1-2 oz per 100 gal Apply after break in dormancy, chemical is absorbed by foliage and roots, nonselective Tordon® K Dow AgroSciences Picloram 16-128 oz per 100 gal Apply after break in dormancy, has the potential to contaminate groundwater Garlon® 4 Ultra Dow AgroSciences Triclopyr 2 -6 qts per 100 gal Apply when plant is fully leafed out Round Up® Monsanto Company Glyphosate 1.5 oz per gal Multiple applications may be required to achieve eradication * State restrictions may apply. Table 3: Chemical Control For Mites: Three chemicals registered for control of eriophyoid mites can be used. Starting at bud-break and throughout the growing season, it is important that they are used in rotation every 5-7 days to prevent the mites from becoming resistant to any individual chemical. Growers who use this regime report significantly reduced incidence of Rose Rosette Disease. Name Manufacturer Active Ingredient Rate Avid Syngenta® Abemectin 4 oz per 100 gal Oil BioWorks® Petroleum distillates 1 gal per 100 gal Akari® Sepro Fenpyroximate 24 oz per 100 gal Judo OHPA Spiromesifen 4 oz per 100 gal Additional Info Apply Avid and oil as a combination spray for best results Recommended that a sticker be added 8. Sanitation Sanitation Techniques Maintaining good overall sanitation techniques will go a long way to reducing a nurseries disease pressure, and potential infections that could lead to crop loss; good cultural practices start at propagation. The following suggestions are sanitation protocol’s that we have found to be effective in the propagation of all woody ornamentals. Note, propagation of Star® Roses and Plants/ Conard-Pyle patented products is illegal without a license. Once propagation material is harvested rinse the cuttings with 50 oz. of Cease per 40 gallons of water. when harvesting, preparing, and sticking cuttings, gloves should be frequently rinsed with 70% alcohol. Sanitation Practices Other general sanitation practices should be adhered to in the growing environment for example: Keep floors clean of algae, and debris Keep lids on debris cans and leave lid on when removing Sanitize propagation benches between crops with Kleengrow Keep hose ends off the ground at all times Propagation material is best when stored at 45 F and is used within 72 hours. Propagation material should be prepared (made into cuttings) on tables covered with metal to insure proper phytosanitation (wood tables are porous and very hard to clean). Tables are cleaned thoroughly at a minimum of once per hour or every time a variety is changed. Pruning shears should be disinfected every 5 minutes and when varieties change. For sanitizing both the tables and pruning shears a disinfectant of 70% isopropyl alcohol is recommended. Prior to planting all cuttings should be dipped in Galltrol at a rate of 1 plate per gallon of water. Only use new trays for rooting cuttings. Use clean freshly prepared rooting hormone at the start of every day, and change to fresh hormone after a variety change. Harvest baskets should also be disinfected at the end of each day. Employees should wash their hands before work, after each break, and use nitrile gloves Conard-Pyle