Purdue Extension is hosting a series of cut flower production events and field tours this summer. Join the Purdue Extension Cut Flower Team to learn about cut flower production, view demonstration plantings, and connect with fellow growers and flower enthusiasts. Date/Time: July 15, 2026, 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm EDT Location: Southwest Purdue Agricultural…Read more about Cut Flower Production Field Tours[Read More]
Wenjing Guan
The Purdue cut flower team is currently conducting cut flower demonstrations at three locations in Indiana. In this article, we provide updates and observations on cool-season flowers from the three sites, including open-field and high-tunnel plantings in Vincennes, an open-field site in Indianapolis, and an open-field site in West Lafayette, representing southern, central, and northern…Read more about Spring Planted Cool-Season Cut Flower Update — Dianthus and Centaurea[Read More]
We have seen increasing interest in harvesting strawberry runner tips and producing plug plants on-farm for the next year’s planting. This practice is allowed for cultivars that don’t have a patent or patent has expired. Several excellent Extension publications describe this process, including Strawberry Plug Plant Production published by Utah State University, and Propagating Strawberry…Read more about Considerations of Growing Strawberry Plugs by Harvesting Runner Tips[Read More]
As strawberry harvest winding down, growers are preparing for next year’s planting. A question among plasticulture strawberry growers is whether to establish a new strawberry patch using plug plants or bare-root plants. Plug plants are actively growing transplants produced from runner tips and typically sold in 50-cell trays filled with soilless growing media. In contrast,…Read more about Considerations of Using Plugs or Bare-Root Plants to Start a Plasticulture Strawberry Patch[Read More]
We have experienced several cool days over the past two weeks. One watermelon trial at Southwest Purdue Ag Center was planted on May 4, and during the two days following transplanting, recorded air temperatures dropped below 50°F. We evaluated plant survival 9 days after transplanting. In this trial, we had grafted and non-grafted seedless watermelons,…Read more about Watermelon Plant Survival[Read More]
Strawberry harvest has begun in southern Indiana, with growers reporting that the season started at least a week earlier than usual. We experienced a frost event in mid-March, along with a few light, scattered frosts afterward. Fortunately, with the use of row covers, crop damage has been minimal across the region. Overall, the spring was…Read more about Plasticulture Strawberry Update in Southern Indiana[Read More]
When growers are asked about the top challenges in plasticulture strawberry production, frost/freeze damage are almost always at the top of the list. Anyone living in Indiana understands how unpredictable spring weather can be. This year, in southern Indiana, we experienced warm periods with average daily temperatures exceeding 60 °F in mid-February, followed by sharp…Read more about Spread out Flower Timing to Reduce Spring Frost/Freeze Risks in Plasticulture Strawberry Production[Read More]
Cut flower production continues to expand rapidly across Indiana, with many farms adding flowers as a high-value crop, an agritourism attraction, or a way to diversify their operations. To better support growers in this emerging sector, Purdue Extension launched a new project to better serve Indiana Cut Flower Farmers, funded by Purdue’s AgSEED program. One…Read more about Free Diagnostic for Cut Flower Samples[Read More]
From 2022 to 2024, we evaluated the performance of 15 June-bearing strawberry cultivars grown in a plasticulture system using black and white-on-black plastic mulches at two locations in Indiana: the Southwest Purdue Agricultural Center in Vincennes, IN, and the Meigs Horticulture Research Farm in Lafayette, IN. During the experimental period, monthly average temperatures at the…Read more about Performance of 15 June-bearing Strawberry Cultivars Grown in Plasticulture System for Two Seasons in Indiana[Read More]
A new StrawberryChat podcast episode was posted: Farmer Interview with McNitt Growers: Neopestalotiopsis and Resistant Varieties | Episode 20, May 16, 2025 In this episode, we talk with Bill McNitt, owner of McNitt Growers—a nursery specializing in spring bedding plants and fall strawberry plug production. Bill shares his firsthand insights into how Neopestalotiopsis disease has…Read more about Strawberry Chat Podcast: Neopestalotiopsis and Resistant Strawberry Varieties[Read More]