Time Savers

Clinton Nurseries in Florida uses BioWorks products to take advantage of the shorter restricted entry intervals, worker safety, and the low impact on the environment the products offer.

Clinton Nurseries uses SuffOil-X, a horticultural oil that is labeled for a broad range of insects, mites and fungi, including powdery mildew. It suffocates and kills insect eggs, larvae, and nymphs.

“It’s a very good product that we use at certain times of the year to control mites, aphids, whiteflies, and scale. It is very effective and dries quickly to avoid excessive residue that you can get with other brands,” says Don Baxter, general manager of Clinton Nurseries in Florida.

SuffOil-X provides a four-hour re-entry time, allowing for more efficient use of the crew’s time.

“There is a huge advantage to using four-hour re-entry material instead of 12-hour materials,” Baxter says. “You can treat and still enter the [house with the] plants in the same day. During shipping season, that’s huge.”

And that time savings goes right to the nursery’s bottom line.

“We can spray a section and still pull orders the same day,” Baxter says.

The nursery purchases fewer chemicals due to the BioWorks products’ wide-ranging label.

“We can use the BioWorks products on an array of varieties, thus eliminating the need for other specialized chemicals,” he adds.

The nursery also uses other BioWorks products including, Cease, Milstop, RootShield to control or knock down powdery mildew, cercospora leaf spot, anthracnose, downy mildew, and phytophthora.

Baxter’s crew also uses Molt-X and BotaniGard for additional insect control, as well as Verdanta OFE as a nutritional supplement.

Baxter says Clinton Nurseries has tried products from other companies to deal with the typical plant health issues, but was not entirely satisfied with the results.

“BioWorks’ line of products was partially in place when I started working at the company. I then expanded their use based on efficacy, REIs, and other factors,” he says.

The nursery uses BioWorks products as part of the its regular preventive spray rotations and for curative situations as well.

“They are also very safe and easy on the plants with no phytotoxicity issues,” he says.

The crew at Clinton Nurseries often refers to the BioWorks tank mix compatibility chart, which has been crucial in helping the staff find the correct products to target specific plant health issues in the most effective manner, Baxter says.

Baxter says the support team at BioWorks is another key reason for the sustained relations Clinton Nurseries has had with the company.

“As far as the support team goes at BioWorks, the rep we work with, Chris Hayes, comes about once every other month, but he will come by anytime we need him. He is very good at returning calls, finding answers to questions, and explaining how the products work. He suggests rotations, times of the day for them to be most effective, and the like,” he says.