Most growers know the importance of applying the right amount of macro- and micro-nutrients, and there are several ways of knowing whether a plant is lacking any of these elements.

Micro-organisms are present everywhere; in the air, in water, on plants and in the soil.

Temperature is a key factor in plant growth and development.

Run-to-Waste (RTW) is a simple concept when applied to horticulture that means exactly what it says; irrigation applied until it moves out of the root zone and is disposed of.

Towards the end of the last century, a movement began in the more economically developed countries of the world to tighten up regulation on products that were being marketed as ecologically friendl

Plants don’t have the same senses as we have but are pretty good at forming a picture of the world around them.

Spider mites affect many crops worldwide. There are well over 1,200 species of spider mite, of which more than a hundred can be considered as a pest, and about ten of those as major pest.

The two species of whitefly that affect many crops are Bemisia tabaci or tobacco whitefly and Trialeurodes vaporariorum or glasshouse whitefly.

Thrips are recognisable by their small size and long flat shape. The adult thrips has four feathery wings. They can vary in colour from grey to yellow or brown.

Aphids are no longer than about 4 mm, have a bulbous abdomen and can be many different colours. They are among the most destructive pests to affect cultivated plants in temperate regions.