It’s show time

Cultivate has become an annual tradition for green-industry pros worldwide. If it’s still on your list of shows to attend, make this year the one when you finally see it.

From July 9-12, an estimated 10,000 folks will converge on the Columbus Convention Center to visit some 600 exhibitors.

Besides the trade show element, Cultivate also offers more than 130 educational seminars that cover all facets of the industry, as well as separate tours to greenhouse and nursery operations.

We’ve highlighted some of the nursery- and business-related sessions in this supplement. For all the details regarding this year’s Cultivate, including greenhouse, garden center, landscape and business sessions, visit www.cultivate16.org.

Cultivate is operated by AmericanHort (www.americanhort.org). Times and locations are subject to change. Please pick up a guide at the show for more details.

SATURDAY, JULY 9

8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Nursery Learning Tour | Location: Union Station B | For more on the tour, read our preview here.

9:00 AM - 5:15 PM

SHIFT in Action | Location: Batelle | Speaker: Jennifer Noble, AmericanHort | Join us on a journey of exploration and step outside the garden center for inspiration. We’ll visit Easton Town Center, one of the leading retail centers in the country. You’ll be guided through a learning experience that focuses on identifying and applying SHIFT insights to what you see and experience at Easton. Then, we’ll discuss ways to implement what you’ve seen and make it successful for your business. Each will receive a SHIFT in Action workbook with key insights, examples, and exercises you can do with your staff to help them better understand SHIFT principles, concepts, and goals.

9:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.

Alternative Water Sources for Urban & Nursery Crops | Location: C220

9:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.

Green Infrastructure at the Site Level | Location: C110

9:00 AM - 10:15 AM

Insights on How to Grow Difficult Perennials | Location: Union Station B

9:00 AM - 10:15 AM

Survival at The Speed of Life | Location: Union Station A

10:45 AM - 12:00 PM

Going Green as a Leader | Location: Union Station A | Speaker: Jones Loflin | How in the world are you supposed to improve your leadership skills with the tsunami of expectations facing you every day? The solution might surprise you…think like a gardener. Expect to learn the four fundamentals of green leadership and how to be more intentional in the choices you make. (Eligible for 1.25 LA CES/non-HSW)

10:45 AM - 12:00 PM

Retrofitting Existing Equipment with New Sprayer Technology | Location: C220

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Buzz Feed: New & Underused Native Perennials | Location: C220 | Speaker: Steve Castorani, North Creek Nurseries | When we deal in plants, we also deal in pollinator food. Get your list together of all the best perennial selections that provide food and forage for a wide variety of pollinators and see how to communicate these benefits to consumers. (Eligible for 1 LA CES/ HSW)

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM

It’s Not Selling. It’s Creating an Opportunity to Buy | Location: Union Station A

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Planting in a Post-Wild World | Location: C125

2:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Securing the Industry’s Future: HRI Update | Location: C220

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Getting More Mileage Out of Your Herbicide Applications | Location: C220

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Green Roofs: Plant Evaluations | Location: C123

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Harvesting Better Results in Times of Change | Location: Union Station A

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

OSU Cultivars Trial | Location: Connector (free shuttle to OSU Chadwick Arboretum)

SUNDAY, JULY 10

8:15 AM - 9:30 AM

Morning Jolt Keynote: Inspired People | Location: Batelle Ballroom | Speaker: Jeremy Kingsley | Inspired People Produce Results. People are your number one asset, and the quality of your relationship (Relational Equity) with them will spell the difference between success and failure. Learn how to inspire people by: 1) Focusing on the passion that people need to succeed. 2) Examining the purpose and mindsets of great leaders. 3) Discovering the principles that can change the culture of a company. Jeremy will also discuss what leadership has meant over the last 40-50 years, how it’s evolved, and how data shows that leadership now is different from leadership in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and even the last decade. Get a fast-paced collection of “how to” success principles based on a single, vital premise: your success as a leader hinges on your ability to inspire. For more on this session, read our Q&A here.

9:45 AM - 10:45 AM

Landscape Plants that Save Time, Manpower & Money | Location: C223

10:00 AM - 10:30 AM

Innovating with Biopolymers: Fertilizing Crops & More | Location: Live for Growers | Speaker: Christopher Currey, Iowa State University | Discover new technology that has the potential to be a sustainable solution for several growing challenges. Specifically hear about advances in biopolymer technologies that have produced self-fertilizing containers and how you can incorporate this technology profitably into production.

10:00 AM - 10:20 AM

Sprays vs. Granulars: Pick Your Herbicide Partner | Location: Knowledge Center

10:45 AM - 11:15 AM

What you need to know about your growing media in 30 minutes | Location: Live for Growers

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Extremely Low-Maintenance, Gorgeous Perennials | Location: C223

11:00 AM - 11:50 AM

Ignite! with the HortScholars | Location: Knowledge Center | Six of the industry’s brightest students will take five minutes each to share insights on the industry’s latest hot-button issues. HortScholars is an exclusive AmericanHort program that engages horticulture students from across the country and helps them build their professional network and career. AmericanHort.org/HortScholars for more info.

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

LeanFlow: Real Examples from the Industry | Location: C220

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Understanding Biocontrol Rates | Location: Union Station B

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

What IF We Knew The Future | Location: C210 | Speaker: Jennifer Noble, AmericanHort | One of the many challenges of the horticulture industry is the perplexing — and often paralyzing — question “What’s next?” But that’s where we can begin asking “What if?” The SHIFT initiative began with that exact question. “What if we understood tomorrow’s consumers?” And what resulted is SHIFT: An AmericanHort Initiative that takes a hard look at the future of the industry. Get the inside story of the research and a peek at some of the paradigm-shifting insights and recommendations for any industry business to stay relevant and successful today and tomorrow. (Eligible for 1 LA CES/ non-HSW) For more on this session, read our Q&A here.

11:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Critical Water Quality Considerations for Growers | Location: Live for Growers

12:15 PM - 1:00 PM

State of the Industry Update | Location: Knowledge Center

12:15 PM - 1:15 PM

Still Selling a 1980’s Message in The 21st Century? | Location: Union Station B | Speakers: Angela Treadwell-Palmer, Plants Nouveau; Brienne Gluvna Arthur, Brie Arthur Communications; Leslie F. Halleck, CPH, Halleck Horticultural LLC; Lisa Higby Lefevre, Distinctive Gardens Inc.; Lloyd Traven, Peace Tree Farm; Tina Bemis, Bemis Farms Nursery. | Start thinking about what consumers really think about plants and how they want to actually use them. Taking a cue from European counterpoints, listen to the discussion of communicating values and the motivations that actually trigger buying decisions. A panel of Leslie Halleck, Angela Treadwell-Palmer, Lisa LeFebvre, and Tina Bemis will challenge you, excite you and surprise you with insights on what they have observed from all over North America and across the oceans. Learn from this panel that will give you great ideas to take home and help you sell now and tomorrow.

2:45 PM - 3:15 PM

Green Infrastructure and Plants that Work | Location: Live for Growers

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM

Maximizing Weed Control Through Herbicides & MOA Rotations | Location: C220

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM

What You Need to Know About Labor | Location: C223

3:00 PM - 3:20 PM

Landscape Plugs in Green Infrastructure | Location: Knowledge Center | Speaker: Claudia West, North Creek Nurseries | Landscape plugs are ideal for establishing plant cover quickly, maintaining stable plant communities, and creating densely layered plantings. Learn from our challenges and successes from years of building green infrastructure. For more on this session, read our Q&A here.

3:30 PM - 4:00 PM

Successful Plants for Great Green Roofs | Location: Live for Growers

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Be Confident in Your Products & Profits | Location: C223

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

There’s an App! Conducting Pour Throughs & Monitoring Water | Location: C220 | Speaker: James Owen, Virginia Tech | Monitor your growing zone with the new app “GroZone” and see how it helps record where and when you monitor pH, EC, or water quality at your nursery or greenhouse. Regardless of your monitoring method, GroZone offers a new strategy to stay organized, consistent, and smart in your monitoring techniques. Research funded in part by the Horticultural Research Institute.

MONDAY, JULY 11

8:15 AM - 9:15 AM

Morning Jolt Keynote: Leading With Innovation | Location: Batelle Ballroom | Speaker: Scott Steinberg | Keynote: Leading with Innovation: How to Future-Proof Yourself, Fearlessly Innovate, and Succeed in the New Normal. Learn how to thrive in the new operating reality, create competitive advantage, and successfully leverage new leadership strategies to adapt to changing times. Even the most successful organizations must continually reinvent their products, processes, and enterprises to remain market leaders in an age of growing change, connectivity, and globalization. From more powerful ways to unleash innovation to solutions for better capitalizing on cutting-edge advancements, discover how you and your organization can flourish in tomorrow’s world - and effectively apply its most crucial success strategies and skills in context.

9:45 AM - 10:45 AM

The New American Foodscape: Edibles Grown Beautifully | Location: C223

9:45 AM - 10:45 AM

Training for Keeps: A Training Program to Minimize Turnover | Location: C113

9:45 AM - 10:45 AM

Understanding the “Bee Issue” & How it Creates New MarketsLocation: C220

10:00 AM - 10:30 AM

Tank-Mixing Good Bugs and Sprays | Location: Live for Growers

10:00 AM - 10:20 AM

What Consumers Are Telling Us About Plants | Location: Knowledge Center | Speakers: Mason Day and Seth Reed, GrowIt! Mobile | GrowIt! is a social media platform with over 150,000 people sharing photos, knowledge, and passion about the plants they love (or don’t). Hear some of the most intriguing insights from the co-founders of the app about what they’re learning from GrowIt! users. Unlike the image of the stereotypical “gardener”, every age group is present and participating, providing insight not only into the trends of today, but also the trends of tomorrow. For more on this session, read our Q&A here.

10:45 AM - 11:15 AM

Unlocking the Potential of Growing Mixes | Location: Live for Growers

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

New & Problematic Nursery Diseases | Location: C220 | Speaker: Francesca Peduto Hand, Ohio State University Department of Plant Pathology | Diseases never rest, so stay informed in the latest emergent and problematic diseases of trees and shrubs facing the industry. Be guided through the disease identification process and receive updated information on pathogen mechanisms and available strategies for successful management. This session may be eligible for pesticide recertification credit. For more on this session, read our Q&A here.

12:15 PM - 1:00 PM

Research, Regulations, & Responsiveness | Location: Knowledge Center

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM

Proper Pruning for the Nursery & the Landscape | Location: C220

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM

Succession Planning Successfully | Location: C110

2:30 PM - 2:50 PM

Herbicide Rotation Programs that Work | Location: Knowledge Center

2:45 PM - 3:15 PM

Diversifying Landscapes with Underutilized Plants | Location: Live for Growers

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM

Marketing to Generation Me | Location: C210

3:00 PM - 3:20 PM

New Technology: What is the Intelligent Sprayer? | Location: Live for Growers | Speaker: Randy Zondag, Ohio State University Extension - Lake County | Learn about the growing technology that can transform your coverage spray application methods. Get the broad overview of what the Intelligent Sprayer is, how it works, and how it can provide cost and labor-saving benefits to your business. For more on this session, read our Q&A here.

3:30 PM - 3:50 PM

Every Drop Counts! Drought-Tolerant Perennials | Location: Knowledge Center

3:30 PM - 4:00 PM

The Good, the Bad & the Potential of RFID | Location: Live for Growers | Speaker: Tom Fernandez, PhD, Michigan State University | Radio frequency identification (RFID) can be used for inventory management, individual plant tracking (think virus certification implications), and precision application of water, fertilizer, and pest control. However, as with any new technology, there are incredibly effective applications and significant challenges. Come and hear the good, the bad, and the potential of RFID based on our experiences in grower and experimental nursery experiments.

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Are You Applying the Right Amount of Water? | Location: Union Station A

4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

It’s Not Your Father’s Industry Any More | Location: C110

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

OSU Cultivars Trial | Location: Connector (free shuttle to OSU Chadwick Arboretum)

TUESDAY, JULY 12

8:00 AM - 9:15 AM

Making the SHIFT | Location: C110 | SHIFT: An AmericanHort Initiative takes a hard look at the future of the industry based on months of research, qualitative data, and the resulting insights and recommendations. Join us for a panel discussion of industry leaders who have implemented SHIFT into their business. Hear their stories and ask questions about how they have embraced the paradigm-shifting insights and recommendations and found success. (Eligible for 1.25 LA CES/ non-HSW)

8:00 AM - 9:15 AM

Revised WPS for Greenhouse & Nursery Growers | Location: Union Station A

8:00 AM - 9:15 AM

Scheduling Irrigation To Get More Plants Per Gallon | Location: C220

9:15 AM - 9:45 AM

What’s New in Biocontrols | Location: Live for Growers

9:30 AM - 10:45 AM

Best Practices for Working in the Landscape Supply Chain | Location: C223 | Speakers: Jeff Gibson, Ball Horticultural Co.; Lyndsi Oestmann, Loma Vista Nursery; Melissa Scherb, Woodlawns Landscape; Mike Wieczorek, Hood’s Gardens | Attend to hear wishes and gripes from a grower, distributor, and landscape contractor. Through this conversation learn best practices for ensuring the contractor gets plant products from their suppliers in an efficient manner. Learn about the importance of timely communication along the supply chain, selling from a known inventory versus a wish list, inventory management practices, and truck availabilities during peak season. (Eligible for 1.25 LA CES/ HSW)

9:30 AM - 10:45 AM

Implementing IPM Strategies for Managing Ambrosia Beetles | Location: C220

9:30 AM - 10:45 AM

Propagating Horticulturists: A Guide for Our Industry | Location: C110

10:00 AM - 10:45 AM

Successful Planting Strategies for Rain Gardens & Bioswales | Location: Live for Growers

10:30 AM - 10:50 AM

Lean & Mean: How Lean Flow Means Profits | Location: Knowledge Center

11:00 AM - 11:20 AM

Tools for Monitoring & Identifying Ambrosia Beetles | Location: Knowledge Center

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Great Landscape Plants You Should Be Using | Location: C223

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

The Good, the Bad & the Potential of RFID | Location: C220