SHOW DATES: AUGUST 20-22, 2025 SHOW HOURS: Wednesday: 10am – 5pm | Thursday: 10am – 5pm | Friday: 10am – 2pm Contact: 503-682-5089

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Practical Use of Plant Growth Regulators in the Plant Nursery

Room B116

Speaker: Dr. Jozsef Racsko, Technology Manager, Mycorrhizal Applications LLC.
In this technical seminar, attendees will learn about the commercial applicability of plant growth regulator (PGR) products; when and how to apply them, what rates to use, what factors influence their efficacy (weather conditions, water pH, plant health status), and how these products can be integrated into the production practices. The presentation will review results from commercial trials and research experiments and provide guidance to the audience on how to interpret such research information. This will help growers find the right solution tailored to their turf or ornamental crop and growing conditions. The presenter will discuss how growing protocols can be adjusted to specific conditions to take full advantage of PGR products.

Registration Required

Extreme Weather: How it Affects Crop Production With Solutions Offered

Room B116

Speakers: Lloyd Nackley, Professor, Oregon State University and Dr. Drew Zwart, Plant Pathologist / Physiologist, Bartlett Tree Research Laboratories
Extreme weather events are more common than ever. For example, in 2021 the north Willamette Valley had catastrophic ice storms in late winter. The winter melted into a warm spring and exceptionally hot summer that was exemplified by the 113 F “heat dome” in late June. While the average annual temperatures in our region will only increase by a few degrees each decade, these extreme (greater than 10 F above average) hot and low-temperature events have devastating and long-lasting effects on nursery producers. Learn about how climate change and extreme weather are affecting nursery production, and what growers can do about it.

Registration Required

Cultivating Cultivars Seed to Tree: The 30-Year Timeline for Climate Resistant Urban Trees

Room B116

Speaker: Nancy Buley, Communications Director, J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co.
It’s a long and complex journey from seed to city tree. Many hands and a decade or more are needed to grow a tree from start to finish. It takes even longer to develop, select, trial, and introduce new and improved cultivars. Bringing new and improved urban tree cultivars to market is a multi-generational effort that may take 15–30 years or more, via the collaborative efforts of plant breeders, growers, urban foresters, arboreta, and academia. Understanding the timeline and processes of new tree introduction and the how and why of cultivar development will help you plan ahead for choosing, growing, and planting the best trees for the future urban forest.

Registration Required

Reducing Plastic Pots: Adopt Air Pruning Strategies

Solution Center (end of Aisle 10,000)

Speaker: Michael Taylor, Senior Nursery Specialist, Blackmore Company
This FREE mini-session is included with your trade show pass!
Learn about the Ellepot system and discover the benefits of air pruning roots. Air pruning reduces production costs, creates more root mass, uses less media, and reduces the number of plastic pots ending up in landfills. Plus, it helps the consumer have a better gardening experience!

FREE

A Baker’s Dozen of Pollinator Trees

Solution Center (end of Aisle 10,000)

A Season-long Menu for Attracting Pollinator Guests to the Garden
Speaker: Nancy Buley, Communications Director, J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co.
This FREE mini-session is included with your trade show pass!
Most pollinator research for determining the best nectar and pollen sources is focused on perennials and annuals. Garden centers can increase their tree sales throughout the year by offering a sequence of trees that bloom from early spring until fall.

FREE

Soil Moisture: Top Factor for the Survival of Newly Installed Plants

Room B110

Speaker: Wei Zhang, Vice President of Research and Development, TreeDiaper
Urban trees tend to struggle because it is not an ideal growing condition between pavements and buildings. Underwatering and overwatering are the most common causes. Water prescriptions are developed to address this problem, but too much of the water is wasted. The most important factor for tree survival is the soil moisture, not how much water is dumped onto the root ball. New methods of increasing plant available water and stabilizing soil moisture will be discussed.

Registration Required

Integrating Biological Control Agents with Chemical Spray Programs: Innovative Ways to Manage Pesticide Resistance

Room B119

Speaker: George Grant, GGSPro Technical Specialist, Griffin Greenhouse Supplies
Over the past decade, using “beneficials” or biological control agents (BCAs) to help growers deal with pest issues has grown dramatically. BCAs can play a critical role in preventing and managing pesticide resistance when used effectively. However, growers require a comprehensive knowledge of their life cycles, target pests, and compatibility with organic and conventional pesticides. This course will cover these topics for some of the industry’s most commonly used beneficial insects, mites, and nematodes along with how growers can begin integrating BCAs into their current crop protection programs.

Registration Required

Soil Oxygen: Tips for Ensuring Plant Roots are Healthy and Thriving

Solution Center (end of Aisle 10,000)

Speaker: Wei Zhang, PhD, VP of R&D, TreeDiaper
This FREE mini-session is included with your trade show pass!
Inspired by Professor Linda Chalker-Scott and Mr. Jim Uraban, two well-known professionals in the green industry, this presentation will be interactive with a live demo! We will explore why we must water our plants so often, what makes Plant Available Water different from irrigation water, and why we can’t supply plants with 1 month of water at a time. Wei will explain why roots don’t grow deep in the soil, why compacted soil is bad for your plants, and why volcano mulching is bad for your trees while piles of leaf litter in natural forests is not, and so much more!

FREE

Regenerative Landscaping: Small Changes, Large Impact – Protecting and Supporting Local Ecology

Room B110

Speaker: Nutmeg Minneboo, Lead Ecological Designer, SymbiOp Garden Shop and Landscaping
The way that we install and manage spaces in the landscaping industry has a large impact on the health and well-being of local ecology. Managing pests, plant diseases, water infiltration, and choosing plants for landscapes all directly affects local birds, pollinators, beneficial insects, and our local watershed. In this presentation, we will dive into ways we can learn to read the landscape. We will learn what to do when landscapes are out of balance and pests and diseases arise. Learning tips and tools for improving balance in a landscape naturally can help us protect local ecology.

Registration Required

Solving Plant Problems Virtually

Room B110

Speaker: George Grant, GGSPro Technical Specialist, Griffin Greenhouse Supplies
Whether a grower is working internally with their cultivation team or externally with cooperative extension personnel, product vendor representatives or technical specialists often rely on some form of virtual communication (e.g., cellphones, emails, or video conferences). We are all familiar with the saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” but knowing what picture to take and what information to gather before reaching out for consultation is important in diagnosing an issue correctly and efficiently. The objective of this presentation will be to build a checklist growers can use for gathering valuable information once they have identified an issue in their production setting.

Registration Required

Healthy Soil: All the Key Elements for Maintaining the Healthiest Soil

Room B116

Speakers: Alicia Leytem, President, Oregon Society of Soil Scientists, Instructor at OSU
Vance Almquist, Vice President of Oregon Society of Soil Scientists, Instructor at OSU
Join soil scientists Alicia Leytem and Vance Almquist as they discuss the principles of soil health and their relevance in Oregon. Learn common misperceptions regarding regenerative agriculture and how to spot misleading information when it comes to implementing soil health management and regenerative practices. Attendees will learn why soil health is important for your farm and the environment.

Registration Required

Current Market Demands New Approaches to Container Growing

Solution Center (end of Aisle 10,000)

Co-Presenters: Tom Springer, Chris Murphey, NurserySource
This FREE mini-session is included with your trade show pass!
NurserySource’s and RediRoot’s goal is to help nurseries and grow operations integrate new approaches to container production and gardening. Their markets span nursery, cannabis and home gardeners giving them a unique look into the ways all growers are learning from each other and improving their production. They see the pressure labor and regulatory costs have upon different operations and work to help clients mitigate those challenges. This seminar will briefly detail their observations and recommendations.

FREE

Stressed Out: How to Diagnose, Treat, and Avoid Environmental Stress in Landscape Plants

Room B116

Speaker: Linda Chalker-Scott, Ph.D, Professor and Extension Specialist in Urban Horticulture, Washington State University

This seminar will present a diagnostic approach to discovering the cause behind landscape failure. Many landscape plants fail to thrive, or even die, because of avoidable errors in selecting, transplanting, and maintaining trees and shrubs. Without understanding the underlying reason behind landscape failure, homeowners and professionals often resort to pesticides and fertilizers in an unsuccessful attempt to fix the problem. An alternative set of suggested best practices will be presented based on recent and on-going research, which ultimately will help landscape managers avoid the unnecessary use of chemicals.

Registration Required

Transforming vs. Evolving: Turn Your Vision into Dramatic, Measurable Results Using Policy Deployment

Room B119

Speaker: Rick Peters, President, The Peters Company

Every leader faces the challenge of translating vision into results. Most have goals to achieve over the next 3–5 years; the difficulty is converting long-term goals into daily activities that can be measured. Oregon nurseries are using policy deployment ("Hoshin Kanri") to develop annual improvement targets that align and link with their long-term strategies. The process engages team members at every level. Each person understands how they can impact the organization's goals. Bring your leadership team for an introduction to this powerful tool. Learn how Robinson Nursery uses policy deployment to transform the business and achieve their mission of “growing people and plants to change the world.”

Registration Required

Selecting Plants for Success!

Room B116

Speaker: Ben Hoover, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Sustainable Nursery Production, California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Millions of plants are purchased and planted every year in the United States. Many of those plants are destined for failure. Selecting the right plants and location for planting them appropriately can increase your credibility, customer base, and profitability. We will talk about making good decisions, communicating your expertise with customers, and benefiting the environment and your company at the same time. FYI: your concept of a native plant might be challenged!

Registration Required

Profiting With Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Solution Center (end of Aisle 10,000)

Speaker: Mary Choate, Chief Operating Officer, Pest Wizard Brands LLC

Integrated Pest Management is good for the environment, but did you know it is also good for your bottom line? IPM is a great tool for improved profitability for Independent Garden Centers (IGCs) and for growers. Learn how to implement an effective IPM strategy in your greenhouse or nursery to reduce costs and decrease loss from pests. For IGC, we’ll discuss how IPM can be a key marketing strategy to improve sales through cross-marketing and upselling for your entire line, from irrigation to green goods.

FREE

Landscape Zombies! Myths That Refuse to Die

Room B116

Speaker: Linda Chalker-Scott, Ph.D, Professor and Extension Specialist in Urban Horticulture, Washington State University

Professional horticulturists want the latest plant and soil science information to use in managing landscapes, but how can you tell what’s science, and what’s pseudoscience? Landscape professionals can quickly lose their credibility — and cause damage to plants and soil — when they end up promoting products and practices that aren’t based on reputable science. This seminar will provide some guidelines for evaluating products and practices based on the most current and relevant scientific information available.

Registration Required

People, Plants and a Backyard – An Exploration of How and Why We Interpret Urban Landscapes the Way We Do

Room B116

Speaker: Alan Shay, Senior Instructor, Horticulture Department, Oregon State University

In this presentation we will examine the cultural heritage we in the west have inherited that leads us to react to management in landscapes in a particular fashion. Can we afford to prioritize aesthetics over functionality in a world of rapidly diminishing resources and climate change? How can we design landscapes sensibly, that look good and still make a profit for ourselves? It's all about education.

Registration Required

Soil Oxygen: The Real Limiting Factor For Trees

Room B119

Speaker: Wei Zhang, Ph.D., Vice President of Research and Development, Zynnovation LLC

This presentation answers common questions, such as: Why do we have to water trees so often? Why can't we supply them with one year's water supply at a time? Why don’t roots grow deep? Why is compacted soil bad for urban trees? Why is volcano mulching bad for trees while leaf piling against tree trunks in natural forests is good? Why is deicing salt bad for plants? What makes the space under sidewalks so attractive to tree roots? One thing in common with all these problems - Soil Oxygen! Join us for live demonstrations throughout the seminar.

Registration Required

What it Takes To Build A Robust IPM Program & Resistance Management

Room B113

Speaker: Brock Martindale, National Nursery & Greenhouse Strategic Account Manger, Corteva

Broch will cover the importance of building a robust IMP program and how you can avoid building resistance in your facility. You are bound to find several things that you can take back to your facility to improve your process. Broch will cover the 7 steps to success and a deep dive into preventing resistance.

Registration Required

The UC Landscape Plants Irrigation Trials (Part One)

Room B116

Speaker: Lorence Oki, Ph.D., Specialist in Cooperative Extension, University of California, Davis

The University of California Landscape Plants Irrigation Trials project evaluates performance of plants exposed to three different irrigation treatments based on evapotranspiration (ETo). The data collected leads to recommendations for irrigating those plants that are used by landscape designers and architects to design landscapes that comply with California water conservation regulations. This project started in 2004 as a graduate student research project, was expanded periodically, and then duplicated at the UC South Coast Research and Extension Center in 2017. We will discuss plant lists, data collected, irrigation recommendations, and project background.

Registration Required

Defining and Building Your Culture to Create a Thriving Team (SPANISH ONLY)

Room B119

Speaker: Elizabeth Peña, Value Stream Leader, Peoria Gardens Inc.

A culture is how you solve problems and how you behave toward others. You must strike a balance between knowledge and behaviors, between head and heart. If you want your team to thrive, you must first define your culture, then do the important work of building your culture into everything you do together. You are invited to learn how Peoria Gardens, a second-generation greenhouse in Albany, Oregon, defined their culture, then built that culture into a business that continues to be recognized as one of the best places to work in the horticulture industry.

Registration Required

The Climate Ready Landscape Plants Project (Part TWO)

Room B116

Speaker: Lorence Oki, Ph.D., Specialist in Cooperative Extension, University of California, Davis

The University of California Landscape Plants Irrigation Trials project evaluates performance of plants exposed to three different irrigation treatments based on evapotranspiration (ETo). The data collected leads to recommendations for irrigating those plants that are used by landscape designers and architects to design landscapes that comply with California water conservation regulations. This project started in 2004 as a graduate student research project, was expanded periodically, and then duplicated at the UC South Coast Research and Extension Center in 2017. The project recently has expanded to the University of Washington, Oregon State University, Utah State University, and the University of Arizona that facilitates the comparison of plant performance in response to deficit irrigation treatments across the western region of the U.S. We will discuss plant lists, data collected, irrigation recommendations, and project background.

Registration Required

Above- & Under-ground Partners: What Urban Trees are Missing

Room B119

Speaker: Wei Zhang, Ph.D., Vice President of Research and Development, Zynnovation LLC

Trees in the forests live with their family and friends. Above the ground, young trees are protected by mature trees against extreme weather conditions such as scorching sunlight, damaging wind, and extreme cold. Equally, and maybe more important than the above ground partners, the underground partners; insects, worms, and root and soil microbiome, is critical for the survival and thrive of the baby trees. How can we expect turban trees to survive and thrive with compacted soils, excess stormwater runoff, salt, pollution, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and more.

Registration Required

Mycorrhizae: Benefits and Use in Grower Operations and the Landscape

Room B119

Speaker: Jason Padden, Sales Account Manager, Mycorrhizal Applications

Explore the science behind beneficial mycorrhizal fungi, with a focus on how growers and landscapers may utilize the power of mycorrhizae in their operations. Participants will learn how the addition of mycorrhizal inoculant products helps plants increase their efficiency of water use, nutrient uptake, and boost other plant health treatments. We will discuss how these benefits reduce plant loss by increasing plant vigor helping to grow hardier while saving time and money. Mycorrhizal inoculants have been used in sustainable growing systems for decades. Those that use them have been able to reduce the stress to both the plants they are growing and themselves.

Registration Required

A Plantsman’s Notebook: New Plants and a Reminder of Some ‘Smokers’ We Often Forget About

Room B119

Speaker: Nicholas Staddon, Company Spokesman/Plantsman, Everde Growers

In this session, we will look at a number of new plants that have appeared on the marketplace in recent years. There will be something for everyone, trees, shrubs, perennials, and a few surprises! Staddon will also nudge our memories on a few of the great plants from the past. Nicholas will cover a few of the notable trends he believes hold water for us. As always, he is an avid reader and will share a few choice titles with the audience. With terrific pictures, supported by an informative and humorous narrative, this session is not to be missed if you are into plants.

Registration Required

Nursery Science Summit: Plant Pathology

Room B119

  Speaker 1: Jay W. Pscheidt, Ph.D., Extension Plant Pathology Specialist, Oregon State University Title: Smart Spraying Grapes Leads to New Boxwood Blight Management Description:

Copyright® 2024 Farwest Show
The Farwest Show is produced by the Oregon Association of Nurseries
SHOW DATES: AUGUST 20-22, 2025 | SHOW HOURS: Wednesday: 10am – 5pm | Thursday: 10am – 5pm | Friday: 10am – 2pm
SHOW LOCATION: Oregon Convention Center, 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97232
MAILING: 29751 SW Town Center Loop W., Wilsonville, OR 97070
Phone: 888-283-7219 | 503-682-5089 | farwest@oan.org
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