Encourage New Cane Plant Growth Want to force new whorls of foliage on your Dracaena fragrans canes? Here’s a tip from Joe Cialone of Tropical Ornamentals, Delray Beach, Florida. Using awides aw blade, make a cut above a dormant bud at a node on the cane. Cut 1/3 into the cane to ensure the flow of [...]
Being late, whether to work, a meeting or a visit to a client's account, implies disinterest, laziness and a lack of reliability. If you keep people waiting, you have one strike against you before you ever open your mouth. In some cases, that one strike will be enough to kill your chance to get a promotion [...]
DO: Select a ladder that's the right length and weight capacity for the job. Ask for help with moving and set up if it is too heavy for you to handle alone. Inspect the ladder before use to make sure it is in good condition. Make sure rungs or steps are in good condition, have non-slip [...]
Fluoride toxicity is a common problem that mars the appearance of many foliage plants including ']anet Craig', 'Warneckif, 'Massangeana' cane, spider plant, Cordyline, parlor palm, Calathea, Maranta and Yucca. Often fluoride injury is so severe that replacement is required. One of the sources of fluoride is fluoridated municipal water, added to water to prevent tooth decay. [...]
When clients add colorful pots of flowers to front entrances, rooftop gardens, sidewalk cafes and courtyards, they often ask their interiorscape company to care for them. As the technician servicing the account, you may be asked to add outdoor maintenance to your schedule. Your challenge will be to keep the flowers healthy and full until the [...]
When people ask, "What do you do?", how do you respond? Do you say, "1 water plants" or do you go into a long explanation describing your many tasks? Just as medical technicians have job titles (radiologist for x-ray technician, or phlebotomist for the person who draws blood), plant care technicians also need titles to describe [...]
The Teamwork Challenge Most interiorscape technicians spend their day working by themselves. If your work style is similar, then you work with out constant supervision and rely on your own horticultural skills to get the job done. When you’re on your own, independence and self-reliance are critical skills. But when you’re assigned to a team, these [...]
Energy Tips for Interior Plant Technicians on the run or not! The demands of the holiday season — office parties that interfere with maintenance schedules, extra deliveries, late night installations and thousands of red poinsettias — place extra stress on your body and push your energy level to its limit. Before the extra demands creep into [...]
Fragile - Handle Plants With Care When transporting and installing flowering plants, it is important to protect their delicate blooms. Their life expectancy will be shortened if the plants are not handled properly from the time they leave the greenhouse or warehouse until they reach their new home on your account. Transporting flowering plants Plant sleeves [...]
