Problem Solving #1. Problem Solving #2 [Use Osmocote Label]

Transcription

1 2017 National FFA Floriculture Career Development Event Problem Solving Exam Directions: Select the best answer for each question and mark your selection on the separate scantron sheet provided. Mark answers in the Exam 2 section located in the left hand side of your scantron Problem Solving #1 Your greenhouse production business has a contract to grow 125 flats of bedding impatiens to a local landscaping contractor. Each flat has a 0804 cell pack insert. You will source the plugs from a greenhouse supplier, which offers the plugs in 288-size plug trays. Each plug tray is guaranteed to have 280 usable seedlings. What is the number of 288 plug trays of impatiens that you must order to be able to grow the plants to meet this contract? a. 5 plug trays b. 14 plug trays c. 15 plug trays d. 19 plug trays Problem Solving #2 [Use Osmocote Label] As a grower for a greenhouse production operation, you have decided to pre-plant incorporate a low rate of the slow-release fertilizer Osmocote into your soilless root medium prior to potting up hanging baskets. You will grow the crop with typical application of soluble fertilizer, but you are adding in the low rate of slow-release fertilizer to provide some nutrition in the market channel and during the time that the customer is caring for the basket. You want to mix just enough root medium to pot up in hanging baskets (2.2 gal each). Conversion: 202 gal per cubic yard a. 3.5 lb Osmocote per cubic yard root medium b. 5.0 lb Osmocote per cubic yard root medium c. 8.5 lb Osmocote per cubic yard root medium d. 16 lb Osmocote per cubic yard root medium

2 Problem Solving #3 [Information from: You maintain a pest scouting program and have found only a couple thrips on your yellow sticky cards that are used to monitor pest presence. Because this is an extremely light infestation, you are going to apply the predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii (SWIRSKI-MITE) to try to avoid pesticide application for the time being. The predator is applied in sachets that are hung on crop plants. How many sachets should you order to distribute around your greenhouse with 3,175 square feet production space? Rate information is available in the following table. Conversion: 9 square feet per square yard a. 30 sachets b. 350 sachets c. 700 sachets d. 900 sachets Rates SWIRSKI-MITE PLUS yd 2 / sachet m²/ sachet interval (days) remark preventive 2 2½ curative light 2 2½ 28 Start when thrips or whitefly is present; distribute throughout the entire production space curative heavy Distribute in infected areas only, always in combination with other beneficials

3 Problem Solving #4 [Use Breeding Company Reference] You are a greenhouse owner/grower in Indiana. You are going to grow poinsettias in your operation. Using the available information from the breeding company, determine the correct poinsettia cropping schedule for your operation from the list below. You are planning on growing Prestige Red. You are planning on using 8 pots with 3 plants per pot. Answer Choice Days to establish rooted cutting Days between pinching and flower initiation Additional days needed based on vigor Finish Date A days 31 days 10 days December 1 st B. 10 days 31 days 15 days December 1 st C days 26 days 10 days December 1 st D days 21 days 0 days December 1 st Problem Solving #5 [Use University of North Carolina Extension Reference] You have been hired as the grower for Weston s Greenhouses. You are receiving a shipment of hydrangeas (pre-cooled dormant plants) to grow for sale to customers. Half of the shipment is supposed to be pre-conditioned as pink and the other half as blue hydrangeas. You search and find the attached information to tell you how to continue to grow the plants. Which of the following scenarios will get the results you need for half the crop to be pink and half to be blue? A. Pink-Add aluminum, keep ph at Blue-No aluminum sulfate, ph at B. Pink-No Aluminum added, allow ph to go to 5.8 Blue-Add aluminum sulfate every days, keep ph between C. Pink-No aluminum, high phosphorus (prevents uptake of aluminum) ph of Blue-Add Aluminum sulfate every days, keep ph , ph no higher than 5.6 D. Pink-No aluminum added, allow ph to go to 5.8, high phosphorus (prevents uptake of aluminum) Blue-high phosphorus, ph of

4 Problem Solving #6 You are the production supervisor for SunGlo Greenhouses and are currently growing Cyclamen for a spring crop. You discover on a mature leaf very light chlorotic stippling, as if fine sand has been sprinkled on it. Upon close examination under magnification, yellowish oval bodied organisms with 6 to 8 legs and 2 dark spots were revealed. You also noticed there were eggs present. You would like to treat with an insecticide that is a soluble concentrate and since you will be out of town for an upcoming conference need the treatment to last at least 25 days. Using the cart below, which chemical should you use to treat the present problem? A. Akari B. Avid C. Ovation D. Shuttle

5 Problem Solving #7 Your horticulture class will be planting mixed containers this spring to sell in your spring plant sale. It takes 1 cubic foot of potting mix to fill each container. Your school uses 2.8 CU FT bags of Fafard 3B Mix. How many bags of potting mix do you need to pot 75 containers? Note: Round to the nearest whole bag A. 22 bags B. 25 bags C. 27 bags D. 75 bags Problem Solving #8 You are in charge of pest control at your school greenhouse. You have discovered leafminer damage on the potted mums. The Cooperative Extension Pest Control Handbook recommends controlling the pest with Dursban 50WP at a rate of 2 lbs per 100 gallons of water. Using the following tables, determine how many ounces of the pesticide would be needed for a 55 gallon sprayer. * Round to the nearest whole number. American Dry Measure 3 tsp = 1 tbs 2 pints = 1 quart 2 cups = 1 pint 16 tbs. = 1 cup 1 cup = 8 oz. Equivalent quantities of dry materials (wettable powders) for various quantities of water based on recommended pounds to 100 gallons. Water Quantity of Material 100 gals 1 lb. 2 lbs. 3 lbs. 4 lbs. 5 lbs. 6 lbs. 1 gal 1 tsp. 2 tsp. 1 tbs. 4 tsp. 5 tsp. 2 tbs. A. 18 oz. B. 110 oz. C. 37 oz. D. 8 oz

6 Problem Solving #9 [Use 2018 Ball Seed Catalog] You are a salesperson for Ball Seed. One of your customers wants recommendations on perennials to grow. Your customer s greenhouse operation is in zone 3. Using the Ball Seed Catalog, which of the following plant lists is suitable for this customer to grow? A. Coneflower (Primadonna), Delphinium (Pacific Giants), Digitalis, Scabiosa, Lupinus, Lobelia B. Rubeckia, Achillea (Yarrow), White Breeze Shasta Daisy, Iberis, Blanket Flower (Arizona Series), Campanula (Pearl Series) C. Astilbe, Coreopsis, Achillea, Lewisia, Lavender, Gypsophila (Filou Series), Heuchera (Melting Fire) D. Heuchera (Palace Purple), Digitalis, Sedum, Veronica, Delphinium (Magic Fountains), Delphinium (Cassablanca) Problem Solving #10 You are a plant grower for Clark s greenhouses in Evansville, Indiana. You have five gutter connected greenhouses that are dedicated to the growing of poinsettias in the fall and winter. The greenhouses are 28 feet wide and 72 feet long. You have moving aisles and sliding benches in the greenhouses. In greenhouses with moving aisles 80% of the greenhouse is growing space. You need to determine how many 8 pots of poinsettias you can grow in these houses. They will need to be finished the poinsettias on 18 centers. How many pots of poinsettias can you grow in these five greenhouses? A. 2,489 B. 4,480 C. 3,584 D. 8,064

7 1. Answer: C 15 plug trays 2017 National FFA Floriculture Career Development Event Problem Solving Exam Answer Key Determine the number of usable plugs needed. 8 x 4 (from 0804) = 32 plugs per flat x 125 flats = 4,000 usable plugs needed. Determine the number of plug trays needed to provide 4,000 usable seedlings. 4,000 usable plugs needed / 280 plugs per 288 plug tray = 14.3 plug trays; must order 15 plug trays to meet order. 2. Answer: A 3.5 lbs Find the table for Incorporation Rates in the left-hand column of the Osmocote label. It indicates that the low rate of incorporation is 3.5 lb per cubic yard. The table on the right shows that about in hanging baskets of 2.25 gal each can be filled per cubic yard of root medium. This could also be calculated as follows: 100 baskets x 2.2 gal/basket = 220 gal x 1 cubic yard / 202 gal = 1 cubic yard of root medium needed. Therefore, 3.5 lb Osmocote should be mixed into one cubic yard of root medium prior to potting, [OR 3.85 lb Osmocote should be mixed into 1.1 cubic yard of root medium, but this is not an answer choice]. 3. Answer: C 700 sachets Convert square feet of production space into square yards: 3,175 square feet / 9 square feet (per yard) = 353 square yards. Determine the number of sachets that should be set out per square yard. For the curative light rate, 2 sachets per square yard should be used. Determine the number of sachets to order. 353 square yards x 2 sachets per square yard = 700 sachets to order. 4. Answer: C Looking at the available information one would locate the Prestige Red as midseason and medium vigor plant. One would also determine that Indiana is the central geographic region. Then locate the 8 with three cuttings and determine the days to establish rooted cutting. Then you would look at vegetative growth requirements for the Central region and determine that you need 26 days from pinching to flower initiation. And the last piece of information is the 10 days vegetative growth adjustment for a medium vigor plant. This fits answer C.

8 5. Answer: C To get pink hydrangeas one would need to have no aluminum added, keep high phosphorus to prevent the uptake of aluminum, and keep the ph at 6.0 to 6.4. To get blue hydrangeas one would need to add aluminum, keep ph at The best choice of the answers is answer C. 6. Answer: D - Shuttle Shuttle is the only chemical that treats all life stages and eggs, it is soluble concentrate and lasts 28 days 7. Answer: C - 27 bags 1 cubic foot / 1 container = 75 cubic feet / 75 containers 75 cubic ft of mix needed / 2.8 mix per bag = = 27 bags 8. Answer: A - 18 oz. Rate of 2 lb/100 gallons of water in 55 gallon sprayer 2 tsp. = 1 gal 9. Answer: B In answer A: only Coneflower (Primadonna) and Delphinium (Pacific Giants) will grow in zone 3. In answer C: Achillea, Lewisia, and Gypsophila (Filou Series) will grow in zone 3. In answer D: only Delphinium (Magic Fountains) will grow in zone 3. In answer B: all of the choices will grow in zone Answer: C 28 X 72 greenhouse=2,016 square feet 2,016 X five greenhouses=10,080 square feet 10,080 X 80% growing space =8,064 square feet of growing space 18 centers: 1.5 ft. X 1.5 ft.=each plant needs 2.25 square feet 8,064 square feet growing space divided by 2.25 per plant=3,584 pots