Welcome to 'Sprout,' American Nurseryman's e-newsletter published on the first and third Thursdays of each month. For even more, be sure to read our November issue.

BASF completes acquisition of Becker Underwood
Chem giant BASF has completed the acquisition of Becker Underwood from Norwest Equity Partners, a U.S.-based private equity investment company, for a purchase price of $1.02 billion (785 million Euros). With the acquisition, BASF is now a leading global provider of technologies for biological seed treatment as well as seed treatment colorants and polymers. BASF has also expanded its product portfolio in the areas of biological crop protection, turf and horticulture, animal nutrition and landscape colorants and coatings. In the coming months, a detailed integration plan will be developed by a joint team of BASF and Becker Underwood employees. Most businesses of Becker Underwood will join the newly established global business unit Functional Crop Care as part of BASF’s Crop Protection division. Read more>

Exising-home sales rise
Happy news for the holidays: Sales of existing homes increased in October, rising 2.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted 4.79 million units, making the numbers 10.9 percent above the 4.32 million-unit level of October 2011. And that’s even taking into account the broad regional impact of Superstorm Sandy. The national median existing-home price (for all housing types) also rose—to $178,600, an 11.1 percent increase over the figures for last year. Are we out of the woods? Of course not. But let’s take what we can get. Read more>

National Green Centre receives SITES funding
The National Green Centre, scheduled for Jan. 6 and 7, 2013 in St. Louis, has received a USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant to provide education on the Sustainable Sites Initiative to plant growers looking to meet SITES requirements and provide plants for SITES certified projects. Missouri growers will be able to attend this portion of the education free of charge thanks to the funds provided by the grant. The SITES education will kick off with a panel discussion looking at the Business Impact of SITES for Missouri growers, and will follow with eight sessions addressing each of the SITES requirements within the “Support Sustainable Practices in Plant Production” section. Read more>

Natives and exotics can live in harmony
Who knew? The next time someone gets on your case for growing “exotic” plants, you’ve got scientific ammunition to prove it ain’t all bad. According to Matthew Heard, biology faculty member at Brown University, who studied how natives and exotics can coexist on the East Coast, “It turns out that in many places, native and exotic plants can actually live together … exotic plants grow more and can essentially out-compete natives, which normally is a problem. But in these communities there are also insects, which prefer to eat exotic plants instead of natives and can keep their growth in check. As a result, native plants, which are less susceptible to these insects, can thrive even when exotic plants that are better competitors are nearby,” said Heard. Very little research has been done on this, but hey … it’s a start. (Photo courtesy of Mary Ellen (Mel) Harte; Bugwood.org) Read more>

Senninger celebrates 50 years
Founded in 1963 by retired engineer Joe Senninger, Senninger Irrigation Company observes its 50th year in business with more than 200 team members and more than 2,000 dealers worldwide. The company has pioneered numerous irrigation products, such as the first high quality in-line pressure regulator in 1966; color-coded nozzles for easy size identification in 1970; Wobbler Technology in 1978; Super Spray with interchangeable deflector pads in 1980; a four-mode LEPA Quad Spray in 1986; the integral weight concept in 1999; the double gooseneck and truss rod hose slings in 2002, as well as the UP3 Easy Clean Nozzle in 2008 and more. Read more>

Bandit adds dealers
Bandit Industries has added the following dealers to its North American network: Miner’s Equipment and Truck Repair, Oklahoma City; Bobcat of Bowling Green in Southern Kentucky; Huntsville Tractor and Equipment in Northern Alabama; Knickerbocker Russell Co. in Western Pennsylvania and Northern West Virginia; Tri-State Bobcat in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin; CJ Logging Equipment in New York and Connecticut; and The Oliver Stores in New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. Read more>

It’s show time!
Didn’t we just unpack? It’s time again to head out for the winter shows, and here are just a few not-to-be-missed events. Whip out that credit card and jump on Travelocity—you’ve got reservations to make. More if you click here.
• National Green Centre, Jan. 6-7
• Mid-Atlantic Nursery Trade Show (MANTS), Jan. 9-11
• CENTS, Jan. 14-16
• Progreen Expo, Jan. 15-18
• Mid-Am, Jan. 16-18
• IPM — World's Fair in the Green Sector, Jan. 22-25
• Wintergreen 2013, Jan. 23-25
• New England Grows, Feb. 6-8

People News

IPPS establishes Elwin Orton endowment
The Eastern Region of the International Plant Propagators’ Society has established a named endowment fund to honor Dr. Elwin Orton, plant breeder extraordinaire and professor emeritus at the Rutgers University Department of Plant Biology and Pathology. Orton is widely known for his work in hollies and dogwoods. Read more>

Agrium adds two to sales team
Agrium Advanced Technologies announces the addition of Ben Cicora and Ken Klopp to the company’s product marketing team. Cicora joins AAT’s Turf & Ornamental wholesales sales and marketing group as product marketing manager in support of the company’s full suite of slow- and controlled-release fertilizer technologies; Klopp joins AAT’s Turf & Ornamental Wholesale sales and marketing group as the Turf & Ornamental Product Specialist, responsible for creating marketing and product development strategies and tactics in the product segment, and in support of AAT’s slow- and controlled-release fertilizer technologies. Read more>

Scudder to sales manager at General Equipment
Phil Scudder has been appointed national sales manager of General Equipment Co., where he’ll be responsible for the development and coordination of sales and marketing for both national and independent accounts in the construction-related marketplace. Read more>

Zablocki joins Plant Products
Jim Zablocki has joined Plant Products as technical regional sales manager in the northeast U.S. Read more>

Hot Products

Agastache Kudos Series
Kudos to Terra Nova Nurseries for the introduction of its Agastache Kudos™ Series, consisting of four varieties: ‘Kudos Ambrosia’ (pictured), ‘Kudos Coral’, ‘Kudos Mandarin’ and ‘Kudos Silver Blue’. The varieties in the series produce bountiful flower spikes that emerge from low, mounding foliage. In addition, they have compact habits, are hardy, and are more disease-resistant than previous agastaches introduced to the market. Terra Nova Nurseries also bred this series to have more apricot and orange tones. Read more>

Mini maintendance kits
Dosatron now offers a Mini Maintenance Kit for fertilizer and chemical injectors; including wear parts, Dosa-Klean and a new product—Dosa-Lube, a convenient packet of silicone designed to easily lubricate static seals and o-rings. Soaking injector parts in Dosa-Klean for 24 to 48 hours cleans rust, mineral deposits, and calcifications without scrubbing. Read more>

Fertilizer calculator
Agrium Advanced Technologies has launched its Square Foot Advantage calculator, designed to compare real-world data and the total cost-in-use of controlled-release fertilizers Driven By Duration vs. ordinary or conventional fertilizers. The calculator compares variables including square footage, the number of times an area is fertilized each year, and the overhead cost (including product and labor rates) to determine the total cost-in-use of fertilization, both by square foot and by total area fertilized. The calculator then goes a step further, comparing the same data with the cost and spread frequency of the same area using Spread it & Forget it, or Duration CR controlled-release fertilizers. Read more>

Total release from BASF
BASF has launched Pylon® TR total release insecticide and Trinity TR total release fungicide, the first products to deliver BASF proprietary active ingredients using total release (TR) technology since the acquisition of Whitmire Micro-Gen. Pylon TR controls mites, thrips and adult fungus gnats, and just one 2-ounce canister of this miticide/insecticide treats up to 3,000 square feet. Trinity TR provides broad spectrum control of botrytis, cylindrocladium, powdery mildew, rhizoctonia and fusarium. A 3-ounce canister can treat up to 3,000 square feet of a commercial greenhouse. To use, place the product in the greenhouse; close all greenhouse vents, windows and doors; press the button and leave for the specified amount of time. Read more>

Utility chipper
Bandit’s Model 200UC 12-inch disk utility chipper features a lightened frame and chipping disc along with a plastic fuel tank; these changes allow the Model 200UC to ride comfortably on a smaller, 6000-pound axle with 15-inch wheels, making this machine easier to tow and maneuver. It shares the same 14 x 17-inch chipper throat opening and feed system with Bandit’s Model 200XP, and it can be equipped with engines from 48 to 97 horsepower. Read more>

Finally: In the spirit at Pesche’s