LO Growers Group Newsletter – July 2026

1. Upcoming Events

Growers Summer Tour
The confirmed date for this year’s tour is Wednesday, August 12, 2026.

• Register and get more information HERE
• Come out and network. Meet the scout team.

2. IPM and Nursery Scout Updates (ISAF#1)

The Landscape Ontario Growers Group (LOGG) was successful in securing two grants this year through the Invasive Species Action Fund. The first grant supports the nursery scout position. As a result, this year we were able to hire Ree Laforet (see below) to transition into the IPM Coordinator role. Ree is supervising Kaylea Bray, our nursery scout, and will be working with the Grower Technical Analyst to manage this program in the future. We will continue to work closely with Cassie Russell, OMAFA Nursery & Landscape Specialist, to utilize her expertise.

Ree Laforet IPM and Invasive Species Co-ordinator Ree Laforet is the IPM and Invasive Species Co-ordinator for Landscape Ontario and the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association (CNLA). Ree is a graduate of Urban Forestry from University of New Brunswick and graduated Fleming College with degrees in Urban Forestry and Forestry. Ree’s working background is in urban forestry and nursery landscape growing as a plant health technician. Ree was brought on this spring to work on pest and invasive species projects with Landscape Ontario and other provincial and NGO partners, which includes profiles on invasive plants in the landscape and spotted lanternfly education and outreach. Ree is also supervising the Nursery Scout Program. Ree also supports growers of outdoor ornamentals and attending a meeting on June 29 at Stam Nurseries in Burgessville, Ont., with the Innovative Nursery Growers group and Jason Deveau. Ree says it was great to see everyone out despite the heat!Be on the lookout for a growers survey on invasive plants that will be coming out soon and to please make sure to reply promptly! To contact Ree, email IPM@landscapeontario.com or call 1-519-217-3402.

Kaylea Bay Nursery Scout Kaylea Bray is a third-year student at the University of Guelph studying Environmental Management in a Bachelor of Bio-Resource Management. Kaylea’s long-term goal is to work in conservation to make an impact in the preservation and management of our natural resources and native species in Canada. So far this season, Kaylea has gained experience in fieldwork and pest identification while developing her communication skills. She has  especially enjoyed being outside and constantly learning about new species, pests and diseases. In addition to all the interesting pests and diseases she has encountered this season, Kaylea has also encountered many unique beneficial organisms, including the Pale Green Assassin Bug on hydrangea. These are highly beneficial predators against aphids, caterpillars and leafhoppers. Kaylea can be reached at kbray@landscapeontario.com.

3. Invasive Plants (ISAF#2)

Landscape Ontario also received funding to continue our work on invasive plants. Our goals for this project are to:

1. Re-evaluate the economic impact of prohibiting at least 10 targeted invasive plants that are in trade (essentially a repeat of our 2018 report),
   and
2. Support the development of a revised “Grow Me Instead” guide in collaboration with the Ontario Invasive Plant Council. We will be leaning heavily on grower expertise over the next 6-8 months, so please be ready to share your thoughts.

4. OMAFA Updates from Cassie Russell

Beech Leaf Disease

• CNLA and OMAFA have engaged with Envu (the registrant) to get a label expansion for Luna Privilege. This product was recently expanded to be used for outdoor ornamentals for powdery mildew, but we still do not have beech leaf disease on the label.
• Katie and Cassie (OMAFA) conducted a spray trial last summer using Luna Privilege to test different application timings. Unfortunately, preliminary data was inconclusive and looks like last year’s extremely dry summer/early fall impacted the populations of nematodes. Trials are being repeated this summer.
• I’ve had asks about getting a group together again (task force/working group) on beech leaf disease. I’m happy to set up a zoom meeting later this summer for an informal update and question/answer period with growers about what we know so far, what we are trialling and anything else the group would like to discuss. If this is something you are interested in, please email me at cassie.russell@ontario.ca. If there is enough interest, I will schedule a meeting.

Box Tree Moth

• No changes to shipping this year. Growers now have many products to rotate through to control BTM including: Acelepryn, Suspend Polyzone, and products with the active ingredient BTK or BTA. We know other products such as Avid and some group 3 and 4’s may also have impacts to BTM if you are using them to manage other boxwood pests.

• OMAFA is not continuing the trapping network this year and it’s up to growers to set up their own pheromone traps on farm to support spray timing decisions: Traps should be up already as the first flight period is well underway. Also remember that lures MUST be stored properly in a fridge or freezer and ideally used within the year. If you need to order more lures, Solida carries BTM lures.

Spotted Lanternfly

• There have been some sightings of nymphs in Ontario over the last month, particularly in the SW region of the province. No established population has yet been found, but there is a high probability that a reproducing population will be detected in eastern Canada this summer. Canadian nursery growers need to be on alert for SLF as regulations will apply to growers in any newly designated SLF-infested areas once a reproducing population is detected in Canada. CFIA has already published D-24-01 that outlines domestic requirements that will come into effect once SLF is here. CNLA will release the updated SLF Best Management Practices and Pest Module template this summer.
• ALL nursery staff (yes, all!) should be able to recognise SLF and know to report it to their supervisor. SLF interceptions have occurred on incoming shipments (of pots, etc.) and it’s critical to inspect ALL incoming shipments before moving hardgoods and plant material into production areas. This is your best defence against this regulated pest.
• Cassie, Ree and Jeanine are working on updating the Landscape Ontario website for invasives to ensure you have a single resource for information on all invasives, including SLF.

Innovative Nursery Growers – Field grower meet up
On June 29, OMAFA and Stam Nurseries hosted an innovative nursery growers meet up, specifically for field growers. Despite the heat, we had a great turnout with growers and owners from 10 different nurseries in attendance plus OMAFA specialists.

The afternoon started off with an in-depth, two-hour sprayer workshop hosted by OMAFA’s Jason Deveau, where he talked about air blast sprayers both new and old and ways to tweak and improve your current set up for better spray coverage for field trees. After that, the group had a great round table discussion on topics such as cover crops, fertility, cultivation methods and more. A big thank you to Gerwin from Stam Nurseries for suggesting this meet-up and hosting everyone.

If you have an idea for a future meet-up or workshop, please reach out to Cassie or Ryan anytime with your ideas.

Want to get connected with the innovative growers group? Reach out to Ryan Munroe at 905-541-8577 to be added to the signal chat group.

Field Tech event in Michigan this September
On September 10-11, the inaugural Great Lakes Tek Flex will be held at the Michigan State University Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (MSU SWMREC) in Benton Harbor, MI. Growers, vineyards, nursery and orchard growers throughout the Great Lakes region are invited. The Tek Flex will feature the latest in weed mitigation and crop management solutions using robotics, drones and precision agriculture technology over two consecutive days. Registration information is available on their website.

5. Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) News

• Please ensure you read the HWA article (attached as a PDF or on the ONnurseryCrops Blog)
• A memo from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) was circulated to industry regarding changes to ship hemlock out of the regulated area earlier this spring (reminder, the current regulated area includes Hamilton, Niagara and Haldimand counties). If you did NOT receive this memo, please let Jeanine or Cassie know.
• At the end of the day, if you find HWA at your nursery or in the area of your nursery (i.e. an adjoining woodlot), the risk is too high and trees should NOT be shipped, period. Finds need to be reported to the CFIA.

Note: This is an evolving situation, where changes to regulations may happen throughout the year.

Some things we are anticipating over the coming months or year:

• Expansion of the regulated area to include regions around Norfolk County as well as Rouge National Park in Toronto which correspond with recent detections.
• New products available for nursery growers to help meet compliance with CFIA. CFIA and CNLA have submitted an emergency use request to have Movento (Active ingredient: Spirotetramat) registered to help growers manage HWA and have a tool other than just landscape oil that will be accepted for pre-shipping treatments. If this use is accepted, growers will be notified. We cannot provide an estimated date for this at this time.
• Potential changes or updates to the current directive (D-07-05). The directive was written years ago before spread to Ontario was confirmed and more tools were available to growers, with only minor updates in 2025. CFIA is reviewing the directive and we will let growers know if changes are made.
• More guidance as to what to do before shipping trees. OMAFA has produced an infographic based on what CFIA will accept before issuing movement certificates to growers to ship hemlocks outside of regulated area. As more tools are available to growers, this infographic will be updated and re-circulated
• Please keep an eye on updates from Cassie, Jeanine and Jamie.

6. Regulatory Updates

• Septic consultations: MMAH/MECP are still working through options…the saga drags on.
• Stormwater fees: Effective July 16, it will be prohibited for municipalities to bill stormwater levies to properties that have no direct (piped) access to municipal stormwater services.
• We expect the federal government to share agricultural foreign worker program details later this month. SAWP is expected to remain a separate program, and any changes will be implemented starting in 2027. Stay tuned!
• Education and inspection campaign underway for agricultural workplace safety in Ontario:
  The Ontario Ministry of Labour will be conducting an education and inspection campaign for the agriculture sector until March 2027 with a focus on: maintenance of equipment, machine guarding, operation of farming equipment (such as tractors and forklifts), electrical hazards and lock out/tag out, falls from heights including falls from equipment, prevention of heat stress, etc. Learn how to prepare on their website.

7. CNLA Updates

AgriMarketing CNLA Italy trip
Another trip to Italy is being planned for September 2026 to attend the AIPH conference and tour farms in the Bari (Puglia) and Pistoia (Tuscany) regions.
Please reach out to CNLA for information.

Rose Exports to USA – new requirements
As of May 20, 2026, new phytosanitary measures are needed to export roses to the U.S. due to concerns about a serious pathogenic bacterium, Ralstonia solanacearum Phylotype II. Most nursery growers should be able to meet these requirements but be sure to contact CFIA to get the additional declaration before sending any shipments to the U.S. Rosa spp. plants for planting from Canada will require the following additional declaration on phytosanitary certificates:

“The Rosa spp. plants for planting have solely been grown in Canada or the United States, and Ralstonia solanacearum Race 3 biovar 2 is not known to occur in Canada.”

Rosa spp. plants for planting may also be shipped under the United States-Canada Greenhouse Grown Plant Certification Program (GCP) and the Canadian Nursery Certification Program (CNCP). Rose plants originating from countries other than the U.S. will continue to be ineligible for export to the U.S., regardless of how long they have been grown in Canada.

Learn more here: Growing Roses? Export Rules to the U.S. Have Changed. – ONfloriculture

Pesticide Regulatory Directorate and Chemistries Update
PMRA has been officially renamed the Pesticide Regulatory Directorate (PRD) to match their role in the Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch of the Federal government. Their core duties and responsibilities remain unchanged. We have aggregated a list of PRD announcements regarding new products for industry, changes to existing products and ongoing decisions for January 2025 to June 2026.

Please reach out to Jamie Aalbers at jamie@canadanursery.com or 647-724-8630 if you have any questions or need further information on national issues.