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OSU Extension

College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

CFAES

Professional Horticulture

The Green Industry in Hamilton County

The professional horticulture community is also known as the “Green Industry.” It includes businesses in general landscape management, nursery management and plant production, turf management (e.g. lawn care, sod farms, etc.), tree care, and floriculture (e.g. greenhouses, garden centers.) There are 642 Green Industry companies based in Hamilton County, with an average number of 15 employees per company. The 642 companies represent almost 10,000 employees.

The Floriculture encompasses 226 businesses in Hamilton County . Hamilton County ranks 3rd among all Ohio counties in the number of floriculture firms located within the county. It ranks 7th in the state in equivalent wholesale value of the floriculture industry and 6th in the state in covered (greenhouse) production.

Our Service to the Industry

Our Horticulture Program enhances the health of our Green Industry by providing research based technical information on plant production and management techniques; identifying and monitoring plant pest and diseases; and offering training on how to apply the latest Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices. We offer these services through telephone and e-mail consultations, on-site visits, and training programs. In a typical year we answer over 1,000 questions through calls and e-mails, provide direct technical support information to over 350 Green Industry individuals, and make over 100 on-site Green Industry visits. We hold over 35 educational workshops which earn Hamilton County Green Industry employees over 250 hours of Ohio Pesticide Applicator License CEU's. Our collabrative plant evaluation program witht the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden and the Cincinnati Flower Growers Association accesses over 25,000 new annual plants for use in Hamilton County.

 

Publications

Buckeye Yard & Garden onLine (BYGL) - Buckeye Yard and Garden onLine provides timely information about Ohio growing conditions, pest, disease, and cultural problems.

Soil Testing for Ohio Lawns, Landscapes, Fruit Crops, and Vegetable Gardens

 

Resources

C. Wayne Ellett Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic

Ohio Floriculture Online

OSU Department of Entomology

Pesticide Safety Education Program

Recommended Plants for the Tri-State Region