What’s Growing On
As fourth-generation growers, we are committed to a growing culture of continuous experimentation and learning. Complacency and status quo have no home in the Clesen Wholesale greenhouses.
The dedication, education and extensive knowledge of growing & cultivation is what sets our Growing Team apart from the rest and the results of their efforts are the healthy foliage and colorful blooming plants that our customers have grown to rely on from Clesen Wholesale.
Summer Gets a Very Early Start in our Greenhouses
Starting in the cool late winter months on the early summer batches, the Growing Team kicks it into high gear planting later batches in the warmer spring months. It’s an annual dance they perform, to ensure healthy, blooming plants to meet early, mid and late summer demand.
The measures taken by our Growing Team include developing several micro-climates within each of our three growing locations, with temperatures optimal for our Summer varieties and slowly warming up the plants so that they are ready to meet our customer Summer demand.
However, the challenge of Midwest fickle winter can kick in at any time. A late March cold snap or snowstorm can suddenly require the Growing Team to slow down the Summer plants’ growth, slowly cooling the plants down without harming their ongoing health and quality.
As the greenhouses start waking up for summer, so do the pests. There is more of a focus on bugs – particularly aphids, thrips, and a new, and loud one, this year, CICADAS. Our IPM (integrated pest management) combines a mix of growing and cultural best practices that allow us to target pests we don’t want and keep other greenhouse visitors healthy & happy.
Testing And Experimentation
As part of our ongoing education and experimentation we have engaged a Horticultural Crop consultant who visits our greenhouses monthly during our active growing seasons to assess all our growing plants, greenhouse facilities & the environments we create for optimal growth of quality Clesen Wholesale plants.
In addition, the Growing Team is part of a larger world-wide consortium of growers and horticulturalists who work together sharing critical information learned through testing & experimentation. Two exciting examples of Clesen Wholesale Growing Team testing & trials will be available to our customers this year.
Blue Hydrangea testing – The Truest Blue Hydrangea
Working with our Best Practices collaborative, our Growing Team has challenged themselves this year, through trial & experimentation to grow what we are calling the Truest Blue Hydrangea project. You’ll have to return to our website to see the results of this test, but how exciting for our customers to know that we continually strive to surprise and delight them with the very best quality and variety in our most popular Hydrangea color!
Hellebore & Senetti’s – tested in 2024, they will be part of our Spring offerings in 2025!
Working with our Crop Consultant, our Growing Team has been trialing Hellebore’s and Senetti’s, testing our ability to successfully manage the plants’ specific needs and fine-tuning what they need in our greenhouse climate to meet our quality and ready date availability.
We are happy to report that both trials went very well, the plants were very popular with our customers, and we will be growing and selling them next Spring.
These are just two examples of how our Growing Team’s culture of continuous experimentation and learning benefits our customers. With a steadfast focus on growing the healthiest plants with bountiful blooms, while managing continuous growth over time so that fresh inventory is available throughout the season, our customers know that Clesen Wholesale will consistently offer the highest quality, variety and 24/7 availability of the most beautiful seasonal annuals for their customers to enjoy all season long!
