Maximum Yield Australia/New Zealand July/August 2020 | Page 22

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FACTS
#StayPlanted Initiative Emphasizes Indoor Gardening
Bored at home? Now’s as good a time as any to cultivate a green
thumb. To emphasize CDC messaging for U.S. residents to
continue sheltering in place, a coalition of greenhouse growers
and interior plantscapers launched a social media initiative they’re
calling #StayPlanted. They’re encouraging people to place plants
in their windows and share pictures on social media using the
#StayPlanted hashtag, highlighting ways the leafy greens are
beneficial to us. “Most people love their indoor plants for how
they look, but many don’t realise the huge health benefits
that come from access to plants and greenery,” says Mike
Senneff, president of Green Plants for Green Buildings and
CEO of Natura. By sharing pictures and stories of home foliage,
#StayPlanted brings people together and encourages individual
well-being. Studies show that close access to plants can improve
mood and reduce the likelihood of stress-related depression, which
is key during the COVID-19 pandemic.
— sacurrent.com
Strawberries Top Latest Dirty Dozen List
The latest Dirty Dozen list is out and once again, strawberries came
in first on the list for crops grown with elevated use of pesticides.
Spinach came in second, followed by kale. Nectarines and apples
were fourth and fifth respectively. Each spring, the Environmental
Working Group (also known as the EWG) publishes a list of fruits
and vegetables that experts at the non-profit say contain higher
levels of concerning pesticides. Known as the Dirty Dozen list to
health experts, it has long called conventional farming methods
into question, especially as the EWG also publishes a similar list
called the Clean Fifteen that highlights produce containing little
to no pesticides when grown conventionally. The Dirty Dozen
list has been published every year since 2004, mostly compiled
on internal observations based on analysis of data from the
U.S. Department of Agriculture, which routinely tests produce
samples for pesticide residues.
— goodhousekeeping.com
Home Hydroponics Flourishing During Pandemic
With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic putting the squeeze on
many businesses, people are reducing trips to the grocery store by
using hydroponic kits at home to grow fresh produce. For New York
professors Meg Urban and Jason Dilworth, reducing their carbon
footprint has long been a goal. “We have a limited space. We can’t
do the victory garden or sort of other things, but we can grow those
sorts of basic necessities,” says Dilworth, adding the shutdown
accelerated their plans to buy a home hydroponic gardening kit.
Hank Adams is the founder of Rise Gardens, an Illinois-based
company that makes and sells indoor smart garden kits that can
fit comfortably inside a home or apartment. He says sales of their
multi-tiered system were up 300 percent in March and more than
600 percent in April. “We are struggling to keep up with demand,”
says Adams, adding supply chains have not been disrupted.
— thedenverchannel.com
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