A Newsletter for Professionals Growing Greenhouse Crops in the Rocky Mountain Region

Contents

• Perennial Plant Promotions for 2001
• Proper Glove Selection
• Rocky Mountain Greenhouse Short Course

Perennial Plant Promotions for 2001

The Perennial Plant Committee of the Colorado Greenhouse Growers Association has released their herbaceous perennial plant promotion list for 2001. They are listed below. Articles on these plants will be published in the Friday edition of the Lawn and Garden Section of the Denver Post next spring and fall 2001. The plants highlighted are those herbaceous perennial species that have naturalized in Colorado public gardens. The articles will promote perennials adaptable to Colorado as well as encouraging visits to local public gardens.

The 2001 Perennial Plant Workshop is scheduled for February 27, 2001. Kelly Grummons will be the speaker. For more information, contact the CGGA office.

Steven E. Newman, Ph.D.
Greenhouse Crops Extension Specialist
Horticulture and Landscape Architecture

Proper Glove Selection

Selecting the proper hand protection can be a perplexing process. Many different glove materials and styles are suitable for different operations in the workplace. OSHA requires a formal approach to selecting any type of personal protective equipment (PPE). The three main points that must be addressed to appease OSHA are; hazards must be addressed, appropriate PPE must be selected, and training on the proper use and care of PPE must be provided. To determine the "appropriate" hand protection it is important to understand the tasks employees will be performing and the nature of the hazards they will be working with. Hazards may be chemical, biological, thermal, mechanical, or electrical in nature. The label on the chemical often provides information on the glove material best suited for working with that chemical.

4H®, nitrile, butyl, and latex (bottom) gloves all offer varying levels of protection against chemical hazards.  Always read the product label to determine the PPE required to safely handle a chemical.

Glove material is perhaps the most important consideration when purchasing hand PPE. The material must be suitable for the task. The material must also be resistant to any chemical it will contact. No single glove will protect against everything. Glove manufacturers commonly use the term "break through time" (BTT) when discussing how chemically resistant a glove material is. The BTT is the length of time it takes a chemical to pass through the glove material and depends on the chemical hazard and the glove material. Unlined gloves offer greater flexibility. Lined gloves offer greater comfort, are easy to put on and take off, provide some thermal protection and last longer than unlined gloves. Worker use of PPE is often based on comfort so it may be necessary to carry different glove sizes to match the variability in hand size found in most workplaces. Cost is always an issue, but it is important to consider the length of use against the initial cost. Since lined gloves are more expensive, but last considerably longer than unlined ones, they may be a better deal over time.

The best gloves for material handling activities are made of cotton or leather. These gloves are not designed to be chemically resistant, and in the case of leather gloves, cannot be cleaned once soiled with a chemical. Fabric gloves may be coated with nitrile, rubber or PVC to provide limited protection against chemical hazards. These coated gloves would not be suitable for situations where splash or immersion hazards can occur because only the palm and fingers are covered with barrier material.

Latex gloves are a natural rubber glove used in many settings, particularly the food and medical industries. These gloves allow the user great flexibility and grip. Latex gloves are generally very thin and fragile, and not designed for prolonged contact with chemicals. These gloves are also capable of causing allergies in latex-sensitive workers.

Nitrile gloves are resistant to a wide range of chemicals, yet still allow the wearer good dexterity and sensitivity. These gloves also offer good resistance to cuts, punctures and abrasions. Nitrile also offers good protection against oils, lubricants and several solvents.

Butyl gloves offer protection against many organic chemicals and strong acids. However, butyl gloves are very difficult to manufacture. An outer layer of Neoprene is often required as butyl has very poor resistance to petrol, oil and lubricants.

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) gloves will provide chemical resistance to aqueous chemicals, but protection against solvents is limited. Use in solvents may cause the glove to stiffen and crack.

Glove materials may also be blended or laminated to provide better protection. Gloves such as Viton®, Silver Shield® and 4H® all have chemical resistance, but are not suited for all compounds. There may be some loss of dexterity with these products.

For most dry or water-based pesticides, the unlined rubber or plastic glove formulations are fine. Other pesticide formulations that include a solvent such as alcohol, petroleum distillates, or xylene dictate a glove that is resistant to the solvent. It's been estimated that 80% of total body exposure to pesticides is through the hands. If a pesticide label or material safety data sheet (MSDS) does not specify a particular glove material, a nitrile or barrier laminate glove would be a wise selection.

After selecting the proper glove for task, employees must be trained on how to use them correctly. Training should address the need for gloves, correct donning and doffing practices, and checking gloves or other PPE for defects before use.

We are only given one set of hands. It is essential that we take all feasible measures to reduce the potentials for exposure, including the use of PPE. Choosing and wearing gloves to protect against workplace hazards is extremely important.

Brit Todd
HICAHS Safety & Health Consultant and
Extension Farm Safety Specialist
CSUCE Agriculture Health and Safety

On October 18-19, 2000, the Annual Rocky Mountain Horticulture Greenhouse Short Course was held at the Arvada Center for Arts and Humanities. The Short Course was co-sponsored by Colorado State University Cooperative Extension, the Horticulture and Landscape Architecture Department, and the Colorado Greenhouse Growers Association. The theme of the Short Course was "Fine Tune Your Media: Understanding Greenhouse Nutrition and Media Technology." Four speakers presented the material.

Two of the speakers, Paul Schill of Premier Horticulture, and Shannen Ferrey of The Scotts Co. represented the greenhouse allied industry. The other two speakers were faculty from horticulture departments at other state institutions with an expertise in greenhouse media. They were Dr. Make Evans of Iowa State University and Dr. Bill Fonteno of North Carolina State University.

On each day, more than 65 people attended the Short Course. These people included assistant greenhouse growers, owner/operators, allied trade personnel, and a few extension professionals. The material was informative and practical offering each individual material that could be readily applied at their own greenhouse. A half day tour of a local greenhouse was included and the speakers set up demonstration tables to get a more hands-on feel for the material. Many verbal comments were made on the quality of the programming.

Some of the comments from the conference include those from Dr. Karen Panter of the University of Wyoming. "...one of the best take-home messages came from Dr. Bill Fonteno of North Carolina State University (NCSU). His message? GROW ROOTS. If we all paid more attention to root systems and their growing environment, shoot problems would be greatly reduced.

Here are a few tips from Dr. Fonteno as quoted by Panter:

• Use taller containers whenever possible: container height has a DIRECT effect on drainage: taller containers lead to better drainage - the effect is greater as container sizes get smaller (as in plugs for example);
• Use square pots rather than round ones if possible: square pots of the same diameter as round pots can hold 33% more growing medium (by volume) - this is substantial!
• Avoid growing medium compaction at all costs: don't stack trays, containers, or pots after they have been filled - and don't pack the medium in around new plants as you plant them up - you want maximum air- and water-holding capacities in your containers, so avoid ANY type of compaction; and
• Dr. Fonteno heads up the Horticultural Substrates Laboratory at North Carolina State. The lab has a superb web site that should be visited by anyone growing plants in containers, whether plugs or 15 gallons. NCSU also has an excellent horticulture extension web site at that includes publications and links to other informative sites."

Karen L. Panter, Ph.D.
Horticulture Extension Specialist
Plant Sciences
University of Wyoming