The Bowling Green High School Agriculture Education Department recently hosted a workshop on
"Managing the Local Agricultural Department Greenhouse," with 20 ag education teachers from
across Ohio in attendance.
Mike Shertzer, Bowling Green’s agriculture education instructor provided horticultural and plant science
techniques and teaching tips. He was assisted with thelp of Jody Germann and Rick Waggner of the Penta
Career Center.
The teachers in attendance observed demonstrations, practiced hands-on skills and techniques and received
many handouts and much plant material to take with them.
Shertzer discussed seeding principles and plant structures. Each participant then had the opportunity to
dissect monocot and dicot seeds and plants and look at the various parts under microscopes and
dissecting scopes.
Shertzer also explained hydroponic plant production and explained how BG’s hydroponic lab can produce 72
plants every four weeks. Each then harvested a head of hydroponic lettuce to take with them.
Germann discussed how to set-up a propagation bench with automatic misting and heat mats, using the BG
bench to demonstrate. He also covered different methods of asexual propagation including stem cuttings,
rooting, division of plants and grafting of woody plants.
The participants then practiced all these techniques. Germann also covered water gardening and all kinds
of watering systems and irrigation.
Waggoner demonstrated different methods of layering, which is the asexual propagation of producing new
plants that are attached to the parent plants and then after roots develop, removing the new plants to
plant.
Participants then practiced air layering on rubber plants.
All the instructors then talked about management of greenhouses, plants to grow, what to sell and
controlling insects, diseases and fertilization.