Our second day at Green & Growin’ started bright and early with a special, invitation-only Certified Plant Professional (CPP) breakfast. This was a great opportunity to connect with fellow CPPs, discuss the future of the program, and share experiences from across the Green Industry.
Earning the CPP designation is no small feat; only about half of those who take the exam pass. For those unfamiliar with the program, CPP certification requires passing a rigorous written exam of 100 multiple-choice and true/false questions, along with a hands-on practical exam that involves identifying 125 plants, diseases, and/or insects from a master list of 298. To maintain certification, CPPs must also complete eight continuing education credits every two years to ensure their knowledge stays current.
For consumers, working with a Certified Plant Professional offers peace of mind – you can trust that we are trained, tested, and committed to best practices in plant care and landscape management.
Educational Tracks & Courses
Days 2 and 3 of Green & Growin’ differ from Day 1 in that Day 1 focuses on smaller, specialty courses. Days 2 and 3 feature five simultaneous classes every hour, starting around 8:30 a.m., pausing for a keynote speaker at lunchtime, and wrapping up around 4:00 p.m.
Each course falls into one of five educational tracks:
- Business Operations
- Landscape Operations
- Irrigation
- Turf Management
- Nursery Operations (Growers)
I attended a wide variety of sessions, including:
- Management of Japanese Maple Scale and Other Pests Threatening Container Production with Dr. Karla Addesso
- Sales Manager vs. Sales Leader: Which Are You? with keynote speaker Rayne Gibson
- Eliminating Murder: How Not to Kill Plants with Bryce Lane
- Passion Is Not Leadership (Keynote Presentation) with Rayne Gibson
- Southern Stars: Native Trees & Shrubs That Work in Real Landscapes with Mark Weathington
- Native Perennials for the Shady Site with Shannon Currey of Izel Plants
Kat chose a different set of morning courses, including:
- There’s a Fire in the Wire with Jason Shanabarger
- Selling Solutions, Not Just Plants: Rethinking Value in the Green Industry with David Hoffman
A Standout Session: “Eliminating Murder: How Not to Kill Plants”
My favorite class of the day was Bryce Lane’s “Eliminating Murder: How Not to Kill Plants.” Bryce is always an engaging speaker, and judging by the standing-room-only crowd, many others agreed.
In this session, Mr. Lane broke down the science behind how plants actually die and, more importantly, what we can do to prevent it. He emphasized two critical factors: light and soil.
A striking statistic he shared was that 96% of a plant’s dry weight comes from the energy it produces through photosynthesis, while only 4% comes from the soil. However, he was quick to stress that this doesn’t make soil unimportant. As he put it:
“If I built a home and 96% of what I paid for was 2x4s, plywood, and drywall, but I didn’t spend the last 4% on nails and fasteners, I wouldn’t be able to build the house.”
Bryce also spoke about how resilient plants truly are. Our hot summer nights can be particularly challenging because plants may expend more energy overnight than they can produce during the day. His final takeaway was powerful: it can take 7–10 years for a plant to die when its cultural needs aren’t being met.
Because plants are so resilient, stress from compacted soils, drought, or extreme temperatures often goes unnoticed for years. His message was clear – pay close attention to a plant’s cultural needs and provide the resources they need to thrive, not just survive.
Wrapping Up the Day
At the end of the day, Mr. Allen invited us to visit the Green Biz Nursery booth at the exhibition in the Coliseum, and we were so glad we did. Exploring the trade floor was a highlight, from discovering new plant material to seeing innovative pottery, bulbs, annuals, perennials, groundcovers, and water feature vendors.
Our nursery manager, Laurinda, and her assistant, Hilario, had spent the entire day working hard and setting up the Green Biz booth. They have been visiting various trade shows over the past few weeks to further the nursery side of the business – Green & Growin’ is their second to last show in this stretch. It was rewarding for the whole team to come together, share experiences, and reflect on what a meaningful and energizing event Green & Growin’ was for everyone involved.