Agriculture Students Prepare for Poinsettia Sale

 

Students in the Arkansas Tech Department of Agriculture are already preparing for the annual fall poinsettia sale.

They started growing the plants the first day of classes and the plants will be ready to start selling Nov. 30.

Agriculture student Heather Hess said that growing poinsettias the last three years in class has added value to her education.

“I’ve learned every step from the beginning to the very end. It’s helped me a lot,” said Hess.

Just this week students sprayed the plants with fungicide, which they said is quite a tedious process. It takes a lot of work to care for 1,700 plants.

“This is really helpful and good for agriculture education majors,” said agriculture student Kori Kimes. “The ability to have the greenhouse and work in it will carry into the future and being able to teach students from firsthand knowledge.”

Dr. Jim Collins started the plant sale 30 years ago and it has only continued to grow. He said that it’s great for the department, and they have the same customers coming back year after year.

“It’s great public relations. It is student-oriented and people like that. They aren’t just going to buy plants at the store, they are getting to see where their money is going,” said Collins.

For additional information, contact the Arkansas Tech Department of Agriculture at (479) 968-0251.

]]>