MSU Department of Horticulture

MSU Department of Horticulture This is the official Facebook fan page of the Michigan State University Department of Horticutlure. What is Horticulture?

Welcome to the Department of Horticulture at Michigan State University. Horticulture is the art, science, and business of growing plants. Horticulture has been part of the Michigan State University curriculum since this pioneer land grant institution opened in 1857. The Department's mission is to prepare our students for horticulture-related careers in science and business. Faculty members possess

a diverse array of expertise - both interdisciplinary (e.g., breeding, genomics, development, physiology, metabolism, molecular biology, and sustainable production), and commodity based (e.g., fruits/pomology, vegetables, viticulture, floriculture, nursery crops, postharvest, design and landscape ecology, and marketing) - which they utilize in their research, teaching and outreach programs, at both the national and international levels. For information about degree and certificate programs in Horticulture at MSU, visit: canr.msu.edu/hrt/students/

Our incoming class of graduate students are currently touring MSU research facilities, farms, and points of interest aro...
09/03/2026

Our incoming class of graduate students are currently touring MSU research facilities, farms, and points of interest around Michigan. Day 2 included the Northwest Michigan Horticulture Research center (Traverse City, MI, ), Shady Lane Cellars (Suttons Bay, MI, ), and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park (Empire, MI, ),

Our incoming class of graduate students recently returned from a tour of MSU research facilities and farms around Michig...
09/02/2026

Our incoming class of graduate students recently returned from a tour of MSU research facilities and farms around Michigan. Day 1 included the MSU Clarksville Research Station, Packing and Schwallier's Apple Orchard (both in Sparta, MI), Kormska Tree Farm (Interlochen, MI), and The Botanic Garden at Historic Barns Park (Traverse City, ).

Congratulations to Grady Vanderploeg on receiving the Edward Tuinier Memorial Scholarship, awarded by the . Grady is a ...
08/31/2026

Congratulations to Grady Vanderploeg on receiving the Edward Tuinier Memorial Scholarship, awarded by the . Grady is a junior in the Horticulture Department at Michigan State University. Grady has a special interest in annual flowers grown in greenhouse systems. After his anticipated graduation in May 2027, he plans to continue working in floriculture and greenhouse operations. He has worked in greenhouses since he was 14 and hopes to one day own and operate his own. His goal is to remain in the West Michigan area for these operations.

Most ornamental vegetative cuttings are produced in tropical and subtropical regions of Mexico, Central and South Americ...
08/28/2026

Most ornamental vegetative cuttings are produced in tropical and subtropical regions of Mexico, Central and South America, and Africa, where favorable climates support year-round production. Read .extension agent Heidi Lindberg's report sanitation, monitoring, and testing procedures used by offshore stock plant facilities to ensure vegetative cuttings exported to the United States are free of pests and diseases. Her article can be found here:https://e-gro.org/pdf/2026-15-28.pdf

Congratulations to Supti Saha Mou, on receiving the John Carew Memorial Scholarship, awarded by the @. Supti is a gradua...
08/27/2026

Congratulations to Supti Saha Mou, on receiving the John Carew Memorial Scholarship, awarded by the @. Supti is a graduate student in the Department of Horticulture at Michigan State University. After graduation, Supti plans to pursue a faculty career at a land-grant university, where she can continue her work generating knowledge and ensuring that floriculture producers always have access to the science-based answers they deserve.

From the familiar banana and pineapple to lesser-known fruits such as jaboticaba, finger lime, and soursop, these tropic...
08/26/2026

From the familiar banana and pineapple to lesser-known fruits such as jaboticaba, finger lime, and soursop, these tropical fruits are adapted to warm climates and contribute significantly to tropical agriculture, cuisine, and human nutrition. Read .extension agent Heidi Lindberg's report on tropical fruit resulting from a recent tour of Costa Rican horticulture farms and facilities. Her third article in the "Taste of the Tropics" series can be found here: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/taste-of-the-tropics-ten-tropical-fruits

Learn about cacao's fascinating journey from an ancient Mesoamerican crop to a globally important commodity. Read .exten...
08/24/2026

Learn about cacao's fascinating journey from an ancient Mesoamerican crop to a globally important commodity. Read .extension agent Heidi Lindberg's report on coffee resulting from a recent tour of Costa Rican horticulture farms and facilities. Her second article in the "Taste of the Tropics" series can be found here: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/taste-of-the-tropics-cacao.

Interestingly, the cacao pods grow directly on tree trunks and branches. Inside each pod are pulp-covered beans. The fresh pulp surrounding the beans is edible and has a tangy, citrus-like flavor. After removing the pulp, the beans are: 1) Fermented to reduce bitterness and develop flavor, 2) Dried in the sun, 3) Roasted, 4) De-shelled, and 5) Ground with sugar into a chocolate paste, which can be further processed into other products.

Coffee is a globally important tropical crop whose quality is influenced by species, growing conditions, harvesting meth...
08/21/2026

Coffee is a globally important tropical crop whose quality is influenced by species, growing conditions, harvesting methods, processing techniques, and roasting. Read .extension agent Heidi Lindberg's report on coffee resulting from a recent tour of Costa Rican horticulture farms and facilities. Her first article in the "Taste of the Tropics" series, can be found here: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/taste-of-the-tropics-coffee

Our undergrads are currently completing professional internships throughout the country. Over the next several weeks, ea...
08/21/2026

Our undergrads are currently completing professional internships throughout the country. Over the next several weeks, each student will share a little about their internship experience.

I'm Steve and this summer I'm interning with Dr. David Douches at MSU in his potato breeding program. I have been extracting potato seed, preparing seed potatoes, and planting them at two farm locations. I am also helping with a grad student's dormancy project, and actual plant breeding.



Photo 1: Prepping seed potatoes

Photo 2: Our lab team

Our incoming class of graduate students are currently touring MSU Research Facilities and Farms around Michigan, includi...
08/20/2026

Our incoming class of graduate students are currently touring MSU Research Facilities and Farms around Michigan, including apple orchards and apple processing facilities. Many of our graduate students are not from Michigan, so this is an opportunity to introduce them to Michigan horticulture crops.

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1066 Bogue Street , A288 Plant & Soil Sciences Bldg
East Lansing, MI
48824

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