Paul Fisher

Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, Floriculture

Environmental Horticulture Dept.
University of Florida
2549 Fifield Hall, PO Box 110670
Gainesville FL 32611-0670

Phone: (352) 273-4581
Fax: (352) 392-3870
E-mail: pfisher@ufl.edu

Curriculum Vitae (39KB pdf)

Professional Background

Education

• Ph.D. in Horticulture (Michigan State Univ.), 1995
  M.Appl.Sci. in Resource Mgmt. (Lincoln Univ., New Zealand), 1988
• B.Sci. in Botany (Univ. of Auckland, New Zealand), 1985

Work Experience

• 2006-curr. Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, Univ. of Florida
• 1996-2006, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, Univ. of New Hampshire
• 1995-1996, Post-Doctoral Research Associate, Univ. of California at Davis
• 1991-1992, Visiting Scholar, Michigan State University
• 1989-1991, Research Associate, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, New Zealand
  

Extension

• Research-based information for greenhouse floriculture focused on production, propagation and shipping of plugs and cuttings.
• Water treatment to minimize runoff and disease-related issues.
• University of Florida programs including Floriculture Field Days.

Research

Applied research for the commercial greenhouse industry, including the Young Plant Research Center, an industry-driven research program for the production, propagation, and shipping of young plant material. Media-pH and micronutrient management, including understanding how factors drive pH changes over time and correction of pH-related problems. Computer decision-support systems for growers, to help to optimize growing conditions, and to consistently and profitably achieve high-quality crops in time for target sales periods.  Water quality and treatment for nutritional, biofilm, algae, and pathogen problems.

We thank the following organizations for providing research and extension funding: 

• American Floral Endowment 
• Florida Nursery Growers and Landscape Association
• USDA-ARS Floriculture and Nursery Research Alliance
• The Young Plant Research Center partner companies: AgriStarts, Blackmore Co., Center Greenhouses, Costa Farms, D.S. Cole Growers, Ellegaard, Fafard, Four Star Greenhouses, Glass Corner Greenhouses, Greencare Fertilizers, Knox Nursery, Kube-Pak Corp., Lucas Greenhouses, Mast Young Plants, Pindstrup, Pleasant View Gardens, Premier Horticulture, Quality Analytical Laboratories, Spring Meadow Nursery, Sun Gro Horticulture, and Welby Gardens.
• The Water Education Alliance for Horticulture partner companies: AquaHort, AquaPulse Systems, BioSafe Systems, Chem Fresh, Chlorinators Incorporated, Dramm, Griffin Greenhouse & Nursery Supplies, Hanna Instruments, Phyton Corp, Pulse Instruments, Smithers-Oasis, and TrueLeaf Technologies

Teaching

My current graduate students are:

• Connie Johnson (Ph.D.): Quantifying the acidity and basicity of fertilizers (co-advised with Dr. Jamie Gibson)
• Justin Meador (Ph.D.): “Evaluating treatment systems for biological water quality in ornamental plant production”
• Rosa Raudales (Ph.D.): Treatment technologies to control pathogens in irrigation water
• Jinsheng Huang (Post-doctoral Research Scientist): Dynamical modeling of media-pH in container substrates