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Effects of homemade or commercial floral preservatives, applied as 48-hour grower treatment or continuous retailer/consumer application, were studied on cut ‘ABC Blue’ lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum), ‘Maryland Plumblossom’ snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus), ‘Mid Cheerful Yellow’ stock (Matthiola incana), and ‘Deep Red’ Benary’s zinnia (Zinnia violacea). Cut stems were placed in solutions containing 500 mL·L−1 lemon/lime soda (soda); 6 mL·L−1 lemon juice plus 20 g·L−1 sugar (lemon juice); 100 mg·L−1 citric acid plus 20 g·L−1 sugar plus 200 mg·L−1 aluminum sulfate (C-AS); 400 mg·L−1 citric acid plus 20 g·L−1 sugar alone (citric acid), or combined with either 0.5 mL·L−1 quaternary ammonium chloride (C-QA), or 0.007 mL·L−1 isothiazolinone (C-IS); 10 mL·L−1 Floralife Clear Professional Flower Food (Floralife); or 10 mL·L−1 Chrysal Clear Professional 2 (Chrysal), dissolved in tap water, which was also used as control without any added compound. Cut stems of lisianthus and stock had longest vase lives (22.1 and 12.7 days, respectively) when placed in C-IS continuously, while snapdragon and zinnia stems had longest vase lives (22.3 and 16.3 days, respectively) when placed in C-QA solution continuously. Continuous use of soda extended vase life of cut lisianthus, snapdragon, and stock stems, but not zinnia, compared with tap water. Citric acid extended the vase life of lisianthus and stock when used continuously and of zinnia when used for 48 hours. Use of C-AS or lemon juice either had no effect or reduced vase life of the tested species, except lemon juice increased zinnia vase life when used as a 48-hour treatment. Stems of lisianthus, stock, and zinnia placed continuously in C-IS, C-QA, or citric acid had high solution uptake. No significant differences were observed for vase life of all tested species with short duration (48 hours) application of solutions, except 48-hour use of citric acid or lemon juice increased zinnia vase life compared with tap water. Overall, continuous vase application of the homemade preservatives resulted in longer vase life extension than 48-hour treatment. Among tested preservative recipes, C-IS, C-QA, soda, or citric acid demonstrated best postharvest performance of tested species. However, recipes containing C-AS or lemon juice had detrimental effects and should not be used for handling cut stems of tested species.
Easter lily bulbs (Lilium longiflorum `Nellie White') were given 6 weeks of cold, placed in the greenhouse and subsequently divided into groups based on emergence date after placement in the greenhouse: 0-6, 7-13, 14-20 and 21-27 days. At emergence bulbs received 0, 1, 2 or 3 weeks of long days (LD). Late-emerging plants had fewer days to visible bud and anthesis from emergence than early-emerging plants; consequently, late-emerging plants flowered within 3-10 days of early emerging plants despite 14-21 days difference in emergence time. Late emerging plants were tallest and middle emerging plants had the highest leaf number. Increasing LD tended to decrease numbers of days from emergence to visible bud and anthesis and increase plant height. LD did not effect leaf or flower number. Interactions between LD and emergence date will be discussed. Experiment was repeated for three consecutive years.
Hyacinthoides hispanica (Mill.) Roth., Hyacinthus orientalis L. `Gypsy Queen', Narcissus pseudonarcissus L. `Music Hall', N. pseudonarcissus `Tahiti', Tulipa gesneriana L. `Couleur Cardinal', and T. gesneriana `White Emperor' bulbs were given 0 or 6 weeks of preplant 5 °C cold treatment and planted 15, 30, or 45 cm deep into raised ground beds under 0%, 30%, or 60% shade. Plant growth was monitored for 2 years after planting. Preplant 5 °C cold pretreatment reduced percentage of Tulipa `White Emperor' bulbs that flowered but did not affect the percentage of bulbs that flowered for the other species. Cold pretreatment also delayed anthesis in one or both years for all cultivars except Hyacinthoides hispanica. The greatest percentage of bulbs flowered when planted 15 cm deep. The 45-cm planting depth reduced bulb flowering percentage or eliminated plant emergence. Increasing planting depth increased days to anthesis for all cultivars in both years. Increasing shade increased stem lengths in year 2 for all cultivars except Hyacinthoides hispanica, but did not influence percentage of bulbs flowering for any cultivars. For all cultivars perennialization was low regardless of treatment as less than 30% of bulbs survived to the 2nd year.
A 3 pine bark: 1 peatmoss: 1 sand (by volume) medium was amended with 7.7 g P as superphosphate, triple superphosphate, ammonium phosphate, or controlled-release ammonium phosphate per 1000 g medium (3.8 liters). The medium was then leached with 250, 350, or 450 ml distilled, deionized water daily for 25 days. Phosphorus leaching curves were then generated for each fertilizer. A subsequent study determined the effect of these four P fertilizers on growth of marigold seedlings in the greenhouse. Superphosphate, triple superphosphate, and ammonium phosphate rapidly leached from the medium, while the controlled-release ammonium phosphate was retained for a longer time. Marigold growth was not affected by fertilizer type; however, marigolds grown in P-amended media were larger than those grown without P. These studies indicate that amending container growing medium with superphosphate or triple superphosphate prior to planting may not be cost-effective.
Campanula medium L. `Champion Blue' and `Champion Pink' and Lupinus hartwegii Lindl. `Bright Gems' were grown in 8- or 16-h initial photoperiods, transplanted when 2-3, 5-6, or 8-9 true leaves developed, and placed under 8-, 12-, or 16-h final photoperiods. The lowest flowering percentage for `Champion Blue' (<1%) and `Champion Pink' (16%) resulted from plants grown in the 8-h photoperiod continuously. One hundred percent flowering occurred when Campanula were grown in the 16-h final photoperiod, indicating that `Champion Blue' and `Champion Pink' are long-day plants. Plants grown initially in the 8-h and finished in the 16-h photoperiod had the longest stems. Stem diameter was generally thickest for plants grown in the 8-h compared with the 16-h initial photoperiod. However, the 8-h initial photoperiod delayed anthesis compared with the 16-h initial photoperiod. `Champion Blue' and `Champion Pink' plants transplanted at the 2-3 leaf stage from the 16 hour initial to the 8-h final photoperiod had flowering percentages of 64% and 63%, respectively; however, when transplanted at the 8-9 leaf stage, plants were fully mature and 100% flowering occurred indicating that all plants were capable of flowering. In year 2, plants receiving high intensity discharge (HID) supplemental lighting during the 16-h initial photoperiod reached anthesis in 11 fewer days compared with plants not receiving HID supplemental lighting. High profits were obtained from Campanula grown in the 8-h initial photoperiod and transferred at 5-6 true leaves into the 16-h final photoperiod. Lupinus hartwegii plants had a high flowering percentage (96% to 100%) regardless of photoperiod or transplant stage. The 16-h final photoperiod decreased days to anthesis compared with the 8- or 12-h final photoperiod indicating that L. hartwegii is a facultative long-day plant. Increasing length of final photoperiod from 8- to 16-h increased stem length. Juvenility was not evident for Lupinus in this study. In year 2, Lupinus cut stems were generally longer and thicker when given HID supplemental lighting, especially when grown in the 8- or 12-h final photoperiod. Supplemental lighting also reduced days to anthesis. Highest profits were generally produced from Lupinus plants grown with supplemental HID lighting (during the initial photoperiod) until 8-9 true leaves had developed.
Campanula medium L. `Champion Blue' (CB) and `Champion Pink' (CP) and Lupinus hartwegii Lindl. `Bright Gems' (LH) were grown in 8- or 16-h initial photoperiods, transplanted when two–three, five–six, or eight–nine nodes developed and placed under 8-, 12-, or 16-h final photoperiods. Greatest flowering percentage (100%) for CB and CP occurred when plants with two–three nodes were grown in the 16-h final photoperiod. The lowest flowering percentage for CB (3.3%) and CP (15.7%) resulted from plants grown in the 8-h photoperiod continuously (initial and final). CB and CP stem lengths (49.8 cm) were longest when grown in the 8-h photoperiod continuously and shortest with the 16-h initial and 8-h final photoperiods for CB (26.5 cm) and the 16-h photoperiod continuously for CP (25.4 cm). Fewest days to anthesis, 134 days for CB and 145 days for CP, resulted from the 16-h photoperiod continuously and greatest (216 days) from the 8-h photoperiod continuously. LH plants had a high flowering percentage (99.6%) regardless of photoperiod or transplant stage. Stem lengths were longest (60.1 cm) for LH plants exposed to the 16-h photoperiod continuously and shortest (46.2 cm) when exposed to the 8-h photoperiod continuously. LH exhibited a curvilinear response for days to anthesis with the 16-h final photoperiod producing the shortest crop time (166 days) and the 12-h final photoperiod producing the longest crop time (182 days). The experiment was repeated in 1998/1999 with high intensity discharge (HID) lighting during the initial photoperiod which increased plant quality.
These studies were conducted to determine the effect of 1) temperature on P leaching from a soilless medium amended with various P fertilizers, 2) water application volume on P leaching, and 3) various fertilizers on P leaching during production and growth of marigolds (Tagetes erecta L. `Hero Flame'). Increasing temperature linearly decreased leaching fraction; however, total P leached from the single (SSP) or triple (TSP) superphosphate-amended medium did not differ regardless of temperature. Despite a smaller leaching fraction at higher temperatures and no change in the total P leached, P was probably leached more readily at higher temperatures. More P was leached from the medium amended with uncoated monoammonium phosphate (UCP) than from the medium containing polymer-coated monoammonium phosphate (CTP) at all temperatures, and more P was leached from UCP-amended medium at lower temperatures than at higher temperatures. More P was leached from TSP- than from SSP-amended medium and from UCP- than from CTP-amended medium regardless of the water volume applied, but leachate P content increased linearly as water application volume increased for all fertilizers tested. Plant dry weights did not differ regardless of P source. Leachate electrical conductivity (EC) was lower with TSP than with SSP. Leachate EC was also lower with CTP than with UCP. A higher percentage of P from controlled release fertilizer was taken up by plants rather than being leached from the medium compared to P from uncoated fertilizers.
Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima Wind. ex. Klotzsch) cultivars were divided into free-branching and restricted-branching groups. Auto and reciprocal grafts were made among three free-branching cultivars, Annette Hegg Brilliant Diamond (BD), Annette Hegg Topwhite (TW), and Annette Hegg Hot Pink (HP), and two restricted-branching cultivars, Eckespoint C-1 Red (CR) and Eckespoint C-1 White (CW). when CR scions were grafted onto BD stocks, vegetative characteristics of branching pattern and leaf morphology of CR plants were altered when compared to the control graft combination CR/CR (scion/stock). Branching pattern was determined by pinching the scion above the 12th node and measuring axillary shoot length, diameter, and node number 30 days later. CR scions grafted onto BD stocks produced a plant very similar to BD plants when axillary shoot length and node number were compared. However, axillary shoot diameter and leaf morphology were intermediate between CR and BD plants. Changes were retained after two generations of serial vegetative propagation and are considered permanent. The reproductive characteristics of anthesis date, bract color, and cyathia cluster diameter were not influenced by the stock. CR/BD plants produced twice as many axillary inflorescences as BD/BD or BD/CR plants, while CR/CR plants did not produce any. All of the free-branching cultivars were able to alter the vegetative characteristics of all of the restricted-branching cultivars.
The postharvest attributes of six specialty cut flower species were studied. First year results indicate that Achillea filipendulina `Coronation Gold' had a vase-life of 10.7 days in deionized water (DI) and can be stored one week at 1.7°C and shipped for one day. Buddeleia davidii (Butterfly Bush) had a vase life of 3.8 days in DI water and tolerated two weeks of cold storage and two days of shipping. Celosia plumosa `Forest Fire' (Plume Celosia) had a vase-life of 5.9 days in DI water and tolerated 2 days of shipping. Cercis canadensis (Redbud) had a vase-life of 9 days in DI water and tolerated one day of shipping. Echinacea purpurea `Bright Star' (Purple Coneflower) had a vase-life of 4.6 days in DI water and tolerated 2 weeks of storage and five days of shipping. Helianthus maximilianii (Maximillian Sunflower) had a vase-life of 6.3 days in DI water and tolerated one week of storage. In addition, silver thiosulfate and 8-hydroxyquinoline citrate increased vase-life of Buddeleia davidii, Celosia plumosa, Echinacea purpurea, and Helianthus maximilianii.