2007 Bedding Plant

Field Trials

 

Kansas State University

Horticulture Research & Extension

 

 

 

 

 

Research Report

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2007

Bedding Plant

Field and Container Trials

 

 

 

Dr. Alan Stevens

Department of Horticulture, Forestry and Recreation Resources

Kansas State University

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table of Contents

 

                                                                                                                   Page

 

Introduction                  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                4

 

          Procedures                    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                5

 

          Weather                        . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                6

 

          Data Collection             . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                7

 

          Seed Propagated Annuals                   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                8

 

          Vegetatively Propagated Annuals   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                  16

 

          Container Grown Trials                  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                  38

 

          Prairie Star Collection List        . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .               45

 

          Prairie Bloom Collection List     . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .               48

 

Sources of Plant Material      . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                51

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bedding Plant Field and Container Trials 2007

 

 

Dr. Alan Stevens

Department of Horticulture, Forestry and Recreation Resources

Kansas State University

 

 

 

Introduction

           

            The importance of the commercial floriculture industry to the economic and social health of Kansas is a known reality.  Greenhouse production, retail sale, and landscape installation of flowers all contribute to the Kansas economy and beautify local environments.  Plant sales bring in revenue for a variety of businesses, from independent nursery/garden centers, to home improvement, hardware, and grocery store chains.  Color programs – the seasonal change of flowering plants – is a strong profit center for landscape maintenance firms, and many golf courses rely on annual plant displays to accent their greens and club houses.

Flowers also add to a community’s quality of life when planted to showcase color during the spring, summer, and fall. Flower displays are becoming a common sight in public areas like city parks, sidewalk planters, and government buildings with the intent of making the downtown a more desirable place to shop, work, and live.  Businesses also are putting container gardens or bright flower displays by their storefronts, and homeowners contribute to a community’s appeal when they decorate their front yards with colorful blooms.

The bedding plant trials conducted by K-State are designed to give citizens recommendations on which plants do well in the Kansas climate.  Kansas is the geographic center of the country, but it does not enjoy the average of the cool North and hot South.  Extreme and sudden changes in heat and cold, rain and drought are common in all four seasons and the wind blows much of the time.  Our prairie climate creates unique stresses on flowering plants.  There is also variation in climate and soil across Kansas.  Eastern Kansas generally has higher rainfall, more vegetation, and neutral to slightly acidic soil while the western portion of the state has low rainfall and more alkaline soils.

Field trials of annual and perennial plants were conducted at four sites: Olathe, Haysville, Colby and Hays.  The four sites are spread across a 400 mile range east to west and 140 miles north to south.  The sites encompass two USDA cold hardiness zones, 5 and 6 and two AHS heat tolerance zones, 7 and 8.

            While the Kansas climate provides challenges for growing plants, the desire for new and superior flower cultivars is always present.  With the increasing importance of commercial floriculture on the Kansas economy and quality of life, it is pivotal to continue developing and researching cultivars of herbaceous flowering plants for prairie landscapes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Procedures

 

            Seeds were sown into plugs by Moncrief’s Greenhouse, Baxter Springs, Kansas.  Plugs were transplanted into 806 cell packs filled with Fafard growing media.  Vegetatively propagated plant materials were potted directly into 4 ½ inch, round geranium pots filled with Fafard growing medium.  Production of all plants, seed and vegetatively propagated, was finished by the author in the greenhouse at the K-State Horticulture Research & Extension Center (Olathe site) and subsequently transported to the other three trial sites.  All plants were hardened off with reduced night temperature (<55^oF) before planting into the field.

 

            Phosphorus was added to the beds the previous fall to bring the level of P to 60 pounds per acre based on soil test.  A 16-8-8 ratio fertilizer at the rate of ½ pound actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet was incorporated at planting.  Additional nitrogen was added every two weeks at the rate of ½ pound actual nitrogen per thousand square feet of bed space.  All plants were watered in at planting.  Three days after planting, Treflan (5% granular) was broadcast over the beds and watered in for pre-emergent weed control.  The plants were then watered on an as-needed basis for the duration of the trials.  A minimum of one inch of water was applied at each irrigation.  Beds were allowed to dry substantially between waterings.

 

             

 

Planting Dates

 

Horticulture Research & Extension Center - Olathe, Kansas                 May   21 - 25

 

John C. Pair Horticultural Center - Haysville, Kansas                            May   23 - 25

 

Agriculture Research Center - Hays, Kansas                                        May   21 - 25

 

Agriculture Research Center - Colby, Kansas                                       May   17 - 18

 

 

 

Some cultivars at the Olathe site were grown in a shade structure.  This simulates a low light (50% shade) environment without tree or shrub root competition.  Some known shade-growing plants (Impatiens, for example) were only planted in the shade, while others were planted in both sun and shade to compare growth and performance.  All trials were grown in full sun unless otherwise stated in the tables below.
 

Weather Conditions

 

            In 2007 May was fairly cool and wet, with temperatures warming in June. July continued to have moderately hot temperatures, with temperatures peaking in August.  August was hotter than usual, and many plants suffered from the late heat and drought stress.

 

 

     *Precipitation measured in inches, temperatures measured in degrees Fahrenheit.

 

 Data Collection

 

            Visual ratings of each cultivar were made mid-month in June, July and August at each of the trial sites.  Cultivars were rated for vigor and floriferousness.  Vigor was related to the growth, strength and substance of the vegetative portion of the plant.  Floriferousness was defined as the overall visual impact of the floral display, a combination of flower size, number of blooms and how the flowers were displayed on the plant.  On plants where it is the foliar display that is of concern (e.g. Coleus, Sweet Potato), the color and visual impact of the leaves – the foliagiferousness – was used to determine the rating.

A scale of 1 - 7 was used to rate each of the cultivars for the two characteristics.

 

            1 = almost dead or no flowers

 

            2 = very poor

 

            3 = poor

 

            4 = acceptable

 

            5 = good

 

            6 = very good

 

            7 = exceptional

 

 

            The height and spread (width) of each cultivar was measured in mid-August.  If no data are presented for a cultivar at any of the sites, the cultivar was not planted there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

General Field Trials

 

Seed Propagated Annuals

 

 

 

Seed Propagated Annuals

 

            Late spring into early summer was cool and wet.  By the first of July the weather turned very hot and dry.  The cool wet soils early in the trial period compromised some root systems which then struggled when the growing conditions shifted to the normal heat and drought of a summer on the prairie.

 

Ageratum

 

            High Tide Blue was the most regular bloomer of the Ageratums in the trials and has been added to the Prairie Star list.

 

Table 1.  Performance of select varieties of Ageratum in Kansas

Cultivar		Color	V	F	Overall	Ht (in)	Wd (in)
High Tide		Blue	6	6	6.0	18	18

(See also Vegetatively Propagated – Ageratum)

 

 

Alternanthera

 

            Royal Tapestry performed equally well in the sun and shade trials with very good vigor and dark foliage color.

 

Table 2a.  Performance of select varieties of Alteranthera in Kansas grown in sun

Cultivar		Color	V	F	Overall	Ht (in)	Wd (in)
Royal Tapestry			6	5	5.5	18	36

 

Table 2b.  Performance of select varieties of Alteranthera in Kansas grown in shade structure

Cultivar		Color	V	F	Overall	Ht (in)	Wd (in)
Royal Tapestry			6	5	5.5	18	36

 

(See also Container Grown – Alternanthera)                                                                                     

 

 

Begonia

 

            The Nightlife cultivars had much better vigor when grown in the shade structure.

 

Table3a.  Performance of select varieties of Begonia in Kansas grown in sun

Cultivar		Color	V	F	Overall	Ht (in)	Wd (in)
Nightlife		Deep Rose Improved	5	6	5.5	4	4
Nightlife		Pink	5	5	5.0	4	4

 

Table 3b.  Performance of select varieties of Begonia in Kansas grown in shade structure

Cultivar		Color	V	F	Overall	Ht (in)	Wd (in)
Nightlife		Deep Rose Improved	6	5	5.5	8	6
Nightlife		Pink	6	5	5.5	8	6

 

Celosia

 

            Smart Look performed well in the trial and should be included a second year for potential addition to the Prairie Star list.  Its bright red flowers were very eye-catching.

 

Table 4.  Performance of select varieties of Celosia in Kansas

Cultivar		Color	V	F	Overall	Ht (in)	Wd (in)
Smart Look		Red	6	6	6.0	8	8

 

 

Coleus

 

            Chocolate Mint had similar size and performance when grown in the sun or shade.

 

Table 5a.  Performance of select varieties of Coleus in Kansas grown in sun

Cultivar

Color

V

F