Transcript Bedding Plant Production

Bedding Plant Production
Topic 2174
Aaron Gearhart
What are Bedding Plants?
 Flower and vegetable transplants that are planted
each spring
 Started in greenhouses during the winter so they
can be transplanted when danger of frost is past.
Why Do We Do Use
Bedding Plants?
 To have flowers that are a part of our landscaping in
bloom longer
 Leave the difficulties of germination and juvenile
stages to the pros
 So we can see the final product when we buy it
 Save time, Save time, Save time
Here are Some Examples of
Bedding Plants
Ageratum
http://irrec.ifas.ufl.edu/A&P/Pictures/Annuals/ageratum.htm
Begonia
http://www.landscapeflowergrowers.com/Flower_Pictures.htm
Celosia
http://www.landscapeflowergrowers.com/Flower_Pictures.htm
Petunias
http://irrec.ifas.ufl.edu/A&P/Pictures/AnnualPics.htm
Marigold
http://www.overthegardengate.net/garden/archives/
Nicotiana
http://www.landscapeflowergrowers.com/Flower_Pictures.htm
Pansy
http://www.overthegardengate.net/garden/archives/
Salvia
http://irrec.ifas.ufl.edu/A&P/Pictures/Annuals/ageratum.htm
Zinnia
http://irrec.ifas.ufl.edu/A&P/Pictures/AnnualPics.htm
Impatiens
http://irrec.ifas.ufl.edu/A&P/Pictures/Annuals/ageratum.htm
Favorite Bedding Plants
 Petunias
 Geraniums
 Impatiens
 Begonias
 Pansies
http://irrec.ifas.ufl.edu/A&P/Pictures/Annuals
Some Favorite Vegetable
Bedding Plants
 Tomatoes
 Peppers
 Cabbage
http://gardening.wsu.edu/library/vege008/vege008.htm
Soilless Media
 Most bedding plants
are grown in soilless
media
 This is due to the
fact that regular
mineral soil like that
in agricultural fields
becomes quickly
waterlogged when
in flats
http://www.piggypoop.com/
Characteristics of Good Media
 Light weight
 Porous (having a
high percentage of
air pockets)
 Well-drained
 Most common
media is a ground
bark, peat moss and
perlite mix…
Perlite and Vermiculite
 Perlite is a volcanic rock that is “puffed” by
baking it at high temperatures. It is very poor at
holding water and is thus excellent for lightening
up your soilless media (white bumps in the media)
 Vermiculite is also a volcanic rock but is brown and
can hold water fairly well.
Sowing Seed
 In commercial
applications seed is often
sowed into plug trays
 This saves space, which is
vital in order to maintain
profits
 Excellent care is needed in
order to keep the seed
moist in such a small
volume of media
http://www.mccalif.com/Product/plugs.htm
Germinating Seeds
 Seeds are sown onto a fine germinating media
 A thin layer of vermiculite is often placed on top
 Must be kept constantly moist
 General temperature of 70 – 75 F
 Some seeds require light (impatiens,lettuce)
 Label type and variety on the plug trays to avoid
mixups
 Fertilizing the plug trays with a high phosphorous
fertilizer solution will result in less transplant shock
Transplanting to Flats
 Usually done when the
plants show about four
true leaves
 One plug to each flat
 One 512 count plug tray
can fill about 14 36 cell
flats.
 Each flat must be
carefully labeled with
the plant type and
variety to avoid mixups
http://www.dillen.com/inj_flats.asp
Important Things to
Remember When
Transplanting
 Plants are fragile so be very careful.
 Transplants should be watered in immediately after
being placed in the plug tray.
 As a general rule, while growing, plants should be
watered with 100ppm Nitrogen and Phosphorous
once per week.
Fertilizer
 This is where the plants get their food
 Soilless media has very few nutrients in it so we
must supply these nutrients with fertilizers
 Excessive fertilizer will result in tall bushy
plants which will be hard to sell
 By keeping fertilizer rates at a minimum
compact flowering plants that are easy to ship
can be attained
Watering
 Just like fertilizer, excessive watering can result
in tall bushy plants
 Yet too little watering can result in weak and
sometimes dead plants
 Media should never be waterlogged and never
be completely dry. A happy medium should be
reached.
 For this reason it is important to check the
plants in the morning and afternoon of every
day.
Temperature
 Temperature requirements are going to be different
for every plant
 Temperature is a great way to regulate plant height
using DIF.
 Some plants require a specific temperature to get
into flower
 Lowering the temperature will “harden plants”
Hardening Plants
 By lowering temperatures before sales you can
achieve:
Stiffer stems
Harder leaves
Darker colored flowers
Easier transition from the perfect greenhouse
environment to the less forgiving outdoor
environment
 Not to be used for every plant
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DIF
 Stem elongation increases as the difference between
day and night temperature increases
 Day temperature – Night temperature=DIF
 Can reduce stem elongation by lowering day
temperatures for most bedding plants and bulb
plants
Good Ideas
 Every plant is
different in its
environmental needs
 It is a good idea to
look in a flower
production book or
seed catalog for
excellent information
on scheduling and
raising your plants
http://www.merrygardensrareplants.com/
Scheduling
 Often times plants will need to be ready at the end
of May for shipping and sales
 Each plant grows at different rates so proper
scheduling must be done
 This is easily done by taking the total production
time and counting backwards from the desired
finish date to determine sowing time
Common Plant Disorders
 Can arise from
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Improper watering
Improper fertilizing
Pests
Diseases
Tip of the Iceberg
The best information is obtained from actually getting into the
greenhouse and getting firsthand experience.