PPGA HIGHLIGHTS 



Growing Basics for Salvia 



Salvia splendens. Salvia. Lamiaceae 



QG^ The genus contains over 

 ^M i 500 species and many are 

 grown as garden plants. Ornamen- 

 tal plant breeders have concen- 

 trated their efforts on the red bed- 

 ding salvia but plants are now 

 available in lavender, pink, white, 

 purple and bicolors in a range of 

 heights 



Forms Available 



DWARF (I0-I2"), medium (12-25") 

 and tall (>25") cultivars are avail- 

 able in a wide range of colors. 



Cultivars 



DWARF: FuegQ- Iredl, Hot Stuff 

 (red), Sizzler series 

 MEDIUM: Carabiniere series. Pha- 

 raoh' (red), 'Red Pillar' (red), 'St 

 John's Fire' (red), Top series. 



TALL: 'America' (red), 'Early Bon- 

 fire' (red), 'Rambo' (red). 

 Propagation 



Propagated by seed; cleaned & 

 graded seed are available from dis- 

 tributors. 



TEMPERATURE: Seeds are initially 

 germinated at 75-79''F (24-26''C), 

 then reduced to 70-72''F (21-22°C) 

 after about I week. Germination is 

 complete around 14 days. 

 LIGHT: Salvia benefits from light 

 during germination. Seeds should 

 only be lightly covered to maintain 

 high moisture around the seeds. 

 Supplemental light is useful at the 

 earliest stages of germination. 



Growing on 



TRANSPLANTING 

 Tradid'owaf: Seedlings are trans- 

 planted as soon as they can be 

 handled. Transplanting occurs 3-4 

 weeks after sowing. P/u^s: Seedlings 

 remain for 5-6 weeks in plugs 

 TEMPERATURE: In plugs, stage 3 

 and 4 are grown around 59-63°F 

 (I5-I7°C) until transplanting. After 

 transplanting (traditional or plugs), 

 night temperatures of 55-59°F (13- 

 15°C), day temperatures 70-75''F 

 (21-24°C) result in good growth. 

 PHOTOPERIOD: Photoperiod is cul- 

 tivar dependent, i.e. America' is 

 SD, 'Carabiniere Red' is day-neutral 

 and St. lohn's Fire' is LD. In gen- 

 eral, growers do not apply specific 

 photoperiod unless growing for a 

 early or late market 

 LIGHT: In the greenhouse. Salvia is 

 a high-light plant. Supplemental 

 light while plants are in the seed- 

 ling stage accelerates growth Low 

 light levels cause plant stretch 

 CARBON DIOXIDE: Young Salvia 

 plants respond well to 1000-1500 

 ppm C02. 



FERTILIZATION: Fertilization of 50- 

 75 ppm N of KNO, benefits plugs in 

 stage 2 and 3 and once plants are 

 transplanted and actively growing, 

 100-150 ppm from a complete fer- 

 tilizer is sufficient. Maintain pH 

 between 5 5 and 6.2 

 HEIGHT CONTROL: Chemical height 

 control by daminozide (5000 ppm, 2 

 times) and chlormequat (750-1000 

 ppm, 2-4 times) is effective. DIF is 



also used 

 Common Problems 



PHYSIOLOGICAL: Seedlings are 

 highly sensitive to methyl bromide 

 and will be distorted and stunted 

 if germinated in soil contaminated 

 with even minute amounts of the 

 chemical. High soluble salts result 

 in necrotic foliage. Leaf drop is 

 common when plants are stressed. 

 PESTS: Aphids, whiteflies and spider 

 mites are common pests of Salvia. 



DISEASES: Bo(ri//is under cool, 

 moist conditions can be a problem 

 Rftiroflonia and Pt/ldium are respon- 

 sible for damping off of seedlings. 

 Postharvest Concerns 

 Plants should be placed in a shady 

 spot of the retail area. They are tol- 

 erant of cool weather, although some 

 reddening of foliage may occur when 

 temperatures fall below 50°F (10°C). 



Schedule 



TRADITIONAL: Approximately 10 

 weeks are required from seed to 

 flower, although faster flowering 

 may occur if supplemental light, 

 photoperiod and C02 are used. 

 PLUGS: 5-6 weeks in the plugs, fol- 

 lowed by about 5 weeks in the final 

 container 



Adapted from a BedAing Plant Seminar pre- 

 sented by Allan Armitage. Torn Dudek. Scott 

 Gorlsema & Bruce Knox during the PPGA 

 Conjerence & Trade Show in Tampa. Florida, 

 IW3 T»iis was printed in PPGA NEWS, May 

 1994, and is the seventh in a series oj crop pro- 

 duction guidelines aimed at helping growers gain 

 a thorough understanding oj bedding plant 

 basicx For more 1-800-647-7742 



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The Plantsman 



