FROM THE BOARD 



NEW GUINEA IMPATIENS UPDATE 



Dick Zoerb 



JUST WHEN you thought that 

 growing couldn't get any more in- 

 teresting, another group of New 

 Guinea Impatiens cultivars, 

 called Paradise, is about to make 

 its presence felt. This is another 

 series developed by Kientzler 

 and distributed by the Paul Ecke 

 Ranch. Consisting of 13 varieties 

 named after tropical islands, this 

 new series is being trialed across 

 the country. Its predominant 

 characteristics are compactness, 

 self-branching (pinching is not 

 recommended), early flowering, 

 and extra large flowers. Initial re- 

 ports are very encouraging from 

 those who have seen the product. 



Here in the northeast, New 

 Guineas are still increasing in 

 consumer popularity, although not 

 all growers have learned how to 

 successfully combat the adverse 

 effects of thrips and the low light 

 and temperature levels associated 

 with the winter months. The ad- 

 dition of 13 Ecke root and sell 

 licensees, three of whom are in 

 New Hampshire, has in itself in- 

 creased the availability of lesser 

 minimum amounts of Kientzler 

 New Guineas. This has enabled 

 the smaller first-time grower totry 

 them without mortgaging the 

 greenhouse. For those growers 

 who have become too frustrated 

 growing from a rooted cutting, 

 there are an increasing number of 

 4"-and-up pre-finished pots being 

 produced as an alternative to 

 starting from scratch. 



Yoder has been added to Fis- 

 cher and Four Star as fully li- 

 censed propagators maintaining 

 stock plants. Fischer now offers as 

 unrooted and rooted cuttings the 

 12 varieties from its own Danziger 

 and Bull (7 Vars.) series, as well 

 as the Kientzler (19 Vars.) and 

 Mikkel Sunshine (11 Vars.) 

 series. Mikkelsen has recently 

 added 5 new varieties to the 

 original 7 "Lasting Impressions" 

 introductions. Its Sunshine series 

 of 24 varieties continues to form 



the basic offering of a large 

 number of licensed propagators 

 nationwide. 



If one were to total up the 

 available New Guinea varieties, 

 including the up-coming Paradise 

 series, the numbers would ap- 

 proach 90. While this may seem 

 like an extraordinary amount to 

 deal with, it does offer customers 

 a greater opportunity to experi- 

 ment and to find favorites within 

 each of the aforementioned 

 groups. 



For those first-time growers 

 who might need guidance in se- 

 lecting a good mix of the Ecke 

 Pure Beauty cultivars, I would 

 suggest the following 6 to meet a 

 minimum shipment: ANAEA, 



AGLIA, THECLA or FLAMBE, 

 MELISSA, MIMAS, and SA- 

 TURNIA. All of these are in the 

 top 9 in Ecke's '90-'91 sales rank 

 and can be used for any purpose 

 from 4" pots to 10" baskets. 



The two primary requirements 

 for starting a crop from the 

 rooted cutting stage are not to 

 overwater or fertilize in the be- 

 ginning and to maintain a night 

 temperature in the 68-70 degree 

 range and a day temperature be- 

 tween 75-80 degrees. Maximum 

 light levels are also important 

 during the winter months 



Dick is the area sales representative 

 for Gloeckner & Co., Inc. ^ 



The Qriffin Quru Concurs 

 WHAT IS YOUR PROPER MAILING ADDRESS? 



Our postal sen-ice has been automated to the point that machines 

 read the addresses. Not from top left to right like we do, but 

 from bottom right to left, then up. Unless you address your letters 

 correctly, the machine sends them over to a pile for a human to 

 read. "Big deal," you say, "they send ray bills fast enough." 

 But what if it's your customer sending you your check for pay- 

 raent? Recently the Post Office cracked down on Griffin and 

 delayed mail that was improperly addressed. Lots of you still use 

 your Main Street address and not P.O. Box 36 (which is our 

 proper address). 



Example of a proper address: 



Line 1 Att: Person or Department (if needed) 



Line 2 Name of Business 



Line 3 Street Address 



Line 4 P.O. Box 



Line 5 Town State Zip OOCVOO-OOOO 



Since the guy who owns the bat makes the rules of the game, 

 take just a moment to look at your address as well as those to 

 whom you're mailing. 



June/July 1992 5 



