E 



all Crops Offer Exciting Possihilites 



Dr. Peter Konjoian 



It is safe to say that the garden mum is King in 

 the fall. But that does not mean that it has to be the only 

 plant that we offer our customers September and October 

 can be excellent growing months if we select the right an- 

 nuals and perennials to offer the consumer I am sure that 

 you, like me, are finding the post-Labor Day season to be 

 both exciting and profitable 



Garden asters can be grown to compliment mums, as 

 colors in the blue range are available There are several 

 lines and sources and breeding programs are actively se- 

 lecting for better performance in both the production phase 

 and the garden. If you are used to pinching your garden 

 mums, get ready for even more of this activity with asters. 

 They grow like grass and require several pinches to control 

 their size and height. 1 am about half-way into a research 

 project with Florel on asters and so far the results look 

 promising Early applications will stimulate branching and 

 replace pinching, but for tall cultivars, it looks like a last 

 shearing may be required to contain the plant's height 

 More work is needed and has been planned. 



Ornamental cabbage and kale have become my favorite 

 fall crop for one reason. In my opinion, this crop gives the 

 consumer the most value. 1 have planted large display 

 buckets of cabbage and kale for September and come 

 Thanksgiving, when I set up the retail area for Christmas, 

 these buckets still look terrific. They even hold up under 

 an early snowstorm or two. The snow contrasts nicely with 

 the bright colors. And with some dusty miller and vinca 

 vine in the bucket, both of which withstand the cold and 

 snow as well, I shake my head at the value the consumer 

 receives. And do not forget another important point: fall 

 plants require very little care — an occasional watering, no 

 fertilizer, and no insect or disease pressures to contend 

 with. National gardening surveys are clearly saying that con- 

 sumers want more gardens, but do not want to spend more 

 time gardening Fall crops are a perfect fit 



Growing annuals for fall sales has been catching on 

 around the country for about five years now. Pansies were 

 the first plant to be offered. Even though they can be con- 

 sidered perennials in some areas, most of us grow and sell 

 them as annuals. Fall production shifts into potted sizes in- 

 stead of packs. As the growing season winds down, consum- 

 ers do not want something that they have to wait to see 

 develop in the landscape They are interested in larger, 

 mature plants that fit right into their plantings and look like 

 they have been growing there all summer long. Four-and- 

 one-half-inch and six-inch pots, color bowls, and even hang- 

 ing baskets are being offered successfully. 



Let's return to the dusty miller and vinca vine for a mo- 



ment 1 refer to there plants as accent plants that no garden 

 or landscape should be without. Most of my dusty miller is 

 the cultivar 'silverdust' 1 schedule it from Easter through 

 October in a variety of container sizes Seed germination 

 has been improved in recent years, resulting in much more 

 dependable plug production. During the spring, I try to dis- 

 play packs of it in as may locations in my bedding plant 

 sales area as I can find next to almost any other flowering 

 bedding plant, to give my customers a nudge in appreciat- 

 ing its versatility. 



Many of you have heard me refer to vinca vine as per- 

 haps the most profitable crop I touch in my greenhouse. 

 Production advantages are available because this crop does 

 not have to grow in the brightest places in the greenhouse. 



Q 



DUCATE YOUR CUSTOMERS: 



Fall is not the absolute end 



of the growing season. 



Using plants that tolerate frost 



can extend the outdoor 



well into November 



in the Northeast. 



■^ 



Nor does it require much space. I know some growers who 

 have even grown it under their benches successfully. While 

 that may be possible, 1 would never recommend cheating 

 this much with such a valuable crop. It deserves better than 

 that for the return that it generates. Florel has transformed 

 this crop from one that could easily get out of control with 

 four-foot-long runners tangling themselves around any thing 

 in site to one that can be maintained at any length desired. 

 And because it is grown as a foliage plant, Florel treat- 

 ments can be made right up to sales to control growth 1 can 

 now grow vinca vine in an 806 pack, keeping the shoots six 

 inches long, full, and just starting to lean over at the time 

 of sales. I would have been out of my mind if I tried to use 

 this pack prior to the Florel project. The runners from one 

 plant would have rooted into the cell from another, leading 

 to all kinds of problems 



Any other annuals that prefer cool weather are possible 

 candidates for fall production. I am considering things like 

 snapdragons, dianthus, and stock. Maybe even petunias. 

 Use your imagination — this can be a lot of fun. During the 

 spring season, I find myself talking customers out of certain 

 annuals because 1 am not confident that they will perform 



August & September 1995 



