December 2015 Culture

Calibrachoa ‘Candy Bouquet’ By Vaughn Fletcher

‘Candy Bouquet’ is the newest offering in calibrachoa from the breeders at Westhoff. The blooms of ‘Candy Bouquet’ have a truly unique brushwork- pattern bicolor. The petals are bright, fluorescent magenta with accents of brilliant sunny yellow starbursts.

‘Candy Bouquet’ has an early flowering time and a semi-trailing habit, making it a perfect pick for cheerful spring baskets or as a component to combination containers.This calibrachoa also makes an excellent dual-season seller. It takes the heat and cool temperatures equally well and can be easily produced for both early spring and autumn sales.

Calibrachoa ‘Candy Bouquet’ is offered as unrooted cuttings, rooted liners or prefinished plants, so you can pick which form works best for your business.

Propagation

Calibrachoa are a relatively easy crop to grow. Cuttings should be stuck immediately upon arrival but can be stored overnight at 42o F in open boxes.

Whether you’re using callused or traditional unrooted cuttings, choose a well-drained rooting media with an EC of 0.75-0.80 mmhos and a pH of 5.4-5.8. Apply a rooting hormone of 2,500-ppm IBA before sticking. The temperature of your rooting media should be maintained between 68-72o F until roots are visible. Monitor your mist levels closely, as excess water in propagation slows down rooting. As soon as roots are visible, begin feeding at 75 ppm and gradually increase to 200-ppm nitrogen as roots develop.

In the liner stage, high light, moderate water stress and good air movement will reduce the need for plant growth regulators. However, when propagating during summer months or in warm climates, an application of Bonzi spray at 2-3 ppm two weeks after sticking will reduce stretching.

‘Candy Bouquet’ should be pinched three weeks after sticking to improve early branching and stronger plant habits. Rooted liners should be ready in three to four weeks, or two to three weeks if using callused cuttings.

Finishing

Media. Use a soilless medium with good aeration and drainage with a pH of 5.5-5.8 and a high starter charge. It is best to run plants on the dry side, so test media regularly for pH and salt levels. Regular testing every two weeks will avoid problems of iron deficiency later on in the production schedule.

Temperatures. Grow ‘Candy Bouquet’ at relatively cool temperatures (nights: 55-60° F and days: 65-72° F). Warmer night temperatures will promote rapid, soft growth, stretched stems and reduced flowering. Cool day temperatures will dramatically improve overall crop quality, branching and flowering, but will slow the finish time.

Light. Keep light levels high for better habits and flowering. ‘Candy Bouquet’ grows best at 5,000- 8,000 foot-candles. Higher light intensity and longer days promote earlier flowering. Calibrachoa naturally flower under longer daylengths and will be heaviest in mid-spring. Autumn crops can be successfully grown if the crop is started early enough to initiate flowering before daylengths begin shortening significantly. For early spring crops, use night interruption or provide daylength greater than 13 hours.

Watering. Keep plants moderately dry to control growth and any root diseases, but do not allow the plants to wilt. Keep the foliage dry at night and have goodair circulation around the plants after watering. Preventative fungicides are also recommended at transplant to maintaina healthy root system.

Fertilizer. Keep plants on a relatively high feed of 250-ppm nitrogen with additional iron as needed. Leach plants periodically with clear water to prevent salt damage.

Pinching and growth regulators. No pinching is needed for small containers as long as liners were pinched before transplant. Larger containers may benefit from a soft pinch, and hanging baskets should be trimmed around the container prior to hanging. Sumagic at 5-10 ppm or a B-Nine/Cycocel tank mix at 2,500/750 ppm is an effective growth regulator. Florel at 500 ppm promotes better branching on larger containers, but will delay flowering. Cool temperatures and high light will work as natural growth regulators.