Perennial Solutions: Coreopsis ‘Cruizin Main Street’
In recent years, coreopsis has become one of the most popular genera of perennials. It’s easy to see why when you witness their eye-catching display of vibrant blooms. The past decade has brought a colorful palette of new coreopsis cultivars to the market. ‘Cruizin’ Main Street’ is no exception. This is a recent introduction from ItSaul Plants and represents one of the dynamic cultivars in the Cruzin’ series. Main Street has threadleaf foliage and produces an abundance of ruby red flowers.
Main Street was discovered by Patti Bauer of Bauer’s Forever Flowers located in Lucinda, Pennsylvania. Bauer also discovered coreopsis ‘Route 66′ and other tickseed cultivars, which became the Cruizin’ series.
‘Cruizin’ Main Street’ forms attractive 15- to 18-inch tall mounds and bears hundreds of radiant rosy, red flowers beginning in the early to mid-summer, and continues blooming throughout the season. As the flowers age, the color bleeds out into the petals to a cherry red coloration. Being hardy to Zone 5, ‘Main Street’ can be grown and enjoyed throughout much of the country. Like other coreopsis, they prefer to be grown in full sun.
This is a great summer perennial, which can also be marketed in the fall. Consider using ‘Cruizin’ Main Street’ to brighten up the perennial border or plant en masse to make an incredible blooming groundcover. This plant is also suitable for container plantings and attracting butterflies into the garden while keeping the deer out.
Propagation
Coreopsis ‘Cruizin’ Main Street’ is vegetatively propagated by means of tissue culture and tip cuttings by a limited number of licensed propagators; self-propagation is strictly prohibited. Patent Information: Coreopsis verticillata Main Street USPP24,598.
Coreopsis is easy to root from unrooted cuttings (URCs). Stick the cuttings directly into trays containing pre-moistened, well-drained propagation substrate. Place the trays under a moderate misting regiment for the first few of days of propagation. Rooting hormones are not essential, but do help to improve the uniformity of rooting; apply 500-ppm K-IBA spray after sticking.
After the cuttings are acclimated to the propagation environment, slightly reduce the amount of mist being provided for the next five to seven days. Gradually decrease the mist further as the cuttings develop callus and roots. Apply 100-ppm nitrogen beginning seven to 10 days after they have been stuck. The cuttings will be rooted in two to three weeks after sticking. It is beneficial to pinch the liners in the trays prior to shipping or transplanting. Liners take approximately four to six weeks from sticking to become fully rooted and ready for transplanting.
Production
Coreopsis ‘Cruizin’ Main Street’ is suitable for production in 1-quart to 1-gallon containers. Most growers plant one liner into each container. Many commercially available peat or bark based growing mixes work well provided there is good water holding ability and adequate drainage.
Tickseed require amounts of nutrients. Fertility can be delivered using water-soluble or controlled-release fertilizers. Coreopsis perform best when either 100-125 ppm is applied with every irrigation or using higher rates of 200-250 ppm as needed. Controlled-release fertilizers can be incorporated into the growing mix prior to planting at a rate equivalent to 1.0 to 1.2 pounds of elemental nitrogen per yard of growing mix. Controlled-release fertilizers can also be applied by topdressing at the medium rate listed on the product’s label. The pH of the media should be maintained between 5.8 and 6.2.
Coreopsis require an average amount of water. They do not tolerate overly wet or overly dry growing conditions. When irrigation is required, water them thoroughly, then allow the growing mix to dry slightly between irrigations.
With its compact habit, controlling plant height is usually not necessary when producing ‘Cruizin’ Main Street’. Plant size can usually be managed by providing adequate space between the containers. Under certain circumstances, particularly when produced at high plant densities, it may be necessary to tone them with plant growth regulators. Several growth regulators are effective at managing the plant height of coreopsis. I prefer to use the tank mixture of 2,000-ppm daminozide plus 3-ppm uniconazole (Concise or Sumagic) to control plant size; one or two spray applications at seven-day intervals will usually suffice. Other effective PGRs are 2,500- to 5,000- ppm daminozide, 30- to 60-ppm paclobutrazol (Bonzi, Paczol or Pic- colo) or 5- to 7.5-ppm uniconazole.
Insects and Diseases
Coreopsis can generally be produced relatively free of insects and diseases. Occasionally, aphids, leaf- hoppers, spider mites, thrips and whiteflies appear causing only a minimal amount of crop injury. The most prevalent diseases of tickseed are Botrytis and powdery mildew. Other pathogens observed on occasion are leaf spots caused by Alternaria and Cercospora, downy mildew and root rots. The majority of these insect pests and diseases can be detected with routine scouting programs and any necessary management strategies can be implemented upon early detection.
Temperature and Scheduling
Coreopsis ‘Cruizin’ Main Street’ can be marketed in flower for spring, summer or fall sales. Like most coreopsis, Main Street does not require vernalization for flowering. However, plants that are vernalized will flower faster and produce more flowers per plant. For this reason, consider using vernalized liners or fall planting and overwintering containers, which are needed for spring sales.
They require long day lengths (greater than 14 hours) to initiate flowering. If flowering is required prior to June, provide photoperiodic lighting (day extension or night interruption) until the natural day lengths are at least 14 hours; this occurs at most locations in late April. To further improve plant appearance and flower number, it is beneficial to grow them with high light intensities (>3,000 foot-candles); avoid growing them under shade or hanging baskets.
To promote fullness, it is beneficial to trim the plants if they have been grown under short days (without photoperiodic lighting) or two to three weeks after planting.
After the onset of long day lengths, the amount of time to produce flowering plants is a function of temperature. Main Street takes nine to 10 weeks to flower when it is grown at 66-70° F.
Availability
Coreopsis ‘Cruizin’ Main Street’ was bred and brought to the market by ItSaul Plants, Alpharetta, Georgia (www.itsaulplants.com). Currently rooted liners are available from several licensed propagators including Emerald Coast Growers (ecgrowers.com) Greenleaf Plants (www.glplants.com),GrowingColors(www.grow- ingcolors.com), Skagit Gardens (www.skagitgar dens.com) and Swift Greenhouses (www.swift greenhouses.com).
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