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May 09, 2013
I am commonly asked what rate, chemical and/or application method of plant growth retardants (PGRs) to apply to various floriculture crops. Responding to such questions is difficult since the answers are so situational. There are different ways to...
April 16, 2013
A critical factor for effective use of plant growth regulators (PGRs) is that the solution is mixed in the appropriate proportion. Dilution mistakes, which are not uncommon, result in a lack of a plant response (from too little PGR) or an excessive...
April 16, 2013
The plant growth regulator (PGR) Florel has been used for many years as a foliar spray on a wide variety of ornamental crops as well as some food crops. Until recently, Florel was only thought to be effective when applied as a foliar spray. At the...
March 19, 2013
In floriculture, we have long been familiar with Florel sprays, whether for height control on hyacinths or daffodils, to abort flowers and promote of branching in many crops (such as geraniums and fall mums), or to induce flowering in bromeliads....
March 19, 2013
Each year the North American Poinsettia Trials evaluates hundreds of poinsettia cultivars, many of which are new to the market. However, as any poinsettia grower will tell you, selecting the right cultivar is only the beginning. Many decisions have...
February 05, 2013
A plug or liner dip is a plant growth retardant (PGR) application technique in which a tray of finished young plants is placed into a shallow PGR solution for a short period of time. This allows the growing media to absorb the PGR from the...
February 05, 2013
Calla lilies (Zantedeschia) have become a popular greenhouse floricultural crop in the United States, and interest continues to increase for both pot and cut flower production.Callas have long-lasting, elegant flowers and have been a favorite in...
November 12, 2012
The plant growth retardant Sumagic (Valent USA) contains the active ingredient uniconazole and is the only plant growth retardant registered for use as a foliar spray on young tomato, pepper, eggplant, groundcherry, pepino and tomatillo plants. The...
August 09, 2012
It’s a well-known fact that herbaceous perennials are growing in popularity with today’s consumers. The reasons are many, from the inherent convenience and value of perennials to the ever-expanding variety of perennials available to homeowners and...
July 09, 2012
Whether poinsettias are pinched by hand or are mechanically sheared, considerable effort and expense goes into the pinching process. Today’s poinsettia varieties all branch better than older varieties, but none would be described as “free branching...
April 20, 2012
There are several plant growth retardants (PGRs) that contain the active ingredient paclobutrazol, including Bonzi (Syngenta), Downsize (Greenleaf Chemical), Paczol (OHP), Piccolo and Piccolo 10XC (Fine Americas). The concentration of paclobutrazol...
November 10, 2011
While the current economic situation is putting extreme pressure on growers, innovators are surviving with new practices, such as treating young plants in plug trays.
Over the past several years greenhouse growers have been forced to adapt to...
September 21, 2011
Paclobutrazol is probably the most widely used active ingredient used to regulate extension growth of floriculture crops in the United States. Paclobutrazol was introduced to the floriculture industry as Bonzi (Syngenta Professional Products) over...
September 21, 2011
Many perennial growers have been trialing the plant growth regulator Configure to improve various aspects of their perennial programs. Growers are seeking to improve branching, increase the number of flowers produced, and to improve plant quality....
April 13, 2011
Uniconazole is the active ingredient in the plant growth retardants (PGR) Sumagic (Valent Professional Products) and Concise (Fine Americas). On a part per million (ppm) basis, uniconazole is the most active and persistent PGR used for height...
October 28, 2009
For years, there have been no PGRs labeled for use on vegetable transplants. Recently, a supplemental label for Sumagic (uniconazole) has been released to allow foliar sprays on some vegetable transplants: tomato, pepper, ornamental pepper, eggplant...
May 07, 2009
Schofield Media Growers have a wide range of PGRs to choose from to meet the growing requirements of their crops and the shipping requirements of their customers. One of the newest chemicals on the market is Fine Americas Inc.’s Configure, a...
April 09, 2008
We have been working on branching of herbaceous perennials for more than 15 years. Some things have worked better than others, but one of the best examples is the use of benzyladenine (6-BA) on echinacea. We finally have a labeled and effective 6-BA...
August 20, 2007
Believe it or not, it’s already time to begin thinking about height-control options for your poinsettia crops. Today’s poinsettia growers have many plant growth retardants (PGRs) and application methods to choose from to control height. Many growers...
January 16, 2007
In the first article of this series, we discussed application considerations and optimal rates of Topflor (flurprimidol) on potted plants. In this article, we focus on spring bedding plants.
Throughout the past five years, we have conducted...
