Lobelia x speciosa Starship Additional Culture Research
Lobelia Starship - Germination • There is no significant difference between germination temperature 18°C and 22°C. • Light improves germination rate.
18°C / Dark
22°C / Dark
18°C / Light
22°C / Light
Lobelia Starship – Germination & Plug Culture • Germination conditions • • • • •
Temperature: 18-22⁰C Light: required Cover: lightly with vermiculite to maintain moisture Moisture level: level 4 Seed number per cell: 1
• Days to germ: 7-8 days • Moisture: keep media moist (level 4) during stage one and two, and avoid dry out • Plug tray size: 288 or 128 cell, 72 cell for Early Spring Forcing • Plug time (288 cells): Scarlet 7-9 weeks, all others 810 weeks
Lobelia Starship™ Scarlet
Lobelia Starship – Plug Culture & Daylength Response • Growing Lobelia x speciosa plugs under long day conditions results in floppy stems Long day plug
Short day plug
Short Day plug
Long day plug (with floppy stem)
Lobelia Starship – Plug Culture & Daylength Response • Key messages • Keep plug production under less than 12-hour daylength for at least the first 6 weeks from sowing to prevent thin, floppy stems and premature flowering. • For autumn sales, black cloth after germination until transplant (8-9 weeks), then transplant to natural daylength until flower.
Lobelia Starship™ Blue
Lobelia Starship – Plug Culture & Daylength Response
Plug 10 hrs
Plug 12 hrs Plug NDL* > 14 hrs NDL* = Natural Day Length
10 weeks later
Lobelia Starship – Plug Culture & Daylength Response
12 weeks later
Plug 10 hrs
Plug 12 hrs Plug NDL* > 14 hrs
Lobelia Starship – Planting • Planting deep shows less plant loss, more coarse flower stems and less flower stems that bend.
Deep planting Shallow planting
Lobelia Starship – PGR Response • Starship is responsive to paclobutrazol (Bonzi) at 30ppm (7.5 ml/l) spray, but not responsive to daminozide (Alar/B9).
Paclobutrazol 2 x 30 ppm sp
Control
Lobelia Starship – Forcing for Autumn Sales Schedule • Target marketing time: • Sowing: • Plug tray size:
week 34-35 week 14-16 288 or 128 cell
• 10H SD bulk after germination until transplant: • TP to Natural daylength until flower: • Container size: • Growing temperature: • Total crop time:
9-10 weeks
15 L pot with 4ppp 3 L/19 cm pot with 1ppp ADT 22-24C 18-19 weeks
8-10 weeks
Lobelia Starship – Forcing for Autumn Sales Schedule 10H SD Crop time (weeks)
8-10
TP
Natural Long Day 9-10
Floweri ng
Lobelia Starship – Forcing for Autumn Sales Schedule
√
From 10-hour SD bulked plugs
x
Without 10-hour SD bulked
Lobelia Starship – Key Messages for production • Germination: 18-22⁰C, cover lightly, under light. • Keep media moisture to avoid germination and seedling loss. • The best sowing period is around week 4 to 6 for Spring sales. • For other sales targets: SD plug 10 h
Early Spring (W19)
Spring
Summer
Autumn (W3538)
Number of true leaves
10
6
6
6
Plug size
72
288
288
288
13-15
9-10
9-10
8-9
Plug lead-time (weeks)
Lobelia Starship – Key Messages for production • Don’t grow plug under LD supplemental lighting, to avoid premature flowering and weak stems. • It is long day crop with critical daylength about 13-14 hours. • If necessary, paclobutrazol (Bonzi) 20-30ppm (5 to 7.5 ml/l) spray at about 3 weeks after transplant, repeat if needed. • Deeper planting could prevent plant loss. • Perform best under high light and cooler (1318⁰C) starting temperature.
Lobelia Starship™ Burgundy