culture connection perennial solutions Spotlight

By Paul Pilon Series

While most any people recog- in mass plantings. Hollyhocks attract nize and associate butterflies and hummingbirds into the hollyhock hollyhocks with landscape and are commonly used in introductions their grandmothers’ cut or dried flower arrangements. garden. Although have been biennials alceaM may be considered an old fash- Propagation ioned perennial, the genetics of this Alcea Spotlight series are propagated and annuals, alcea genus has been enhanced over the by seed. Due to their large leaf size and spotlight is a years, offering several improved attri- quick growing habit, propagators com- butes in the landscape. Breeders at monly direct sow seeds into large cell true perennial. Jelitto Perennial Seeds have been sizes (105-cell or larger), sowing two working diligently for over 18 years to to three seeds per cell. After sowing, develop alcea cultivars that are stable, cover the seeds with germination mix consistent and easy to grow. or medium grade vermiculite. The seed In 2010, Jelitto Perennial Seeds flats should be moistened and moved to introduced the alcea Spotlight series. a warm environment, where the temper- The Spotlight series consists of four cul- atures can be maintained at 65 to 72° F tivars of stable, straight-colored, single- for germination. If available, place the flowering hollyhocks. The cultivars in plug trays into a germination chamber this series include Blacknight (deep to maintain uniform moisture levels black-purple), Mars Magic (bright red), and temperatures during germination. Polarstar (white with a yellow eye), and The seeds germinate six to eight Sunshine (bright yellow). In the past, days after sowing. Following germina- most cultivars have been tion, maintain growing temperatures biennials, while in recent years many of 63 to 68° F. After germination, hollyhock introductions have been reduce the moisture levels somewhat, annuals; however, the alcea Spotlight keeping the media surface wet to the series are truly perennials. touch, but not saturated. As the plugs When the seeds are started very early, become more developed, allow the it is often possible to obtain flowering growing media to dry slightly between during the first growing season. irrigations (media changes from dark However, flowering occurs best after black to medium brown). Fertilizers the plants have been overwintered. can be applied once the true leaves are The Spotlight series cultivars typically present, applying 125-ppm nitrogen develop mounded foliage during the every third irrigation or 50 to 75 ppm first growing season and develop tall with every irrigation, using a balanced flower spikes in subsequent years. In water soluble source. When the plugs the landscape, the flowers often reach are grown at these temperatures, they five to six feet tall. are usually ready for transplanting in Alcea are very cold hardy and can be five to six weeks. grown in sunny locations throughout USDA Hardiness Zones 3 to 9. With Production the height of their flower stems, hol- Alcea are well suited for production in lyhocks are commonly used as a back- 1-gallon or larger sized containers. When ‘Spotlight Mars Magic’ drop in perennial beds (staking may growing 1-gallon sized pots, generally one be necessary in windy locations) or plug per container is planted. For larger

30 | gpn | MARCH 2012 | www.gpnmag.com Come learn about culture connection perennial solutions chemical alternatives in container sizes, such as 2-gallon con- tainers, planting ornamental & turf multiple plug cells per pot is recom- production! mended. Hollyhock performs best when they are grown in a moist, well-drained medium with good water holding capacity. The plugs should be planted so the original soil line of the plug is even with or just below the surface of the growing medium of the new container. Hollyhock requires moderate amounts of nutri- tion. The pH of the media should be maintained ‘Spotlight Blacknight’ between 5.8 and 6.2 during pro- duction. Growers using water-soluble fertilizers either feed controlling height when they are with a constant liquid fertilization program applied early in the crop. To control plant March 30 & 31, 2012 using rates of 75- to 100-ppm nitrogen with height after significant elongation as every irrigation or apply 150 to 200 ppm of occurred, it is more effective to apply 3 to 6 Chicago Botanic Garden nitrogen as needed. Controlled-release fer- ppm drench applications of paclobutrazol. tilizers can also be used to deliver nutrients March 30, 8-4:30, professionals, $75. by incorporating them into the growing Insects and Diseases medium prior to planting at a rate equivalent Several insect pests including aphids, March 31, 8-12, general public, $40. to 1.0 to 1.25 pounds of elemental nitrogen Japanese beetles, leafhoppers, slugs, spider per yard of growing mix or topdressing using mites, Western flower thrips and whitefly presented by the medium rate listed on the product’s label. commonly feed on alcea. Of these pests, They have an average irrigation require- aphids, Japanese beetles and Western flower ment. When irrigation is necessary, water thrips occur the most frequently. The most them thoroughly then allow the soil to dry common disease observed on alcea is ; slightly between irrigations. Once estab- other diseases that rarely occur, but may lished and growing rapidly, alcea require arise on occasion, are anthracnose, fungal LAWN TO LAKE more frequent irrigations. leaf spots and Pythium root rot. All of these Funded by the Great Lakes Re storation Initiative www.lawntola ke.org The Spotlight series are taller than pests and diseases can be detected with rou-

most perennials when they are produced tine crop monitoring; control strategies may in containers and marketed in bloom. not be necessary unless the scouting activi- Buy your ticket now! For this reason, many growers chose to ties indicate actions should be taken. sell them before they flower or just as LawnAndLandscapeSummit.com the flower stem begins to elongate. Some Forcing of the early elongation can be reduced Alcea Spotlight series is typically mar- learn about these products @ the Summit: by growing the plants at an adequate keted for early to mid summer sales; how- crop spacing and by avoiding the appli- ever, they can easily be scheduled and grown NATURAL cation of excess nutrients. During the to produce plants in bloom throughout the ININDUSTRIES rapid elongation that occurs as the plants growing season. As mentioned previously, approach flowering, it is helpful to apply some flowering may occur during the first plant growth regulators. Foliar applica- growing season, but the most consistent flow- tions of 15-ppm paclobutrazol (Bonzi, ering occurs after the plants have received a Paczol or Piccolo) or 2.5-ppm unicon- cold treatment. Vernalization can be deliv- azole (Concise or Sumagic) are effective at ered to plants being grown in the final

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container sizes or as large plugs. Plants (www.glplants.com), and Walters Gardens, (www.perennialsolutions.com), and author g Alcea has an obligate long day requirement Inc. (www.waltersgardens.com). of Perennial Solutions: A Grower’s Guide for flowering. They will not flower when grown to Perennial Production. He can be under short day lengths. If early flowering is Paul Pilon is a horticultural consultant, reached by phone at 616.366.8588 or paul@ desired, it is recommended to provide at least owner of Perennial Solutions Consulting perennialsolutions.com. 14-hour photoperiods or night interruption lighting when the natural day lengths are less than 14 hours. The amount of time to produce blooming plants after the proper photoperiod is provided is a func- tion of temperature. From the onset of long days, it takes approximately ITS Ex tensively 10 weeks to flower when they are ST IN BEialed in USA grown at 65 to 70° F. Tr CLASS! TM Availability Jelitto Perennial Seeds (www. azzazPortulaca Oleracea jelitto.com) offers JET seeds of P Alcea Spotlight series. JET seeds represents an improvement in seed cleaning using Jelitto Seed Tech- nology; through this process the seeds have been processed into pure seed which improves mechanical handling and seed sowing. Some perennials are also JET heat-treated to remove undesirable seed borne plant pathogens. Plugs are avail- able from several reputable propa- gators including C. Raker & Son, Inc. (www.raker.com), Green Leaf

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