*crop series 1/11/06 3:09 PM Page 24

emergingcrops

Lobelia: Blue and Beyond

If you still think of lobelia as leggy with washed-out color, take a look at some of the latest introductions. By Ryan Hall

he color blue in the gar- den does not have a better representation By consistently improving than lobelia. The South varieties, plant breeders African perennial TLobelia erinus, and its cultivars have been able to refine have graced garden beds and and reinvent some species. trailed from balcony plantings for years. Traditionally grown as an These old standbys have annual, lobelia is a key compo- nent to any bedding-plant grow- been transformed from er’s product mix. troublemakers to industry As many traditional bedding plants have done before, lobelia sweethearts, from plants has made the crossover to a vege- no one wanted to grow tative crop. Many question the advantages of vegetative crops to ones they can’t keep over seeded ones, especially when habits and color forms do not dif- in stock. To show the fer greatly. Vegetative lobelia, potential of these however, has proven itself superi- or in many ways to its seeded emerging crops, GPN is counterparts. Many breeders have running a 6-part series been working with this crop to explore and develop these detailing each crop’s improved traits. Series such as transformation and some Hot, Laguna and Waterfall are just some of the big names in veg- tips for success. etative lobelia. Color range and flower size are some of the clear- est improvements that can be seen January: Lobelia at a consumer level; however, February: Penstemon many improvements have been developed to assist at a produc- March: Euphorbia tion level for growers. April: Salvia One of the main advantages of vegetative lobelia over seeded May: Hellebores lobelia is that most vegetative June: Phlox hybrids cultivars are sterile. One might ask why sterility is seen as an advantage. Simply put, when tra- ditional seeded lobelias undergo stress, usually from lack of water

24 GPN January 2006 *crop series 1/11/06 3:10 PM Page 25

Looking for Premium Quality at Affordable Prices with the Best Customer Service? emergingcrops

Gutter Connected Greenhouses 20’ to 30’ Wide Bays

or exposure to adverse levels of heat, the plants go into a repro- ductive state and set seed. This Full Line of Equipment Free Standing Structures decreases the quality and quantity & Accessories up to 35’ Wide of bloom and the overall appear- ance of the plant. Vegetative Call for Free Color Catalog forms, which have received their 1-800-346-9902 bloodlines from interspecies Fax: 1-229-532-4600 crosses, are sterile and have the Email: [email protected] ability to recover from stressful www.atlasgreenhouse.com conditions and continue to bloom.

Making Changes Write in 429 Lobelias are native to coastal South Africa in and around the Cape of Good Hope. This climate provides high light and cool tem- peratures. In response to this her- itage, lobelias do not fare well in hot weather and low-light condi- tions. This adversity to heat is another reason vegetative forms have proven better; they have increased heat tolerance. One series that touts heat tolerance as its key feature is the Hot series from Westhoff in Germany. Cohen Nurseries of Israel is responsible for the stock and cut- Write in 459 ting production of this series and has had great success producing cuttings in 100° F days. Series like this can now let consumers enjoy Neptune’s Harvest lobelia from spring until frost. In milder climates vegetative Organic Fertilizer lobelias can be grown as tender We really appreciate your fish short-lived perennials. and seaweed product as it has The development of additional made a difference year after color lines and increased flower sizes have also helped lobelia year. All these flowers were establish itself as a key item in the grown with just Fish and vegetative annual market. Seaweed from Neptune’s Traditionally, lobelia has been Harvest. We had 22 different offered in every shade of blue kinds, from 12” high to 13’ known. Now, lobelia has started to high. break into the pink, lavender and dark-purple color ranges. White is Thomas C. Daniel another traditional color of lobelia, Auburn Hills, MI but bicolors of white and blue, and white and lavender are starting to become available. Two exciting Call for a free sample and catalog. new cultivars that show this bicol- or trend are lobelia ‘Hot White Retail and bulk sales available. • Many other products are also available. Spot’ from Westhoff and lobelia Lobelia offers one of the few true-blue flowers 800-259-4769 in the garden. Top: ‘Hot Arctic Wesloare’. Bottom: ‘Techno Blue’. (Photos courtesy of www.neptunesharvest.com Ryan Hall and Fischer USA) 88 Commercial Street • Gloucester, MA 01930

Write in 432 *crop series 1/11/06 3:10 PM Page 26

Advertisement

emergingcrops

‘Waterfall White Sparkle’ from Ball FloraPlant. Blue, however, is still the key color in lobelia. EPA Grants TriStar™ Insecticide Flower size has also been a key development. Flowers that double New Expanded Insect Label the size of traditional seeded forms are not uncommon in recent intro- Dayton, N.J. — Cleary Chemical Corporation ductions. Lobelia ‘Big Blue’, also announced today that the Environmental from Westhoff, has flowers close to Protection Agency (EPA) has granted a new 1 inch in size. These larger flowers expanded insect label for TriStar™ 70 WSP with their intense colors can be a insecticide. real attention grabber when grown in larger containers and baskets. TriStar, introduced to Anyone who visited Fischer’s 2005 the ornamental market California Pack Trials could not in 2003, has quickly help but notice lobelia ‘Techno Blue’ Crops To Watch screaming from the corner. Grown established itself as the Ball FloraPlant in baskets covered with intense blue leading neonicotinyl www.ballfloraplant.com flowers, these plants challenged you foliar insect spray for ‘Periwinkle Blue’ to find the green foliage. the greenhouse, field, Waterfall series Traditionally, lobelia has been a nursery and landscape Bodger Botanicals great mounding and trailing plant. markets. The new www.michells.com/bodger Its trailing habit has made it a key ‘Waterfall White’ item in window boxes in places like expanded label increases Cohen Propagation Nurseries Northern Europe. This trailing habit its already broad www.cohennur.co.il has been accentuated in the vegeta- spectrum control to ‘Bavaria – Wesloba’ tive forms and has made lobelia an key, economically important insect categories like ‘Big Blue – Weslobigblue’ ideal component in mixed contain- Hot series aphids, mealy bugs, caterpillars , scales, whiteflies, Star series ers and hanging baskets. Lobelia’s thrips, leaf eating beetles and leaf miners. habit matches well with other trail- Ecke Ranch ing plants such as bacopa and cali- www.ecke.com “We are extremely pleased with the acceptance ‘Canterbury Blue’ brachoa. Lobelia can easily be that TriStar continues to receive from leading grown with these plants and will ornamental growers and landscapers. The fact that Fischer USA not be overwhelmed or overrun www.fischerusa.com TriStar is a foliar spray with rapid knockdown that ‘Techno Blue’ other plants. Lobelia can also be grown as a stand-alone plant; bas- controls a wide variety of insects is a winning Proven Winners kets of pure lobelia can make an combination of benefits for the customer”, says www.provenwinners.com impressive statement, especially Laguna series Don Rossi, Director of Sales and Marketing, when grown in full sun, so they can S&G Flowers Cleary Ornamental Products. “At present”, says achieve their full glory. Some devel- Rossi, “no other foliar insecticide can deliver the www.sg-flowers-us.com opment has also been made toward Arcade series exceptional control of TriStar. The product Regatta series more mounding and upright habits. Riviera series Lobelia ‘Bavaria’ and ‘Periwinkle performance factors of contact, systemic, Blue Improved’ both have habits ovicidal and translaminar activity make that are suited to container culture. TriStar the foliar insecticide that truly works in minutes and lasts for weeks.” Successful Culture There are some key elements to Cleary Chemical Corporation has the exclusive growing a successful lobelia crop. marketing rights from Nippon Soda Co., Ltd., for High light is essential to producing TriStar™ 70WSP insecticide in the United States quality lobelia. The light intensity for the greenhouse, nursery and ornamental and day length both play into how a crop will do. Lobelia should be markets. grown in full sun, ideally with light For 65 years, Cleary Chemical has supplied in the range of 5,000-8,000 foot-can- the turf market and ornamental market with dles. Lower light levels will cause superior, quality plant protection products, utilizing the most up-to-date technology. ‘Hot White Spot’ (Top) and ‘Bavaria Westloba’ Cleary markets innovative products such as (Bottom) are two of the great, new bicolor lobelias on the market. (Photos courtesy of Ryan Hall) Cleary 3336™, Endorse™, Spectro™ and new Alude™ fungicides, TriStar insecticide, and Nutri-Grow Magnum foliar nutrient.

Read and follow label directions. The Cleary logo, 3336, Spectro and Alude are trademarks of Cleary Chemical Corporation. Endorse is a trademark of Arvesta Corp. Nutri-Grow Magnum is a trademark of Biagro-Western, Inc. TriStar is a trademark of Nippon Soda Co., Ltd.

26 GPN January 2006 Write in 400 Cleary-Whitefly removed 12/7/05 5:01 PM Page 1

Compare 70 WSP Insecticide The #1 Foliar Insecticide TriStar® vs. Other Nicotinyl Insecticides* Product Marathon II Flagship Safari Celero Aria Labeled Pest Adelgids Aphids Beetles Caterpillars Fungus Gnats† Leafhoppers Leaf Miners Mealybugs Plant Bugs Psyllids Sawflies Scales, Hard Scales, Soft Thrips Whiteflies

Controlled by Suppressed by Not registered for foliar application foliar application foliar application *Comparison based on foliar label recommendation. † Follow direct spray instructions on label. TriStar® Features and Benefits • Fast Contact Control • Systemic • Broad Spectrum • Long Residual Count on Cleary • Ovicide Activity • Reduced Risk • Translaminar • Foliar Spray www.clearychemical.com

Read and follow all label directions. The Cleary logo is a trademark of Cleary Chemical Corporation. TriStar is a trademark of Nippon Soda Company, LTD. Marathon is a trademark of Olympic Horticultural Products. Safari is a trademark of Valent U.S.A. Corporation. Flagship is a trademark of Syngenta. Celero is a trademark of Arvesta Corporation. Aria is a trademark of FMC Corporation. ©2005 Cleary Chemical Corporation. C1-259 Write in 203 *crop series 1/11/06 3:10 PM Page 28

emergingcrops

overgrown, soft plants. Photoperiod treat lobelia in propagation with a than seeded types. Lobelia is a crop worth a second look. Lobelia is the other key element that will low-rate paclobutrzol drench prior good indicator plant of nutrient definitely deserves a place in pro- affect flowering and flower quality to root development. This greatly levels. Plants will show chlorosis duction schedules and will likely of lobelia. Lobelias are long-day reduces stretch during propaga- when nutrient levels are off bal- not disappoint. plants, typically flowering naturally tion and creates a better quality ance. A moderate 200-ppm nitro- The California Pack Trials are a in late spring and summer. Some young plant for transplanting. gen fertilizer given constantly great opportunity to see the most development has been made in pro- Lobelias also respond well to should be adequate for most plant current varieties available. Cohen, ducing varieties that are less sensi- pinching. Varieties vary greatly in needs. Lobelia prefers cooler tem- Fischer, S&G Flowers, Ball tive to photoperiod, but the majori- the need for more or less pinching. peratures but can handle hot FloraPlant, Bodger Botanicals and ty of lobelias require supplemental Some forms that basal branch need spells. An average temperature of Proven Winners are just a few loca- lighting to induce flowering at early almost no pinching at all; other 55-65° F should work well for tions that have lobelia varieties in times in the year. forms need multiple pinches to most varieties. their programs. GPN Lobelias are naturally vigorous create a quality finished plant. Considering the lack of true plants with habits that tend Typically, vigorous trailing vari- blue flowering plants, lobelia has toward the trailing side. This vigor eties are most appropriate in bas- made its presence known as the and habit can be great when grow- kets or mixed containers where key component for blue in any gar- Ryan Hall is production operations ing crops in larger containers or their full potential can be appreci- den. The advancements in color manager at Pacific Plug & Liner, baskets, but it can pose a challenge ated. Mounding and more com- range and more compact habit Watsonville, Calif. He can be reached when trying to finish crops in 4- pact varieties are better suited for have made lobelia an even more by E-mail at [email protected]. inch containers. Lobelias respond smaller containers where they can important plant for both growers well to chemical growth regula- easily be controlled. and gardeners. Vegetative lobelia tors. I have had success with Lobelia requires evenly moist, varieties have taken away many of paclobutrazol sprays and drench- well-drained soil. Excessive dry- the challenges seeded varieties LearnMore es, as well as sprays of B-Nine ing will aversely affect the crop; once posed. If growers have not For more information related to this article, go to (Chemtura Corporation) to control however, the vegetative varieties worked with lobelia very much, www.gpnmag.com/lm.cfm/gp010602 growth. At Pacific Plug & Liner we will rebound with better success these new developments make this

United Greenhouse Systems, Inc. 1-800-433-6834 P.O. Box 249 Edgerton, WI 53534 [email protected] www.unitedgreenhouse.com

Write in 105

28 GPN January 2006