Southern Nurserymen's Association, Inc. OFFICERS President Vice President/Treasurer Robert A. Jenkins J. Fred Fisher, II Micah Jenkins Nursery Fisher's Landscaping P.O. Box 30066 P.O. Box 16776 Charleston, SC 29407 Hattiesburg, MS 39402 Executive Vice President Danny Summers 1511 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 115 Marietta, GA 30062-6438 Phone (404) 973-9026 FAX (404) 973-9097 DIRECTORS Chapter 1 Chapter 3 Larry D. Edwards Don Shadow Turtle Creek Nursery Shadow Nursery, Inc. P.O. Box 668 Route 1, Box 37A Huntersville, NC 28078 Winchester, TN 37398 Chapter 2 Chapter 4 Arthur A. Jones J. Fred Fisher, II Aurthur A. Jones & Associates Fisher's Landscaping P.O. Box 339 P.O. Box 16776 Greyson, GA 30221 Hattiesburg, MS 39402 RESEARCH CONFERENCE Dir. of Hort. Research & Chairman Co-Chairman Dr. Bryson L. James Jim Berry P. O. Box 230 Flowerwood Nursery, Inc. McMinnville, TN 37110 P.O. Box 665 Loxley, AL 36551 "SNA RESEARCH CONFERENCE - VOL. 35-1990" ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The editor and the Board of Directors of the Southern Nurserymen's Association wish to express their sincere appreciation to Donald B. Will- iams, Bonnie Appleton, Kenneth Tilt, Beverly Brewer Sparks, Jerry T. Walker, Robert E. McNeil, Will Witte, Ted Whitwell, James Aitken, and Will Corley for the fine job they did as Section Chairmen and Moderators. We would like to extend our gratitude to all the researchers and nurserymen who attended our Conference and/or contributed to these Proceedings and continue to make this annual event an industry success. NOTICE Mention of a trademark name on a proprietary product does not constitute a guarantee and/or warranty of the product by the researcher(s) or their respective Universities or the Southern Nurserymen's Association and does not imply it's approval to the exclusion of other products that may also be suitable. "SNA RESEARCH CONFERENCE - VOL. 35-1990" USING RESEARCH DATA SAFELY AND EFFECTIVELY Good Research is conducted under an exact set of controlled conditions, varying only the specific treatments which are to be evaluated. Results from the specific treatments are directly applicable to your operations only if all the conditions in your operation are controlled the same as in the research. Unfortunately, this seldom happens. However, this does not mean that you can not benefit from the research. What it does mean is that you should use the research information on a trial basis first, if your plant species, soil type, watering method, size and age of plant, climatic region, etc. is different than that described by the researcher. What an alert grower should expect to gain from these research reports is ideas - ideas as to the best control for insects, disease, nematodes and weeds - labor saving ideas such as chemical pruning and using growth regulators to minimize maintenance. Should you desire additional information on any report, please write to the author. Mailing addresses are listed in the back of this book. We would like to extend an invitation to you to attend all sessions of the Research Conference held in Atlanta each year in conjunction with the SNA Trade Show. "SNA RESEARCH CONFERENCE - VOL. 35-1990" 35th ANNUAL SOUTHERN NURSERYMEN'S ASSOCIATION RESEARCH CONFERENCE REPORT 1990 Southern Nurserymen's Association Danny Summers, Executive Vice President 1511 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 115 Marietta, GA 30062 (404) 973-9026 Proceedings of the SNA Research Conference is published annually by the Southern Nurserymen's Association and one copy is provided at no charge to all SNA Members, Horticultural Libraries, and Contributing Authors. It is the fine men and women in Horticultural Research that we, the Southern Nurserymen's Association, pledge our continued support and graditude for their tireless efforts in the pursuit of the advancements of our industry. ADDITIONAL COPIES: SNA Members, Horticultural Libraries, and Contributing Authors $15.00* Non-Members $25.00* *includes shipping and handling © Published October, 1990 "SNA RESEARCH CONFERENCE - VOL. 35-1990" THE PORTER HENEGAR MEMORIAL AWARD for HORTICULTURAL RESEARCH 1990 RECIPIENT Frank A. Blazich Honored By Southern Horticulturists The 1990 Porter Henegar Memorial Award was presented to N.C. State's, Frank A. Blazich on Friday, August 3rd. Blazich was honored by his peers with this annual award recognizing those individuals who had made outstanding contributions to ornamental horticultural research and more specifically to the SNA. Blazich (A.A.S., State University of New York at Farmingdale, 1969; B.S., University of Vermont, 1971; M.S., University of Vermont, 1973; Ph.D., The Pennsylvania State University, 1977), a native of Smithtown, NY, joined the staff of the Department of Horticultural Science at North Carolina State University in August, 1978 as an Assistant Professor with responsibilities in teaching and research. Prior to accepting the position at N.C. State, Dr. Blazich was on the staff of the Virginia Truck and Ornamentals Research Station (now the Hampton Roads Agricultural Experiment Station). Dr. Blazich's present responsibilities at N.C. State include teaching undergraduate and graduate students in plant propagation and also conducting research in this area. He has a very active research program and has served as major professor to a number of M.S. and Ph.D. students. His research in plant propagation is highly regarded, both nationally and internationally, and has resulted in numerous refereed and non-refereed journal articles and various honors and awards. In addition to his own research activities, Dr. Blazich is frequently requested to review research papers of other scientists and is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Environmental Horticulture and an Associate Editor of the American Society for Horticultural Science. Dr. Blazich has attended and participated in every SNA Research Conference since 1977. He has authored or co-authored many papers which have appeared in the Proceedings of the Conference and has served two 3-year terms as Chairman of the Propagation Section. Currently, Dr. Blazich is serving as a member of the SNA's Sidney B. Meadows Scholarship Selection Committee. "SNA RESEARCH CONFERENCE - VOL. 35-1990" TABLE OF CONTENTS STATE PAGE NO. PAPER AND AUTHOR(S) SECTION 1 - STUDENT COMPETITION Georgia 15 PRUNING EFFECTS ON COLD HARDINESS OF TWO WOODY ORNAMENTAL PLANT TAXA. C.L. Haynes, O.M. Lindstrom, M.A. Dirr. Alabama 19 POST EMERGENCE CONTROL OF PHYLANTHUS. Jesse A. Reeder, Charles H. Gilliam and Glen Wehtje. 21 CUTTAGE PRODUCTION OF GERANIUM STOCK PLANTS AS INFLUENCED BY PLANT GROWTH REGULATORS. J. T. Foley and G.J. Keever. 25 CONSUMER PREFERENCE FOR ANNUAL BEDDING PLANT CONTAINERS. Ginger Purvis, Bridget Behe and Charles H. Gilliam. 28 CHARACTERISTICS OF AL NURSERY INDUSTRY: COMPARISON OF PROPRIETORSHIPS AND CORP. L. Beckett, B. Behe and C. Gilliam. 31 MOISTURE STRESS: AN ATLERNATIVE MEANS FOR HEIGHT CONTROL OF B-NINE? David R. Brown, D. Joseph Eakes and Bridget Behe. South Carolina 34 POSTEMERGENCE GRASS HERBICIDE TOLER- ANCE IN ORNAMENTAL GRASSES. J. Hubbard and T. Whitwell. 37 CONSUMER ATTITUDES TOWARD AZALEA LACEBUG DAMAGE TO AZALEAS. Debra D. Oliver and David R. Alverson. 41 PROTECTING PATENTS AND IMPROVING BREED- ING OF ROSES USING GENETIC MARKERS. Mark Hubbard and John Kelly. Mississippi 43 MORNING AND AFTERNOON TRANSPIRATION OF PLANT GROWTH REGULATOR TREATED PHOTINIA x FRASERI. A. D. Owings, S. E. Newman. Tennessee 47 HOW COMPOSTING PERIOD AND MINERIAL AMENDMENTS AFFECT PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF A HARDWOOD: PINE BARK BLEND. John A. Watkins and W.T. Witte. "SNA RESEARCH CONFERENCE - VOL. 35-1990" STATE PAGE NO. PAPER AND AUTHOR(S) North Carolina 50 ROOTING PERFORMANCE OF 'NELLIE R. STEVENS' HOLLY CUTTINGS FROM HERBICIDE-TREATED STOCK PLANTS. C.J. Catanzaro and W.A. Skroch. 51 THE EFFECT OF MEDIA STERILIZATION ON WEED POPULATIONS IN CONTAINER-GROWN NURSERY STOCK. Gene B. Cross and W.A. Skroch. SECTION 2 - CONTAINER-GROWN PLANT PRODUCTION Alabama 55 EFFECTS OF METHOD OF APPLICATION AND RATE OF THREE SLOW RELEASE FERTILIZERS. D. J. Eakes, W. J. Foster, Charles H. Gilliam and John W. Olive. 57 IRRIGATION MONITORING AT CONTAINER NURS- ERIES. Donna C. Fare, Charles H. Gilliam and Gary Keever. Virginia 59 GROWTH RESPONSE OF FORMOSA AZALEA, KO- REAN AND COMMON BOXWOODS TO CONTAINER MEDIUM AND CAPILLARY IRRIGATION BED SUR- FACE. Thomas J. Banko and Marcia Stefani. 63 FERTILIZATION OF TREES GROWN IN LOW PRO- FILE CONTAINERS. Daniel Milbocker. 65 MICRONUTRIENT SUPPLY FROM SULPHATE SOURCES IN A PINE BARK MEDIUM. Alexander X. Niemiera. 68 A MULITIPLE CHEMICAL DELIVERY SYSTEM FOR CONTAINER-GROWN NURSERY STOCK. Bonnie Appleton and Jeffery Derr. North Carolina 71 THE AFFECT OF CONTAINER MEDIA ON CONTAINER MEDIA PHYSICAL PROPERTIES ON THE QUALITY OF NURSERY GROWN MOUNTAIN LAUREL. Richard E. Bir and T.E. Bilderback. 75 GROWTH RESPONSE OF MOUNTAIN LAUREL AS INFLUENCED BY TEMPERATURE AND PHOTO-PE- RIOD. A.A. Malek, F.A. Blazich, S.L. Warren and J.E. Shelton. 76 USE OF COMPOSTED SAWDUST, FLY ASH AND PINE BARK AS A POTTING MEDIUM. T.E. Bilderback, Everette F. Hartzog and Robert Meane. "SNA RESEARCH CONFERENCE - VOL. 35-1990" STATE PAGE NO. PAPER AND AUTHOR(S) 80 COMPARISON OF CONTAINER LEACHATE LEVELS AND PLANT RESPONSE TO SLOW RELEASE FER- TILIZERS. E. L. Phillips, Jr., T.E. Bilderback. 84 ARCILLITE: EFFECT ON GROWTH OF CONTAINER- GROWN NURSERY CROPS. S.L. Warren and T.E. Bilderback. Louisiana 86 AZALEA GROWTH RESPONSE TO CALCIUM AND MAGNESIUM DEPENDENT UPON WATER QUALITY. E.W. Bush and D.L. Fuller. 89 NITROGEN RELEASE CHARACTERISTICS OF LIQ- UID POLYMETHYLENE UREAS DURING A 5 WEEK INCUBATION IN SAND, BARK AND PEAT MEDIA. D.L. Fuller and W.A. Meadows. 91 NITROGEN RELEASE CHARACTERISTICS OF RE- ACTIVE LAYERS COATED UREA FERTILIZERS DUR- ING A 39 WEEK INCUBATION IN SAND. Donald L. Fuller and W. A. Meadows. 93 EVALUATION OF NUTRIENT RELEASE RATE OF 6 SLOW RELEASE FERTILIZERS AND SUBSEQUENT GROWTH OF 'SHORE' JUNIPER.