p E N N S Y L V A N I Governor Dvid Lwrence is greeted t the PFG - PRF Frm Show exhibit by Henry Johnson (left), Pst-President of Pennsylvni Retil Florists, nd Hermn Hellberg (right), President of Pennsylvni Flower Growers. A FLOWER GROWERS BULLETIN 133 FEBRUARY, 1962
PENNSYLVANIA FLOWER GROWERS BULLETIN P.O. Box 652 Hrrisburg, P. CONTENTS Pge TO DR. R. E. LARSON R. E. LARSON 1 LILY BUD BLASTING 2 HYDRANGEAS 4 BEDDING PLANTS 5 RESEARCH FUND 6-7 NEWS FROM S.A.F 9 PLANT DISEASES 11 PRESIDENT'S CORNER 11 From the Officers, Directors, nd Members of the Pennsylvni Flower Growers, congrtultions nd best wishes for success on your ppointment s Agriculturl Extension Director. Our thnks for your fine coopertion with the flower growing in dustry. J PLAN AND PLANT FILMS 13 INSECTICIDES 14 PENNSYLVANIA FLOWER GROWERS Bulletin 133 Februry, 1962 Published monthly t 97 Glenn Circle South, Stte College, Pennsylvni, by the Pennsylvni Flower Growers, 1413 Pelhm Rod, Windsor Frms, R.D. 2. Hrrisburg, Pennsylvni. Entered s second clss mtter, postge pid t Stte College, Pennsylvni. Subscription rtes: ctive members - $5. per yer; ll other subscriptions - $1. per yer. Send ll communictions to the Publictions Office or to the Executive Secretry, P. O. Box 652, Hrrisburg, Penn sylvni. OFFICERS PRESIDENT HERMAN HELLBERG Peter Hellberg Co., Chlfont, P. V. PRESIDENT ARNOLD WAGNER Box 18, Bloomsburg, P. TREASURER AND EXECUTIVE SECRETARY GLENN A. MARBURGER 1413 Pelhm Rd., Windsor Frms, R. D. 2, Hrrisburg, P. EDITOR JOHN W. MASTALERZ 97 Glenn Circle South, Stte College, P. TO THE CONTRIBUTORS OF THE 1961 DILLON MEMORIAL RESEARCH FUND From the Floriculture stff t Penn Stte, our sincere thnks for your support of the reserch pro grm t Penn Stte. My we continue to enjoy your ssistnce for our work through your contributions to the 1962 Reserch Fund. Second Clss Postge Pid t Stte College, P. J
LARSON APPOINTED EXTENSION DIRECTOR DR. RUSSELL E. LARSON Dr. Russell E. Lrson, hed of the Deprtment of Horticulture since 1952, nd Chirmn of the Divi sion of Plnt Sciences nd Industry since Mrch 1961, hs been nmed Director of Agriculturl nd Home Economics Extension nd Associte Den of the Col lege of Agriculture of The Pennsylvni Stte Uni versity effective Jnury I, 1962. During the ten yers tht Russ ws hed of horti culture, the deprtment lis grown nd hs ttrcted incresingly wider recognition from industry nd the cdemic world. His efforts hve been directed towrd more effective trining of undergrdute nd grdute students so tht they my be better prepred to serve the horticulturl industries or to contribute to reserch which is necessry to support the industry. Likewise he hs succeeded in creting n tmosphere conducive to encourging reserch by his stff. A few of his mny ccomplishments include the estblishment of n ccredited lndscpe rchitecture curriculum nd the ddition of full time stff member ech in orn mentl horticulture, floriculture, lndscpe rchitec ture nd vegetble physiology. The horticulture proc essing lbortory ws equipped nd stffed during his period. A 16 cre horticulture reserch frm ws estblished to serve prt of the reserch needs of olericulture, plnt breeding, plnt nutrition nd orn mentl horticulture. New buildings scheduled for completion during the next few weeks will provide lbortory, workroom nd greenhouse fcilities on the reserch frm nd on the cmpus ner the existing reserch greenhouses. Russ helped to orgnize nd hs worked closely with the horticulturl council. The council is mde up of representtives of the horticulturl orgniztions in the stte nd hs been most helpful in coordinting the teching nd reserch in horticulture. He hs been member of the Penn Stte fculty since 1944 when he ws ppointed ssistnt professor of plnt breeding. Prior to tht time he hd been t the University of Rhode Islnd. His undergrdute nd grdute work ws done t the University of Minnesot nd lst June his lm mter honored him with the Outstnding Achievement Awrd, one of three given t tht time. His reserch hs been done in the re of genetics, breeding nd physiology of vegetble crops. He de veloped the Keystone tomto nd Pennsweet muskinellon nd received n All-Americn Selections wrd for the ltter. He hs uthored numerous publictions on his reserch nd received the Leonrd II. Vughn Memoril Reserch Awrd in 1949 for his reserch on sterility in tomtoes. Russ hs lso found time to serve on mny im portnt college nd university committees s well s being very ctive in the Americn Society for Horti culturl Science. From July through December of 196, he served, while on leve from the university, s scientific ide to the Mexicn Agriculturl progrm of the Rockefeller Foundtion. Also while in Mexico he did plnt explortion nd brought bck seeds of severl vegetble nd ornmentl species indigenous to tht country. These collected ccessions will be used in the deprtmentl breeding progrms. The members of the Deprtment of Horticulture most reluctntly relinquish Russ to the Extension service but hve known for some time tht his vlu ble tlents qulified him for greter responsibility in the dministrtion of the University. We congrtulte Russ on receiving this ppointment nd complement the extension service for selecting their new director so wisely nd re especilly gld tht Pennsylvni will continue to enjoy the benefits of his vluble tlents. D. E. Wlker Dr. Drrell E. Wlker, ssocite professor of Floriculture nd Ornmentl Plnt Breeding, hs been ppointed cting hed of the Deprtment of Horticulture by Den Jckson. The ppoint ment ws effective immeditely. A committee is now reviewing tlie qulifictions of cndidtes for the deprtment hed.
LILY BUD BLASTING John W. Mstlehz Penn Slte University Bud blsting in Croft, Erbu, nd Creole lilies ws incresed by reducing the light intensity during forcing or by restricting the movement of food m terils from the leves to the developing buds. Vrious combintions or chnges in soil nd ir tempertures did not consistntly ffect the number of blsted buds. A slight increse in bud blsting did occur t con stnt soil temperture of 4() F. ir or soil tempertures were mde t 4:3 p.m. nd t 8:.m. ech dy of the tretment period. Plnts used for the soil temperture tretments were potted into metl cns coted with horticulturl sphlt. A single dringe hole in the bottom ws plugged with rubber stopper only when the cns were plunged into wter bths mintined t temper tures lower or higher thn the 6 F ir temperture. Plnts for other tretments were grown in stndrd 6-inch cly pots. SYMPTOMS When symptoms of bud blsting first occur, the bses of immture buds (pproximtely '^ inch in length) become yellow then drk brown in color: grdully the entire bud becomes brown in color nd ppery in texture. The blsted buds cese to grow, but remin ttched to the plnts while unffected djcent buds continue to develop normlly. METHODS To study the effects of light intensity, soil nd ir tempertures on bud blsting, lily plnts were sub jected to tretments when the buds were pproximte ly '4 to l/i inch,n length. Precooled bulbs of Croft, Creole, or Erbu lilies (% size) were potted into 3:1:1 soil, pet, nd snd mixture to which sufficient ground limestone ws dded to mintin ph of 6.5-7.. Plnts were fertilized every ten dys with 2 lbs. of 25--25 per 1 gllons. Except during the limited period when plnts were subjected to specific soil nd ir tempertures to induce bud blsting, the lilies were forced t mini mum dy-night temperture of 6 F. Previling light intensities nd photoperiods were mintined through out forcing except during the tretment periods when the light intensity ws reduced with cheese or blck cloth, or when plnts were plced in refrigertors to lower ir tempertures during the night. Chnges in SOIL AND AIR TEMPERATURES Of the mny combintions of soil nd ir temper tures to which lily plnts were subjected, only soil tempertures of 4 F hd ny pprecible effect on bud blsting (Tble 1). It is interesting to note tht soil tempertures mintined constntly (dy nd night for 1 dys) t 4 F or during the dy only in cresed bud blsting; but low soil tempertures t night followed by 8 F soil tempertures during the dy did not result in bud blsting. It ppers tht the combintion of low soil nd high ir tempertures during the dylight hours ws responsible for higher percentge of blsted buds. Cooling the soil nd plnts during the night, then in cresing the ir tempertures during the dy did not ffect bud blsting lthough the plnts wrmed up more rpidly thn the soil. Chnges in soil temper tures lgged behind ir tempertures for pproximtely one to two hours. Post mde the observtion tht high light intensity t the tops of the plnts when the soil ws cold resulted in 1 per cent blsting of smll buds. Cold soils usully restrict the uptke of wter: suggesting tht wter deficit t the buds my result in bud blsting. However, in these experiments no visible evidence of wilting ws observed except during the first dy when plnts were plunged into the 4 F constnt soil temperture tnks. The effects of low soil tempertures on bud blsting probbly re in directly relted to the supply of food mterils vil ble to the buds s discussed in the following section. REDUCING LIGHT INTENSITY When lily plnts were held in totl drkness for 1 dys t 8 F, the percentge of bud blsting rnged from 18.7 to 83.3 percent (Tble 2). No buds blsted t S F with norml light intensity. Subjecting the plnts to totl drkness t 4 F did not result in bud blsting either. At the high tempertures in the drk, food m terils necessry for bud growth nd development were rpidly depleted; but t 4 F, the existing sup-
Tble 1. Effect of ir nd soil temperture tretments on bud blsting of Croft, Erbu, nd Creole lilies. Dte of Plnting CROFT 12/2/5 CROFT 4/25/51 ERABU 12/2/5 CREOLE 12/2/5 Tretment Period 3/13-3/23/51 6/8-6/18/51 2/15-3/2/51 3/ - 4/6/51 Tretment H Q Z 65 H o. H O CQ h z U H O w s < <! o. H O "A C Z A /) < A h ss u H w * i -J in O. H o "7. 3 t c Z h n en S < 1. Check-6"F Air 2. 4"F ir constnt 3. 8"F ir constnt 4. 4"F ir night 6 F ir dy 5. 4 "F ir night 8 "F ir dy 6. 4"F soil constnt 7. 8 F soil constnt 8. 4 F soil night 8 "F soil dy 9. 8"F soil night 4 "F soil cly 1. 4"F ir night 4" F soil dy 32 35 31 32 33 34 35 33 35 32 1 1 4 6 9, 3.2 3. 11.8 17.1 28.1 22 23 19 21 22 23 21 27 18 2 3 5 8.3 11.1 27.8 6 53 15 5 49 53 45 1 9 1 1.7 17. 2.2 25 28 23 11 47.8 Tble 2. Effect of light reduction nd ir tempertures on bud blsting of Croft nd Creole lilies. Dte of Plnting CROFT 4/26/51 CROFT 4/26/51 CREOLE 12/2/5 Tretment Period 6/21-7/1/51 7/2-7/12/51 4/13-4/23/51 Tretment Totl No. Buds No. Blsted Percent Blsted Totl No. Buds No. Blsted Percent Blsted Totl No. Burs No. Blsted Percent Blsted 1. Check-6"F Full Light Intensity 26 17 15 2. Totl Drkness 1 dys t 4"F 16 13 3. Full Light 1 clys t 4"F 25 16 17 4. Totl Drkness 1 clys t 8"F 3 25 83.3 19 7 36.8 16 3 18.7 5. Full Light 1 clys t 8"F 28 17 14 Tble 3. Effect of vrying the period of light reduction on bud blsting of Croft lilies. Plnted 12/28/55; tretments strted 3/6/56. Light Intensity Preceeding Tretment Period Dys in Complete Drkness t 6 F Totl No. Buds No. Blsted Percent Blsted Norml Light 38 2 43 5 11.6 4 36 2 55.6 8 39 39 1. Light reduced 5% during the 4 weeks preceeding tretment 2 47 4 6 17 12.8 42.5 4 48 29 6.4 8 4 34 85. (Continued on pge 9) 3
HYDRANGEAS - D. Stewrt Pdgett Joseph S. Merritt, Inc., Dundlk, Mrylnd 1961 Pentisylvni Greenhouse Florists Conference This rticle on Propgtion, Summer Growing is prt of the complete tlk presented by Stewrt Pdgett. VARIETIES The selection of the best nd most populr vrie ties in your re is your first considertion in growing nd mrketing the Hydrnge. Without doubt STRAF FORD is the most populr one in most res nd it represents bout 4% of our totl sles t Merritts. STRAFFORD hs strong folige, with desirble pink color (usully very difficult to blue) nd the flower heds re compct. It is not free grower, but does hve strong stems, medium sized leves nd is generl ly tougher thn most other vrieties. A few yers go MERVEILLE ws our second most populr vriety, but we hve noted strong tendency mong growers to find substitute for it, primrily due to the fct tht it is susceptible to mildew nd bud rot. Tody it ccounts for only bout 15% of Merritts sles, wheres five yers go it ppered tht it might surpss ll other vrieties in sles. It cn be grown for either pink or blue, is compct, medium sized, with strong stems nd glossy leves, nd in most cses is esier to grow thn STRAFFORD. We find it to be more plesing drk pink thn STRAFFORD, but its populrity seems to be wning. Some yers go Joseph Merritt intro duced ROSE SUPREME, which ws slow in ctching on nd, in fct, s lte s five yers go we hd to sell it,wheres tody it prcticlly sells itself, nd c counts for bout 28% of our sles. ROSE SUPREME is strong grower, lrge leves, color somewht lighter thn STRAFFORD, nd is consistently tller thn either of the vrieties mentioned. It is prticulrly well liked for sle s single flowered plnt tht mkes very lrge, showy flower hed. We hve seen single flower heds 19" in dimeter. Mny growers find they cn plce premium price on ROSE SUPREME. HAMBURG is n old Germn vriety most growers re fmilir with, but is losing its populrity, except s n erly plnt, or for bluing. It is usully very esy to grow, nd produces rther nice flower hed with ser rted petls of crmine shde. SISTER THERESE is becoming very populr in mny res s white, lthough REGULA is not out of the picture, by ny mens. Chrcteristiclly, ll whites seem to hve nice growth hbits, lthough tending to be tll, nd these two fvorites will keep pure white color for quite long period of time, if they re grown nd fertilized VARIETIES PROPAGATION properly, the sme s for pinks. TODI is beutiful Hydrnge tht deserves more ttention thn it gets from most growers. It is high qulity, medium sized plnt with lrge, drk pink flowers, nd is reltively esy to grow. The color is brillint, folige drk nd glossy. RED CAP is new one, with n extremely deep pink tht is bout s close to red s ny I hve seen. In the southern res it ppers to be very erly forcer in fct some growers hd tht vriety vilble for sle on or bout Mrch 1th this pst seson. It is yet in limited supply, but one tht is worth considering in your future growing plns. MER RITTS SUPREME is nother promising vriety, with some of the better qulities of ROSE SUPREME, but with drker pink coloring. There re, of course, mny other vrieties on the mrket tody, but those mentioned re mong the most populr, or re show ing some signs of becoming populr in the forseeble future s growers nd customers become more experi enced with them. In ddition to the fifteen, or so, vrieties we re currently listing for sle we re con tinully experimenting with 5 or more vrieties we hve imported from Germn, Dutch nd Belgin breeders to determine which, if ny, would be mrket ble in the United Sttes. It is interesting, in this con nection, to note tht mny vrieties tht do well nd re populr in Europe re not necessrily good for growing in this country, nd vice vers. Some yers go it seemed tht most people wnted lrge number of flower heds on short, stocky plnts, wheres tody mny buyers len towrds lrger plnts with one, two or three nice colorful flower heds. CUTTINGS After you hve decided which vrieties you should grow the next most importnt thing to do is to buy your cuttings from supplier who specilizes in this service, or, if you prefer to grow your own then be sure you hve sufficient quntity of qulity stock plnts. This is elementry, just s in the cse of young mn bout to embrk into mtrimony he crefully selects the finest young ldy to become his wife nd to ber nd rise his children. The desirble procedure is to mintin, nd continully rogue out nd replce specil block of plnts to be used ex clusively for mking strong cuttings, lthough mny growers successfully strt new plnts by prunning ex cessive shoots or blind wood from plnts being forced. (Continued on pge 1) 4
Bud Blsting (Continued from pge 3) ply ws sufficient to mintin vible buds. Restricting the supply of food mterils vilble to the buds by stopping photosynthesis resulted in bud blsting only when tempertures nd respirtion were high. As indicted in Tble 3, the percentge of blsted buds ws relted to the number of dys lilies were held in complete drkness. This reltionship between time in the drk nd the percent of bud blsting ws similr for plnts grown t norml light intensity or t one-hlf of the previling light intensity prior to the tretment period. The greter the period during which food mnufcturing ws hlted nd utiliztion continued, the lrger the increse in number of blsted buds. In n experiment not reported here, restricting the movement of food mterils from the leves to the buds by cooling the stem immeditely below the buds lso resulted in higher percentge of blsted buds. No buds blsted when the stem t the bse of the plnt ws cooled. In this ltter tretment, the move ment of food mterils to the buds ws not restricted s the leves were bove the cooled region of the stem. On the bsis of these experiments, ny tretment tht reduces the supply of food mterils needed by the developing buds, probbly will result in bud blst ing. Low soil tempertures during the dylight hours lso my reduce the rte of photosynthesis by cusing wilting of the leves. While visible signs of wilting were not observed in these experiments, it is possible tht lef cells were not fully turgid, thus ffecting the process of photosynthesis. CONCLUSIONS When forcing lilies, growers should void drk, shded loctions in the greenhouse. Use only the brightest benches vilble for lily production. Any reduction in light intensity my result in bud blsting. If high tempertures re needed to speed up flower development, then high light intensities re prticulrly criticl. Shding lilies to reduce wter loss when high tempertures re used my result in blsted buds. News from S. A. F. GIRL SCOUTS 5th ANNIVERSARY Florists hve n excellent tie-in possibility with the 5th Anniversry celebrtion of the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., nnounces John Shnklin, Chirmn, Prod uct Promotion Committee, Society of Americn Flor ists. The Scouts re using florl theme "Gold Blossoms." Plns cll for the Scouts, some three nd hlf million strong, to plnt nd cre for flowering plnts with golden blooms. Golden blossoms, including specil yellow floribund nmed the "Girl Scout Rose" nd dwrf mri gold clled "Brownie Scout," will pper in prks; on hospitl, librry, church nd syngogue grounds; long highwys; in shopping mlls; nd in home grdens. Scouts who live in congested res nd girls with hndicps will grow yellow blossoms in window boxes nd indoor plnters. Mny of the youngsters will present these to orphnges, old ge homes nd hospitls. The Society of Americn Florists slutes the Girl Scouts s they celebrte fifty yers of community service nd personl development. Florists re urged to contct their locl Girl Scout leders so tht they cn tie in effectively with the event. SUNDAY BLUE LAWS The Society of Americn Florists hopes to ct s cleringhouse on Sundy Blue Lws so tht it cn provide florists nd their ssocitions with informtion tht might be helpful in res where the enforcement of such lws is working hrdship on florists, sttes SAF Executive Dircetor John H. Wlker. "While the enforcement of Blue Lws is, by nture, stte mt ter," points out Mr. Wlker, "the Society would like to be of ssistnce wherever possible. Sundy Blue Lws re being revived in mny loclities nd in mny sttes. Specificlly, Msschu- (Continued on pge 12) GERANIUM MANUAL Copies of the Gernium Mnul prepred for the Penn Stte Gernium Clinics re vilble t cost of $2. ech. Send orders to John W. Mstlerz, 27 Tyson Building, The Pennsylvni Stte University, University Prk, Penn. Mke checks pyble to the PENNSYLVANIA FLOWER GROWERS 'PETERS FERTILIZERS" A complete line of soluble nd long-life fertilizer for muls specilly designed for the commercil grower nd mnufctured by ROBERT B. PETERS CO., INC., the trde's leding commercil soil test lbortory. Drop crd for complete price list nd your free brochure, "The Peters System Of Soil Fertility Control." ROBERT B. PETERS CO., INC. 2833 Pennsylvni Street Allentown, Penn. 9
Hydrnges- (Continued from pge 4) Cuttings cn be tken in Jnury nd Februry for lrge plnts to be forced the following yer, while lter cuttings cn be successfully tken s lte s June nd July to mke smller plnts, prticulrly single flowers, nd mny growers mke these cuttings s by-product of pinching the lredy estblished plnts. The erly cuttings cn be either terminl (tip) or lef bud cut tings, s desired, however the lef bud cuttings tken fter bout My 1 will not "brek" well in the hot wether usully encountered during the summer months. The cuttings re best strted in sterilized, well drined snd, preferbly under mist to ssure dequte moisture nd humidity. If mist is not vil ble, creful wtering must be done, nd fresh cut tings should be prtilly shded under cheesecloth to prevent wilting nd burning. Bottom het of 65 F. with ir tempertures between 55 F. nd 6 F. re recommended. When the cuttings hve been rooted, generlly in 3 to 4 weeks, they cn then be potted directly into 5" or 6" fiinishing pots, or to 3" pots, if it is desirble or necessry to conserve greenhouse spce. Be sure to llow plenty of room t the top of ech pot to provide for holding sufficient wter with out too rpid run-off. Mny growers successfully root cuttings under mist in pots, using well drined soil nd/or pet. SUMMER GROWING The potting soil should be sterilized nd s much s 5% pet cn be dded to either hevy or sndy soils, if desired. Course snd should be dded to cly or hevy soils to help provide proper dringe. An other mens of providing this ll-importnt dringe is to plce smll quntity of grvel or cinders, or n inverted piece of broken cly pot or commercilly vilble "ertor" t the bottom of the pot. The im portnce of proper dringe cn not be over emph sized, s Hydrnges, like humns, wnt plenty of wter, long with dequte dringe. Then, too, the pots should be plced on well drined surfce. If sndy soil is vilble, it is stisfctory to plunge the pot to reduce the mount of wtering required nd to reduce the liklihood of the pots being knocked over by winds, drgged hoses, etc. Spce the pots to llow for plenty of ir nd light nd to prevent undue stretching. The Hydrnge is best grown in slightly cid soil, but the ph should be t lest prtilly governed by the color of the finished flower hed. For plnts to be blued the ph should rnge between 5. nd 5.5, while for pinks nd whites the ph should rnge from 6. to 6.5. Your supplier of dormnt Hydrnges most likely will grow his plnts during the summer in the higher rnge, s most customers wnt pink flowers, but we, nd I ssume other specilists, will reduce the ph to the lower rnge if you let him know wht qunti ties, sizes nd vrieties you desire to blue. The mtter of selecting esily-blued vrieties should be crefully considered from the very beginning. KUHNERT is perhps the best liked to produce ple or "bby blue," while MERVEILLE nd RED STAR or MER RITTS BLUE cn be selected to produce the deeper blue or lvender colors nd which in some cses will result in " ester egg" colors, which my or my not be desirble in your loclity. Fertiliztion cn be strted s soon s roots show t the edge of the smll pots, usully bout 2 weeks from potting. Since Hydrnges re high Nitrogen feeders using 25-1-1 t the rte of V/> pounds per 1 gllons every ten dys would be bout the mini mum feeding schedule recommended. Experience shows tht the best results cn be obtined by more frequent feeding in smller doses, just s you nd I prefer three mels dy, rther thn one lrge one. Mny growers re now using the injection method of feeding to pply minimum dosge with ech wtering. The proper proportion cn be esily scertined by re ducing the previously mentioned quntities down wrd, depending on the frequency you prefer. In do ing "re" fertiliztion the rte should be 1 pounds per 1, feet of ground coverge every three weeks, or proportiontely less for more frequent feeding progrm. Such feeding progrm should be min tined until lte September, or even up to the time the plnts re plced in storge, excepting tht during extremely hot spells tht my be encountered during July nd August the progrm should be reduced, pr ticulrly on such slow growing vrieties s STRAF FORD. All plnts tht re being grown to produce two or more flowers should be pinched between bout June 15 nd July 2. The vigorous vrieties such s HAM BURG should not only be propgted lte, but should be pinched t the ltter dte s well, while vrieties similr to STRAFFORD should hve the erlier pinch, nd mid-seson vrieties such s MERVEILLE cn be pinched t the mid-point. Pinching should be done only in the soft wood, nd t lest two pirs of leves should be left on the plnt, to void possible injury to the plnt, with resultnt blindness. It my be desirble to lter prune unwnted shoots tht de velop following pinching, nd this my be done s lte s August nd September, being certin to leve extr shoots on the plnts to compenste for those tht my be lost in hndling, storge or shipment. PLANT BREEDERS Remember New Vrieties Disply t Summer Greenhouse Florists Conference 1