Commercial Pansy Production By Paul A. Thomas and Jean L. Woodward The University of Georgia 2015 North Carolina Flower Growers Conference
Objectives: Establish A Consumer Education Program Review Critical Production Decision Points. Keep Accurate Records and Dates Establish A Growth Control Strategy Establish A Nitrate-Based Nutrition Program Review Common Pansy Maladies
Fall Pansies – The Crop That Grew The South! In Georgia, Pansies used to provide bedding plant growers with 30% to 40% of their annual income. This also provided cash profits instead of poinsettia break even. Many states are finding that the Pansy market is increasing, and report a 5 to 10 % increase in sales. The market will improve as companies can afford to plant fall pansies again.
Factors That Affect Pansy Scheduling Plug Size – 288 trays finish in 4 -5 weeks, whereas 406’s and 512’s finish in 6 to 7 weeks. Outdoor Production - can delay crop schedules 2 to 3 weeks, however, quality of the plant is often much higher and transplant recovery faster. Staggered Plug Arrivals - are more efficient that one crop shipment. Having a continuous supply in different stages of growth ensures you will have what your customer wants. Try to minimize plug tray holding time.
Containers 1801’s – Allows a larger root system, best for landscapers and pansies scheduled for color bowl construction. 606 Deep Cell - Allows 36 plants per tray, but with a greater root system. A hybrid container for upscale garden centers and landscapers looking for reduced prices. 1203’s - are more efficient that one crop shipment. Having a continuous supply in different stages of growth ensures you will have what your customer wants. Slim Line 1203’s - 10% to 20% smaller than a standard 1203, and used in mass merchandizing outlets. Difficult!
Substrates Low EC - Regardless of the soil you purchase, or construct yourself, plugs and seedlings must have a low EC. Be sure to ask if the soil product has a charge. avoid using a product with a charge greater than 0. 75 mmhos. Peat-Lite Mixes Are Best - Greenhouse grown pansies are very amenable to growing in peat-lite mixes but…. High Porosity – If you are growing pansies outdoors, or in the south where high temperatures are a problem, the increased rainfall or irrigation requires a high porosity mix. It also requires altered fertility schedules
Spring Production Staggered Production – If you have the pansy market to support the volume, you can usually produce two to three turns of pansies per season. Note the effects temperature and light levels have on production schedules. Turn-1 Turn -2 Turn-3 1203’s / Slims 8 wks 4 - 5 wks 3 -4 wks 606 Trays - flats 9 wks 5 - 6 wks 3 -4 wks 1801 Trays - flats 9 wks 7 - 8 wks 5 -6 wks 4” Pots 12 wks 9 – 11 wks 6 -8 wks
Fall Production Turn-1 Turn -2 1801’s 4 wks 4 - 5 wks 1203’s Slims 4 wks 5 - 6 wks 606 - Deep 6 wks 7 - 8 wks 4” pots 6 wks 7 - 8 wks Cooler than normal temperatures, over-watering and drought stress will lengthen production schedules. Application of some plant growth regulators may delay production schedules.
In Greenhouse - Gravel Bed Production
Some Thoughts On Market Planning Make every effort to control delivery dates. Educate your buyer on pansy requirements/flowering. Provide a care sheet with instructions. Provide suggestions on placement of product. Follow up on care by visiting clients more often. Assess your market carefully as some markets are becoming saturated with pansies.
Crop Diversification Is Essential Violas, Ornamental Cabbage Flowering Kale Snapdragons Mustards Swiss Chard Dianthus
Water Quality Water p. H should be 5. 6 to 6. 0 Base EC should be less than. 45 mmhos Alkalinity should not exceed 125 ppm Ca(Co 3)2 Chlorides should not exceed 30 ppm. Boron should be less than 0. 5 ppm. Seek help if Alkalinity is very high. Water should be checked in August and October
Soil Test Recommendations Soil p. H should be between 5. 4 and 5. 8. EC optimally should be 1. 2 - 1. 0 mmhos. Use highest porosity soils available. Pre-test p. H drift prior to planting to test lime! Do lab-tests for trace elements - all should be low.
Important Points Of Sanitation Clean greenhouse / benches between crops. Keep head house / transplant area clean. Have plug handlers wash hands often. Establish a scouting program. Dead-head spent precocious flowers. Pull dead or diseased flats and discard. Do not just re-plug a cell. Disease spores are everywhere in that tray.
Outdoor Pre-Production Tips Establish slope, drainage - Sanitize growing area. Elevate flats or trays - this is essential! Record rainfall – It strongly affects fertility levels. Space flats liberally to encourage air-flow. Keep leaves and debris off plants. Use high porosity soils and monitor soil moisture! Use shade covering to reduce rain/hail damage.
Handling Plugs Keep soil temperature below 90 degrees F. Place in shade, avoid wilting, keep moist, < 24 hr! Use high nitrate fertilizer @ 75 ppm, EC @ 1. 0 or less. Avoid PGR’s at this stage. Use Fertility / Temperature. Avoid holding plugs longer than 1 week. Destroy entire plug trays that become diseased.
Scouting Plug Trays Observe trays upon receipt of shipment. Roots overgrown? Root system poor? Are they white and clean? Yellow leaves? Are the plugs leggy? Under high light, look for mottling or streaks. Look for “bunched” growing tips. Educate transplant crews to discard “abnormals”. and report them.
Transplanting Tips Be sure pre-transplant soil fertility levels are appropriate. Observe how staff are handling plugs…Often! Be sure plugs are thoroughly watered in and at soil level. Be sure to test soil 72 hours after transplant for p. H shift.
Plug Establishment Checklist Grow-in period should be two weeks or less. EC should still be less than 1. 25 mmhos Roots systems should be white with root hairs and breaking past the original root ball of the plug. The newest expanded leaves should be much larger than the original plug leaves. There should be no sign of crinkled leaves in the new growth even if PGR’s were used by plug grower.
Irrigation Overhead Irrigation – Check for uniformity and proper delivery. Plan for a drying period to prevent disease and firm up roots. Using water stress to control height is tricky and requires diligence. Leaching is essential – Clear water, 20 -30% in excess of pot volume, the morning before every third fertilization. Destroy plants that become diseased…. splashed spores spread disease very rapidly.
Light and Photoperiod Pansies and Violas are longday plants. Violas require LD periods to flower. Night interruption of 4 hours can greatly improve flowering in spring crops. Pansies require high light levels. Supplemental lighting may be essential during very long cloudy periods.
Temperature An average daily temperature above 85 F is a problem. Pansies will stretch and decline. Flowering will be reduced. Preferred night temperature is 55 o. F. o Soil temperatures below 45 F can cause plants to become quiescent or grow very o slowly. Below 28 F can inhibit water and nutrient uptake and growth will cease. Leaves may turn purple during cold periods.
Temperature o Soil temperatures above 80 F causes slow growth due to sugar loss from high levels of respiration. Preferred daytime temperature is 80 o. F. Stretching occurs as spread between low and high temperature increases. Flower size is reduced with high temperature, as is root development.
Controlling Growth Keep soil temperatures cool, especially at night. Keep airflow high and continuous! Use high nitrate fertilizers at moderate levels. Grow plants on the dry side of moist. Remove shading by September 20 th in Fall and make sure greenhouses are shaded by May 20 th in Spring. Too high light levels can cause cupping, and heat stress will delay crop. DIF can be used if used in moderation. Do not drop o o temperatures excessively. Example: 62 F to 48 F.
Plant Growth Regulators B-Nine. . . . …. . . 2500 ppm to 5000 ppm. B-Nine + Cycocel. . . . 1000 ppm B 9 & 1000 ppm Cyc. Arest. . . 5 - 10 ppm Sumagic. . . . . 1. 0 - 3 ppm Bonzi. . . 3 - 20 ppm Florel. . ……. . 500 ppm ( Northeast/Midwest Growers in the South should use LESS Florel ……. . Start at 100 ppm and do repeated applications.
Humidity, Airflow and Spacing Provide 24 hour HAF airflow, with open sides. Attempt to reduce condensate at all times. Elevate ground-grown flats on skids or boards if disease problems occur. Provide 1" space between rows of flats Install extra HAF fans if plants fail to dry out during extended periods of cloudy weather.
Light Levels and Shading Fall Shading Use 30% shading for early Fall production. Use 55% shade for outdoor Fall production. Retractable shading very effective. Remove shading by Sept. 20 th or as weather cools. Buy a soil thermometer! Spring Shading Apply shading by May 10 th or as greenhouse gets hot.
Managing Nitrogen Hot Weather: Use high nitrate fertilizers such as 152 -20. Cool Weather: Use balanced ammonical/nitrate fertilizers such as 20 -10 -20. Stalled Growth: Use 20 -20 -20 sparingly…usually one application stimulates growth. Supplement with calcium-nitrate and monitor boron levels after 4 weeks. Be sure to keep phosphorus levels low. Verify! Never, ever apply fertilizer over the 275 ppm N level.
Form Of Nitrogen
Combating Heat-Induced Early Root Loss With Proper Form Of Nitrogen All Plants Received 100 ppm Nitrogen
As Temperature Increases, The Negative Effects of Ammoniacle Nitrogen Increases All Plants Received 100 ppm Nitrogen
High Temperature Effect 100 ppm 90 o. F
Mature Fertility Management Keep soil p. H above 4. 8 and below 5. 8. Thelaviopsis ! Maintain EC at 1. 5 mmhos … never any higher! Record rainfall – It strongly affects fertility levels. Consider Continuous vs Pulse Fertilization !!! Adopt the Pour-Thru sampling and stick to it. Purchase a High Quality p. H / EC meter Record p. H, Ec and Growth Observations weekly
Soil Test Guidelines Nitrogen NO 3 @ 100 ppm, Phosphorus P 2 O 5 @ 5 - 10 ppm Potassium K 20 @ 100 -120 ppm Magnesium Mg @ 60 -80 ppm Calcium Ca @ 100 - 120 Iron Fe @ 100 - 130 ppm Manganese Mn @ 70 -100 ppm Boron B@ 25 -30 ppm Copper Cu @ 5 - 10 ppm Zinc Zn @ 35 - 85 ppm Sulfur/Sulfates S @ <80 ppm, Chlorides Cl @< 30 ppm, Nh 4 @ >20 ppm Sodium Na @> 50 ppm
Total N P @ 3. 5 - 4. 5 % @ 0. 3 - 1. 0 % K Ca Mg Na B Cu Fe Mn Zn @ 3. 0 - 4. 5 % @ 0. 6 - 1. 2 % @ 0. 3 - 0. 6 % @ 0. 1 - 0. 4 % @ 20 - 50 ppm @ 5 - 15 ppm @ 100 - 300 ppm @ 35 - 100 ppm Foliar Guidelines
Nutrient Deficiencies Purpling of Lower leaves - Phosphorus deficiency Can be caused by high light levels and keeping plants too dry. Use 15 -5 -15 fertilizer, do not direct supplement! Yellow Tip Growth - Iron deficiency Elevated media p. H over 6. 5, high alkalinity, or excessive applications of Ca. No 3. Iron sulfate can be added in increments to reduce p. H. Tip abortion / Stunting - Boron deficiency Frequent applications of Ca-No 3, or a soil p. H over 6. 5 Use Solubor or borax - be very careful!
Fall Crop Production Tips
Spring Production 1. Lighting the crop can dramatically speed up first spring crop and increaser flowering. Provide 12 to 13 total hours of light. 2. Use 20 -20 -20 for the first two fertilizations 3. Make every effort to maximize light levels 4. DIF can be used to control height of pansies, but be careful about how dramatic the temperature shift is…you may slow down production 5. Remember, spring production is usually longer than fall production. Night temp at 58 o F is essential.
Shipping And Handling Handle trays as little as is possible to prevent ethylene. Ship dry, and be sure to deadhead spent flowers. Avoid excess heat build up in truck box - ventilate Too Much Handling Ethylene Damage
Pansies … The Dark Side
Pansy Maladies The next series of slides are intended to familiarize you with all the things that can go wrong with a pansy crop. This material is not intended to scare you off from growing pansies. Just be aware that problems occur. Almost all of these maladies are preventable with common sense precautions being implemented prior to transplanting the plugs
Disease Management 1. Make every effort to maximize sanitation prior to planting. 2. Have a management plan in place before planting. Plan for common diseases and have products ready. Timing is essential. 3. Make every effort to maximize air flow across crop 4. Minimize the splashing between flats. Always remove dead or dying plants immediately. Thelaviopsis
Diseases See Our Handout! Thelaviopsis - Maintain an acidic soil p. H! Pythium Rhizoctonia Cercospora Botrytis Anthracnose Powdery Mildew
Insect Pests Western Flower Thrips Aphids White flies Fungus Gnats Pansy Worms Black Cutworm Spider Mites Slugs Cut Worms Are The Worst
Greenhouse Weed Control Yup! Hand Removal!
Genetic Misadventures Symptoms: Irregular Color Irregular Size Malformed Flowers Odd Leaf Shapes Streaks and Lines
Genetic Variegation
Mottled Pansy Syndrome Scout trays early - remove mottled plugs. Avoid heat stress - it is the trigger for expression. Avoid excess light - heat builds up in leaves. Do not attempt to correct with calcium or boron. Magnesium and iron can mask symptoms. . . don’t. Plants will re-express so do not try to sell!
Mottle Pansy Syndrome
Some Examples
Contact Herbicide Drift Symptoms: Cessation of Growth White Leaves Stunted Flowers Necrosis / Death Finale Drift
Dishwashing Soap Symptoms: Immediate Cleared Tissue Leaf Death Symptoms: Delayed Chlorosis Growth Stunting
Horticultural Oils Symptoms: Tissue Clearing Tissue Collapse Necrosis Disease if not cleaned up Horticultural Oil
Oil-Based Insecticides Symptoms: Spotting Tip Burn Orthene Malathion
Overdose Of Triazole PGR Symptoms: Bunched leaves Leaf cupping Slow growth Absent flowering Triazole
Improper Herbicide / Overdose Symptoms: Leaf Purpling Intra-veinal chlorosis Necrosis Growth Reduction Irregular new leaves Death Gallery
Ethylene Danage Symptoms: Leaf curl Petiole Curl Leaf Bunching Slowed Growth 1 Leaf abscission
Heat Shock / Stretch Symptoms: Rapid elongation Smaller Flowers Fewer Flowers Lower Leaf Chlorosis Root Decline
Cold Weather Starvation Symptoms: Leaf Purpling Few Flowers Chorotic Centers Viola Starvation
Under Fertilization Symptoms: Chlorosis Cupped leaves Strap Leaves Very Slow Growth Very Poor Roots Pansy’s starving under warm temperatures
Boron Deficiency Symptoms: Thick, Irregular Leaves Tightly Bunched Centers Split Leaves w/ Holes Deep Green-greyish Tint Growth Stops No Flowering Re-growth Takes Forever
Over- Fertilization Symptoms: Marginal Chlorosis Entire Leaf Yellowing Basal Leaf Yellowing No New Blooms Necrosis / Death Root Damage
Garden Center Tips Staging: Bright light (Avoid direct sun) Do not stage flat to flat Care: Fertilize & water Dead-head Maintenance: Botrytis prevention Over-watering
Advice For Garden Center Owners Keep pansies in at least diffuse sunshine. Shade cloth or indirect sunlight is best. Keep plants cool. Fertilize with 50 - 100 ppm 20 -10 -20 once a week. Deadhead spent flowers daily. Never let dry out, but allow soil to become light. Maintain air movement over flats - fans best! Order pansies for sale when temperatures cool for the least loss and the maximal # of return customers!
Landscape Tips Improper spacing Pansies and Violas are bedding plants with very specific bed requirements Planning and good bed preparation are essential for success Disease
Landscape Considerations In most cases, pansies are planted on 6 to 8 inch centers. Be sure that soil p. H is pre-established at 5. 8, and that sufficient mulch is available to insulate the soil. Amendments that will benefit pansies include peat moss, very composted bark, sand, and general compost that is screened but not mucky.
Fertility Regime For Landscapers Use liquid feed in conjunction with slow release. 150 ppm N is the preferred rate for outdoor application. Test fertility often during wet weather. #1 Problem Keep soil EC around 1. 5 mmhos Use nitrate-based fertilizers once soil temperature goes lower than 50 degrees F, and throughout the winter. Maintain steady levels of fertility. Use an ammonical-nitrogen based fertilizer when soils warm to 55 degrees or higher in spring for fast growth.
Weed Control - Landscape
Pre & Post Emergent Herbicides Pre-Emergent: Betasan Pendulum Pennant Surflan XL Post-Emergent: Envoy Vantage Mulches & Covers: Pine Straw Pine Bark Peanut Hulls Non-Selective Herbicides: Round-Up Pro Finale Reward Scythe
Pansy Bed Maintenance Tips Pansies do not bloom when soil is frozen! Dead-head flowers every two weeks. Replant diseased or inconsistently growing plants after three weeks. Use pine straw to cover entire bed if prolonged severe cold is predicted without snow fall. Scout beds weekly for disease and insects.
Pansy Production Handbook And Web Site* * Project funded by the Gloeckner Foundation
The End Thanks For Sticking Around!
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