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Preparing for Poinsettia Propagation
By admin | June 21, 2007
Next week we will start Poinsettia Propagation Season. This year, I will start one week earlier than last year in an effort to add the extra size I was lacking last year. I will start with our largest containers, 10 inch pots, and I will direct stick everything this time, which is a direct contrast to last year when we stuck everything in liner trays. There are advantages and disadvantages to direct sticking poinsettias and each operation must weigh it out. I prefer direct sticking to liner propagation for several reasons. First, poinsettias are easier to propagate when they have more room and if we get the crop off to a good, uniform start, we will have a much more even crop in the end. I don’t want the leaves of adjacent cuttings to be touching one another as this encourages disease and will rapidly spread problems from one cutting to the next. Since it is crucial that we are successful in propagation, I am willing to commit to all the extra space needed for direct sticking versus liner production. Second, I don’t want to transplant the liners. It’s a pain and if space isn’t an issue, I see no reason to add the extra step and cost into the production of a crop with an already tiny margin. And third, the quality is always higher when I direct stick. I’ve tried both way many times and I always produce a better crop when I direct stick. To me this is the most important factor. Quality counts. As we start to stick our cuttings, I will do my best to post pictures and update the status of our crop. I plan to follow a few cuttings from start to finish. That’s like 20-23 weeks of data, photos, etc. I don’t how this will play out but I want to show daily status of the cuttings from day 1 in prop to fully rooted plants. For now, I must prepare my propagation facility and that means cleaning out the last of the spring crops and sanitization.
Topics: Poinsettias |
