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Fall Pansy Production
By admin | August 18, 2007
I have grown fall pansies for many years and I don’t know if there is another crop that is grown in two different seasons that has to be treated so differently in each season. What I’m trying to say is that pansies are so easy in the spring and they can be a difficult crop in the late summer/early fall. I know it’s all about the weather but there are several ways to grow a quality fall pansy crop that rivals the best spring grown pansies.
For me, it’s most important to bulk up the plant quickly and keep it compact before they open too many flowers. This is obviously a challenge in the warmer days of late summer because the pansies don’t want to branch as well and they are usually flowering within 2 weeks of transplant.
Is it variety selection, PGR (especially florel), fertilizer, or something else?
So what are the best management practices or preferred methods to produce high-quality fall pansies?
I was hoping that some other growers would chime in on this subject.
Topics: Day to day |
August 23rd, 2007 at 5:37 am
I’m a grower in Georgia. The first couple of plantings in mid to late august are the hardest to grow, with temps in the triple digits 12 of the last 17 days. I use b9 spray on plugs when i get them and a bonzi sprench for growing on. I fertilize with peat lite special at 150ppm. Do you think i should go strictly with a pansy fertilizer(15-2-20). What pgr do you use and what is the earliest point you start. Thanks…
August 23rd, 2007 at 7:19 pm
Kevin,
What rate do you use for the Bonzi sprench?
As for fertilizer, I use 17-5-17, but any well balanced feed without too much NH4NO3 should be fine. I use B9/Cycocel tank mixes and then an Arest to really slow them down if needed. I’ll spray them right after transplant if they are starting to bolt. Have you used any Florel? I have seen it work in the plug stage to help with branching but the results weren’t consistent in my trials.
Kevin, you should post your questions on the Forum I started. Then you could get answers from other growers as well. Just register and post your topic/question. The link to the site is in the Forum page on this site or go to www.askagrower.com/forum/phpBB3
Thanks for the comments Kevin I hope this helps.
August 24th, 2007 at 6:00 am
Thanks, i will also post on the forum. I haven’t used Arest before. Does it have a cumulative effect on pansies like bonzi? A 1/2 teaspoon per gallon sprench when pansies are around the size of a quarter seems to work well. I have used 2-3 teaspoons per gallon sprench on fully grown white and purple varieties with great results. The only problem with bonzi on pansies is that you sort of have to be decisive. If you spary them one too many times, you can ruin them. Just looking to trial something a little safer.
August 24th, 2007 at 7:28 am
Arest doesn’t seem to have a cummulative effect. I use between 2 and 10 ppm Arest for control. 10ppm will stop them for 2 weeks usually so only use it when they are at finished size. Lower rates earlier works best, just like any other PGR. With Bonzi, you had better be sure about your rates and application technique because pansies are very responsive to Paclobutrazol. You seem to have it figured out though.
Do you worry about reduced flower size with the Bonzi sprench?
I’m also certain that Bonzi is more cost-effective than Arest especially in Georgia summers and if you are producing large numbers of pansies.