October 2022 - 36

CULTURE REPORT
TRANSPLANT TO FINISH
At transplant, it is important to
pinch any premature buds. Liners
that have already initiated flowering
will continue to push their energy
into the flowers and not as much into
bulking, leading to a finished plant
with flowers but not much body.
Ideally, if possible and labor allows,
continue to pinch any buds for two
weeks after transplant.
As previously mentioned, for
finishing before week 24 long day
lighting is required. Don't let this
deter you from growing a spring
flowering crop of Poco. It is very easy
to do. (For more information, look
for " Forcing Echinacea Sombrero for
Mother's Day " on Darwin Perennials'
YouTube channel.) Forced, springflowering
echinacea is a huge miss
in many garden centers I visit. One
argument I get from growers is that it
is not natural for echinacea to flower
in the spring; this is true. However,
once Poco are in flower they will
continue to flower. If they begin
to look tired in early to mid-July,
they can be cut back for another
complete flush of flowers.
After transplant and
active rooting out, provide
ample nutrition for large,
deep green foliage.
When using controlled
release fertilizer, I
prefer the high rate
with echinacea. Even
then, sometimes
supplemental liquid feed
is beneficial, especially
if grown outdoors and
leached by heavy rains.
If relying on liquid feed, I
prefer Cal/Mag type fertilizers
at a moderate to high rate of 150
to 200 ppm every irrigation (or
2 times/week), being sure to have
good wet/dry cycles. As Poco begins
to come into flower, they tend to
draw more nutrients and have higher
fertility requirements. This may show
as purpling in the older leaves. If
this deficiency is seen, I recommend
applying 20-10-20 fertilizer at
250 ppm as needed.
As for PGRs, Poco is naturally
compact and I have never seen these
require PGRs, even with the use of
20-10-20 and grown under cover.
36 OCTOBER 2022 GPNMAG.COM
Yellow
Hot Coral
However, if you feel the need to
apply a PGR to control the growth,
please avoid the use of products
such as Bonzi or Sumagic. These
are a bit too strong for Poco and
can cause some very hard, crinkled
leaves. I prefer a gentler and
forgiving product such as B9 at
3,750 to 5,000 ppm. Plus, you can
mix this with 500 ppm Cycocel for a
little added control if desired.
Echinacea Sombrero Poco are on
my " No-Brainer List " for ease of
production. Key points for success:
* Pinch premature buds at
transplant
* Long day photoperiod
* Heavy feed
* No PGRs
* High light
Following these protocols you
can have a beautiful echinacea
Sombrero Poco ready for sale in
10 to 12 weeks.
Chris Fifo is the Darwin Perennials &
Kieft Seed product representative.
Before this position, he gained over 30
years' experience from Swift Greenhouses
in Iowa, where he was technical services
advisor. Contact him at cfifo@ballhort.
com, or read his blog posts at www.
darwinperennials.com/blog.
http://www.darwinperennials.com/blog http://www.GPNMAG.COM
October 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of October 2022
