Technical Support Specialist Bob Croft Tells You How
SuperCal is an innovative class of petunia with two great parents (petunia x calibrachoa) that combine to create a remarkable plant. Their exceptional garden performance demonstrated in trials throughout North America have earned SuperCal and SuperCAl Premium the title “All Weather Petunia®”
SuperCal is less likely to show iron chlorosis, due to high pH, and has a very strong root system that helps leaves stay greener under stressful conditions. Excellent vigor, large flowers and ease of growing make SuperCal ideal for baskets, beds, borders and mixed containers. The unique flower colors are intense and the blooms hold up well even under severe rainy weather. Vibrant flowers contrast nicely with lush green, non-sticky foliage to maintain a fresh, clean look without additional maintenance.
All these traits synergize into exceptional garden performance enhancing your customer’s experience. SuperCal thrives under cool environments and conditioned plants can tolerate temperatures of 28 to 30°F/-2 to -1°C with no damage to the foliage. As the heat of summer rises and takes its toll on most cool season annuals, consumers will find that SuperCal outperform traditional calibrachoa and petunias with stronger blooming power.
Many growers have experience with producing SuperCal in hanging baskets and mixed containers and are also looking to produce plants in smaller pots to meet market demand. Sakata created the following guidelines to assist growers with producing high quality 5-inch / 1 Quart pots.
Variety Selection: SuperCal Artist Rose, Blue, Blushing Pink, Cherry, Crimson Red, Light Yellow, Pink, and SuperCal Premium Bordeaux, Caramel Yellow, Cinnamon, French Vanilla and Sunray Pink are recommended for quart production due to plant habit and less need for supplemental lighting.
Additional Notes
- Start with a uniform cutting about ½ to ¾ inches/1.25 to 2 cm. long and 2 sets of leaves.
- Pinching: Some additional shaping of plants may be needed to provide an ideal finished plant.
- Temperature: Cooler temperatures (55-60°F/13-16°C) combined with high light (>5,000 fc) produce high quality plants. However, crop time will be longer by a few weeks with significant lower average daily temperatures.
- The use of a retractable roof greenhouse for full light exposure during the day and frost protection at night is ideal.
- PGR’s: Florel must be applied early in the crop (at least 8 weeks prior to shipping) to prevent flower delay.
Production Week |
Notes/Comments |
0 (Transplant) |
|
1-4 |
|
5-10 |
*Fe 1 ppm, Mn 0.5 ppm, Zn 0.5 ppm, B 0.25 ppm, Cu 0.25 ppm, Mo 0.1 ppm
|
Finish (11-15) |
|