Perennial Conference, Lots on Hostas, New Trays, Marengo G

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1 Perennial Conference, Lots on Hostas, New Trays, Marengo G News and commentary for the perennial market Monday, January 26, 2015 COMING UP THIS WEEK: Perennial Plant Conference Hosta of This Year and a Peek at Next Year When to Plant Hostas? SureRoot Elite Plug Trays Marengo G Herbicide Spring Trials Not Just Annuals Perennial Plant Conference UConn Extension is sponsoring an upcoming conference titled "Perennial Plant Conference - A Conference for the Landscape and Horticultural Professional." The event will be held at the Lewis B. Rome Commons on the University of Connecticut Storrs campus on Thursday, March 5. The all-day conference will feature sessions aimed towards professional landscapers and designers, nursery producers and retail garden centers. If you'd like a chance to attend an informative event before the spring rush, consider this conference. Six pesticide recertification credits are available for attendees from CT, RI, MA, ME, NH and VT (pending state approval); additional CEU's are also available. Oh, I nearly forgot to mention that lunch and snacks are included (newsletter head honcho Beytes will be pleased). Click HERE for program and registration information.

2 2015 Hosta of the Year Victory. Photo courtesy Walters Gardens. Hosta The 2015 AHG (American Hosta Grower's Association) Hosta of the Year is Hosta Victory. Victory is an impressive plant. It forms giant vase-shaped clumps with large, shiny leaves with green centers and margins that change from greenish yellow in the spring to creamy white by early summer. This big hosta grows 30 in. high by 54 in. across and produces near white to light lavender flowers in the mid-summer. Touted for its smooth texture with thick substance, Victory is a great addition to shady landscapes. Sneak Peak at 2016 Why hold anything back? Since hostas often need a long grow time in containers, I thought I'd pass along next year's AHG award winner now. Drum roll, please...

3 Fries. Photo courtesy Walters Gardens. Hosta Curly... the 2016 AHG Hosta of the Year will be Hosta Curly Fries. No need for the roast beef sandwich, Curly Fries is appealing enough to satisfy any appetite. This is a novelty hosta with extremely rippled, narrow chartreuse leaves. The mature plants are peppered with red speckled petioles (sorry for using another food pun, it's getting close to dinner around here). Curly Fries is a smaller hosta, forming clumps that grow to 6 in. high and 16 in. across. Using this one in locations that receive morning sunlight will bring out the best foliage coloration. Consider sourcing next year's award winner now for planting this summer. When Should You Plant Your Hostas? If you grow hostas for wholesale or retail sales, you probably already know that many cultivars require a long time to grow. The most common practice is to plant hostas intended for next year's sales by June of this year. For example, many growers will plant hostas for spring 2016 sales this summer (mid-may through mid-july 2015). This practice is done for a few reasons. It allows adequate time for rooting, bulks up the top growth, promotes more basal shoot development and permits the hostas to display more mature characteristics in the pot compared to plants grown under shorter timeframes. I've tracked hosta rooting and growth from summer plantings and found that as the summer progresses and fall approaches, the root and top growth dramatically decreases. When looking at the same cultivar, the amount of root development and top growth lessens with each successive planting. With some cultivars, I observed this reduced development beginning as early as July 15 (earlier plantings grew fine, while later plantings performed more poorly). With most cultivars, the reduction in growth becomes apparent by early August.

4 summer/early fall planting of bareroot hosta leads to poor establishment, reduced rooting and top growth, and crop variability. Late I associate the reduced rooting and growth to day length. Hostas require long days for active vegetative growth. As the days start to get shorter in August, the amount of root and top growth is lessened. Each cultivar requires a slightly different day length to actively grow. Rather than using lighting to create longer days in the fall, the simplest and most reliable approach is to plant them earlier in the year when the days are naturally long enough for active growth. What do you think? Share your thoughts and read what others have to say HERE. SureRoots Elite Plug Trays T.O. Plastics recently introduced the SureRoots Elite plug tray line. The new line of plug trays are designed to improve plant growth by preventing root girdling and providing consistent drainage and ventilation. The trays were engineered to optimize production in a variety of soil mixes, including paper-wrapped, synthetic and "glue plugs." Besides the improvements in root growth, many growers will obtain peace of mind knowing that the SureRoots Elite plug lines were tooled in America and the trays are made with 100% reclaimed materials. Click HERE to learn more.

5 Marengo G The pre-emergent herbicide Marengo has quickly become a valuable tool to help growers control weeds in nurseries and greenhouses. Marengo, which was originally (and still is) available as a liquid formulation, is now available in granular formulation. The new formulation from OHP, Inc. is marketed under the trade name Marengo G. There are a number of perennials and other ornamentals on the products label; however, some of the most common uses for Marengo and Marengo G are for controlling weeds in and around production sites. Marengo G is also labeled for applications to greenhouse floors. That's right, now there is a pre-emergent herbicide that can safely be applied to landscape fabric, gravel and under benches. Click HERE to learn more about Marengo G. Spring Trials: Not Just for Annuals Don't forget to make plans to visit the California Spring Trials 2015 in Central and Northern California, April It's definitely not just for annuals anymore. You'll see new perennials from Bartels, Benary, Darwin Perennials, Green Fuse Botanicals, Kieft Seed, PlantHaven, Proven Winners, Skagit Gardens, Syngenta Flowers, Terra Nova and more (my apologies if I left your perennial company out; shoot me an and I'll mention you next time). If you're into annuals as well, no need to worry, as of course they will be well represented. Visit Ball Publishing's very own Spring Trials website, for the latest list of participants and appointment contact info, videos, travel tips and more. If your company is planning to showcase new perennials at Spring Trials and you're willing to reveal some details, please drop me a line. I'd love to share some of them in future issues of Perennial Pulse. Feel free to drop me a line with your comments, suggestions or just to say hello. Until next time, Paul Pilon Editor-at-Large Perennial Pulse

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