Heat Brings Challenges to Plantpeddler Trials, But Some Plants Stood Tall
November 30, 2023 Note: Information for this trials report was provided by Rachel Gooder at Plantpeddler.
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This was a very challenging year for the trials in the Midwest. We did not get enough rain in July, August, and September to support the beds at all. I do not think it rained after early July, which meant a lot of irrigating on our end. We watered almost every day, with additional fertilizing at least four times per week. We were also hit with high heat early June, which is not usual at that time and which also stressed the pots.
With the extra stress on the pots, we had a few issues with certain crops. Dahlias do not like a long period of heat so they started to show stress earlier in August than the rest of the pots. Not a lot we could do to change that but talk to Mother Nature, who was not listening very well.
We do add a slow-release fertilizer to most pots in case we get a lot of rain during the season, but that did not seem to affect the plants at all.
In this year’s trials, we had 960 14-inch pots and 500 14-inch baskets. We are landlocked right now so cannot add any more, but have had requests every year to add more. Every year, different crops cause different grief, but I think this year was pretty normal. We had to fight the heat and dry weather, but thank goodness for automatic irrigation.
The biggest challenge every year in our trials is dealing with so many different crops, varieties, etc. that need different care, such as fertilizer type, amount of fertilizer needed, pest issues, full or part sun, and pinching (when and how much). I try to put the crops in the same houses that need similar care, but that is sometimes pretty difficult to do. Our houses are set up to fertilize/irrigate three houses at a time, which means 64 pots per house, 192 total, and 32 baskets per house or 96 baskets total. That is a lot of similar items, especially when geraniums need a different fertilizer in comparison to petunias, calibrachoa, etc. New Guinea impatiens need much less fertilizer per week along with begonias. Verbena, petunias would love it every day. Many times, we end up hand-watering the geraniums and the other partial crops that end up in the geranium house. It’s a fun juggling match that sometimes I win, sometimes I lose.
This year, the Itsy petunia series from Syngenta Flowers was my all-out favorite. I have it in Syngenta’s bed and in hanging baskets. They do well in both! In the basket, it stays tight but has lots of color. In the beds, it makes a mat of color, never needs dead heading, buries its dead, no pinching, no extra care whatsoever. I also like the Florencio begonias series, also from Syngenta Flowers. It has lots of color, good size, and takes the heat. I had two runs of hanging baskets in begonias throughout the summer heat and the Florencio handled it without any issues. They enjoyed the heat and just kept on producing color. I lost a few boliviensis-type begonias in the heat, but the Florencio got better. Just a beautiful begonia. As for Eupatorium ‘Elegant Feathers’, I just like that plant. It has such a soft texture, is extremely tall for big pots, or can get cut to the size you like. It takes heat, is soft to the touch, and easy to grow. It’s just a cool plant.
Click here for results from more 2023 field trials.
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