1997 Ornamentals Research Report - AUrora - Auburn University

20
Table I The influence of Pistill and Pinching on the Flowering of Garden Mums
Cultivar No pinch vs. I pinch I pinch vs. single application 500 ppm a.i. Pistill vs. I application vs. 2 applications
Pistill treatments 750 ppm a.i. Pistill
'Bravo' no differences 229 flowers vs. 334 flowers no differences no differences
'Tracy' no differences 224 flowers vs. 329 flowers no differences 329 flowers vs. 392 flowers
'Sarah' no differences 137 flowers vs. 184 flowers no differences 184 flowers vs. 214 flowers
Table 2 The influence of Pistill and Pinching on Garden Mum Flowering Date
Cultivar No pinch vs. I pinch I pinch vs. 2 pinches I pinch vs. single 500 ppm a.i. Pistill I Pistill application
Pistill applications vs. 750 ppm a.i. Pistill vs. 2 applications
'Yellow Jacket' NA two pinches delayed single application 750 ppm delayed 2 Pistill applications
flowering by approx. Pistill treatments flowering an flowering an
3 days flowering delayed an average of 3 days delayed flowering an
average of five days average of 6 days
'Bravo' no differences NA single application no differences 2 Pistill applications
Pistill treatments delayed flowering an
delayed flowering an average of 3 days
average of 4 days
'Tracy' no differences NA single application 750 ppm delayed 2 Pistill applications
Pistill treatments flowering an delayed flowering an
delayed flowering average of 2 days average of 6 days
an average of 2 days
'Sarah' one pinch delayed NA single application 750 ppm delayed 2 Pistill applications
flowering by approx. Pistill treatments flowering an delayed flowering by an
2 days delayed flowering average of I day average of 3 days
an average of 4 days
'Valerie' no differences NA no differences no differences 2 Pistill applications
delayed flowering an
average of 3 days
Jacket' and a two-day delay for 'Sarah.' Single applications of
Pistill caused a flowering delay of two to five days beyond the
single pinch treatment for 'Yellow Jacket,' 'Bravo,' 'Tracy'
and 'Sarah'. Two applications of Pistill caused an average
flowering delay of seven to 11 days beyond the single pinch
treatment for 'Yellow Jacket,' 'Bravo,' 'Tracy,' and 'Sarah'
and only four days for 'Valerie.' Sprays of 750 ppm caused an
additional one- to three-day in flowering for 'Yellow
Jacket,' 'Tracy,' and 'Sarah,' when compared with 500 ppm
sprays. Two applications of Pistill delayed flowering an
average of three to six days beyond single application
treatments for all cultivars. Flowering delay could benefit the
grower who wishes to sell a particular cultivar over a greater
period of time or it may represent an unwanted delay in
flowering.
Pistill treatments increased growth index in 'Yellow
Jacket,' 'Bravo,' 'Tracy,' and 'Sarah' an average of 16%, 13%,
7% and 13%, respectively. Two sprays caused an increase in
the growth index of 'Yellow Jacket' and 'Bravo' by 17% and
10%, respectively, over single spray treatments.
ALABAMA AGRICULTURAL ExPERIMENT STATION
Treatment-related height differences were only noted
in 'Tracy' and 'Sarah,' with Pistill treatments causing a 7%
and 13% increase in height, respectively, over unsprayed
plants. Several shoots lacking flower buds were observed in
plants receiving 750 ppm. These non-flowering shoots
detracted from the overall appearance of the plant.
All treatments produced good quality, salable plants.
Thus, pinches or applications of Pistill may not be necessary
for the production of quality potted garden mums in South
Alabama. Depending on the grower's market, the increase in
flowering and plant size provided by Pistill sprays may prove
cost effective. In addition, the flowering delay demonstrated
by the use of Pistill may be a useful tool for manipulating the
timing of the final product.