Features Crop Protection Inputs
Greenhouse Grower Notes: November 2006 1

Holiday season tradition continues at Vineland.  Annual open house offers ‘one-stop-shopping’ in viewing
new poinsettia varieties

Well, it seems that conducting a poinsettia cultivar trial here at the Vineland Research Station greenhouses has become somewhat of a tradition, and this year is no exception.

There are 120 cultivars now in the greenhouse and they’re broken down by colour as follows; 52 red, 20 pink, 19 white, 16 novelty, eight marble and five Jingle type. Dummen, Paul Ecke Ranch, Fischer USA, Oglevee and Selecta First Class have all provided plant material this year. 

You might say that there can’t be much new! But that’s not true. There are new cultivars from all the breeders, some of them already named, with Dummen and Paul Ecke Ranch each supplying four numbered selections for the trial.

Last year, the Premium series from Dummen, the Enduring series from Ecke, and Red Dragon from Fischer all created considerable buzz. Many of you are trialling these and other cultivars you saw in the 2005 trial. For me, this is gratifying to see because it suggests you find the trial a good way of comparing. Will there be a stunning new cultivar in the trial this year? You will have to come to the open house and see for yourself!

The trial is a great opportunity for us to observe how the cultivars perform under similar growing conditions.

Growing the new cultivars year after year provides a good insight into their true performance under typical Ontario fall conditions. For you as a grower, cultivar selection based on their performance in the Vineland trials should reduce the number of unexpected surprises. There is nothing better than observing new cultivars grown close to commercial conditions. It is a great opportunity to observe the growth habit of the different cultivars, how they respond to PGRs, and how they finish under the low light of an Ontario November.

Where else will you see the array of colour that exists in poinsettia cultivars today? Not all cultivars suit every marketing situation, and isn’t that great? Market differentiation and consumer choice is important!
Finally, and most importantly it’s a great opportunity to network, and to listen and to learn from the experiences of industry colleagues.

Mark your calendar today and plan to attend. Hope to see you on Dec. 8.

Wayne Brown is the greenhouse floriculture specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, University of Guelph, in Vineland. • 905-562-4141, ext. 179; wayne.brown@omafra.gov.on.ca