Easy Grow Guide Cosmos Apollo Cosmos bipinnatus
floranova creative plant breeding
Plug Production: 288 plugs Sowing/Media: Use a well-drained, disease-free, peat based plug medium with pH 5.8-6.6, EC <0.75 mmhos. Cover seed with a thin layer of vermiculite, media should be moist, not saturated. Germination Stages 1: (3-5 days) Keep medium uniformly moist until seedlings are hooking above the covering, media temperature should be 66-70°F (19-21°C). Germination Stages 2: Dry down slightly to avoid stretch but avoid wilting, keep media temperature at 66-70°F (19-21°C), germination should be com - plete in 5-7 days. Fertilization can begin with 50-100ppm N from a well balanced fertilizer. Germination Stage 3: Allow media to dry further between irrigations to improve rooting and control stretch, but avoid wilting. Media temperature can be dropped to 63-66°F (17-19°C), light levels should be <3000 f.c. Fertilize with 100-150ppm N from a well balanced fertilizer, keep media pH at 5.8-6.2 and EC <0.75mmhos. Germination Stage 4: Practice good wet/dry moisture cycle avoiding wilt, maintain media temperatures at 63-66°F (17-19°C), keep light levels <3000 f.c. Fertilize as stage 3. Apollo is a facultative short day variety. Extending day length to 12-14 hours in the plug stage will help to prevent premature budding. Growth Regulators: Some growth control can be achieved naturally by good moisture management as long as the plants don’t wilt. If needed, a spray of Bonzi (10-15ppm) will help to control early stretch. It is best to run your own trials to avoid overdosing, as weather and cultural regimes can afect the requirements. Growing On to Finish: Cell Packs, 4” (10.5cm) up to 8” (20cm) pots Media: Use a well-drained, disease free, peat-based growing mix with pH 5.8-6.2, EC 1.0-1.5mmhos. Temperatures: Temperatures for growing on should be 65-70°F (18-21°C). Growing under higher temperatures will reduce crop time. Avoid frost. Light: Light levels should be 3000 - 5000 f.c. as a guide. Apollo is a facultative short day variety. Extending day length to 12-14 hours will help to prevent premature budding. Irrigation: Practice a good wet/dry moisture cycle, avoiding wilt. Fertilizer: Feed 1–2 times per week with 100-150 ppm N from a well balanced fertilizer, changing to a higher K fertilizer at bud formation. Keep media pH 5.8- 6.2, and media EC 1.0-1.5mmhos. Growth Regulators: Growth can be controlled naturally by good moisture management, avoiding wilt. If needed use sprays of B-Nine (2500 – 5000 ppm) or Bonzi (15 – 30 ppm). It is best to run your own trials to avoid overdosing, as weather and cultural regimes can afect the requirements. Pests: Aphids, Thrips. Diseases: Cosmos rarely sufer from disease.
Plug Times: 288 Plug:
4-5 weeks from sowing to transplant
Transplant to Finish: Container
Plants/Container
Transplant to Finish
Total Crop Time
1x plug
5-6 weeks 5-6 weeks
9-11 weeks 9-11 weeks
4” (10.5cm):
3 x plugs
6-7”(15-18cm):
Crop times are based on UK Spring trials under natural day length. Alternative environmental and cultural regimes can alter the crop times stated above.
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