SEED PROPAGATION
Begonia BADA BING ® / BADA BOOM ® F1 Begonia semperflorens REC TRAY FORMS PLUG TIME
SEEDS/CELL SEED COVER GERM TIME
SOIL TEMP
GERM LIGHT
MEDIA pH/EC
288-cell tray
Raw, Pelleted
7–8 weeks
1–2
No
6–8 days
72–78 °F (22–26 °C)
Not required for germination pH: 5.5–5.9
SME 0.5–0.75 mS/cm Comments: Avoid overwatering to help prevent excess algae growth and to promote root growth into the media. If germinating on the bench it is helpful to cover trays with Reemay ® or similar to help retain humidity and reduce irrigation frequency. When irrigating use low pressure/volume nozzles/breakers to avoid moving seeds around in the cell. If the daily light integral (DLI) is less than 12 mols/day adding supplemental HID light will promote a more uniform crop. Do not use plug trays that have been used previously and had a crop treated with paclobutrazol grown in them. Most Begonia semperflorens will stop growing if exposed to any level of paclobutrazol. Do not irrigate with recycled water for this reason.
Begonia BOSSA NOVA ™ F1 Begonia boliviensis REC TRAY FORMS PLUG TIME
SEEDS/CELL SEED COVER GERM TIME
SOIL TEMP
GERM LIGHT
MEDIA pH/EC
288-cell tray
Pelleted
7–9 weeks
1
No
14 days
73–78 °F (23–25 °C)
Not required for germination pH: 5.5–5.8
SME 0.5–1.0 mS/cm Comments: Irrigate early in the day to avoid leaf scorch when high light levels are present. Allowing the soil surface to dry between irrigations will reduce algae growth. Light is not essential for emergence, but additional light at 14 hours per day will greatly enhance germination and early growth. Maintain high humidity until day 14 when it can be reduced to around 50%. Once out of the chamber, it is helpful to cover trays with Reemay ® or similar to help retain humidity and reduce irrigation frequency. Avoid irrigating with cold water. 65° is ideal.
Begonia LIMITLESS ™ Begonia tuberhybrida REC TRAY FORMS PLUG TIME
SEEDS/CELL SEED COVER GERM TIME
SOIL TEMP
GERM LIGHT
MEDIA pH/EC
288-cell tray pH: 5.5–5.9 SME 0.5–0.75 mS/cm Comments: Tuberous Begonias will form tubers and single flowers under short days so providing night interruption lighting for a total of at least 14 hours is necessary, even in the plug stage. During the early stages of growth, irrigate very gently since Begonia seedlings are very small and heavy watering will disturb the roots. This is a relatively long plug crop so keeping the media too wet can lead to excessive algae growth. Pelleted 7–8 weeks 1 No 7–10 days 73–78 °F (23–26 °C) Required for germination
Begonia EUREKA ™ / TOPSPIN ™ F1 Begonia semperflorens REC TRAY FORMS PLUG TIME
SEEDS/CELL SEED COVER GERM TIME
SOIL TEMP
GERM LIGHT
MEDIA pH/EC
288-cell tray
Pelleted
7–8 weeks
1–2
No
6–8 days
72–78 °F (22–26 °C)
Not required for germination pH: 5.5–5.9
SME 0.5–0.75 mS/cm Comments: Avoid overwatering to help prevent excess algae growth and to promote root growth into the media. If germinating on the bench it is helpful to cover trays with Reemay ® or similar to help retain humidity and reduce irrigation frequency. When irrigating use low pressure/volume nozzles/breakers to avoid moving seeds around in the cell. If the daily light integral (DLI) is less than 12 mols/day adding supplemental HID light will promote a more uniform crop. Do not use plug trays that have been used previously and had a crop treated with paclobutrazol grown in them. Most Begonia semperflorens will stop growing if exposed to any level of paclobutrazol. Do not irrigate with recycled water for this reason.
Begonia Interspecific BIONIC ™ / BOWLER ™ / TOPHAT ™ F1 Begonia × hybrida REC TRAY FORMS PLUG TIME SEEDS/CELL SEED COVER GERM TIME
SOIL TEMP
GERM LIGHT
MEDIA pH/EC
288-cell tray
Pelleted
7–8 weeks
1
No
6–8 days
72–78 °F (22–26 °C)
Beneficial for germination
pH: 5.5–5.9 SME 0.5–0.75 mS/cm
Comments: Avoid overwatering to help prevent excess algae growth and to promote root growth into the media. If germinating on the bench, it is helpful to cover trays with Reemay ® or similar to help retain humidity and reduce irrigation frequency. When irrigating, use low pressure/volume nozzles/breakers to avoid moving seeds around in the cell. If the daily light integral (DLI) is less than 12 mols/day, adding supplemental HID light will promote a more uniform crop.
Celosia BRIGHT SPARKS ™ OP Celosia plumosa erecta REC TRAY FORMS PLUG TIME
SEEDS/CELL SEED COVER GERM TIME
SOIL TEMP
GERM LIGHT
MEDIA pH/EC
288-cell tray
Raw
4–5 weeks
1
Yes
2–4 days
70–75 °F (21–24 °C)
Required for germination
pH: 5.5–5.9 SME 0.9–1.3 mS/cm
Comments: Bright Sparks celosia will flower early under short days, so to allow bulking of the plug provide a 14-hour day length during propagating.
Cleome SPARKLER ™ 2.0 / SPARKLER ™ F1 Cleome hassleriana REC TRAY FORMS PLUG TIME
SEEDS/CELL SEED COVER GERM TIME
SOIL TEMP
GERM LIGHT
MEDIA pH/EC
288-cell tray
Raw
3–4 weeks
1
Yes
4–6 days
80–85 °F (26–30 °C) days 68–70 °F (20–21 °C) nights
Required for germination
pH: 5.5–5.9 SME 0.9–1.3 mS/cm
Comments: A 15 °F (-9 °C) positive DIF is recommended for best germination results. Cleome is a heavy feeder; start feeding in the plug about 2 weeks after sowing.
GROWER SUCCESS GUIDE 2023-2024 | ANNUALS
7
Made with FlippingBook Learn more on our blog