For Plantpeddler Poinsettia Variety Day, breeders and attendees were greeted with a cold, crisp, beautiful, sunny December day in Northeast Iowa. This year's trial featured over 175 commercial and pre-release Poinsettia varieties. Hosted on Thursday, December 1, with representatives from all commercial Poinsettia breeders, broker representatives, and growers in attendance from over 20 states and two European countries. The trial was produced under natural season commercial sustainable production protocol using limited PGRs. In addition, Fantasy Colors paint guru Andrew Lee (Ball) demonstrated value-added Poinsettia paint and upgrade treatments.
Dr. Andrew Lee's demo of Ball Fantasy Colors
Genetics were submitted by Beekenkamp, Dummen Orange, Lazzeri, Rinehart Poinsettias, Selecta, Suntory, and Syngenta Flowers. Plantpeddler is licensed by all breeders represented and prides itself on being a one-stop shop for premium Poinsettia liners. "With our leadership position in Poinsettias, this investment is for our retailers, growers, brokers, and breeding partners," said Mike Gooder, President of Plantpeddler, as to why Plantpeddler conducts their Poinsettia trial. Another commitment of Plantpeddler is to facilitate best practices in the horticulture industry.
Day of the event
As a true production trial, the tested varieties were grown within a block of benchmark commercial varieties with the same treatments and environmental conditions. This year, the Fall production conditions were cooler than average, with average light levels. Mike said, "The Poinsettia trial and Variety Day event emphasizes our commitment to the industry by showcasing genetics under northern USA growing conditions. It is important to do a Poinsettia production trial as a way for the industry and our growers to see how varieties perform in real-world greenhouse conditions."
Day of the event
Trial attendees voted using a three-flag system for "Best Red Variety" and "Best Non-Red Variety" with a 3, 2, 1 point scoring. The results are as follows:
Gary Sainsbury of Syngenta Flowers with Ruby Red #1 Red 2022.
Andrea Lazzeri of Lazzeri with Mike Gooder of Plantpeddler holding Superba New Glitter #1 Non-Red 2022. New Glitter has place 3rd in 2020 and 1st in 2021
Plantpeddler extends a sincere thank-you to all the breeders for helping to make this trial possible. Mark your calendars now for next year's Plantpeddler Poinsettia Variety Day trial event on Thursday, November 30, 2023. Plantpeddler's Variety Day trial event showcasing Annuals is August 4, 2023.
On the left: Number 1 Red – Ruby Red from Syngenta Flowers, new for 2023. On the right: Number 1 Non-Red – Superba New Glitter from Lazzeri
For more information:
Plantpeddler
+1(800)8271654
Email: info@plantpeddler.com
www.plantpeddler.com