Poinsettia FASTFACTS

Eckespoint^® Punch Family

Product Description Dark green foliage Full color series  Excellent branching and plant form Early flowering Excellent post production qualities		Cultural Tips Natural flowering before Thanksgiving Minimal growth retardant anticipated Use 20% less fertilizer than medium green leaf cultivars

STOCK: For maximum production of good quality cuttings, maintain minimum night temperatures of 66-68°F/19-20°C throughout the production season. Use of night interruption lighting from 10:00 PM to 2:00 AM is recommended through 15 May to prevent flower initiation. Provide a balanced and complete fertilizer regime to assure optimum plant growth. A minimum of 10 foot candles/107 lux is required to be effective. Light intensities of 4,500 to 5,000 foot candles/48,400 to 53,800 lux are ideal provided daytime greenhouse temperatures do not exceed 90°F/32°C.

Prestige  mother plants:

• produce ample cuttings under good cultural management
• have an optimum cutting maturity of 6 weeks
• are adaptable to multiple (2-3) pinch or single pinch (fast crop) programs
• may require shading or cooling protection from increased daytime temperatures 85°+F/29°+C that occur at high light intensities of 5,000+ foot candles/53,800 lux
  

PROPAGATION: Cuttings root quickly under normal propagation conditions. Use of a rooting hormone containing up to 2500 ppm IBA will promote speed and uniformity of root development. Minimal chemical growth retardant applications are needed during propagation to prevent stretching.

FINISHED PLANT CHARACTERISTICS: The Punch Family is easy to grow and performs well in most sized containers. The natural flower initiation date of approximately 25 September is similar to other poinsettia cultivars. Because of its 8-week flower response time, this family is ready for market before Thanksgiving for most growers. For branched plants, pinch within 10 to 14 days of transplanting. It is important to avoid heat and high light stress on young plants. Provide shading and cooling until about two weeks after pinching. Chemical growth retardant requirements may be minimum, but use if needed as determined from graphical tracking. The Punch Family responds to A-Rest®, Bonzi®, Cycocel®, Sumagic® or combinations of B-Nine® and Cycocel®, if treatments are needed. The Punch Family is resistant to epinasty and withstands the rigors of sleeving, boxing and shipping.

CULTIVAR NOTES:

• Bracts and leaves of the Punch Family are smaller and more serrated than other poinsettia cultivars, making them ideal for use in miniature forms.
• Do not use Exotherm Termil® on any bracts. It bleaches the bract color.

©1999 Paul Ecke Ranch All Rights Reserved

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Fast Faxes are one of many forms of technical assistance provided by the Ecke Ranch. For additional information on Poinsettias, please consult our website www.ecke.com or for technical assistance, log on to www.ecke.com/techhelp. We hope the information provided will be helpful. It is based upon and knowledge (including information provided by the recipient) considered to be true and accurate, but without independent investigation and is offered for the recipient's consideration, investigation and verification, but we do not warrant the results to be obtained. Please read all statement, recommendations, or suggestions in conjunction with any conditions of sale or use which apply to any products, or systems recommended by us. No statement, recommendation, or suggestion is intended for any use which would infringe any patent/copyright.