Poinsettia FASTFACTS

Poinsettia FASTFACTS

Polly’s Pink™


Product Description Dark green foliage Bright, hot pink bracts Strong stems with upright growth habit similar to Prestige Excellent post production qualities	Response Time: 8.5-9 weeks Vigor: Medium Durability: Excellent Shelf Life: Excellent Figure 1 Polly’s Pink- intense hot pink bracts	Cultural Tips Natural flowering near Thanksgiving Day (November 25) May need some growth retardant application No late season stretch

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. A minimum of 10-foot candles/107 lux at plant height is required to be effective. Provide a balanced and complete fertilizer regime to assure optimum plant growth. 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.

Polly’s Pink 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. Chemical growth retardant applications may be needed during propagation to prevent stretching.

FINISHED PLANT CHARACTERISTICS: Polly’s Pink is easy to grow and performs well in a variety of container sizes. Its vigor is well suited for specimen forms but it is also easily controlled in smaller 4” and 6” sizes. Plant growth is very uniform with all bracts visible in the floral display. The natural flower initiation date of approximately 25 September is similar to other poinsettia cultivars. Because of its 8.5 -9 week flower response time, Polly’s Pink is ready the mid to late season market. It is important to avoid heat and high light stress on young plants. Pinch within 10 to 14 days of transplanting for branched plants. Provide shading and cooling until about two weeks after pinching. Chemical growth retardant requirements may be minimal, but use if needed as determined from graphical tracking. Polly’s Pink is responsive to A-Rest®, Bonzi®, Cycocel®, Sumagic® or combinations of B-Nine® and Cycocel®, if treatments are needed. In cooler, lower light regions of the northern United States this cultivar will finish later. Where markets require an earlier finish force flowering with blackclothing, using and 8.5 week response time to schedule this cultivar. Because of its large, strong upright branches, there should be very little branch breakage during sleeving of the finished product. Polly’s Pink is resistant to epinasty and withstands the rigors of sleeving, boxing and shipping.

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.

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