The most critical factor in growing a successful geranium crop is starting them off correctly. A grower must be prepared for the arrival of the cuttings so that they are transplanted immediately to minimize any possible stress. I can’t stress this enough, MINIMIZE STRESS.
Step 1: CVI®
Oglevee Geraniums are CVI® cuttings, culture and virus indexed. This means that Oglevee is shipping a "clean" cutting devoid of bacteria and viruses. This alone is an insurance policy to growers that they are starting with geraniums that are free of major vascular diseases. By purchasing clean stock geraniums, you are guaranteeing yourself benefits beyond the absence of disease. The presence of vascular bacteria and viruses may inhibit a plant’s ability to reach its full genetic potential. By removing these inhibitors, a variety can reach performance levels that non-indexed plants can’t. A clean variety will flower quicker, have larger flower heads, increased basal branching, more vigor, enhanced garden performance, and better heat and drought tolerance. These benefits are measurable when compared to a non-CVI cutting. But in order for a grower to see these enhanced benefits, you CAN’T STRESS these cuttings. Stress reduces some of the CVI® benefits. This is a cumulative process and once you stress a cutting, you can’t make up what’s been lost.
Step 2: Preparation & Planting
So how do you start your geranium crop off successfully? First one must sanitize the greenhouse, benches, watering systems, and tools that will come in contact with the crop. Next, one must start with a sterile peat lite mix, which is pH adjusted to 5.8. If you are not using new pots, sterilize them. Have all your pots filled, laid out on the bench, and watered in one day before your cuttings arrive. Last, have your labor scheduled correctly so they are on hand when the cuttings arrive.
When rooted cuttings arrive, unpack them immediately and water them. Next, start transplanting them into your pre-moistened mix. If you’re purchasing Plant Paks®, remember to break open the strips so that the cuttings are easy to remove. Don’t pull the cuttings out of the strips; this will damage the root system and stress the cutting. Transplant the cuttings slightly deeper than the root ball level to keep moisture from being wicked out of the root ball, which will add stress. Once the cuttings are transplanted, water them thoroughly with three irrigations, one hour between each irrigation. This sounds like a lot of water, but the water helps settle the plant into the pot and establishes good contact between the root ball and your potting mix. From day two through five the roots are still confined to the original root ball and have not ventured out into the potting mix. Each day look at the root ball and if it starts to dry a little, water each day at mid-day. Remember, these efforts are intended to minimize any moisture stress. By day seven, roots should be reaching out to the edge of the pot, if not, salt buildup may be the problem, water well. Once you have roots moving out into the mix, you can start to feed at 250 ppm. The specific fertilizer you choose should depend on your water quality and mix type.
Step Three: Growing On
Light intensity in this initial stage should be 3500 foot candles. Maintain good air movement throughout the crop. This will reduce the relative air humidity and the occurrence of oedema and botrytis. The proper pH levels are 5.8 to 6.1 for zonal geraniums, 5.5 for ivy geraniums, and 6.2 to 6.5 for Stardom floribunda geraniums. The EC or salt level should be between 1.1 to 1.3. Once you get above 1.3, it’s time to leach. It’s an excellent idea to test your soil every two weeks for pH and EC, and graph these results with weeks on the X axis and either pH or EC on the Y axis. By graphing, you can see the trends that are occurring in the soil and take corrective actions before you get outside the acceptable ranges. Again, when you deviate outside the norm, you’re stressing the crop, reducing some of the benefits of the CVI® process.
The pivotal word in starting your geranium crop off correctly is no STRESS. Any time you stress your crop, you are reducing some of the performance benefits of the CVI® process. By being prepared for the arrival of transplants, starting with a clean greenhouse, watering correctly, and maintaining proper levels of air humidity, light intensity, pH, E.C., and purchasing Oglevee CVI® cuttings, you are well on your way to getting your geranium crop off to a great start. Now we all know it takes a great start to get a great finish.