Garvinea Sweet Love

Published June 01, 2017

From early spring until the first frost, Florist Holland’s Garvinea Sweet series produces a nonstop supply of super-sized flowers in bright and vibrant colors. One of the new highlights for the coming season is the lovely red-colored Garvinea Sweet Love.

With a high pest and disease resistance, cold and heat tolerance and an excellent rebloom habit, Garvinea has proven to be a reliable garden plant.

For more: floristholland.com

Basic Growing Tips

Since its introduction, Garvinea has been extensively cultivated and tested around the world. Due to its vigorous, all-weather and disease-resistance, the series offers several advantages for growers and gardeners.

Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are not required or recommended.
Irrigation should occur in the morning. The crop should be dry when night falls, to avoid root problems.
Grow the crop on the “dry” side. Irrigation control with slightly moist substrate is the key to success.
Transplant the young plants into 6 to 8 inch pots with at least six drainage holes.
Average crop timing after transplant depends on climate conditions, pot size.
Summertime finishing is 8-12 weeks.
Wintertime finishing is 12-14 weeks.

Substrate & transplanting

Transplant directly into 6 to 8 inch pots.
Make sure the plugs are planted in the middle of the pot at the same level as the soil surface.
The pH should ideally be between 5.5 and 5.8 with an EC of 1.0 to 1.5. If the pH is too high, the leaves will start to develop yellow leaves.
For the first 4-6 weeks after transplanting, the plants can be placed pot tight, for an optimal micro climate.

Temperature

Ideal temperatures are 58-66°F day and night for the first six weeks. After that you can drop your night temperatures to 54-58°F.
The drop in night temperature allows the plant to set several buds and finish with a full canopy of color.

Lighting

Ideal light conditions are 35.000–45.000 lux / 3.250–4.200 ft*c for the first 6 weeks. For the final finishing phase higher light is recommended 45.000–55.000 lux / 4.200–5.100 ft*c
During darker seasons, artificial lighting is recommended to maintain product quality. Add approx. 5.500 lux (510 ft*c) to ensure optimal light level.

Irrigation

Start irrigation from above for strong root development.
Once the plants are fully rooted in the pot, you can start irrigation from below using an ebb/flow system. Drip tape also works well or you can continue to overhead water.
Use a prepared basic fertilizer, similar to 18-9-18 or 17-15-17 with added micros, for plant growth and development. A full fertilizer schedule is available upon request.

Spacing

As soon as the plants are touching leaves, it is recommended that the plants be spaced and moved to a cooler greenhouse for hardening. This is approximately five weeks after transplanting in a 6-inch pot.
Place pot tight plants at five plants per square foot. Spaced plants at one plant per square foot.

Pests & Diseases

Follow your pest and disease protocol currently in use at your facility for pest and disease prevention for the other annuals being grown.

A life attainable

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