Bacopa

With increased interest in combination planters, baskets and color bowls, bacopa is a good addition to your growing lineup. Bacopa African Sunset from the Flower Fields collection produces small, scarlet-red flowers and has a vigorous, slightly upright growth habit. Because its habit is more upright than prostrate, African Sunset also makes a very good plant for hanging baskets.

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Bacopa is relatively easy to root. Rooting can be hastened by maintaining substrate temperatures of 70F-75 using bottom heat. Day temperatures during propagation should be 75-80F. Night temperatures should be 68-72F.

Cuttings, usually rooted two per cell in 100-cell trays or 1801 trays, should be ready to transplant in four to five weeks. Avoid overmisting cuttings because this can slow rooting and encourage foliar diseases.

Place cuttings in a clean, well-aerated growing substrate with a pH of 5.5-6.3. Avoid excessive watering throughout the production cycle and provide plants with good air circulation at all times.

After rooted cuttings are transplanted, maintain a temperature of 65F until plants are established, which takes about three weeks. For the rest of the production period, maintain day temperatures of 60-70F and night temperatures of 55-60F. Plants should receive a minimum of 4,000-6,000 footcandles of light.

Apply a balanced controlled liquid fertilizer with 200-250 parts per million nitrogen and a complete micronutrient program. African Sunset should be supplied with calcium fertilizer on a regular basis to help maintain dark-green foliage color. Extra iron, applied as an iron sulfate drench or as an iron chelate drench or spray, may also be needed to ensure good leaf color. Use iron sulfate only if the pH needs to be lowered, but avoid contact with leaves, which can be burned easily.

A slow-release fertilizer may be beneficial as a supplement to the regular fertilizer program. The slow-release fertilizer can also improve plant performance at retailer and consumer levels.

Electrical conductivity (EC) level should be 2-2.5. To avoid excessive salt accumulation, apply clear water to the substrate periodically.

To encourage plants to branch, pinch cuttings after they are transplanted and become established in the finished container. If bacopa is grown as a single-species container, pinch back shoots again after they have reached the edge of the pots so plants are fuller and fill in the center of containers.

B-Nine growth regulator can be applied as a spray at 1,500-2,500 ppm. The best time to apply B-Nine is during the growth period after a pinch is made. Avoid making late applications once flower buds are visible.

Rooted cuttings transplanted into 4- and 6-inch pots and hanging baskets can usually be pinched after one to two weeks. A second pinch for larger containers can be done three to four weeks later. Total crop time for 4-inch pots is 12 weeks, 12-14 weeks for larger containers. Production time can be reduced if plants are grown under warmer temperatures. Avoid day temperatures above 90, which can result in reduced flowering and foliage burn.

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Relative humidity should be kept below 70 percent to avoid disease problems (including botrytis and pythium). However, mature plants will die if the growing substrate is allowed to dry out.

Fungus gnats and whiteflies are the most common insect problems.

Specifics

Name: Bacopa African Sunset.

Crop timing: For 4-inch pots from cuttings to finished plants takes 12 weeks; for larger containers, 12-14 weeks. Crop time can be hastened if plants are grown under warmer temperatures.

Grower benefits: Relatively easy to root; no major problems; multiple consumer uses.

Selling points: Used as an annual groundcover, in rock gardens, in various containers by itself or in combination with other plants.

For more: Paul Ecke Ranch, P.O. Box 230488, Encinitas, CA 92023-0488; (800) 468-3253; fax (760) 944-4002; www.ecke.com