Ornamental Bedding Plants
Main Description
Traditionally, bedding plants are those plants used to provide colour in summer garden beds. Although some writers include any herbaceous plant started under controlled environmental conditions and sold for outdoor use, embracing a number of fruit and vegetable crops, in this book ornamental bedding plants include tender herbaceous ornamental annuals and biennials only.
As with other titles in this series, the aim of this book is to present scientific principles that underlie production practices. The author discusses traditional and plug methods of production, the latter having revolutionized mass market production during the last decade. The principles of propagation and growing on, including the role of nutrition and media, temperature, light, supplemental carbon dioxide and growth regulators, are described. Aspects of postproduction, diseases and pests, and mechanization, are also considered. There is also an appendix providing production guidelines for 15 major bedding plant species, including begonia, impatiens, petunia, marigolds and pansies. Written by one of America’s foremost horticultural scientists and writers, the book is invaluable for plant producers or growers, as well as for students of ornamental or amenity horticulture.
Main Contents
Introduction
• Occurrence by family
• Horticultural uses
• Breeding and selection
• Commercial methods of bedding plant production - traditional and plugs
Physiology and Propagation
• Seed propagation
• Commercial practices for seed germination
• Other means of propagation
Growing-on
• Nutrition and media
• Temperature
• Light
• Supplemental carbon dioxide
• Growth regulation of bedding plants crops
• Finishing
Postproduction
• Postproduction of plugs
• Postproduction of the finished bedding plant
Diseases and Pests
• Control of diseases and pests
• Disease and pest organisms
Mechanization of production
The future
Appendix: Guidelines for commercial production of 15 bedding plant crops
• Antirrhinum majus (Snapdragon)
• Begonia semperflorens-cultorum (Wax begonia, fibrous begonia)
• Begonia tuberhybrida (Tuberous begonia)
• Catharanthus roseus (Madagascar periwinkle, Vinca)
• Celosia argentea (Cockscomb, Celosia)
• Impatiens walleriana (Impatiens)
• Impatiens x hybrida (I. hawkeri) (New Guinea impatiens)
• Lobelia erinus (Lobelia)
• Pelargonium x hortorum (Annual geranium)
• Petunia x hybrida (Petunia)
• Primula x polyantha (P. acaulis) (Primrose)
• Salvia splendens (Salvia)
• Senecio cineraria (Dusty miller)
• Tagetes erecta, T. patula (African, French marigold)
• Viola x wittrockiana (Pansy)
References
Index
