3-26-08

This week in lab we had very little to do because the crop we are growing are getting close to harvest.  I was able to take home some more plants.  My Basil, Cosmos, Tomatoes, and Sweet Alyssum were the things I took.

Pests: This week I found 2 thrips and 1 fungus gnat on my sticky card.

Growth: This week my Tango Dark Red Zonal Geraniums are 16 cm tall and 25 cm wide.   My Sophie Cascade Ivy Geraniums are 22 cm tall and 58 cm wide.  My ‘Miramar’ Mums are 26 cm tall and 39 cm wide.  My Snapdragons are 93 cm tall and 43 cm wide. 

Cultural Treatments: This week I had to trim my Ipomoea out of the center of the pot so that my Angelonia would have room to grow.  I also thinned my peppers to 1 seedling per cell.  I transplanted 2 of my basil cells into 4.5 in pots.  I put 1 cell per pot.  My petunias were also thinned to 3 seedlings per cell.

Nutrition: All fertigation rates and irrigation rates are the same.  The Huechera I recieved this week will be fertigated with 200 ppm 20-10-20.  We did not take E.C. or pH readings this week.

3-19-08         

This week in lab we did several different cultural treatments.  We also got to take some plants home.  The Easter lilies, azaleas, and chives were all ready.  I look forward to giving them to my family this weekend.

Pests: This week my sticky card had a lot of pests on it.  I had 4 thrips,1 whitefly, 1 fungus gnat, and 2 unknowns.

Nutrition: This week the mums were taken off of fertigation to increase post harvest life.  All of the other fertigation and irrigation rates are the same.  I took E.C. and pH readings on my Miramar Mums and Avendia Geraniums.  The E.C. reading on my mums is 3.3 and the pH is 6.8.  The E.C. on my Geraniums is 1.4 and the pH is 6.9.

Growth: This week my Sophie Ivy Geraniums are 20cm tall and 58 cm wide.  My Tango Dark Red Zonal Geraniums are 15cm tall and 21cm wide.  My ‘
Miramar’ mums are 26cm tall and 37 cm wide. My Snapdragons are 69 cm tall and 15 cm wide.

Cultural Treatments: This week 5 of my mums had CBR and 1 was disbudded.  I disbudded the most compact mum I had which happened to be a ‘
Miramar’ mum.  I also has to disbud my Heliotrope & Zinnias.  I also had to thin my Marigolds to one seedling per cell.  I sprayed them with 2500 ppm B-nine.  My tomatoes, peppers, and cosmos were thinned to 1 seedling per cell.  My basil and petunias were thinned to 3 seedlings per cell.  My alyssum was thinned to 5 seedlings per cell.  I also checked to see if I needed to Emasculate my Easter Lilies.  Just for good measure I also tied another string grid to support my snapdragons.

3-4-08

This week in lab I potted ‘Indian Summer’ Rudbeckia and a Vegetative Annual Mixed Container.  The Rudbeckia was potted one plug per 1 qt. nursery container.  I used Sunshine #1 media in all 4 pots.  The Vegetative Annual mix was potted in Sunshine #1 media also.  A 10” decorative pot was used.  The annuals were planted in a plus pattern.  There is one rooted cutting of each of the following annuals for a total of 5 cuttings.  The annuals include: Superbells Tequilla Sunrise Calibrachoa, ‘Rustic Orange’ Coleus, ‘Nagano’ Heliotropium, Angelface Blue Angelonia, and ‘Margarita’ Ipomoea.

Pests: This week I fopund 5 thrips on my sticky card.

Growth: My Rudbeckia are 5cm tall and 15 cm wide.  My ‘
Miramar’ Mums are 16 cm tall and 30 cm wide.  My Snapdragons are 46 cm tall and 38 cm wide.  My Tango Dark Red Zonal Geraniums are 15 cm tall and 23 cm wide.  My Sophie Cascade Ivy Geraniums are 17 cm tall and 48 cm wide.  I was told not to measure my annual mix.

Nutrition: My Rudbeckia and Vegetative Annual Mix are being fertigated with 200ppm 20-10-20.  All fertigation and irrigation rates are the same.  This week I took EC and pH readings on my Sophie Cascade Ivy Geraniums and my Easter Lilies.  The EC on my geraniums was 0.8 and the pH was 7.2.  The EC on my Easter Lilies was 1.2 and the pH was 7.1.

Cultural Treatments: This week I had to thin my seed flats to one seedling per cell using scissors.  When thinning I chose the healthiest, most mature seedling.  I had to tie another string grid on my snapdragons for support.  I had to disbud all my geraniums for the last time.  I removed blind shoots from my azaleas.  This week my Easter lily buds measured at 7 days to open.  If this were a crop for sale the temperature would need to be lowered to slow the opening of the buds.  I also had to disbud my Zinnias to encourage branching.   My Rudbeckia were divided between my bench and the LD night interruption bench, 2 were placed on each bench.

2-27-08

This week in lab we sowed 6 different seeds, Marigold seeds, and planted Zinnias.  I also measured my Easter Lily buds again.

I sowed 1 6-pack of each of the following: tomatoes, cosmos, basil, petunias, ornamental peppers, and alyssum.  The tomatoes, cosmos, and basil were all planted and then covered with a light layer of media.  The petunias, peppers, and alyssum were left uncovered because they need light to germinate.  The marigolds I sowed were ‘Durango Tangerine’.  I sowed 6 6-packs or 1 flat of them, and my watering partner sowed 1 flat of the ‘Durango Bolero’.  They were also lightly covered with media.  I used Metro Mix 200 media for all of the seeds.  I put 2 seeds per cell.  These were all placed on a bench and covered with plastic to keep the moisture in till they germinate.  A mist bench could also be used instead of the plastic.  I watered the media with clear water before sowing my seeds.  I potted 4 5in pots with ‘Profusion White’ Zinnias.  There is one plug per pot planted in Sunshine #1 media.

Nutrition: This week I took E.C. and pH readings on my snapdragons and my Boston Jr. Ferns.  The E.C. reading on my snapdragons is 1.6 and the pH is 6.5.  My Boston Jr. Fern E.C. is 1.7 and the pH is 6.9.  The fertigation rates have changed on several of the crops. The new rate is 200ppm 20-10-20.  This will allow a lush plant to develope.  The crops affected are Zinnias, Chives, Ivy Geraniums, Zonal Geraniums and Snapdragons.  The Azaleas and ferns are still being irrigated with clear water during the week and the ferns are being fertigated on the weekends.  The Easter lilies are still being fertigated with 200ppm 15-0-15.  The Mums are still being fertigated with 400ppm 20-10-20

Cultural Treatments: I checked all my plants for dead leaves and removed floral buds from my geraniums.  I also removed the blind shoots from my azaleas.  My snapdragons grew enough this week so I added another string grid for support.  I measured my easter lily buds and they are at 9cm.  At the current temperature they will be open in 9 days.  My lilies were also rotated to help them grow straight because they are leaning to one side.

Pests: This week there were no pests on my sticky card on 1 little spider.

Growth: My Zinnias are a “huge” 3cm tall and 7cm wide.  My Tango Dark Red Zonal Geraniums are 13cm tall and 21cm wide.  My Sophie Cascade Ivy Geraniums are 17cm tall and 48cm wide and my snapdragons are 42cm tall and 35 cm wide.      

2-20-08

This week in lab I did not receive any new plants. I check EC and pH, sprayed growth regulators and did several other things.  This week I was able to measure my Easter Lily buds.  My buds measured at 3 cm.  At the current temperature it will take 25 days to flower.  As of Wednesday there were 25 days till Palm Sunday.  At the current temperature, my lilies will be right on schedule for retail sales.

Growth: This week my plants all grew a little bit.  My Tango Dark Red Zonal Geraniums are 12 cm tall and 19 cm wide. After the soft pinch last week my Sophie Cascade Ivy Geraniums are 13 cm tall and 38 cm wide.  My ‘
Miramar’ Chrysanthemums are now 11 cm tall and 30 cm wide.  My Snapdragons are 30cm tall and 42 cm wide.

Pests: This week I found no new pests on my sticky card.  The spray application last Friday must have worked, or the insects just do not like my plants.

Nutrition:  This week I took EC and pH readings on my Tango Geraniums and Roanoke Mums.  The EC on  my geraniums is 1.3 and my mums it is 0.9.  The pH on my geraniums and my mums is 6.4.  All of the fertigations rates are still the same.  I am irrigating my azaleas and ferns with clear water.  The ferns are still getting fertigated on the weekends.

Cultural Treatments: This week my mums were sprayed with B-nine at 2500ppm to control growth.  My geraniums received a spray of pgr Florel at 350ppm.  I also removed any floral buds and dead leaves.  My snapdragons are now tall enough to add another string grid.  The string grid supports the stems and keeps them growing straight up.  My azaleas are doing great.  The floral buds are developing nicely and I am still removing the blind shoots so the flowers will be visible.

2-13-08 

This week in lab I received three azaleas.  The azaleas I chose were Prize, Scarlet, and Remembrance.  The azaleas are already grown to full size and have gone through the pinching and shearing steps, all we are doing is forcing them to flower.  All of the azaleas are shades of pink, so it will be interesting to see the different shades once they bloom.   

Pests:  This week I found 1 Fungus Gnat, 3 thrips, and 1insects that I was unable to identify.  Taking with other people in lab my insect counts are really low. 

Nutrition: This week I took pH and EC readings on my Miramar mums and Avendia Geraniums.  The average EC readings on my mums was 2.3, the pH was 5.5.  The EC readings were much lower this week because they were leeched on Monday to flush out the soluble salts in the media.  The geranium readings were 1.5 EC and 6.1 pH.  All of the fertigation rates are still the same.  The Azaleas are receiving only clear water. 

Cultural Treatments:  This week all of my mums were moved to my bench.  They were taken off of night interruption lighting and started on short days to encourage flower initiation.  My Sophie Cascade Ivy Geraniums received a soft pinch to help encourage branching.  The main branches were the only ones pinched.  I also attached my pot hangers.  I removed any blind shoots on my azaleas.  The blind shoots will hide the flowers if allowed to grow.  This week I checked my Easter Lily Buds.  The buds were visible but still too small to measure.  I also had to sprench them with Gnatrol to control fungus gnat larvae.  The Gnatrol rate was 32oz/100gal.  A sprench is a cross between a drench and a spray.  Friday there was an application of Azatin & Decathlon on everything except the ferns and chives.  The Azatin is an insect growth regulator, used to control the nymph stages of aphids and the pupal and larval stages of thrips at a rate of 16oz/100gal.  Decthlon is a synthetic pyrethroid used to control the nymph and adult stages of aphids, adult and larval stages of thrips, as well as the adult stages of fungus gnats at a rate of 1.9oz/100gal.  I also spaced all of the plants on my bench.  The Ivy Geraniums are on a 24in center.  The plants on 12 in centers are the Zonal Geraniums, Mums, Azaleas, and Easter Lilies.  The Ferns and Chives are on 6in centers.  I also disbudded all my geraniums and removed any dead leaves from all my plants. 

Growth:  My plants are steadily growing.  My Tango Dark Red Zonal Geraniums are 12cm tall and 15cm wide.  My Sophie Cascade Ivy Geraniums are 15cm tall and 36cm wide.  My ‘Miramar’ Chrysanthemums are going strong after the hard pinch they received last week.  They are 10cm tall and 30cm wide.  My snapdragons are growing the fastest, they are 25cm tall and 42cm wide.  My azaleas are 22cm tall and 34cm wide.

2-6-08

This week in lab I planted Pot Onion Chives.  They were planted in Sunshine #1 media.  I planted 4, 4.5 inch pots with 5 plugs in each pot.  My pot chives measured 19cm tall and 11 cm wide. 

Pests: This week I found 1 thrip on my sticky card.

Nutrition: This week the Pot Onion Chives were watered in with clear water in lab, in the future they will be fertigated with 200ppm 15-16-17. The geraniums, Snapdragons, and Easter Lilies are continuing to be fertigated with 200ppm 15-16-17.  The mums are still being fertigated with 400ppm 20-10-20.  The fern are still watered with clear water during the week and fertigated with 20-10-20 on weekends.  I also took pH and EC readings on my ‘Sophie Cascade’ Ivy Geraniums and my Easter Lilies.  The EC reading was 3.9 on my geraniums and 1.4 on my lilies.  The pH was 6 on my geraniums and 5.8 on my lilies.

Growth: My Miramar Mums are 9cm tall and 26cm wide.  My Ivy Geraniums did not grow at all; they are 11cm tall and 29cm wide.  The Snapdragons are now 18cm tall and 38 cm wide.  They grew 8cm taller and 10cm wider.  My Tango Dark Red Zonal Geraniums are 10cm tall and 14 cm wide.  They grew 1cm taller and 4c m wider.

Cultural: This week all of the crops were treated with
Marathon to prevent the infestation of  whiteflies, thrips, and aphids.  All crops were also treated with Banrot, a systemic fungicide that prevents root rot.  I checked my geraniums for and dead leaves or floral buds.  I did not remove any.  I also sprayed them with pgr Florel 350ppm and spaced them.  My mums were first pinched at 7 nodes and then I removed any dead leaves. The mums are still under n.i. lighting.  On my snapdragons I tied a string grid to the cage for support.

February 2, 2008

This week in lab we potted up more new plants. I planted 4 different cultivars of pot ferns. They were planted in 5” pots, one plug per pot.  The cultivars include: ‘Boston Junior’, ‘Emerald Vase’, ‘Southern Maidenhair’, and ‘Rosy Maidenhair’. Each cultivar had 2 pots so I have a total of eight ferns.  The ferns were planted in Sunshine LC1 media, this has no vermiculite so it will have better drainage so the ferns do not rot.   

 I also planted 5 different cultivars of Snapdragons in 2, 14” pots. There are a total of 10 plugs per container, 2 from each cultivar. The 5 cultivars were Potomac Appleblossom, Cherry Rose, Early Orange, Early Pink, and Early Rose.  The Snapdragons were planted in Sunshine #1 media.  The next thing I did was cut the legs down on two tomato cages. Finally, I put a cage in each pot to support the Snapdragons as they grow.    

This week we learned about counting leaves on Easter Lilies.  The number of leaves that have unfolded is 59.  The number of days from now till emergence is 45.  We divided 59 by 45 and found we are unfolding 1.3 leaves per day.  Then we found the number of leaves yet to unfold was 24.  The number of days until visible bud or 30 days before Easter is 16.  We then divided 24 by 16 and found that in order for our Easter Lilies to be ready in time to market, we should be unfolding 1.5 leaves per day.  For class, our lilies are still on track because we will not be marketing them prior to Easter.

Pests: This week I counted 2 fungus gnats on my sticky card. I also inspected my plants and did not notice any insects on them.

Nutrition: This week I took EC/pH readings on my Tango Red Geraniums and my Roanoke mums. The average pH reading on the Tango Red Geraniums was 6.2.  The average EC on the geraniums was 3.4.   Both readings on the Geraniums were very good.  The average pH reading on the Roanoke mums was 5.9 and the average EC was over 5.  The EC reading was high on the mums, I was told this could be due to improper calibration of the fertilizer injector.   This week my Roanoke and Miramar mums were fertigated with 400 ppm 20-10-20 fertilizer.  My Geraniums were fertigated with 200 ppm 15-16-17 fertilizer. My Easter Lilies were fertigated with 200 ppm 15-0-15 The pot ferns will be watered with clear water during the week, and fertigated with 200 ppm 20-10-20 on the weekends. The snapdragons will be fertigated with  200 ppm 15-16-17 fertilizer. 

Growth: When I looked at my bench this week it appeared that my plants had grown.   My Geraniums also had several floral buds.  My Avendia Mosaic Geranium grew .5 cm taller and 8 cm wider. My Sophie Cascade Ivy Geranium grew 5 cm taller but stayed the same width.  My Tango Red Geranium did not grow.  My Miramar mum grew 2 cm taller but stayed the same width. My Roanoke mum grew 5 cm taller and also stayed the same width.  Finally my Easter Lily grew 5 cm taller and 5 cm wider. 

Cultural Treatments: This week I removed all floral buds from my Sophie Cascade Ivy Geraniums and my Tango Red Geraniums. I had to make sure I removed only the floral buds and not the leaf buds.  I also checked my plants for any yellowing or dead leaves.  I did not find any this week.   

Lab 1: January 23, 2008

This week I planted 5 different plants which include the following:
Roanoke and Miramar Mums, Tango Red and Avendia Mosaic Red Geraniums, and Sophie Cascade Ivy Geraniums.

I potted both mum cultivars in 3, 6” azalea pots filled with ProMix BX media.  Each pot contained 5 cuttings. Each cutting was placed in at angle around the edge of the pot, to increase light penetration and to make a rounded plant. To ensure that the final product would be as perfect and uniform as possible I grade the rooted cutting to make sure they were all the same size. I then labeled each pot with my initials and date and the cultivar of the mum. The mums were placed about two inches apart on a bench under photoperiod lighting. Each cultivar was on a separate bench. My Roanoke mum was 8 cm high and 24 cm wide, and the
Miramar mum was 8 cm high and 24 cm wide. The mums were watered with 300 ppm 20-10-20 water.

I also planted each cultivar of the geraniums in two different sized pots. The Tango Red Geraniums were planted in 5” geranium pots and the Avendia Mosaic Red Geraniums were planted in 6” azalea pots.  Both container sizes were filled with ProMix BX media.  There were 3 pots for each cultivar with one rooted cutting planted in the center of the pot. I then put my initials and date on the pre-made label and placed the label in each pot. I finished off my geraniums by watering each pot with 200 ppm 15-16-17 and placed all 6 pots in two rows my bench. The Tango Red Geranium was 9 cm high and 10 cm wide, and the Avenida Mosaic Red Geranium was 7 cm high and 20 cm wide.

The Sophie Cascade Ivy Geraniums were planted in 2, 10” hanging baskets filled with ProMix BX media. Each basket contained 6 rooted cuttings planted in a double triangle shape. I planted one triangle on the outside of the basket, and another triangle inside the other. I then put my initials and date on the pre-made labels and placed them in the pots.  These Geraniums also got watered with 200ppm 15-16-17.  The finished pots were placed pot tight in a row on my bench. The Ivy Geranium was 11 cm high and 29 cm wide.

Finally I got 3 Easter Lilies from the laboratory upstairs and placed them on my workbench. I did not water them since they had already been previously watered with 200 ppm 15-0-15. The Easter Lily was 15 cm high and 117 cm wide.

During the potting process I removed any dead or yellowing leaves.  I also placed a sticky card in the center to catch and insects that may be in the greenhouse. 

Howdy! My name is Chloe Christensen and I am the proudest member of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Class of 2009! I am from El Campo, Texas which is near Victoria. I enjoy cooking, knitting and sewing, and spending time with family and friends. Before I came to A&M I was an employee of Greenleaf Nursery.  For six months I was an unofficial intern and this past summer I had the privilege of experiencing their college intern program. After graduating I would like to go back and work for Greenleaf and ultimately open my own nursery.