MisterBlah
Well-Known Member
Cannabis falls under a category of plants that are grown for their flower. In the horticulture industry, this is referred to as a "cut flower" plant. Poinsettias are one of the most common "cut flower" plants that are grown in the US. I am going to explain to you why growing cannabis is not special, and does not require special attention compared to any other cut flower plant.
A lot of this information comes from Texas A&M and other agriculture universities.
Forms and Styles
Poinsettias are sold in many sizes, shapes and forms. This variety helps growers market their plants and provides a range of opportunities for new and innovative products. The following is a brief description of the most commonly grown items:
Mini Poinsettias: Plants range in size from 3-5 inches tall and are grown under extremely intensive conditions.
4-Inch: Poinsettias grown in 4-inch pots are very popular. These plants are typically produced 1 per pot and will reach a height of 10 -12 inches.
Compared to Cannabis: Scrog or Screen-of-green growing styles use small plants like mini and 4-inch.
Pinched Plants: Typically grown in 5, 5.5, 6, or 8 inch pots, these plants are pinched to increase the number of lateral branches per plant. Each plant generally averages 4 – breaks per plant. Pinched poinsettias are the most popular form in the market. Pinching plants is a form of pruning that encourages branching on the plant. This means that when you pinch a plant, you are removing the main stem, forcing the plant to grow two new stems from the leaf nodes below the pinch or cut.
Compared to Cannabis: We prune our plants to control they way they grow. Just like pinched poinsettias.
Straight Ups: Also grown in 5, 5.5, 6 or 8 inch pots. These plants are not pinched, resulting in one very large flower with enlarged bracts(leaves). Straight ups are a more traditional style of poinsettia.
Baskets: Baskets are becoming more popular for early season decorations in malls and other retail areas. Pot sizes can range from 10 – 20 inches in diameter. Sometimes there can be 3-4 plants in a basket.
Compared to Cannabis: SOG, or Sea of Green style grows as well as pretty much every home grow has plants similar to Straight Ups and Baskets. You have larger containers with a single plant in them, occasionally multiple plants.
Trees: A very unique style with a 2 – 3 foot trunk and 12 – 14 inch diameter flowering head. Trees require a lengthy growing season and are extremely difficult to ship.
Bushes: Bushes are usually left-over stock plants that are carried on to flower. Although they have been more popular than trees, poinsettia bushes are also difficult to ship.
Compared to Cannabis: Outdoor grows tend to go for big trees and bushes in an effort to make much larger flowers, but also to reduce the amount of plants they have. Anyone that has grown outdoor knows that the growing season is longer than normal.
Cultivars, Plant Varieties, or Strains
Selecting the variety/cultivar of poinsettia to produce is one of the most critical decisions a grower must make. Generally color and growth habit are the two factors most frequently considered in making this decision. However, the “response group” of a variety/cultivar is also important. The term response group refers to the length of time required for a plant to reach maturity following the start of short days. Most modern day varieties/cultivars fall in the 8 – 9 week response group. But it is important to remember that these classifications are only guidelines to be used for scheduling and other cultural inputs. Because the climate varies throughout the country, it is necessary to become familiar with the response of a specific poinsettia variety/cultivar in your area.
Compared to Cannabis: Have you ever tried to count the amount of varieties/strains people grow? Have you noticed how similar they are in terms of growth methodologies? It's because growing one variety over another is not significantly different. Sure, some will require slightly higher fertilizer amounts and some will produce more flowers. But most of them will have similar response groups, or flowing periods. 8-10 weeks is common and it doesn't change much from there.
Production Schedule
Although production practices may vary statewide, there are some “basic” guidelines in producing a Christmas crop of poinsettias. The following is a brief outline for 6″ pinched plants in the 8-9 week response group:
Days to Finish, Night Temp. °F, Comments
Selecting a Poinsettia Growing Medium
Selecting the appropriate growing media to use is an important step in producing a quality poinsettia. Most of the media used by growers consists of combinations of peat moss, perlite, bark, vermiculite or other organic constituents. Regardless of what a media is composed of, it must provide the basic physical and chemical properties required for plant growth.
Soilless media, used for the production of potted poinsettias, must be porous enough to allow for adequate drainage and aeration. However, the media must also provide for sufficient water and nutrient holding capacities.
Growers must select the components and ratios of growing media carefully. Plants grown in a media which is too porous will dry out quickly and may not hold optimum amounts of nutrients. On the other hand, plants grown in media without appropriate drainage or aeration may be stressed from low oxygen and root diseases. The decision of what media components and ratios to use must be based on water quality, nutritional regimes and related cultural inputs.
Regardless of what growing media is used, it should be free of disease organisms, insects, and weeds. If steam or aerated steam is used for pasteurization the medium should be treated for approximately 30 minutes at 150 degrees F. Be sure to allow the growing media to cool before panning poinsettia cuttings.
Compared to Cannabis: I'm not going to compare here. There's so much more that could be written about growth media and it's just pointless within the context of this post, as it applies to pretty much all plants, not just cut flower plants.
Now, do I really need to get in to fertilization, irrigation, nutrients, diseases, pests, etc.? No. I don't. Because they are exactly the same.
A lot of this information comes from Texas A&M and other agriculture universities.
Forms and Styles
Poinsettias are sold in many sizes, shapes and forms. This variety helps growers market their plants and provides a range of opportunities for new and innovative products. The following is a brief description of the most commonly grown items:
Mini Poinsettias: Plants range in size from 3-5 inches tall and are grown under extremely intensive conditions.
4-Inch: Poinsettias grown in 4-inch pots are very popular. These plants are typically produced 1 per pot and will reach a height of 10 -12 inches.
Compared to Cannabis: Scrog or Screen-of-green growing styles use small plants like mini and 4-inch.
Pinched Plants: Typically grown in 5, 5.5, 6, or 8 inch pots, these plants are pinched to increase the number of lateral branches per plant. Each plant generally averages 4 – breaks per plant. Pinched poinsettias are the most popular form in the market. Pinching plants is a form of pruning that encourages branching on the plant. This means that when you pinch a plant, you are removing the main stem, forcing the plant to grow two new stems from the leaf nodes below the pinch or cut.
Compared to Cannabis: We prune our plants to control they way they grow. Just like pinched poinsettias.
Straight Ups: Also grown in 5, 5.5, 6 or 8 inch pots. These plants are not pinched, resulting in one very large flower with enlarged bracts(leaves). Straight ups are a more traditional style of poinsettia.
Baskets: Baskets are becoming more popular for early season decorations in malls and other retail areas. Pot sizes can range from 10 – 20 inches in diameter. Sometimes there can be 3-4 plants in a basket.
Compared to Cannabis: SOG, or Sea of Green style grows as well as pretty much every home grow has plants similar to Straight Ups and Baskets. You have larger containers with a single plant in them, occasionally multiple plants.
Trees: A very unique style with a 2 – 3 foot trunk and 12 – 14 inch diameter flowering head. Trees require a lengthy growing season and are extremely difficult to ship.
Bushes: Bushes are usually left-over stock plants that are carried on to flower. Although they have been more popular than trees, poinsettia bushes are also difficult to ship.
Compared to Cannabis: Outdoor grows tend to go for big trees and bushes in an effort to make much larger flowers, but also to reduce the amount of plants they have. Anyone that has grown outdoor knows that the growing season is longer than normal.
Cultivars, Plant Varieties, or Strains
Selecting the variety/cultivar of poinsettia to produce is one of the most critical decisions a grower must make. Generally color and growth habit are the two factors most frequently considered in making this decision. However, the “response group” of a variety/cultivar is also important. The term response group refers to the length of time required for a plant to reach maturity following the start of short days. Most modern day varieties/cultivars fall in the 8 – 9 week response group. But it is important to remember that these classifications are only guidelines to be used for scheduling and other cultural inputs. Because the climate varies throughout the country, it is necessary to become familiar with the response of a specific poinsettia variety/cultivar in your area.
Compared to Cannabis: Have you ever tried to count the amount of varieties/strains people grow? Have you noticed how similar they are in terms of growth methodologies? It's because growing one variety over another is not significantly different. Sure, some will require slightly higher fertilizer amounts and some will produce more flowers. But most of them will have similar response groups, or flowing periods. 8-10 weeks is common and it doesn't change much from there.
Production Schedule
Although production practices may vary statewide, there are some “basic” guidelines in producing a Christmas crop of poinsettias. The following is a brief outline for 6″ pinched plants in the 8-9 week response group:
Days to Finish, Night Temp. °F, Comments
- 98 days, 67°F, Pan rooted cuttings, drench with fungicide, apply granular insecticide.
- 84 days, 67°F, Pinch to 4-6 nodes.
- 77 days, 62-64°F, Apply growth regulator.
- 68 days, 67°F, Drench with fungicide.
- 50 days, 67°F, Shoots should be one half of final length. If too tall apply growth regulator.
- 40 days, 67°F, Plants should begin to show color.
- 37 days, 65°F, Drench with fungicide, watch for Botrytis.
- 21 days, 65°F, Adjust night temperature to accelerate or slow growth.
- 7 days, 62°F, Stop fertilizing to avoid bract burn.
- 0 days, 62°F, Sale date
Selecting a Poinsettia Growing Medium
Selecting the appropriate growing media to use is an important step in producing a quality poinsettia. Most of the media used by growers consists of combinations of peat moss, perlite, bark, vermiculite or other organic constituents. Regardless of what a media is composed of, it must provide the basic physical and chemical properties required for plant growth.
Soilless media, used for the production of potted poinsettias, must be porous enough to allow for adequate drainage and aeration. However, the media must also provide for sufficient water and nutrient holding capacities.
Growers must select the components and ratios of growing media carefully. Plants grown in a media which is too porous will dry out quickly and may not hold optimum amounts of nutrients. On the other hand, plants grown in media without appropriate drainage or aeration may be stressed from low oxygen and root diseases. The decision of what media components and ratios to use must be based on water quality, nutritional regimes and related cultural inputs.
Regardless of what growing media is used, it should be free of disease organisms, insects, and weeds. If steam or aerated steam is used for pasteurization the medium should be treated for approximately 30 minutes at 150 degrees F. Be sure to allow the growing media to cool before panning poinsettia cuttings.
Compared to Cannabis: I'm not going to compare here. There's so much more that could be written about growth media and it's just pointless within the context of this post, as it applies to pretty much all plants, not just cut flower plants.
Now, do I really need to get in to fertilization, irrigation, nutrients, diseases, pests, etc.? No. I don't. Because they are exactly the same.