Petunia urc problems?

[Carole Barton]

Anyone else having unusual difficulty rooting petunias this year? Usually the Surfinias root in a flash but not this spring. Other types of urcs are rooting as usual. Definitely seems nutritional and we will crank up the feed but we have never had this type of problem before. 

[Eric Rohloff]

One major supplier of urc's has moved their stock production to a different location. The environmental conditions there is reducing the starch built up in the cuttings making it tougher to get uniform rooting. I don't know if that's the case with the Surfinias. Anything in the petunia family looks pretty rough if you don't change your rooting practices. Some Calibrachoa really show the stress. We keep our php/Alkalinity down in the mist and media. We've been misting 4 times a day with 150 ppm of 20-10-20 along with our regular misting cycle to get cuttings on the right track. Don't let the cuttings flag! Then we have doubled our feed regiment after rooting. I can only hope that they make an adjustment to the stock program. I think most urc producers look for uniformity at the time of harvest but if it won't root uniformly it doesn't matter.

[Carole Barton]

Thanks, Eric. We have raised the feed and will see what happens. Our Calibrachoas are doing fine as are some of the other, non-Surfinia varieties of petunias. Rays look good.

[Paul Westervelt]

Carole, are you having any problems with SunPatiens rooting late? Our primary plug vendor said their early shipments rooted like normal, but the later shipments aren't taking at the same rate.