Description
Book SynopsisTraditionally, 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 speci
Table of Contents1: Introduction 2: Occurrence by family 3: Horticultural uses 4: Breeding and selection 5: Commercial methods of bedding plant production - traditional and plugs 6: Physiology and Propagation 7: Seed propagation 8: Commercial practices for seed germination 9: Other means of propagation 10: Growing-on 11: Nutrition and media 12: Temperature 13: Light 14: Supplemental carbon dioxide 15: Growth regulation of bedding plants crops 16: Finishing 17: Postproduction 18: Postproduction of plugs 19: Postproduction of the finished bedding plant 20: Diseases and Pests 21: Control of diseases and pests 22: Disease and pest organisms 23: Mechanization of production 24: The future 25: Appendix: Guidelines for commercial production of 15 bedding plant crops a: Antirrhinum majus (Snapdragon) b: Begonia semperflorens-cultorum (Wax begonia, fibrous begonia) c: Begonia tuberhybrida (Tuberous begonia) d: Catharanthus roseus (Madagascar periwinkle, Vinca) e: Celosia argentea (Cockscomb, Celosia) f: Impatiens walleriana (Impatiens) g: Impatiens x hybrida (I. hawkeri) (New Guinea impatiens) h: Lobelia erinus (Lobelia) i: Pelargonium x hortorum (Annual geranium) j: Petunia x hybrida (Petunia) k: Primula x polyantha (P. acaulis) (Primrose) l: Salvia splendens (Salvia) m: Senecio cineraria (Dusty miller) n: Tagetes erecta, T. patula (African, French marigold) o: Viola x wittrockiana (Pansy) 26: References 27: Index
