MixMasters™ Growing Guide

Propagate your own liners or order MixMasters 2.0 multiliners from any Ball FloraPlant affiliated rooting station. Follow the steps outlined in this guide for bright and bold color combinations that will wow your customers and drive sales. Ball FloraPlant does the trialing for you, so you know what you need to do up front for successful combinations.

Download the MixMasters Growing Guide here.

Genesis™ Cuttings

Ball FloraPlant introduces the Genesis™ program of direct-stick cuttings for fast-rooting and fast-finishing osteospermum greenhouse production. Specifically, Osteo Genesis cuttings are specially timed so that all cuttings are in the same stage when shipped for the best uniformity in rooting. This format has significant labor savings and a faster crop time – only 12 weeks to retail readiness – offering an extra bench turn per season to reduce overall costs as well.

Download the Grower Facts culture sheet for Serenity Osteospermum callused cuttings here.

Low-Energy Input

Certain crops, like petunias, are ideal to finish with a proven cool-grown, low-energy input program. By using the natural warmth of the day and the power of the sun, Growers who want to save energy, improve plant quality, and just grow smarter, can find a solution with Ball FloraPlant.

Ball FloraPlant petunias have had great improvements in plant quality and are ideal for low-energy production because they can take low night and high day temperatures. “Growing Cold” helps the petunias display more intense color, have better branching, and nice, full habits. Details can be found in the new Petunia Production Planning Solutions Brochure.

The ‘Battery’ Culture

In "Battery Crop" production, plants are grown with minimum night temperatures (26 to 35°F) and utilize the natural warm-up energy of the day. With this method, plants stockpile more energy and strengthen their overall structure.

Once the “growing cold” phase is complete, the plant will unleash the stored energy – the Battery Response – into more desirable growth habits and flower quality performance.

Click here for a brief look at Ball FloraPlant Low Energy Input Trials

Reduce Energy

Varieties that performed successfully in the Low Energy Input Trials are noted with a special symbol in the 2011 catalog as part of the Circle of Life® EcoIndex. Click on the pdf links here to view recent tunnel trials information from Ball FloraPlant at our Arroyo Grande, California (week 12) and Elburn, Illinois (week 18) locations.

Arroyo Grande Week 12 Elburn Week 18 Argyranthemum Bidens Bracteantha Calibrachoa Diascia Geranium Lobelia Nemesia Osteospermum Petunia Sutera Verbena