Application Timing of Daminizide and Flurprimidol after Shearing Affects Growth and Flowering of Coreopsis verticillata `Moonbeam'

Abstract

Vegetative cuttings of Coreopsis verticillata `Moonbeam' were rooted under intermittent mist, pinched, and potted into 10-cm pots in a greenhouse. Plants were sheared to 6.5 cm above the pot rim 2 weeks after potting and given foliar sprays of daminozide at 0, 2550, 5100, or 7650 mg·L-1 or flurprimidol at 0, 50, 100, or 150 mg·L-1. Night-break lighting to provide long photoperiods was started the day of shearing. Growth retardants were applied at 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, or 15 days after shearing. Daminozide reduced shoot height, growth index, and lateral shoot length compared to the control by 69.3%, 69.2%, and 70.0%, respectively, while increasing quality rating by 67.3% and time to flower by 8 days at 5100 and 7650 mg·L-1. Response surface regression predicted that minimum plant size and maximum quality rating occurred when growth retardants were applied 5.7 to 8.3 days after shearing. Application timing had no effect on responses to flurprimidol. Shoot height, growth index, and lateral shoot length decreased quadratically with increasing rate while quality rating only improved compared to control. Flurprimidol did not cause a flowering delay.