The Possibility of Timing Geranium Taxa as Flowering Potplant for Winter

Abstract

For the supplementation of ornamental potplant supply a new method is the growing of such products that originally belong to other areas of floriculture. Another way is the timing of flowering. In order to get more profit energy-saving cultures have to be searched and grown. Our aim was to find such plant species, which is suitable for early flowering potplant production and needs low temperature and short growing period. The experiments with Geranium taxa were carried out in the winter of 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 in the Buda Arboretum of Corvinus University, Budapest. We compared the effect of the beginning of forcing, the temperature of the glasshouse (temperated 2-5 °C or heated 15 °C) and the effect of assimilating light comparing to natural light. Results show that the development of Geranium macrorrhizum was able to be accelerated in greenhouse with higher temperature. During the experiments in 2008, the plants which were forced from the beginning of January and obtained assimilating light, started to flower before 14th February (Valentine Day). In 2009 the plants which were put into the greenhouse in January and obtained assimilating light started to flower before 8th March (day of women).