Growers information

Advice cultivation description of AB-Cultivars Echinacea.

Echinacea is an open air product, in a greenhouse the plants will grow too high.
We supply starting material of various sizes.
Our material comes from tissue growth.
We can supply tissue growth stage 3, only if you have a good greenhouse at your disposal with a section where you can grow our “incubator children”. If desired we can have this realized by Cosmoplant in De Lier. Cosmoplant is experienced in this matter,  they very well master handling (dealing with?) the plants in this vulnerable phase.

We can supply:
A – Stage 3 plants (see above) .  Supply  by agreement.
B -  Stage 4, which means plugs of about 5 weeks. These are grown in a 84 holes tray. If desired you can choose from a 84 holes loose filled tray instead of plugs. Supply as from beginning April.
C -  7 cm plugs. In this case it is a matter of older plants. By mutual agreement we can make the choice as to the height of the plants.
D – Starting from August we make 7 cm plugs for supply in winter. The plants die back and start winter rest.
E -  Ground plants, grown in open air. They are still bigger plants.

A possible growing system:
February-March planting 7 cm plugs on a large pot.
Marketable in April with a beautiful label, or later. Gives a heavy pot.
Flowering starts at the end of May-June.
In this way also ground plants may be used for a still heavier pot.
All cultivars can be used for this method.

Then you can as from April set plugs on to large pots for flowering later on during the season.
This has as a result smaller plants than in the former case, but in a period of three months you will have a well filled pot. This method is especially suitable for Pink Double Delight, Coconut Lime and Avalance. They at first form a bunch of plant, whereas Pink Sorbet and Pink Shuttle at once form a flower stem and  consequently the pot will not be wellfilled near the bottom.

Of course 9 cm cultivation is very well possible.

Important for all pot sizes : give room to the plants !

Manuring advice.  Ask your adviser. It is difficult to give a right advice to anyone.
But a general advice may be given : see to sufficient potash, light and fresh air.

Water. Take care that the plants do not stand in water, roots will decay very easily.

Diseases and plagues. This won’t be so bad. Only if the plants are set too closely fungus may arise. Grow with much space. Echinacea attract many insects such as butterflies and bees.