Posted: December 4, 2023
As breeders and attendees descended upon Cresco, Iowa, for Poinsettia Variety Day, they were greeted with a nearly perfect sunny end of November day. Over 175 commercial and pre-release Poinsettia varieties were featured for evaluation and review. Hosted on Thursday, November 30, representatives from all commercial Poinsettia breeders, brokers, and growers were in attendance from over 18 states. The trial was produced under natural season, commercially sustainable production protocol using limited PGRs. In addition, Mike Poretsky of A-ROO presented value-added upgrade treatments and packaging.
Genetics were submitted by Beekenkamp, Dummen Orange, Express Seed, Lazzeri, Rinehart Poinsettias, Selecta One, and Suntory Flowers. Plantpeddler is licensed by all breeders represented and prides itself on being a one-stop shop for premium Poinsettia liners. “With our leadership position in Poinsettias, this investment is for our retailers, growers, brokers, and breeding partners.” said Mike Gooder, President of Plantpeddler as to why Plantpeddler conducts their Poinsettia trial. Another commitment of Plantpeddler is to facilitate best practices in the horticulture industry.
As a true production trial, the tested varieties were grown within a block of benchmark commercial varieties with the same treatments and environmental conditions. This year, throughout production higher-than-average temperatures and daylight were experienced. Mike added, “The Poinsettia Trial and Variety Day event emphasizes our commitment to the industry by showcasing genetics under northern USA growing conditions. It is important to do a Poinsettia production trial as a way for the industry and our growers to see how varieties perform in North American, northern climate greenhouse conditions.”
Trial attendees voted using a three-flag system for “Best Red Variety” and “Best Non-Red Variety” with a 3, 2, 1 point scoring. The results are as follows:
Red Variety Top 10
| Rank | Variety | Breeeder | Color | Timing | Vigor | Habit |
| 1 | Kayla Red (PON 127) | Beekenkamp | Dark Red | 7 | Low-Medium | V-Shaped |
| 2 | Ruby Red™ | Express Seed | Dark Red | 8.5 | Medium | V-Shaped |
| 3 | Ranch Red | Rinehart | Red | 7.5 | Medium-High | V-Shaped |
| 4 | Christmas Eve | Selecta One | Red | 7 | Medium | Narrow |
| 5 | Lyra™ Red | Express Seed | Red | 8.5 | Medium-High | V-Shaped |
| 6 | Runway Red | Dümmen Orange | Red | 8 | Medium | V-Shaped |
| 7 | Toro™ Red | Express Seed | Red | 8 | Medium-High | V-Shaped |
| 8 | F763NN Red Ribbons | Dümmen Orange | Red | 8 | Medium | V-Shaped |
| 9 | Tapestry | Dümmen Orange | Red | 8.5 | Low | Narrow |
| 10 | Carmen Red | Lazzeri | Red | 8 | Medium-High | V-Shaped |
Non-Red Variety Top 10
| Rank | Variety | Breeeder | Color | Timing | Vigor | Habit |
| 1 Tie | Princettia® Sparkling Rouge | Suntory | Pink/Jingle | 7 | Low | V-Shaped |
| 1 Tie | Early Polly’s Pink | Dümmen Orange | Pink | 7.5 | High | V-Shaped |
| 3 | Exp. Giulia | Lazzeri | Pink | 7.5 | Medium-High | V-Shaped |
| 4 | Superba New Glitter | Lazzeri | Red/Jingle | 8 | Medium-High | V-Shaped |
| 5 | Alpina White | Lazzeri | White | 7.5 | Medium-High | V-Shaped |
| 6 | Brilliant White | Selecta One | White | 8.5 | Low-Medium | V-Shaped |
| 7 | Jack Frost | Rinehart | White | 8 | Medium | V-Shaped |
| 8 | Pure White | Rinehart | White | 7.5 | Medium-High | V-Shaped |
| 9 | Christmas Beauty Cinnamon | Selecta One | Novelty/Cinnamon | 8 | Medium | V-Shaped |
| 10 | Princettia® Sparkling Rose | Suntory | Pink/Jingle | 7 | Low | V-Shaped |
Plantpeddler extends a sincere thank-you to all the breeders and sponsors for helping make this trial possible. Also, thank-you to the team at Plantpeddler for producing an outstanding trial and event.
Mark your calendars now for next year’s Plantpeddler Poinsettia Variety Day trial event on Thursday, December 5, 2024. Plantpeddler’s Variety Day trial event showcasing Annuals is August 2, 2024. Please make plans to attend both events.