Posted: December 5, 2022
The Variety Day for Plantpeddler’s annual Poinsettia Trial was well attended by representatives from all major Poinsettia Breeders, brokers, customers, and industry professionals. This video gives you a great glimpse of the special day, including images of the Poinsettia Trial, comments from Plantpeddler, and variety highlights from representatives of the world’s leading Poinsettia breeders. Watch to the end for a countdown of the Top Ten winning Poinsettias from our trial, in the “Red” and “Non-Red” categories. I have also re-attached the original press release from the trial, in case you didn’t see it come through on December 5th.
Mark your calendars now, and please note the change for next year’s Plantpeddler Poinsettia Variety Day trial event; it will be held on Thursday, November 30, 2023, the 1st Thursday following Thanksgiving.
Plantpeddler’s Variety Day trial event showcasing Annuals is Friday, August 4, 2023. Please make plans to attend both events. For more information contact Plantpeddler at (800) 827-1654 and info@plantpeddler.com.
Trial Results
For Poinsettia Variety Day, breeders and attendees were greeted with a cold, crisp, beautiful, sunny December day in Northeast Iowa. This year’s trial featured over 175 commercial and pre-release Poinsettia varieties. Hosted on Thursday, December 1, with representatives from all commercial Poinsettia breeders, broker representatives, and growers in attendance from over 20 states and two European countries. The trial was produced under natural season commercial sustainable production protocol using limited PGRs. In addition, Fantasy Colors paint guru Andrew Lee (Ball) demonstrated value-added Poinsettia paint and upgrade treatments.
Genetics were submitted by Beekenkamp, Dummen Orange, Lazzeri, Rinehart Poinsettias, Selecta, Suntory, and Syngenta 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, the Fall production conditions were cooler than average, with average light levels. Mike said, “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 real world 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
- Ruby Red, Syngenta Flowers
- Noel Red, Selecta One
- Mirage Red, Syngenta Flowers
- SK175 (Christmas Candle), Selecta One
- Kayla Red, Beekenkamp
- Ranch Red, Rinehart Poinsettias
- FabYULEous Red, Dummnen Orange
- Astro Red, Beekenkamp
- Robyn Red, Beekenkamp
- Toro Red, Syngenta Flowers
Non-Red Variety Top 10
- Superba New Glitter, Lazzeri
- Jack Frost, Rinehart Poinsettias
- Pure White, Rinehart Poinsettias
- Superba Marble, Lazzeri
- Premium Ice Crystals, Dummen Orange
- SK215, Selecta One
- Norwin Orange, Dummen Orange
- Frozen, Dummen Orange
- Early Elegance Marble, Selecta One
- Early Polly’s Pink, Dummen Orange