Plant breeders are continually working to meliorate the growth characteristics of their crops , and petunia is no exclusion . Petunias calculate for the most sales of any flower segment , with 11 % of total sales of bloom plant life , agree to the 2022 United States Department of Agriculture Floriculture Crop Summary . While already usable in a wide selection of colour and patterns , breeders continue to seek new cultivars of petunias that have unusual color pattern or novel colour . Petunia ' Night Sky ' is a cultivar from Selecta One that was first introduce in 2016 after pull ahead the European FleuroStar Award in Europe in 2015 . Since then , they have introduced other speckled petunias in the Sky Series of petunias .
In greenhouse visit , we continue to see growers producing ' Night Sky ' and others in the Sky series . Other breeders are introducing ashen - speckle variety such as petunia Surprise ' Sparkle Blue ' from Dummen Orange ( newfangled in 2021 ) and Splash Dance Moonwalk from Danziger ( new in 2023 ) .
Whenever you ’re growing a new cultivar , you should always confab the culture guides develop by breeding companies . The guides include recommend environmental and ethnic production information such as temperatures , scant level , production times , and suggested rate of plant ontogenesis governor ( PGRs ) . For example , the coloration normal of petunia ' Night Sky ' is sensitive to some PGR app and uprise temperatures .
PGRs are compounds that affect industrial plant hormones that order internode extension and branching in plants . Some PGR applications might involve the pigmentation of the flowers by decreasing the deductive reasoning of anthocyanins in the flowers . The Selecta Culture flat solid bill that daminozide ( for instance , B - Nine from OHP and Dazide from Fine Americas ) applications in the last five week of product can make excessively white efflorescence . Instead , it recommends a drench app of paclobutrazol ( for example , Bonzi from Syngenta and Piccolo from Fine Americas ) at 1.0 to 3.0 ppm to limit stretch without bleaching of the flowers .
late Michigan State University enquiry has determined that PGRs used to promote branching of glasshouse crop also influenced the colouration of Petunia ' Night Sky . ' In the field , the crop was get at a twenty-four hours and nighttime temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit ( 20 degrees Celsius ) , and the plant life were very majestic . Interestingly , when apply 10 Clarence Day after transplant as a sprayer alone or in compounding , Configure [ 6 - benzyladenine ( 6 - BA ) from Fine Americas ] , Crest [ cytokinin , indole - butyric acid ( IBA ) and gibberellic acid ( GA ) from Fine Americas ] , Collate ( ethephon from Fine Americas ) and Fresco ( GA+6 - BA from Fine Americas ) increased the ashen pigmentation of flowers . Petunia Headliner ' Night Sky ' grown at a ceaseless 68 F were almost purple with very few blanched speckles . A foliar software of Configure , Fresco , or Crest , alone or in combination with Collate , increased the snowy speckling of flowers . to boot , most treatment increase branch . picture by Roberto Lopez , MSU
As mentioned earlier , temperature can also affect flower pigmentation . Flower color is influenced by both the genesis and breakdown of anthocyanins , and both operation are influenced by temperature . Anthocyanin production and , thus , the regal bloom colour more often than not increase at low temperatures and drop-off at high temperatures . Therefore , flower gloss is determine by both the day and night temperature . To everyone ’s surprise , the temperature has the opposite essence on petunia ' Night Sky , ' where cool dark push ashen coloration and quick nights boost regal coloration .
If the peak people of colour is more white than desired , try increasing the temperature ; if it is more over-embellished than desired , essay reduce the temperature ( if possible ) . More information is available on the flora polish of petunia Headliner ' Night Sky , ' include the effect of temperature on the coloration of flower .
' Night Sky ' genus Petunia in the landscape on June 10 ( left ) and July 23 ( right ) . Photos by Deborah WollaegerCommercial growers are encouraged to refer to the breeder ’s civilization sheets when grow petunias with new color design for culture recommendations . Doing so will help guarantee agriculturist are shipping product with the desired flower color pattern . Growers should also visit plant trials to see how the plants will perform for consumer in their landscapes and might affect their decision for future years . Source : canr.msu.edu
