Trial: Annual
Year Trialed: 2009
Good Qualities
Super color (3); Good stem length (2); Good plant vigor; nice uniform bloom time; Size, great in every way; Very healthy and productive; I thought they were both great colors but they did not sell well for me, not sure why.
Problems
Slightly more rust susceptible than the III/IV ‘Bright Red’; None; Red was not a popular color when this began to bloom, too hot too early for me; Stems not as strong as some 'Opus' varieties that I have bought as plugs, but that may be because of my handling rather than a cultivar defect.
Similar Cultivars
‘Potomac Crimson’; Other Opus varieties.
Comments
Pinched plants; I liked this variety, I pinched it at 6 inches and got nice long shoots; I love this snap, it is stronger than the Opus white and mixed colors, a super performer; Good spike form, long taper, a bit thin at the top, stem not as strong as similar group 3/4 varieties; 'Opus' does better for me than any other snap I have tried; I would try them again just to make sure my customers haven't changed their mind, my customers seem to like pink, yellow and orange the best, maybe the red it just too dark for them, not sure.
Postharvest
None (2); Used Floralife for hard water; Cut into hydrator and then store in holding.
Trial Data
| Yield (stems/plant) | Stem Length (inches) | Market Appreciation Rating¹ | Repeat Again Rating¹ | Ease of Cultivation Rating¹ | Average Spacing (in2) | Average Postharvest Life (days) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wholesale | Retail | Consumer | |||||||
| Average | 7.4 | 25.8 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 69 | 9.8 |
| Range of Responses | 1-15 | 12-38 | 3-5 | 3-5 | 2-5 | 2-5 | 4-5 | 9-144 | 7-16 |
¹1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.
Supplier
Goldsmith Seeds P.O. Box 1349 Gilroy, CA 95021
