Callistephus 'Daylight Blue Frost'

Trial Started: 2005

Year of Trial: First (from 2005 report)



Good Qualities

Tall (2); Vigorous, no disease, some leaf spot, many flowers; I really liked this petite, vividly purple/blue bloom and had great plans for it!; Long lasting- spray type is nice for bouquet work; Lovely colors all on one plant.


Problems

None; Lot of death; Rust quickly moved through whole crop rendering it unsaleable, needed to be in net too as it did not hold up well in windy conditions, all bloomed at once; Did not harvest - the flowers were poorly developed; Frost portion of color is indistinct; Petals missing- never formed properly, probably should not be planted in a tunnel because the flowers placement on stem were elongated, not cut flower quality; Difficult to harvest when most flowers looked good; Leaf spot; All plants died after transplant; They all were ready the same week and that was the end of it.


Postharvest

Cool water- Chrysal #2


Comments

Similar to 'Serenade' (2) but not in color; I would like to try this one again with preventative actions well in place!; Not wild about the color- eventually fades to almost white- would try the rose or pink next year to see what it's like; Caught the eye of a number of customers, including an event floral arranger, each plant had lots of branches, the earliest blooming plants did fine, but leaves dried up on slightly later ones, and the latest ones just dried up and died; Individually the stems are short and wimpy.


Trial Data

Callistephus 'Daylight Blue Frost'
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 5.3 20.9 2.0 2.5 3.2 2.1 3.3 126 14.0
Range of Responses 1-16 16-28 1-3 1-4 1-5 1-4 1-4 16-324 14.0


¹1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.


Supplier

American Takii 301 Natividad Rd. Salinas, CA 93906