Trial: Annual
Year Trialed: 2004 Year of Trial: First (from 2004 report)
Good Qualities
Haven’t grown Carthamus for a couple of years, be we really liked this one; I cut it all and dried it for use in our fall arrangements, it was very nice, we always need fall color and they did not break up when I arranged them dried; Easy to grow, nice and tall; Germinated well, plants grew strong and healthy.Problems
Very poor performance in greenhouse, leggy, poor vigor, did not survive transplanting; Not a consistent bloomer, very erratic, suffered from leaf scorch; Very poor quality, leaves turned yellow and brown, perhaps the soil pH?; Rabbits like Carthamus, however in spite of their nibbling the plants still produced acceptable side shoots; This one came on early and would be a better fall item for me, I should have waited to plant it; Buds set late (Zone 4), only a few flowers formed.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 | 1.4 | 24.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 98 | - |
| Range of Responses | 1-3 | 17-36 | 3 | 4 | 1-5 | 1-5 | 1-5 | 18-192 | - |
¹1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.
Comments
Similar to Grenade Orange; I picked the entire stem at the base and then when I made the arrangements I broke the individual stems down. So actually had many more stems than ninety, these plants were extremely productive; My customers seem to like this flower better in the fall.