Trial: Annual
Year Trialed: 2007
Good Qualities
Early flowering (3); Vibrant pale pink flower 2); Excellent; Little insect damage; Mambo Cherry is the color of Cherry blossoms (light pink), not the fruit, Mambo Pink is hot pink; Easy to grow, no major pests, very easy to harvest and bunch; Similar to Glory, but stronger stems; Easy to germinate and early to go to field beds; High percentage of flowering; Strong upright stems.Problems
None (2); Did not transplant well, susceptible to hail damage; No marketable flowers on any cultivar in series; High percentage of singles; Unfortunately I am a hard sell when it comes to certain pink hues and this one was challenging.Postharvest
Bleach in water.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 | 2.6 | 17.3 | 4.0 | - | 4.0 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 60 | 6.9 |
| Range of Responses | 0.5-12 | 14-22 | 4.0 | - | 3-5 | 1-5 | 3-4 | 16-144 | 6-12 |
¹1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.
Comments
Next time plant much closer and pull singles (although I used them for mixed bouquets no problem), loved all three colors; This was my first attempt at growing stock so was nervous about how to germinate and grow plugs, esp. as 288's. Delay in planting Mambo Pink was to let the plants get a little bigger before planting in the high tunnel. If I can learn how to get a little longer stem and a little bigger head, it will be a winner at the wholesale florist due to fragrance and physical condition when delivered. In spite of a two week difference in transplant date, there was only a 3 day difference in peak harvest date for the two cvs. Harvested over a 2 wk period; All plants in the series looked good during the germination, seedling, and early growth phase as young plants in the greenhouse and as plants in the beds - however, when flowering time came the flowers were useless - one or two florets, stunted spikes and not harvestable; Transplanting into tunnel on day 37 resulted in stockier, taller plants than those transplanted a week later.