Viola wittrockiana Highflyer Yellow Red Wing

Culture guide

Crop Time: Spring: 23-25 weeks, Autumn: 11-13 weeks

Height: 13cm

Width: 18cm

Exposure: Sun

Best Uses: Hanging Basket

Usage
Baskets

Sowing method
1 seed per plug. Cover lightly with a thin layer of coarse vermiculite.

Growing on
Viola overall is a day length neutral plant that will flower regardless of day length. Highflyer also flowers under short day conditions below 8 hours, allowing for later sowings and a continuous flowering all winter and spring long.

Media
Plug culture: pH 5.5-5.8; EC 0.5. Begin with saturated (5) for days 1-5 and then reduce to a moist (3) on day 6. As the seedlings become fully developed with expanded cotyledons the moisture level can be decreased further to a medium (2) on day 9. At this point alternate between a wet (4) and a medium (2) watering.

Growing on: pH 5.5-5.8; keep the pH in the lower range; EC 1.25-1.5. Alternate between moisture levels wet (4) and medium (2).

Temperature
18-20 C until root emergence, then lower the temperature gradually to 17-18 C. After transplanting, maintain 18 C nights, 18-21 C days. When seedlings are well established the night temperature can be lowered to 15 C to tone the plants as flower initiation occurs.

Fertilization
Plug culture: Begin feeding early using a calcium based fertilizer at lower rates to keep an adequate amount of calcium and nitrogen supplied to the seedlings. On days 5-7 begin feeding with a calcium-based fertilizer (14-2-14; 13-2-13; 15-5-15 or 17-5-17) at 50-60 ppm. Maintain the EC between 0.5 and 0.75.

Growing on: Fertilize with a calcium-based feed 14-4-14, 15-5-15 or 17-5-15 at 100-150 ppm as needed. Keeping the EC below 1.5 will help prevent root problems.

Stage I Starts with the radicle breaking through the testa. The roots are touching the medium. Ends with fully developed cotyledons.
Stage II Starts from fully developed cotyledons. Ends with the fully developed true leaf or true leaf pair.
Stage III Starts from the fully developed true leaf or true leaf pair and ends with 80% of the young plants being marketable.
Stage IV All young plants are ready for sale and in the process of being hardened off. This stage lasts about 7 days.

The cultural recommendations are based on results from trials conducted under Central European conditions. Different conditions in other parts of the world may lead to deviations in results achieved.