Rockets Red Glare

[kris]

I just saw this cv is in stock so I was hoping to see what everyone's experience with it was?  

[Charlie]

I hope other people will respond to this but it may take awhile since we have only shipped a couple dozen of them so far.

My experience with it is that it blooms a lot - big flowers that are sort of wild in form and flashy in color. The bush is vigorous enough but needs some guiding and pruning the first couple of years to turn it into a full, upright bush. The flowers are similar to Torch Song, another new variety that makes an excellent bush naturally but is a challenge to propagate.

Charlie

[Nievesgirl]

Kris I just ordered it and I can't wait to see how it does.

I will take some pictures of the blooms.

[kris]

Thanks for the info, i think I will go ahead and order one and see how it does

[LGrove]

I got a Rocket's Red Glare this year, it's been blooming nicely, but my colors are nowhere near the ones pictured, but I like it any way. The bush so far is spindly. It came to me tied together to get the branches to stay upright, and I need to tie another one up as it's drifting downward also. I'm hoping once it heats up and my plant acclimates itself, the colors will be up to par, but I'm not disapointed!
Lisa

[Nievesgirl]

Mines should be getting its first bloom soon.

I can not wait !

[helixturnhelix]

Wow Lisa, that is still a bright colored red rockets glare!  I wonder if the blue color comes out more when the bloom fades a bit?  Charlie wasn't kidding when he said it had wild form and bright colors!  Mine is still a baby, with no buds in sight, but I look forward to its first blooms.  Thank you for sharing!

[Nievesgirl]

Charlie , Does this CV grow slow for you ?

When I got my 4' pot it had a small bud on it and it is still trying to grow.  Its been about a month.

I see new growth also but it seems very slow growing.

[helixturnhelix]

Hi Kerry,

I think we bought this one around the same time, mine also hasnt grown much until this week, I see two buds coming up and new leaves forming.  It has been my experience with all my 4" plants that they dont really start taking off until after a month.  I think they need about that much time to get acclimated.  I also found that my plants spit out about the same amount of growth if I pinch them right off the back as if I don't, only if I pinch them I get more branches and more flowers

-Chris

[helixturnhelix]

I also must add that I only do this if I don't see buds forming, sometimes I can be a bit impatient

[Charlie]

Waiting on buds on a baby plant is not worth it usually. The flowers that open from such buds can be small and lack the normal color and they can slow down the growth. For that reason you will rarely get one with a bud from me, because I pinch the buds off before sending them out. I can hear the roar of objections but I really do think it best to encourage the little guys to grow and leave blooming for later. That said, I sometimes see a beautiful flower among the 4 inch pots and they look really pretty on those small plants. I still would pinch the plant if it already isn't (often they arrive pinched) and go for the growth.

Rockets Red Glare and many others spend the time after transplanting growing roots first, and shoots second. The roots provide the hormone signals for shoot and top growth and of course are the source of water and nutrients for the top growth so more are needed to power good strong growth of the plant.

As Chris described, the initial growth appears to be slow but as it gets going it rapidly increases. If you have not transplanted RRGlare yet, gently remove the root ball from the pot and see if the roots have spread over the bottom of the pot. If so, I would recommend transplanting to a 6 inch or 8 inch pot (or 1 to 2 gallons) because that will give a growth spurt more than anything else.

Charlie

[roadrunner]

I made the mistake of not pinching early and consistently on several young plants because I was eager to see that first bloom. As a result I got a lot of tall single stalk plants last year. I no longer make that mistake, but I am still trying to undo the damage so to speak with corrective prunning on several of those plants.

Dave

[helixturnhelix]

I had a quick question,  I find that my little plants like to disguard buds in response to the slightest stress and produce them inconsistently, (1 or 2, then growth, then another 1 or2) instead of a constant stream of buds and leaves.  Is this normal for young plants to do this, or is something amiss?

[Charlie]

I was struck by the way you describe your experience with the small plants. This is what Cindy experiences with her 4 inch pots in the kitchen window. They bloom sometimes but often the buds fall off before they mature. I attribute it to the small root system and the wide fluctuation of water in these pots. Some of them are not "young" anymore, as she keeps them in the 4 inch pots so that they fit on the windowsill. There is a hormone that can initiate bud drop, abscisic acid, and that hormone is released by the plant in response to stress.

Abscisic acid is one of five (or more) major plant hormones (Auxin, Cytokinins, Gibberellins, Ethylene and Abscisic acid). It can be  classified as a shock hormone which are produced in response to rapid developing stress situations. Abscisic acid is ubiquitous in higher plants. The the highest levels are found in young leaves and developing fruits and seeds at the beginning of the winter season. Auxin and cytokinin are growth hormones. Gibberellins and ethylene are known as stress hormones. Though each plant hormone evokes many different specific biochemical, physiological, or morphological responses, the effects of different hormones overlap and may be stimulatory or inhibitory to regulate plant development and growth. Abscisic tends to disrupt various aspects of plant growth to develop fruits and augment sugar content. Quote from chemicalland21.com

Charlie

[helixturnhelix]

Hi Charlie,

Im glad you posed this.  I forgot all about Abscisic Acid as one of the big regulatory plant hormones.  I bet you are completely correct in your assumption that the small root ball and inconsistent water availability.  I think I might have stumbled onto something, are Cindy's plants in black pots or ceramic?  The reason I ask is all of my little plants are in black plastic pots, except one, which is in a ceramic one.  That individual is producing a bunch of buds, and seems pretty happy, so I am thinking that the ceramic insulates the root system, making a more stable environment.  In black pots, they probably get really hot and that isnt the best for their roots.  My other idea is some varieties might just produce more of this hormone than others.  I know you've mentioned that some varieties bloom very well in small pots, whereas others really do better planted in the ground.  I think it would make sense that the amount of Abscisic Acid in the plant could vary from CV to CV, just like hormone levels vary from person to person.  That may explain some of this.  But alas, would it help to use wake up spray on these stressed plants?  I remember reading on the houseplant forum that Cindy sprayed her plants with this whenever they looked stress.