Summer Applications of Plant Growth Retardants Affect Spring Forcing of Hydrangeas
Summer spray applications of 5000 ppm daminozide (1× or 2×), 62 ppm paclobutrazol (1× or 2×), or 5 ppm uniconazole (1× or 2×) were applied to seven cultivars (Böttstein, Enziandom, Kasteln, Mathilde Gütges, Merritt's Supreme, Red Star, and Schenkenburg) of florists' hydrangea [Hydrangea macrophylla subsp. macrophylla var. macrophylla (Thunb.) Ser.] to evaluate cultivar response to plant growth retardants (PGRs). Both daminozide treatments and the 2× uniconazole treatment effectively reduced plant height for all cultivars during the summer growth period; cultivars varied in response to the paclobutrazol treatments and the 1× uniconazole treatment. Daminozide and uniconazole treatments resulted in less elongation than all other treatments during forcing for most cultivars tested. Paclobutrazol treatments had no residual effect on shoot elongation during forcing of the cultivars tested. The 2× treatments of all PGRs decreased inflorescence diameter of some of the cultivars tested compared with nonsprayed controls. Results from this study indicate that 1) summer application of PGRs can have a residual effect on plant height and inflorescence diameter of hydrangeas during the spring greenhouse forcing phase; and 2) hydrangea cultivars differ significantly in response to the PGRs tested. Therefore, the need for height control during the spring forcing period of hydrangeas will vary with cultivar, and it will depend on how plants were treated the previous summer growing season. We recommend that producers of dormant hydrangeas provide records of their summer height control program to forcers so that height control programs during spring forcing can be adjusted appropriately.