THE DEVELOPMENT OF LEUCOSPERMUM AND SERRURIA AS FLOWERING POT PLANTS

In a research project carried out in South Africa, the growth and flowering of Leucospermum and Serruria pot plant cultivars and selections were evaluated during production and for their post-harvest performance.

Four production systems were evaluated, which were based on different types of cuttings:

1. Non-induced, unbranched hardwood cuttings rooted in spring. These cuttings were branched in pots during production. They flowered after 12 months.
2. Non-induced, branched softwood cuttings rooted in late summer. These cuttings flowered after 7 – 8 months.
3. Induced, branched semi-hardwood cuttings, rooted in late autumn. These cuttings flowered after 6 months.
4. Eighteen-month to two-year production. Branched cuttings rooted as in systems 2 or 3 but kept under production for an additional year to evaluate their performance in the second flowering season.

Leucospermum and Serruria selections were tested under the several production systems by evaluating their rooting ability and the time required to produce flowering pot plants.

Three large, single-flower cultivars of Leucospermum were evaluated. ‘Ballerina’ was the best because 90 – 100% of the plants produced acceptable flowering pot plants, depending on the production system. Next were ‘Tango’ 42 – 100% and L. tottum producing 10 – 100% acceptable flowering pot plants.

With the small multi-headed species L. mundii and L. oleifolium, acceptable flowering pot plants were produced only after 17 months of cultivation.

Interspecies, F1 hybrids of Serruria florida x S. rosea rooted well, above 88%, in January-February and 20–85% of the plants produced acceptable flowering pot plants within 6 months of propagation.

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