Articles
FORCING OF SELECTED ORNAMENTAL OXALIS SPP. AS POTTED PLANTS
O. Regnellii is commercially available year-round, while the others are generally available only from September to December.
The scaly rhizomes of O. Regnellii should be stored at 5°C until planted.
When forced at 16–18°C with medium (5000 ft. c.) light intensities and natural photoperiods, it was marketable in 4–5 weeks as a 10 or 15 cm potted plant.
This species required a moderate to heavy fertilization.
It is an excellent forcing species.
The other species required the following preplanting storage temperatures.
For 1 October to 2 January plantings, the following treatments produced the best results: O. bowiei – 25°C to 13 Dec., then 5°C; O. hirta – 5°C; O. maritiana – 5°C; O. purpurea (25°C plus 5°C for 2 weeks prior to planting; and O. versicolor – 5°C or 25°C. All these species, with the exception O. maritiana, which is used as potted plant only, can be forced either as 10 or 15 cm potted plants or hanging basket plants at 16–18°C with medium light intensities and natural photoperiods.
All species benefited from a moderate fertilization program.
Average weeks to marketable plants were: O. bowiei – 4 to 6, O. hirta – 6 to 8, O. maritiana – 6 to 8, O. purpurea – 7 to 8, and O. versicolor – 7 to 9. After January 2, planting of most of these species produced variable responses.
This is an area that needs further investigation.