Lobelia Starship Blue Seedling Tray

For best results with Starship Blue, plant one to three seedling plugs per 5-inch or gallon container or three to five per 8- or 10-inch container. Use well-drained soil with medium feed (175-225 ppm N), a pH of 5.8-6.6, and an EC of 1.1-1.3 mS/cm. Maintain temperatures of 65-70 daytime and 60-65 nighttime. This plant doesn't require vernalization but does need bulking in 10-hour short days until it has ten true leaves. It needs even moisture without being too wet. Watch for snails, slugs, thrips, root rot, pythium, and phytophthora. Use paclobutrazol or uniconazole spray, depending on the growing season. Spring crops require forcing, while summer crops finish more quickly. 

Violet-blue flowers bloom from midsummer to early fall.

This plant doesn't require pinching.

Space containers for adequate airflow and sunlight penetration between the foliage of each plant. We recommend 2’ centers on 10-inch baskets.

B-Nine, A-Rest and Bonzi have all been tested on Lobelia and are effective. Use a spray of paclobutrazol at 30 ppm or uniconazole at 5 ppm according to the label's instructions. 

Scout for snails, slugs, and thrips as part of your greenhouse's Integrated Pest Management plan. Thrips can cause serious problems for Lobelia because they spread INSV. 

Slugs and snails eat foliage in the garden or greenhouse. In the greenhouse, prevent damage by keeping snails and slugs away from plants with copper tape, bait, or natural predators. Although it's laborious, picking these pests off plants is effective. They most enjoy moist, dark areas, so keep the area around plants clean and free of debris and implement proper watering practices that allow the soil to dry between waterings and don't allow standing water.

Thrips are tiny insects that eat plant tissue and can transmit viruses. Watch for silvery-white streaks or black spots on foliage and distorted growth. Use natural predators (like predatory mites), insecticidal soap, neem oil, and sticky traps to control infestations and prevent spread.

Watch for signs of root rot, pythium, and phytophthora. Use preventative measures in your commercial greenhouse. Water at the base of each plant in the morning, allowing the soil to dry between waterings. Provide good airflow and space plants so sunlight and air can penetrate to the soil level of each plant. 

Root Rot occurs in poorly drained or overly wet soil, which becomes the host for several types of fungi. It causes stunted growth, wilting, and root system decay. Prevention is the best treatment, and you will avoid most root rot problems by using clean, well-draining media, appropriate containers, and good watering practices for finishing seedling plugs. Inspect plants for signs of disease regularly. Repot infected plants in well-draining soil, adjust your watering schedule, provide better airflow, and use a fungicide if needed.

Pythium and Rhizoctonia are fungal diseases that cause stunted growth, yellowed leaves, and plant death by eating away at the plant's roots. Use well-draining planting media and provide good airflow and spacing in your greenhouse. Allow the soil to dry slightly between waterings and apply fungicides with active ingredients abamectin, spinosad, or imidacloprid to combat these diseases.

Phytophthora is a water mold that produces zoospores that spread through water, soil, and plant material. This disease causes wilting, root rot, and plant death. Sanitize equipment and use clean growing media. Water properly and be careful not to splash foliage. Don't allow excess moisture on or around plants. Remove infected plants to deter the spread of disease. You may rotate fungicides with the active ingredients metalaxyl, mefenoxam, azoxystrobin, and cyazofamid. Use fungicides according to the label's instructions.

We recommend planting one to three seedling plugs per 5- or 6-inch or gallon container or three to five per 8- or 10-inch container. Use a well-drained soil and completely bury the ellepots equally spaced in the containers.