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blooming plant of the month
pot carnation
‘Kahori’
HilverdaKooij
Super Floral Retailing has created this page
for the education of store-level employees.
To download a reprintable PDF, please go
to www.superfloralretailing.com and select
“Current Issue.”
BOTANICAL NAME
Dianthus caryophyllus
(dy-AN-thus care-ee-oh-FILL-us )
COMMON NAMES
Miniature carnation, Pot carnation
DESCRIPTION
Round blooms have ruffly or fringededged petals, depending on variety, and
are about 1 inch in diameter. Some cultivars have a clovelike scent.
COLORS
Pot carnations are available in purple,
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floral retailing
july ’11
DECORATIVE LIFE
With proper care and favorable conditions (bright light, cool temperatures,
good air circulation), bloom cycles can
span two to four weeks.
AVAILABILITY
These plants are available year-round.
fun facts
in-store and
consumer care
LIGHT Bright, indirect light is required for
plants displayed indoors. Full sun is tolerated outdoors.
WATER Allow potting medium to dry out
slightly between waterings. Water plants
regularly, and avoid getting water on the
foliage and flowers, to prevent Botrytis
and other diseases.
TEMPERATURE Indoors, these plants prefer
cool areas (60 F to 70 F).
HUMIDITY/AIR CIRCULATION Carnation
plants do best in moderately humid environments with good air circulation.
ETHYLENE SENSITIVITY Carnations are highly sensitive to ethylene gas, which causes
petals to wilt (“go to sleep”) and petal edges
to brown. Make sure your plants are treated with an ethylene inhibitor at the grower
or during shipping, and keep these plants
away from sources of ethylene in your facility, especially fruit and other produce.
FERTILIZER Plant food is generally not
required for commercially grown pot carnations; however, consumers can apply an
all-purpose plant food at half strength
every two weeks, if they wish, to encourage
future blooming.
GROWING MEDIA Carnation plants require
high-quality, well-draining potting soil.
GROOMING Pinch off blooms as they die,
and advise consumers to cut back plants to
half their size when they have finished
lavender, burgundy, red, pink, orange,
salmon, peach, yellow, light green and
white. There also are flecked, striped
and other bicolor varieties.
‘Esta’
‘Faganza’
HilverdaKooij
HilverdaKooij
flowering to keep them compact and
encourage future blooming.
challenges
PESTS Aphids and spider mites can attack
these plants; if they do, spray plants with
insecticidal soap.
DISEASES These houseplants, which are
usually densely potted, are susceptible to
Botrytis, leaf spot, and root rot if blooms
and leaves get wet during watering, their
environment is overly humid and air circulation is poor, if they are overwatered or
allowed to stand in water, and/or if they
have poorly draining soil.
PREMATURE PETAL WILTING/BROWNING
Exposure to ethylene gas accelerates these
problems (see “In-Store and Consumer Care:
Ethylene Sensitivity,” above left).
Some information provided by:
Chain of Life Network® , www.chainoflife.org
Cut Flowers of the World
by Johannes Maree and Ben-Erik Van Wyk
Hortus Third
by Liberty Hyde Bailey and Ethel Zoe Bailey
Houseplant Encyclopedia, The
by Ingrid Jantra and Ursula Krüger
WHAT’S IN A NAME The genus name
“Dianthus” comes from the Greek Di (of
Zeus or Jove) or dios (divine) and anthos
(flower), so it means flower of Jove or divine
flower. The common name “carnation”
comes from the Latin carnis, meaning flesh,
alluding to the original pale pink color of
the flowers.
FAMILY MATTERS The genus Dianthus is a
member of the Caryophyllaceae (pink) family. Close relatives include baby’s breath
(Gypsophila) and soapwort (Saponaria).
HOME SWEET HOME Dianthuses are
native mostly to southern Europe, particularly the Mediterranean region, and southwestern Asia.
(See more “Fun Facts” in “Cut Flower of
the Month,” Page 22.)
purchasing advice
Look for carnation plants that are compact and have a few open blooms and a
number of colored buds, even growth and
healthy green foliage.
■ Buy only plants that are treated with an
ethylene inhibitor at the grower level or
during shipping.
■
toxicity alert
Inform customers that ingestion of Dianthus
blooms or leaves can cause minor stomach
irritation, especially in pets, and that frequent handling can cause contact dermatitis in some people. sfr
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