Fama® Deep Blue

Flowering Type: FastraX perennial – first year flowering plant without vernalization. Day neutral plant, will flower regardless of the day length. 

Flowering Mechanism: High light intensity and warmer temperatures shorten the total crop time. 

Germination: Optimum conditions for seedling development, beginning on the day of sowing until radicle emergence. Expect radicle emergence in 10-14 days. 

Cover: Light is required for germination, cover the seeds only lightly with vermiculte. 

Sowing method: 1-2 seeds per plug 

Media: pH 5.8-6.2; EC 0.5-0.75 

Temperature: 18-20 °C (64-68 °F) for the first two weeks. Once cotyledons have expanded, the temperature can be lowered to 16-18 °C (60-64 °F). 

Moisture: Begin with a wet (4) media for germination. After 10 days, reduce to moisture level moist (3) and then further to medium (2) until transplanting. A rather dry cultivation is recommended. 

Humidity: 95-100% until radicle emergence, then reduce to 40-60%. Provide proper ventiliation and horizontal airflow to improve oxygen levels in the media. 

Light: After radicle emergence, provide 2,000-2,500 ft. candles (20,000-25,000 lx). Later, the light level can be increased up to 4,000-5,000 ft. candles (40,000-50,000 lx). The plants should be hardened before transplanting to tolerate the full sun outside. 

Fertilizer: Maintain an EC <1.2. Begin fertilizing early to improve seedling quality. Initial feeding should start at 50-100 ppm and gradually work up to 100-175 ppm during plug production. Use a complete balanced fertilizer. 

Plug Bulking and Flower Initiation: Maintain optimal conditions during the vegetative stage from cotyledon expansion to flower initiation. Vernalization is not required. 

Growth Regulators: For cut flower usage, no growth regulators should be used. For transplanting as cut flower, 45 plants/m² are recommended. For the first harvest, 5-10 stems per plant can be expected, but 10-20 stems for the second harvest. Do not plant the plugs too deep. 

Media: pH 5.5-6.0; EC 1.0-1.3 

Light: Once transplanted into the field or greenhouse, additional light is no longer possible. Long days are not required for flowering. High light intensity and warmer temperatures shorten the total crop time. 

Temperature: For spring sowings, ensure 12-15 °C (54-59 °F) during day and night after transplanting, as lower temperatures can cause premature flowering and poor performance. For overwintering indoors, ensure frost-free conditions at least at 3-5 °C (37-41 °F) and low humidity. The plants can be forced for flowering with increasing temperatures: Maintain 12-15 °C (54-59 °F) for 10 to 12 weeks or 16-18 °C (61-64 °F) for 6 weeks. 

Moisture: Scabiosa do not like to stay wet, so avoid overwatering. If irrigation is possible, allow the media to dry back before re-saturating. 

Fertilizer: Moderate fertilization levels are required. Fertilize the plants weekly with 100-150 ppm N using a complete balanced fertilizer. Prevent magnesium and iron deficiency. During forcing in spring, fertilize 150-200 ppm N using a potassium balanced fertilizer. 

Growth Regulators: For cut flower usage, no growth regulators are required. 

Fungicides: Apply fungicides during long periods of low light, cool temperatures and high humidity. 

Common Diseases: Botrytris, downy mildew, root rot. 

Pests: Aphids, mites. 

Harvest: Harvest the stems once 50% of the florets have opened. Harvested buds will not open later. Three harvest cycles per planting can be expected. 

Post Harvest: Include an ethylene-inhibiting product to avoid flower shattering and decay. Hydrate the stems immediately after cutting and store them in a cooler at 1-3 °C (34-38 °F) until usage. 

Plug Crop Time
288 tray: 6-7 weeks
128 tray: 7-8 weeks

Finished Crop Time (from 288 tray)
Autumn plantings: 26-30 weeks
Spring plantings: 12-14 weeks