Every year, growers of lavender-hued Lisianthus envision harvesting a fantasy of amethyst blooms. But after months of careful cultivation, the dream can turn into a nightmare of unsightly brown splotches or edges.
Though any color or variety of Lisianthus can suffer from botrytis or brown spotting–especially field-grown flowers that can hold rain–lavender and purple varieties are particularly susceptible.
We receive S.O.S. messages from flower farmers who have invested a great deal of time and resources to protect their precious blooms, and are still foiled by discolored petals.
To address concerns about browning Lisianthus, we consulted Bob Croft, technical support manager at Sakata. Sakata is a leading breeder of flowers, notably the premium Lisianthus series Voyage, Celeb, Rosanne, Viviana, and Solo.
Via email, Bob shared his expert insights on how to keep your lavender Lisis princess-perfect.
- Excess nitrogen that suppresses calcium uptake
- Poor root system that is not capable of supplying enough moisture or calcium; especially under stress conditions
- Lack of air movement or poorly aerated soil that suppresses calcium uptake