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| Lipstick Plant Buds |
What problem
are we trying to solve here?
Commercial horticulture demands that
flowering crops can be consistently grown into a salable product in the
shortest possible time. This depends on
knowing the flowering response ---- what triggers flowering?
There is a vague understanding of
what makes Lipstick (Aeschynanthus) plants flower. Flowering is variety specific. My conclusions are for the clone with classic
red lipstick tube and flower. This clone
may be A. lobbianus. Regardless of the
name, the stock material that I have available to me, flowers in hanging basket form
around Christmas.
The goal will be to produce 4” or 6”
baskets in the Fall for December flowering.
8” or 10” baskets are too heavy for indoor use. If a 4” pot can be produced from budded
shoots --- even better.
Everyone agrees that Lipsticks are seasonal, but what does
that mean?
I believe that day-length is not
a trigger. If it were, growers would
already be cranking them out on a Mum schedule year around.
The Fall flowering must be either
from the total accumulation of light from Summer or a lowering of
temperature. Or Both.
The maturity/age of the branch is
mandatory. Young growth does not
flower. After the main flush of flowers,
any sporadic later flowering is probably from younger growth that has matured.
So, in the absence of controlled experiments
where we can test one piece of environment at a time, my conclusion is this:
1. Propagate Spring and Summer.
2. Get maturity Summer and Fall
3. Wait for cooler Fall temperatures.
4. Budding will occur Oct/Nov
5. Flowering in Dec/Jan/Feb
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