Method of producing a flowering horticultural display
A method of producing a horticultural display containing more than one variety of the same or different species of flowering plant is disclosed. The plants are produced from unrooted cuttings that are rooted in a growth cell and cultivated in a single container so that the final product includes more than one plant species or more than one plant variety or both. A plant growth cell having rooting media and more than one plant cutting from more than one plant species or plant variety or both rooted therein is also disclosed. Further, a horticultural display having more than one plant of more than one plant species or plant variety or both initially rooted together from unrooted plant cuttings in a growth cell is disclosed.
1. A method of producing a flowering horticultural display comprising:
providing a plurality of unrooted plant cuttings from different flowering plant species;
selecting at least two of the unrooted plant cuttings having compatible growth characteristics;
inserting the selected unrooted plant cuttings together in a growth cell; and
growing the selected unrooted plant cuttings in the growth cell, thereby producing a growth cell having a plurality of rooted cuttings from different flowering plant species, wherein the rooted cuttings exhibit balanced growth prior to transfer to a single container.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising growing the rooted cuttings together in the single container to produce a plurality of plants in a horticultural display in the single container.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the horticultural display exhibits plants having balanced growth.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one compatible characteristic is rooting time.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one compatible growth characteristic is plant vigor.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising manipulating a rooting time of one or more of the unrooted plant cuttings.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising altering plant vigor of one or more of the rooted cuttings.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein altering plant vigor comprises at least one of:
adjusting growth cell pH;
regulating light exposure to the growth cell;
regulating temperature of the growth cell; and
applying a growth regulator to one or more of the rooted cuttings.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plant cuttings are selected from the group consisting of petunia calibrachoa, verbena, pelargonium , new guinea impatiens, osteospermum, begonia, poinsettia, argyranthemum, bacopa, bidens, fuschia, chamaesyce, dahlia, diascia, lantana, lobelia, phlox, nemesia, sanvitalia , and scaevola plant species.
10. The method of claim 2 , wherein the plants exhibit complementary colors or contrasting colors or both.
11. The method of claim 2 , wherein the horticultural display is a pre-finished product or finished product.
12. The method of claim 2 , wherein the plants exhibit matching flowering times.
13. A plant growth cell comprising rooting media and a plurality of rooted plant cuttings comprising a plurality of different flowering plant species, wherein the plant cuttings have been rooted together in the rooting media by;
selecting at least two of the unrooted plant cuttings having compatible growth characteristics;
inserting the selected unrooted plant cuttings together in a single growth cell; and
growing the selected unrooted plant cuttings in the growth cell, thereby producing a growth cell having a plurality of rooted cuttings from different flowering plant species, wherein the rooted cuttings exhibit balanced growth prior to transfer to a single container.
14. The plant growth cell of claim 13 , wherein the compatible growth characteristic comprises rooting time or plant vigor or both.
15. A flowering horticultural display comprising a plurality of plants of different flowering species grown from the plant growth cell of claim 13 .
16. The horticultural display of claim 15 , wherein the plants exhibit balanced growth.
17. The horticultural display of claim 15 , wherein the plants have at least one compatible growth characteristic comprising rooting time or plant vigor or both.
18. The horticultural display of claim 15 , wherein the plants are pre-finished and not producing flowers.
19. The horticultural display of claim 15 , wherein the plants are finished and producing flowers.
20. The horticultural display of claim 15 , wherein the plants exhibit matching flowering times.