1. Snapdragon Cut Flowers
Antirrhinum majus
Snapdragon
Cut
Flowers
‘Axiom Yellow’
‘PA Rose’

2. Taxonomy & Origin Member of Scrophulariaceae 40 species
Origin is the Mediterranean area
Herbaceous perennial

3. Uses and Sizes Cut flowers Dwarf to 36 - 72” Garden plants
Bedding plants
Potted plants
Hanging baskets
Dwarf to ”
Trailing or upright

4. Colors & Flower Types White Red Rose Pink Yellow Orange Bicolors
Single
Double
Open-faced (butterfly)

5. Corolla fused into a tube
Five lobed petals
Raceme
2 upper lobes
Pedicel
form a mouth
3 lower lobes
Corolla fused into a tube
Perfect flowers

6. Cut Flower Cultivars

7. Propagation Seeds 10 days at 64 - 68 0 F under light
Buy plugs from specialists propagator
Need high light or supplemental light for best quality

8. Flowering Control Facultative long day plant.
Flowering occurs faster under long days but can occur under short days.
Juvenile plants (< specified leaf number) will not respond to LD.
When mature enough to perceive LD, temperature effects rate of flower initiation, not development.
Higher temperatures reduce time to flowering.

9. Flowering Control
Once flower initiation has occurred, temperature has little effect on days to flower.
The time between visible flower bud and anthesis is not influenced by light duration or intensity.

10. Temperature
Plants like warm temperatures during early and cool temperatures during later stages of growth.
Usually grown at F night temp throughout production, however.
When the media is cool and the air is warm the ability of the plant to take up water is restricted and the plants will wilt (on bright, sunny winter mornings).

11. Light
Ability to fix carbon may be the difference between cultivar classifications.
Winter flowering- not delayed by low light and SD because they have a short juvenile phase.
Summer flowering- longer juvenile phase and higher leaf number under LD and high light.

12. Light
High pressure sodium lamps decrease time to flower and increase quality when used to supplement light in the winter.
Most economical if used in the seedling stage of growth because plant density is higher.
Incandescent lighting can also be used to extend the day to 18 hour or use night interruption.

13. Snapdragon Culture Do not overwater!
Overwatering and Pythium root rot go hand-in-hand.
Ground beds should be at least 6 inches deep to allow for adequate drainage.
Group I and II responsive to CO2 during the winter.

14. Snapdragon Culture con’t
Low nutrient requirement compared to poinsettias and chrysanthemums.
100 ppm constant liquid feed.
Nitrate N is preferred to ammonium.
Sensitive to low levels of Boron and it must be present (B becomes deficient when Ca levels are too high).

15. Snapdragon Culture con’t
Aphids are a major insect pest.
Sanitation, soil treatment, air movement, humidity control help to reduce disease damage.
Cut flowers can be grown single stemmed or pinched.
Potted plants may need to be pinched.
Bonzi drench for height control in potted flowering plants.

16. Scheduling and Timing Based on cultivar and time of year:
If cultivar is not properly selected for a particular time of year -
Flowering problems will occur
delayed or accelerated
Vegetative problems will also occur
small, weak plants vs. large, grassy plants

17. Postharvest Harvest cut flowers when 1/3 of inflorescence is open.
Preservatives can double vase life.
Sensitive to ethylene - one-hour pulse of STS at room temperature.