Phlox Perennials Can Boost Your Growing Program
Are you adding Phlox perennials to your commercial greenhouse for the first time? Garden Phlox is a wonderful addition to your selection that your customers will love. Our Phlox rooted liners arrive ready to be transplanted into your final containers. In this short guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to successfully finish and sell your Phlox perennial starter plants.
- The basic growing needs of Phlox Paniculata (Summer Phlox) and Woodland (spreading) Phlox
- How to time your starter plants
- Differences in the varieties of Phlox we offer: Chattahoochee, Bright Eye, and Peacock Cherry Red
- How to sell Phlox to your customers and help them grow it successfully
How to Grow Phlox Paniculata in Your Greenhouse
Begin by planting one liner in the middle of each 4-inch container in well-drained soil. Completely bury the ellepot. Then place containers in full sun to partial shade. Chattahoochee should be placed in partial to full shade. You may also choose to plant 1-2 liners each in gallon or two-gallon containers.
Four-inch containers should be spaced about 5-7 inches apart for airflow; gallon containers should be spaced 8-12 inches apart. Airflow is particularly important with Phlox, as it can be susceptible to powdery mildew.
You don’t need to pinch your Phlox starter plants.
Phlox doesn’t require chemical growth regulators. Phlox Paniculata will bloom better with long days, while Phlox Chattahoochee is daylength neutral. During the day, maintain a temperature of 59-76℉ for Garden Phlox varieties; spreading Phlox will flourish in temperatures of 65-76℉.
Use 100-175 ppm of a balanced fertilizer. Maintain a pH of 6.0-6.5 for Garden Phlox and a pH of 5.4-5.8 for Phlox Chattahoochee. Under artificial grow lights, Phlox performs well with 5,000-9,000 fc.
Powdery Mildew is the most common and problematic disease you’ll see with Phlox. The varieties we offer are moderately resistant. This disease most often shows up in cooler weather with shorter days and high humidity. Take the following simple steps to prevent fungus outbreaks:
- Water plants at their base early in the morning so they have a chance to dry out before dark.
- Provide sufficient airflow in your greenhouse. We’ve found using horizontal airflow fans to be helpful at preventing fungus.
- Space containers to allow air and light to penetrate down to the soil in each starter plant. For Phlox, space 4-inch containers 5-7 inches apart.
Keep an eye out for the gray-white substance on foliage that is the main sign of Powdery Mildew growth. Fungus spread can be treated with chemical sprays. We generally recommend Strike, Systhane (Eagle), Pipron, Terraguard, and Heritage to combat Powdery Mildew. To learn more about fighting fungus in your commercial greenhouse, check out Three Most Common Fungi Found On Plants.
Starter Plant Timing
Start liners in 4-inch containers 7-9 weeks before you’ll make them available to your customers.
Give gallon containers 8-10 weeks to finish from rooted plugs.
The Differences in Our Varieties of Summer Phlox Perennials
We offer three varieties of Phlox perennials. Peacock Cherry Red is an upright Garden Phlox that grows 18-24” tall and 12-18” wide. It grows at a medium rate and, in ideal conditions, can live in a perennial garden for ten years. It’s Magenta flowers bloom from June to August. It is somewhat resistant to Powdery Mildew. This Paniculata variety is native to the eastern United States and southeast Canada.
Bright Eye is another upright Garden Phlox, slightly larger than Peacock Cherry Red at 24-30” tall and 18-24” wide. It has light pink flowers with crimson centers that bloom slightly later, from July-September. This plant is a cultivar of the Paniculata native to eastern North America. It is more resistant to Powdery Mildew than other varieties.
Phlox divaricata Chattahoochee, also known as Woodland Phlox, is a spreading variety native to eastern North America. It is the most different of the three, primarily in its habit and bloom time. While Garden Phlox flourishes in full to partial sun, Woodland Phlox does best in partial to full shade. It reaches just 10-12” tall and spreads 12-18”. The lavender-blue flowers have maroon centers and bloom from April to June.
How Your Customers Can Use Garden Phlox
Garden Phlox is usually used in perennial borders and mixed containers. Woodland Phlox makes a wonderful groundcover for a shady edge or border front. Your customers will love the intense bloom color as well as the hummingbirds and butterflies these flowers attract.
Offer Bright Eye to customers with large perennial borders. These starter plants should be spaced 18-20” apart to allow for circulation. For a slightly smaller variety, offer Peacock Cherry Red; space starter plants 15” apart and divide the plants every few years. These plants can be grown in full sun to partial shade.
Offer Chattahoochee as a groundcover for shaded border fronts or along fences or woods; space plants 15” apart. This plant does best in partial to full shade.
Any of the varieties can be used in mixed containers as well.
Your customer will have the most success with Phlox by planting it in well-drained soil with proper spacing for airflow. Chattahoochee can stand a bit more moisture and also benefits from compost-rich soil.
Encourage your customer to deadhead their Garden Phlox plants and to cut them back hard in the fall. Plants should be divided every few years. Regular watering will help establish a healthy root system, although no standing water should be allowed.
Emphasize air circulation and morning watering at the base of the plant as preventative measures for Powdery Mildew. You may also offer a fungicide option.
Consider carrying plants that pair well with Garden Phlox perennials in borders or containers. Some flowers that pair well are:
Enjoy the wonderful benefits Garden and Woodland Phlox add to your commercial greenhouse selection!
