Bulletin 900 ApHl1958 production methods and new markets For TEXA$ AGRICIIHURAI [XPHUMENT “ATION w? R. D. lewis. Director. College Station, Texas Summary There is no established custom in the United States of using plants and flowers in the average home. Such customs take a long period of development. The florist industry is especially interested in the possibility of expanding the market for plants and flowers through (1) expanding promotional programs. (2) improv- ing merchandising practices of retail florists and (3) developing sales in mass market outlets such as grocery supennarkets, variety and department stores. Studies conducted in Bryan and Austin. Texas. during 1955-56 showed that cut flowers and potted plants can be marketed profitably in volume market outlets. Flowering and foliage potted plants offer greater possibilities than cut flowers when marketed through mass or volume outlets. A “new" or basically different plant must be produced for mass market outlets. Several basic steps should be followed for the production and sale of flowers and plants for everyday home use. l. The unit price must be low and producers must have accurate lmowledge of production and handling costs. 2. There must be a minimum amount of servicing necessary at the wholesale and retail level. 3. The items must be prepared so that ease of handling is assured both by the retail outlet and the customer. A 4. Volume production at low cost is essential. to allow the principle of low mark- up applying to mass marketing to be used. 5. The flowers or plants must remain in good condition for a “reasonable" sales period each week in the retail outlet. 6. Accurate timing. competent management of production areas and proper scheduling of quantity and quality are required to reduce losses. 7. High quality is essential. These plants and flowers are not for special oc- casions but for everyday home use: long service and satisfaction must be a prime consideration. 8. Plants and flowers must be produced and sold in sizes most widely adaptable to use in the average home. The longer flowers and plants are offered in a mass market outlet. the greater the increase in sales. The value of sales per square foot of display space in mass market outlets is above the average for other perishable products. Pilot studies indicate that consumers buying in mass market outlets were over- whelmingly in favor of continuing the sale of potted plants in such outlets. Conven- ience of purchase and prices below those of high service outlets were the main fac- tors in consumer preference. HE FLORIST INDUSTRY IN THE UNITED STATES has developed from a limited number of small greenhouse establishments to a highly specialized in- dustry." In its early development most of the florist business was limited to the large metropolitan areas, but today the industry serves practically every com- it munity in the nation. This rapid economic expansion has not pro- gressed in an organized manner. This unplanned - growth has been inefficient and lacking in sound economic principles of business organization. During World War II, high levels of consumer income and curtailed production of other consumer goods increased the demand for florist crops. Since 1946 flower producers have found less profitable market conditions for their products and have become increasingly concerned with the prob- lem of expanding this market. Florist crops have never been subjected to price controls or produc- tion area allotments. Until 1950 there was little emphasis on collect- ing, assembling and analyzing information concern- ing the economics of production and distribution of floricultural products. Most of the research in this field had been directed toward the problems of pro- duction. Proper analysis of problem areas was dif- ficult because the industry lacked economic data. Expanded coverage of the industry by the U. S. Census Bureau in" the 1950 Census Report included the most extensive inventory ever compiled for flo- ricultural endeavors. yThis information concerning the florist industry has helped provide the foundation for research on the economic problems of the industry and has stim- ulated floricultural research on more efficient tech- niques inlproducing, handling and marketing florist crops. ‘Y. *Respectively, associate professor, Department of Agricul- tural Economics and Sociology; and head and assistant pro- fessor, Department of Floriculture and Landscape Archi- tecture. Production Methods and New Markets for jexazi jZJrL/ii 60/06 H. B. SORENSEN. A. F. DEWERTH AND E. R. JENSEN* Floricultural crops require a high degree of spe- cialization in both production and marketing. They follow distinct marketing systems from the producer to the consumer,’ with separate wholesale markets and highly specialized retail outlets. This is in striking contrast with the marketing process of many other agricultural products and partly explains some of the marketing problems peculiar to this industry. The present demand for florist products may be divided into two categories. The first includes flow- ers for special occasions such as weddings, birth- days, funerals, illnesses and special holidays. The use of flowers on these occasions is dictated by so- cial customs of long standing. Most of this demand is based on floral designing rather than flowers alone and is relatively independent of price. The second category includes flowers and plants for everyday home use. From the economic view- point this may be considered a luxury item. The consumer purchasing plants and flowers for every- day home use is less likely to be willing to pay for Con ten ts Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 2 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 3 Description of Proiect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 4 Experimental Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Production Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Production Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 6 Soil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 6 Potting Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Fertilizers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 6 Watering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 7 Production Schedules for Small Pot Plants . . . . . 7 Marketing Practices and Techniques . . . . . . . .. l6 Plant Classification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Packaging Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Care Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 . Retail Sales Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Results of Mass Market Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Sales Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 When Purchases Were Made . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Marketing Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Customer Reaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 the customary services included in the other cate- gory, such as floral designing, credit and delivery. This luxury demand will need to be developed on a cash-and-carry basis with low price and mini- mum service. In the initial stages of development, it is felt that such sales will depend largely on im- pulse buying where the decision is made at the point of purchase. As people acquire the habit of buy- ing more flowers for home use such purchases will become less a luxury and more of a necessity. Description of Project Research on the economics and marketing of florist products at the Texas Agricultural Experi- ment Station received added emphasis with the es- tablishment of a regional marketing project for the Southern Region in 1954. A survey of the industry and its activities in Tex- as was made to determine which phase of the over- all marketing problem might be most practical for initial study. Since surveys in Texas and elsewhere indicated that there was no appreciable market for flowers for use in the home and little industry effort was being directed toward developing the market, this project was designed to study the potential market for flow- ers for home use. When the project was initiated, it was the feel- ing of all concerned that mass marketing of flowers and plants for home use might sell flowers to peo- " ple who do not buy them now, and more flowers to people who do. Studies to date have proved the assumption to be true with very few exceptions. Properly produced flowers and plants can con- tribute much to our standard of living. The use of flowers in everyday living in the home can be a mar- ket with a great potential with a steady daily or weekly demand. A pilot study was made for 1. year in two out- lets: a supermarket which had never handled flow- ers or plants of any kind; and a variety store with an established plant department selling foliage plants and planters at all times and flowering plants during holiday periods. To avoid too much overlapping and repetition of work being done by other states, a wide range of material was used to determine the consumer reac- tion to mass market selling. Consumer preference was sought for the type, kind, price and size of pro- duct best adapted to use in the home. 4 l’ When some specific answers were obtained fr this pilot study, the project was expanded later , include a larger number of outlets in a commu o of greater size and market potential. Soon after the project was started, it was 5 termined that shorter stemmed flowers and smal, sized potted plants than thosebeing grown for present market were needed to supply mass mar ._j outlets adequately. i High quality also was essential for contirg ready sales in mass market outlets. High quality- the size and form needed was not readily availa from any location in the country to supply these * outlets adequately for any length of time. Plants were purchased in 21/2, 3, 3% and 4-i i pots shipped in from the West Coast, Pacific No -‘ west, Midwest, East and Florida, as well as fr local growers. I In some cases the first shipments were of n“ quality and moved well, but subsequent shipmef were of lower quality or smaller sized plants failed to move as well. Every effort indicated that a specific kind product was needed for mass market sales. In k variety store especially, the packaged pot plants so. out before unpackaged plants in the exisiting i; displays moved. Packages presented another sizeable obsta, which is still impeding progress in mass market _ velopment. The largest size package available potted plants is a cellophane bag 5" x 6" x 20", - , this quickly set the size limitation of plants for market. The supply of bags has been erratic J undependable to date. ‘ The potted plant items should not be over,‘ inches high and should be stocky, compact, ~ grown, high-quality plants. Cut flowers should. high-quality flowers on strong stems not over I inches in length. Since the types of plants and flowers needed? supply these outlets were extremely difficult to {l , tain, the next phase of the project was developed explore the requirements for the production of proper type "new” plants for mass market outl Preliminary production trials have indicated ~- flower growers can easily convert their ability§ produce large, high-quality plants to production cedures for small, high-quality plants for this A ket. ' Mass market outlets that will absorb these new type plants designed for mass production can be especially important to flower growers. A large part of greenhouse operational costs is fixed and can be placed on a square-foot-per-year basis. The part of the costs that is variable or in- creases with the number of flowers or plants pro- duced is relatively small. The major expenses of the flower grower in Texas are labor, greenhouse maintenance, heating and cooling, taxes and insur- ance. These costs are about the same whether 2,000 or 6,000 plants are grown on the same bench space. An increase in the number of plants grown on the same space and sold at a lower price will increase profits within certain limits. An established mass market for home use flow- ers does not exist but the indicated potential can be developed if the industry desires. Exploratory work in mass market development indicates that when flowers or plants are placed where people can see them, they buy them if they are properly displayed, priced at a reasonable level, are high-quality plants and in a size readily adapted for use in the average home. Flowers or plants sold to certain type customers for a specific use should be produced for that pur- pose. The purpose in the past has been special oc- casion flowers and the growers’ customer has been the retail florist. Mass market production and sell- ing require that “new” plants and flowers be pro- duced for "new” customers for a different use. Plants and flowers produced to date for other purposes are too large for window sills, narrow man- tels, coffee tables, end tables, bathroom ledges and other home locations. It may take some time to establish the custom of buying flowers for home use; the sooner such a market is established, the sooner the habit will be formed. Several basic steps have been developed which canybe used to produce and sell flowers and plants for” everyday home use: 1. Produce an adequate supply of quality flow- ers and plants best suited for home use. 2. Display themiiri“good condition and in loca- tions where they can be seen by the most people dur- ing their routine shopping. 3. Prepackage the products so that they can be picked up conveniently and taken home by the cus- tomer and require no maintenance while on display. Experimental Procedures PRODUCTION COSTS The unplanned development of greenhouse ex- pansion during the last 50 years has made it diffi- cult to obtain adequate data on greenhouse produc- tion costs. Some method of determining accurate production costs was needed to determine precise production schedules from the standpoint of rapid turnover, accurate timing, high quality and low cost. Since pilot studies indicated that potted plants were more highly desirable for this market than cut flowers, 26 varieties of potted plants which had shown the greatest market acceptance during the preliminary marketing surveys were selected for these trials. Sufficient quantities of each crop were produced in the Station greenhouses to determine the feasibil- ity of these production procedures on a commercial scale. Previous investigations during the past 5 years with larger sized potted plants for the conventional florist markets, established the annual cost per square foot of producing greenhouse bench area for greenhouse production of potted plants in Texas at approximately $2. To allow for added costs due to the research na- ture of this project and the wide variation in grow- ing operations of individual growers, an average cost of $2.60 per square foot was adopted. The basis for determination of production costs in these trials was the square foot of bench area used during the production of the crop. This cost includes such items as overhead, heating, lighting and cool- mg. This method of computing costs is shown in the following example for garden variety chrysanthe- mums which require a greenhouse production period of 7 weeks from planting to sale. Cost per square foot of bench space per year, $2.60. Cost per square foot of bench space per week, $2.60 + 52 I 5 cents per week. Plants potted in 5-inch pots and placed on bench, pot to pot for 4 weeks I 12 pots per square foot. 5 cents x 4_ weeks I 20 cents. 20 cents + 12 I 1.66 cents per plant. At the end of the fourth week, plants were spac- ed four to the square foot for the remaining 5 weeks. 5 x 5 cents I 15 cents. 15 cents + 4 I 5.75 cents per plant. Total bench space cost per plant, Cents 1.66 + 5.75 5.41 Cost of rooted cutting 6.00 Cost of 3-inch plastic pot 5.46 Production cost of finished plant 14.87 Production costs for all types of plants included in these studies were computed by this method and are shown in "Production Schedules for Small Pot Plants.” Costs of seed, bulbs, cuttings or plants used are not included because such costs vary from time to time and in different areas and are readily available to the grower for his own operations. PRODUCTION PRACTICES Detailed production schedules have been pre- pared for all crops included in these trials, but sev- eral general production practices apply to all crops grown. The following general practices were used for all crops produced in these studies unless other- wise specified in the individual schedules. The main production requirement for these crops is to produce the highest quality plant in the shortest .. period of time, at the lowest cost. All procedures outlined have been developed with this in mind. Soil Good physical structure is the principal soil re- quirement for small pot plant production. An open well-aerated soil with good moisture retention and good drainage must be maintained during the growth of the crop. The following soil mixture, developed to meet these requirements, was used for the production of all crops included in these studies: two parts soil, two parts coarse peat moss, one part one-eighth inch to one-fourth inch aggregate charcoal or coarse ag- gregate perlite. The ingredients in this compost were mixed thoroughly until all component parts were equally distributed throughout the mixture. This mixture was then sterilized with steam at 180° F. for at least 50 minutes. No fertilizer was added until after the mixture was sterilized. Two ounces of treble superphosphate and 2 ounces of 6 calcium sulphate were then added to each 5 bus of the mixture. Potting Procedures - Except for certain check plants, all crops w grown in 5% or 4-inch plasticaazalea pots. Ch plants were grown in clay pots off the same size. reduce production cost, no potting was done at v-A potting bench. ’ The pots were placed pot to pot on the fl filled with a shovel or loader and leveled off H I a stick to the top of the pot. it Pots were then placed at finished spacing on g growing bench where seedlings or cuttings planted in the pots. These potting procedures duced normal potting labor cost approximately i. percent. As cuttings or seedlings were potted, they w watered with a starter solution comprised of eq parts by weight of monopotassium phosphate diammonium phosphate at the rate of 1 ounce to; gallons of water until the soil in the pots was tirely moistened. Cheesecloth was then placed P rectly on the cuttings or seedlings and misted c ‘ hour with fog nozzles. This cloth was left on plantsfor 5 days and fogged at hourly interv y The cloth was removed each afternoon and plac back on the plants each morning. At the end the fifth day the cloth was removed entirely. if Seedlings or cuttings were planted directly A‘ finish pots, while small potted plants purcha from other sources were shifted to finish pots u“, arrival. All plants were watered with the sta fl solution when the second watering was requir; This will vary from 5 days to 1 week from the t'-_ of potting, depending on the season or the weath Fertilizers - All plants in these studies were fertilized on: regular schedule. A complete water soluble fe lizer with a 15-50-15 ratio was used and applied liquid form at the rate of 1 ounce to 4 gallons 5 water. This mixture was applied weekly beginning the time the crop required a third watering. Ev fourth week an application of 12 pfirrcent iron chel was added to this mixture at the rate of 1 ounce ‘ 25 gallons of water. h a This liquid fertilizer was applied to the pl = in the same amount as a normal watering. i Watering The production practice most difficult t0 stand- ardize is watering. In these trials, every effort was made to keep the soil uniformly moist. The critical periods are from the time of potting until a satisfactory root system is established, and during the latter stages of crop development just before the plants begin to flower. Plastic pots can be overwatered easily before roots are established. Since these pots are not po- rous, the soil may be dry on the surface but be moist lower in the pot where the roots are growing. Root distribution in plastic pots—using the recommended soil mixture mentioned earlier— is more uniform throughout the soil ball than in clay pots where the root distribution almost entirely surrounds the ex- terior of the soil ball. This uniform root distribu- tion prevents serious root loss during the growing period due to drying out in small pots. The plants were grown on benches covered with coarse gravel, charcoal or perlite which prevented the roots from developing extensively into the bench material below the pots. procluclion Scheolu/ed /0r' Sma/f poi [units The following production procedures, schedules and production cost analysis for spe- cific crops are for environmental conditions that prevail in Texas and are presented as they were developed hy several replications in the studies. Minor adjustments may have to he made for individual situations. A forcing structure such as a greenhouse in which environmental factors can‘ he con- trolled is necessary for this type of production, and should he equipped with heating and cooling equipment for profitahle year-round production. The high quality required can- not he produced and the necessary timing schedules cannot he accomplished under condi- tions prevailing out-of-doors. NAME OF CROP: African Violet (St. Paulia). PRODUCTION AND MARKETING PERIOD: Entire year. METHOD OF PROPAGATION: Petiole cuttings: divis- ion of small plants. Root petiole cuttings in flats; divide when suitable size. CULTURAL PROCEDURES: Potting: Plant divisions or rooted petiole cuttings di- rectly into 3" plastic pans or azalea pots or stick petiole cuttings directly in 3" pans or pots. Use 1 part of very fine sand or very fine perlite and 1 part course peat. gPinching: None. Timing: Requires approximately 4 months to produce a blooming plant from a petiole cutting. Temperature: 65 degrees minimum. i‘ 1m Spacing: 5 plantssiper square foot. Other Considerations: Keep in light intensity of 800- foot candles for propagation and young plants. In- crease light intensity to 1,_000 to 1.200-foot candles as soon as small plants are established. VARIETIES: Choose short-petioled varieties. COST OF PRODUCTION: 20 weeks at 5¢ I $1.00. $1.00 + 5 I 20¢ per plant. Add cost of cutting or small plant and pot. MARK ET ACCEPTANCE: Excellent. African Violets. A geratum Riverside. NAME OF CROP: Ageratum (Ageratum houstonianum). PRODUCTION AND MARKETING PERIOD: Entire year. METHOD OF PROPAGATION: Seed or cuttings. CULTURAL PROCEDURES: Potting: Pot rooted cuttings or seedlings direct to 31A" plastic pots. Pinching: Pinch twice, as soon as plants produce 3 sets of leaves after pinching. Pinch out tips only. NAME OF CROP: Azalea (Rhododendron species). PRODUCTION AND MARKETING PERIOD: Christml through Mother’s Day. ; METHOD OF PROPAGATION: Buy small budded plan in October. 1 CULTURAL PROCEDURES: Potting: Pot plants in 4" plastic azalea pots in pu I peat on arrival and placeinlcold storage of 40 d-f grees. Do not allow storage temperatures to above 40 degrees in unlighted storage. " a Timing: Allow 4 weeks of cold storage and 6 wee at 65 degrees for early forcing at Christmas, Ja 1 uary and February. For plants forced later, all 2 to 4 weeks depending on the time of forcing in varieties. I Temperature: 40 degrees storage. 65 degrees forcing. Spacing: 5 plants per square foot. Other Considerations: Do not allow peat to dry out but avoid overwatering. Keep peat moist but no wet in storage. - VARIETIES: Hinodegiri. Coral Bells. Sweetheart Supreme. Alaska. COST OF PRODUCTION: Storage space cost I 6¢ per week. 9 plants per square foot in storage. Storage cost I 4 weeks at 6¢ I 24¢. 24¢ -:— 9 I 2.66¢ per plant. Greenhouse forcing: 4 weeks at 5¢ I 20¢. 20¢ -:— 5 I 4¢ per plant. Total cost I 6%¢ per plant. Add cost of small plant and pot. MARKET ACCEPTANCE: Excellent. Timing: Saleable plants can be produced in 6 to 8 weeks with two pinches. Temperature: 60 degrees. Spacing: 3 plants per square foot in 31A" pots. Other Considerations: Do not overwater. Watch for red-spider during hot weather. VARIETIES: Improved Riverside. Blue Mink. ' ' ‘ Pink. White. Masterpiece. COST OF PRODUCTION: 7 weeks at 5¢ I 35¢. 35 —:— 3 I 12¢ per plant. Add cost of seedling or cutting and pot. MARKET ACCEPTANCE: Good. NAME OF CROP: Baby Primrose (Primula malacoides). PRODUCTION AND MARKETING PERIOD: Winter and early spring. ’ METHOD OF PROPAGATION: Seed. CULTURAL PROCEDURES: Potting: Plant seedlings direct to 31/2" plastic azalea, pots. Standard soil mixture. Pinchin g : None. f Timing: Sow seed August 15 and later. Seed sowing i_ to finish pots, 4 Weeks. Finish pots to bloom, 12 weeks. i Temperature: 55 degrees. Spacing: '7 plants per square foot. Other Considerations: Full sunlight. VARIETIES: Brightness. v Glory of Riverside Improved. White Giant No. 41. COST OF PRODUCTION: 12 weeks at 5¢ I: 60¢. ~ 60¢ —.'— 5 I 12¢ per plant. Add cost of seedling and pot. MARKET ACCEPTANCE: Good. A geratum Maxterpiece. NAME OF CROP: China-aster (Callistephus chinensis). PRODUCTION AND MARKETING PERIOD: Entire year with additional day length. METHOD OF PROPAGATION: Seed. CULTURAL PROCEDURES: Potting: Plant seedlings direct into 4" plastic azalea pots. Pinching: None. Timing: From seed sowing to potting 2 t0 4 weeks, from planting t0 bloom 8 to 12 weeks. Temperature: 55 degrees, as near as possible. Spacing: 5 per square foot. Other Considerations: Four hours additional light, from time seed is sown except from June to August. gut off lights when plants are large enough to ower. VARIETIES : Kirkwell. COST OF PRODUCTION : 12 weeks at 5¢ I 60¢. 60¢ + 5 I 12¢ per plant. Add cost of seedling and pot. MARKET ACCEPTANCE: Good O O Q NAME OF CROP: Celosia (Celosia species). PRODUCTION AND MARKETING PERIOD: Entire year. METHOD OF PROPAGATION: Seed. CULTURAL PROCEDURES: Potting: Plant seedlings direct to 31/3" plastic pots. Pinching: Do not pinch. Timing: Three weeks from seed sowing to potting, 8 weeks from potting to flowering plants. Temperature: 60 degrees. Spacing: 51/3 plants per square foot. Other considerations: Do not overwater. Stop fertili- zer when buds appear. - VARIETIES: Comb type: Kardinal. Plume type: Dwarf Fiery Feather. COST OF PROD UCTIO.N: 8 weeks at 5¢ I 40¢. _ 40¢ + 5.33 I approximately 71/a¢ per plant. Add cost of seedling and pot. MARKET ACCEPTANCE: Good C e! aria. rI:I:I:I:l:.::E:I'Z~. Gloxinia. NAME OF CROP: Gloxinia (Sinningia speciosa). PRODUCTION AND MARKETING PERIOD: Entire year. , METHOD OF PROPAGATION: Seed. CULTURAL PROCEDURES: Potting: Plant seedlings direct to 4" plastic azalea pots. Standard soil mixture. Pinching: Pinch tips when plants have 4 sets of leaves. Timing: Seed sowing to potting in finish pots, 6 weeks. Finish pots to bloom, 12 weeks. Temperature: 60 degrees. Spacing: 4 plants per square foot. Other Considerations: Light intensity of 2,000-foot candles. VARIETIES : Panzer’s Scarlet. COST OF PRODUCTION: 12 weeks at 5¢ I 60¢. 60¢ + 4 I 15¢ per plant. Add cost of seedling and pot. MARKET ACCEPTANCE: Excellent. NAME OF CROP: Cyclamen (Cyclamen indicum). PRODUCTION AND MARKETING PERIOD: January, February, March. METHODS OF PROPAGATION: Buy small 2%" plants for planting in October. CULTURAL PROCEDURES: Potting: Plant 21/1." plants in 4" plastic azalea pots in October. Timing: Use well established 2%" or 21/2" plants for potting in 4" pots in September and October. Plants will begin blooming in January and will be saleable through March and April. “ Temperature: As close to 55Idegrees as possible. Spacing: 4 plants per square foot. Other Considerations: Do not overwater. Ventilate houses well. Cooled greenhouses are essential. VARIETIES: Any available in small pots. COST OF PRODUCTION: 12 weeks at 5¢ I 60¢. i‘ 60¢ —:- 4 I 15¢ each for early blooming plants. 20¢ for later blooming plants. Add cost of small plant and pot. MARKET ACCEPTANCE: Fair k NAME OF CROP: Chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum hortorum). PRODUCTION AND MARKETING PERIOD: Entire year with proper day length control. METHOD OF PROPAGATION: Rooted cuttings. CULTURAL PROCEDURES: Potting: Pot directly into 31/2" plastic pots or 4" plastic azalea pots. Use 31/2" pots for garden varieties, 4" azalea pots for large-flowering dis- budded varieties. Pinching: Pinch tip outof cutting 7 days after plant- ing. For disbudded varieties, second pinch can be made later if market» demands do not require dis- budded plants. Timing: Give short days on planting date. Pinch tip out on short-growing varieties on day cuttings are planted. Delay pinch 7 days on taller varieties. Seven and 8-week garden varieties flower in 7 to 8 weeks. Ten-week response group flowers in 10 weeks. Temperature: 60 degrees. Spacing: Garden varieties, 6 per square foot. Large- flowered disbudded varieties, 4 per square foot. Other Considerations: See illustration for type of plant desired for specific markets. Use only lighted cuttings for these close schedules. Plants should not be over 15 inches high. VARIETIES: Large-flowered varieties (9 and 10-week response) Barbara Fuller. Oregon. Blue Ribbon. Pacesetter. Bronze Calypso. Personality. Delaware. Sunburst. Georgia. Wilson’s White. Luna. Yellow Calypso. Monty. Yellow Delaware. Garden varieties (7 and 8-week response) Aglow. Dolliette. Alert. Fuchsia Fairy. Chiquita. Mischief. Morocco. COST OF PRODUCTION: Garden varieties 7 weeks at 5¢ I 35¢. 35¢ -:— 6 I about 6¢ per plant. Large-flowered varieties 10 week at 5¢ I 50¢. 50¢ —:— 4 I 121/2¢ per plant. Add cost of cutting and pot in each case. MARKET ACCEPTANCE: Excellent. C bryxant/aeflzzzm. C oleus. NAME OF CROP: Coleus (Coleus blumei). PRODUCTION AND MARKETING PERIOD: Entire year. METHOD OF PROPAGATION: Seed or cuttings. CULTURAL PROCEDURES: Potting: 3% or 4" plastic azalea pots. Cuttings can be potted direct in finish pots either rooted or un- rooted. Standard soil mixture. Pinching: When grown from seed, pinch tips out of seedlings after potting as soon as 4 sets of leaves develop. When grown from cuttings pinch tips out of cuttings on day they are potted. Timing: From seed sowing to potting, 6 to 7 weeks. Rooting cuttings, 1 to 2 weeks. From potting to sale in finished pots, seedlings 4 to 5 weeks. From cuttings to sale in finish pots, 3 weeks in spring and summer, 4 to 5 weeks in fall and winter. Temperature: 6O degrees. Spacing: 6 plants per square foot. Other Considerations: When unrooted cuttings are planted directly in finish pots, apply cheesecloth treatment for 5 days. Apply starter solution as soon as roots appear through soil ball but not on potting date. For cutting propagation, use named varieties. VARIETIES RECOMMENDED: Anna Pfitzer. Lincoln. Brilliancy. Purdue. Climax. Spokane. L. V. Pearson. Setting Sun. Freshman. Texas A. & M. Golden Banded. Triple. Hollywood Crimson. Variegated Turner. COST OF PRODUCTION: Plants from seedlings: 5 weeks at 5¢ I 25¢. 25¢ —:- 6 I 4.5¢ per plant.‘ Plants from cuttings: 3 weeks at 5¢ I 15¢. 15¢ + 6 I 25¢ per plant. Add cost of seedling or cutting and pot. MARKET ACCEPTANCE: Excellent. Pot seedlings from! seed flats direct to finish. NAME OF CROP: Grape Hyacinth (Muscari botryoides). PRODUCTION AND MARKETING PERIOD: Late win- ter and spring. METHOD OF PROPAGATION: Bulbs. CULTURAL PROCEDURES: Potting: Plant three bulbs in 3" plastic azalea pot. Standard soil mixture. Pinching: None. Timing: Pot bulb in October and place in cold storage at 4O degrees. Remove pots from storage after 6 to 8 Weeks or when roots are established. Place in greenhouse and force into flower as needed. Re- quires about 21 days in. winter and 10 to 14 days 1n spring. g Temperature: Storage 4O degrees. Forcing 6O degrees. Spacing: 6 plants per square foot. Other” Considerations: Do not allow to dry out. VARIETIES: Heavenly Blue. Album. COST OF PRODUCTION: Storage cost: 6 weeks at 6¢ I 36¢. 36 —:- 16 I 2.25¢ per pot. Forcing cost: 3 weeks at 5¢ I 15¢. 15¢ + 6 I 2.5¢ per plant. Total cost I 234v.‘ per plant. Add cost of bulb and pot. MARKET ACCEPTANCE: Good. NAME OF CROP: Foliage Plants. Cacti and Succulents. PRODUCTION AND MARKETING PERIOD: Entire year. METIiIOD OF PROPAGATION: Rooted cuttings or small p ants. CULTURAL PROCEDURES: Potting: Plant foliage plants directly into finish pots, 3%" or 4" plastic azalea pots or ceramic containers or dishes. Use straight coarse peat for foliage plants; 3 parts sand and 1 part peat for cacti and succulents. Pinching: None. Timing: Varies with plant and selling schedules. Temperature: 6O to 65 degrees for foliage plants with 5O percent shade. Full sun for cacti and succulents. _ Spacing: Cacti and succulents pot to pot. Foliage plants so tips of leaves touch. Other Considerations: In preparing peat for potting, be sure coarse peat is saturated with water, squeeze dry with hands when potting. Do not apply water to newly potted plants for 2 or 3 weeks, depending on the season of year. VARIETIES: Write for MP-134 “Foliage Plants in the Home,” for list of adapted varieties. COST OF PRODUCTION: Figure costs for your opera- tions in similar manner to that used for any flowering _ cJ-Iops. PRODUCTION CONSIDERATIONS: Watch light re- quirements on foliage plants. Too much shade can be detrimental. Measure light intensities with light meter. Examples: 1,500-foot candles J Philodendrons, stéiiridapsus, syngoniums. 2,000-foot candles "" I Dracaenas, sansevierias, peperomias (keep on dry side). 2,500-foot candles Crotons, pandanus. Full sun Cacti, succulents. MARKET ACCEPTANCE: Excellent. NAME OF CROP: Pansy (Viola tricolor hortensis). PRODUCTION AND MARKETING PERIOD: Spring. METHOD OF PROPAGATION: Seed. CULTURAL PROCEDURES: Potting: Plant 12 seedlings to market-pak. Timing: Seed sown October 15. Transplanted Novem- ber 15. Saleable January on. Temperature: 5O degrees. Spacing: Place market-paks pak to pak. Other Considerations: Plants were grown in cold frames. VARIETIES: Use large-flower strains. COST OF PRODUCTION: 6 weeks at 5¢ I 30¢. 30¢ + 4 I 7.5¢ per market-pak. Add cost of seedlings and market-pak. I MARKET ACCEPTANCE: Excellent. NAME 9F CROP: Heliotrope (Heliotropium arbores- cens . PRODUCTION AND MARKETING PERIOD: Spring months. METHOD OF PROPAGATION: Cuttings or seed. CULTURAL PROCEDURES: Potting: Plant rooted cutting or seedlings directly in 3%" plastic pots. Pinching: Pinch twice by removing tips as soon as they are large enough. Timing: From seed sowing to potting, 6 weeks; from potting to bloom, cuttings or seedlings 12 weeks. Temperature: 6O degrees. Spacing: 4 plants per square foot. Other Considerations: Grow in high-light intensities to produce short bushy plants. VARIETIES: First Snow (white). Marine (violet). Dwarf Regale Mixture. COST OF PRODUCTION: 12 weeks at 5¢ per week I 60¢. 60¢ + 4 I 15¢ per plant. Add cost of seedlings or cuttings and pot. MARKET ACCEPTANCE: Fair. Devil’: I 11y. C aladium, standard varieties. NAME OF CROP: Fancy-leaved Caladium (Caladium bicolor). » PRODUCTION AND MARKETING PERIOD: April to October. METHOD OF PROPAGATION: Rhizomes. CULTURAL PROCEDURES: Potting: Plant N0. 2 rhizome in 31/2" or 4" plastic azalea pans. Use 4" for standard varieties, 31/2" for strap-leaf varieties. Standard soil mixture. Pinching: None. Timing: Will require 5 to 6 weeks from dry bulb to sale for March and April plantings, 3 We-eks for plantings made from May through August. Temperatures: 7O degrees minimum. Spacing: 4" pots, 7 per square foot. ' 31/2" pots, 8 per square foot. Other Considerations: Center bud can be removed from rhizomes to produce bushy short plants. Will require additional 1 or 2 weeks to produce saleable plants if this practice is followed. VARIETIES: Standard varieties Candidum. Fannie Munson. Tom Thumb. Redskin. Texas Wonder. Strap-leaf varieties Mumbo. White Wings. Rosalee. Pink Calla. Ripples. COST OF PRODUCTION: 5 weeks at 5¢ I 25¢. 25¢ -:— 7 I 3.5¢ per plant. Add cost of bulb and pot. MARKET ACCEPTANCE: Excellent. Caladiunzs, strap-leaf varieties. NAME OF CROP: Wax Begonia (Begonia semperflorens). PRODUCTION AND MARKETING PERIOD: Entire year. g a METHOD‘ OF PROPAGATION: Seed or cuttings. CULTURAL PROCEDURES: w_ Potting: Plant seedlings or rooted cuttings direct to g 81/2" plastic azalea pots. Pinching: Pinch every 2. weeks. until plants are ready l5 for sale. P. » Timing: Seed to potting, 4 to 6 Weeks. Potting to sale, 12 Weeks. Purchase of plants in 21/2" pots, 8 weeks. Temperature: 6O degrees. 3 Spacing: 5 plants per square foot. A Other Consideratio-ns: Keep on dry side until fivell established. Pinch on schedule. Grow in shaded greenhouse. About 1,500-foot candles. Give more light before sale but not direct sunlight. VARIETIES: From seed or seedlings Ball Red. Ball Deep Rose. Snowbank. Luminosa compacta. From rooted cuttings Double Geneva varieties. COST OF PRODUCTION: 12 weeks at 5¢ I 60¢. 60¢ + 5 I 12¢ per plant. Add cost of seedling or rooted cutting and pot. MARKET ACCEPTANCE: Good. NAME OF CROP: Rex Begonia (Begonia rex). PRODUCTION AND MARKETING PERIOD: Entire year. - METHOD OF PROPAGATION: Small plants purchased in 21/2" pots. CULTURAL PROCEDURES: Potting: Shifted to 4" plastic azalea pots. Timing: Well-shaped plants ready for sale in 6 to 8 weeks by this method. Temperature: 60 degrees. Spacing: 4 plants per square foot. Other Considerations: Do not overwater. Grown in 2,000-foot candlelight intensity for high color. VARIETIES: Any hybrids. COST OF PRODUCTION: 8 weeks at 5¢ I 40¢. 40¢ + 4 I 10¢ per plant. Add cost of small plant or cutting and pot. MARKET ACCEPTANCE: Excellent. Rex Begonia. ~ >e~ Y,~,,..;.~_-.....,,q-.‘,,.,..,~ “t... aw... NAME OF CROP: Isoloma (Isoloma hirsutum). PRODUCTION AND MARKETING PERIOD: October to June. i METIIOD OF PROPAGATION: Seed. CULTURAL PROCEDURES: Potting: Plant seedlings direct to 4" plastic azalea pots. Handle in same manner as gloxinias. Pinching: Pinch tips as soon as plants are established. Timing: From seed sowing to potting, 8 weeks. From potting to bloom, 20 weeks. - Temperature: 6O degrees. Spacing: 5 per square foot. Other Considerations: Grow on dry side. Increase light intensity as crop matures. VARIETIES: Cardinal. COST or PRODUCTION: 20 weeks at 5¢:$1. $1 —:— 4 I 25¢ per plant. Add cost of seedling and pot. MARKET ACCEPTANCE: Excellent. Salvia. NAME OF CROP: Salvia (Salvia splendens). PRODUCTION AND MARKETING PERIOD: Entire year. METHOD OF PROPAGATION: Seed. CULTURAL PROCEDURES: Potting: Pot seedlings directly into 3%" plastic azalea pots. Pinching: Pinch out tips 14 days after potting. Timing: 8 weeks from transplanting seedlings to flower in winter months. About 6 weeks in spring and fall. Temperature: 60 degrees. Spacing: 51/3 plants per square foot. Other Considerations: Do not allow to dry out and keep feeding schedule on time. VARIETIES: For err/ere... flowering: Fireball. COST OF PRODUCTION: 8 weeks at 5¢ I 40¢. 40¢ —:- 5.33 I: approximately 71/;¢ per plant. Add cost of seedling and pot. MARKET ACCEPTANCE: Fair. Imloma. ' i . o e o NAME OF CROP: Yellow Calla Lily (Calla elliotiana). PRODUCTION AND MARKETING PERIOD: Spring months. METHOD OF PROPAGATION: Dry rhizomes. CULTURAL PROCEDURES: Potting: Plant small size dry rhizomes (111/2" to 2") in 4" plastic azalea pots. Cover tops of pots with moist sphagnum moss until rhizomes sprout and then remove moss. Drench soil with 1 pound terrachlor to 100 gallons water. Pinching: No pinching. Timing: 15 weeks from potting to sale at 70 degrees. Plant in late December or early January. Temperature: 65 to 70 degrees. Spacing: 5 plants per square foot. . Other Considerations: Never allow to dry out after roots are established and tops have started to grow. Use terrachlor drench to reduce root rot. COST OF PRODUCTION: 15 weeks at 5¢ T: 75¢. 75¢ —.'— 5 I 15c per plant. Add cost of dry rhizomes and pot. MARKET ACCEPTANCE: Excellent. Yellow Calla Lily. ,.: >- Omanzerztal Pepper. Geranium. l4 NAME OF CROP: Ornamental Pepper (Capsicum frut scens). PRODUCTION AND MARKETING PERIOD: Augus through February. ' METHOD OF PROPAGATION: Seed. CULTURAL PROCEDURES: Potting: Plant seedlings directly in 4" plastic azalea pots. "1 Pinching: While larger plants do not need to bet Timing: For Texas conditions, sow seed in early Aug gust and pot in September. s? f Temperature: 60 degrees. Spacing: 4 plants per square foot. Other Considerations: Do not allow plants to dry out. Grow in full sunlight. VARIETIES: Fangs. Christmas Candle. COST OF PRODUCTION: 10 weeks at 5¢ I 50¢. 50¢ —:- 4 I 12.5¢ per plant. Add cost of seedling and pot. MARKET ACCEPTANCE: Good. NAME OF CROP: Geranium (Pelargonium hortorum). PRODUCTION AND MARKETING PERIOD: Entire year. METHOD OF PROPAGATION: Cuttings. CULTURAL PROCEDURES: a Potting: Cuttings potted directly to 4" plastic azalea’ pots. Either rooted or unrooted cuttings can be used. 31/2" plastic square pots are satisfactory. 3" plastic. pots are to small for high-quality plants g » Pinching: Do not pinch. Give plants adequate space‘ to induce natural branching. * Timing: Unrooted cuttings require approximately 3 to 4 weeks to establish good root system in 4" pots. After rooting, saleable plants can be produced in. bloom in 8 to 10 weeks, depending on the season of year. Temperature: 60 degrees. Spacing: 31/2" square plastic pots, 3 pots per square. foot. 4" plastic azalea pots, 2.5 pots per square foot. * Other Considerations: Keep potash level at 20 to 30 parts per million. » VARIETIES: For Texas conditions: Irene. " Snowball. Penny. Imp. Red Fiat. Edna. Olympic Red. Better Times. Firechief. Enchantress Fiat. Improved Ricard. COST OF PRODUCTION: Unrooted cuttings planted direct: g 12 weeks at 5¢ I 60¢. 60¢ + 2.5 I 24¢ per plant. Rooted cuttings planted direct: i 8 weeks at 5¢ I 40¢. 40¢ + 2.5 I 16¢ per plant. Add cost of cutting and pot. MARKET ACCEPTANCE: Excellent. ; E OF CROP: Tulip (Tulipa gesnefriana). KDUCTION AND MARKETING PERIOD: Spring i ~ months. HOD OF PROPAGATION: Dry bulb. l TURAL PROCEDURES: . Potting: Plant 3 bulbs to 4". plastic azalea pan. Place ' flat side of bulb next to pot rim. Place plants in _ cold storage when potted. {Pinching: None. Timing: Use precooled bulbs. Keep in cold storage at . _ 41 degrees until good root system develops. ‘Temperature: 41 degrees cold storage. 60 degrees for forcing". Spacing: Pot to pot in cold storage. 4 pans per square foot of bench for forcing. Other Considerations: Do not allow pots to dry out in storage but do not overwater in- plastic pots. Make every effort to keep soil uniformly moist but not wet. . RIETIES: f For Texas conditions: Prunus. l Golden Herald. i Carrara. Edith Eddy. , City of Haarlem. — Red Emperor. 0ST OF PRODUCTION: Storage cost: 6 weeks at 6¢ I 36¢. 36¢ -:— 9 I 4¢ per pot. Forcing cost: 6 weeks at 5¢ I 30¢. 30¢ —:- 4 = 7.5¢ per pot. Add cost of bulb and pot. l; ARKET ACCEPTANCE: Excellent. Al\%EdO)F CROP: Calceolaria (Calceolaria herbeohy- a ri a . RODUCTION AND MARKETING PERIOD: Late win- ter and early spring. ETHOD OF PROPAGATION: Seed. For southern con- ditions the best method is to purchase plants from 2%" or 2%" pots. CULTURAL PROCEDURES: ~ Potting: Shift small plants to same size “jiffy pots” on arrival in October and transplant pot and all to 4" plastic azalea pots as soon as new roots penetrate pots, or if seedlings are grown, plant directly to 4" pots as soon as large enough to handle. Pinching: Do not pinch. Timing: Apply 4 hours additional light as soon as root action starts in 4" pots. Keep lights on until flower heads start to show color. Flowering plants were saleable in trials beginning December 17 on a plants lighted on October 6. f Iemperature: Keep night temperatures as close to a i w 55 degrees as possible. Spacing: 3 pots per square foot. Other Considerations: Grow on dry side and avoid overwatering, especially when grown in plastic pots. VARIETIES: , _ Gilberts F1 Hybridé. Berlin Giant. " Wehrles Gem. COST OF PRODUCTION: 12 weeks at 5¢ I 60¢. 60¢ + 3 I 30¢ per plant. Add cost of seedling or small plant and pot. A MARKET ACCEPTANCE: Excellent. Poimettia. NAME OF CROP: Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima). PRODUCTION AND MARKETING PERIOD: Christmas Season. METHOD OF PROPAGATION: Cuttings taken and root- ed in September and no later than October 5 under Texas conditions. CULTURAL PROCEDURES: Potting: Pot rooted cuttings directly to 4" plastic azalea pots. 31/2" plastic azalea pots were used also but blooming poinsettias are too top-heavy for 3 to 3%" pots when well grown. Pinching: No pinch for large flowers. Timing: Keep temperatures at 60 degrees at all times and do not allow small pots to dry out. Temperature: 60 to 62 degrees constantly. Spacing: Space 4" plastic pots 4" between pot rims or 2.41 plants per square foot. Other Considerations: Do not expose to additional light at night. Do not feed after November 15. VARIETIES: Indianapolis Red. Ecke’s White. COST OF PRODUCTION: 10 weeks at 5¢ I 50¢. 50¢ + 2.41 I 20.7¢ each. Add cost of rooted cutting and pot. MARKET ACCEPTANCE: Excellent. C al ceolaria. MARKETING PRACTICES AND TECHNIQUES The testing of marketing procedures was con- ducted primarily in a grocery store and a variety store located in Bryan, Texas, from Februay 1955 t0 February 1956. Additional information was ob- tained from a commercial operation in Austin, Tex- as. The data obtained covered 3 months in six lo- cations. The plants were arranged on a work bench prior to the packaging operaton. The material was as- sembled close together to reduce all unnecessary steps and motion. The material required for prep- aration of plants and flowers for mass market out- lets is shown in the following illustration. Plant Classification The plants were classified into various types. The following plants are examples of plants used in each classification: Flowering plants: Ageratum, Geranium, Chry- santhemum, Calceolaria, African Violet, Azalea, Wax Begonia and Gardenia. Foliage plants: Nephthytis, Chinese Evergreen, Caladium, Coleus, Boston Fern, Grape Ivy, Jade Plant, Leatherleaf Fern, Sansevieria, Philodendron, Croton and Scindapsus. Novelty planters and dis/a gardens: These were pottery and plastic planter dishes planted with fo- liage plants or cacti and succulents. Cut flowers: Carnations, Roses and Chrysanthe- IHUIHS. Packaging Procedures All plants offered for sale were placed in sealed transparent bags for ease in handling in self-service outlets and to maintain the plants and flowers in good condition. Materials needed for packaging cut flowers and potted plants. l6 Leatherleaf ferns in 4-inch plastic azalea pots. For most of the studies 450 MSAT cellophani bags were used. These bags were gusseted and wer 5" x 6" x 20" with an approximate cost of 3 cen each. it The strength and tear resistance of this materi have been satisfactory, and the plants and flower“ remain in good condition in these bags for a reason able time. Cut flowers can be kept in satisfacto condition 3 to 5 days in a refrigerated case and pot ted plants 5 to 7 days on: display shelves. Whe exposed to moisture for short periods, however, th 1 bags tend to become limp and sag which detra from the appearance of the flowers and plants. A Other films were used for this purpose in these , trials and some appear to have better qualities a some respects, but to date a highly satisfactory ma- terial in suitable sizes for all plants has not been 0b- tainable in sufficient quantities for commercial ap-L plication. The packaging operation is simple. The plants or flowers are placed in the cellophane bag, the top folded over and sealed with a package sealer and g a care and price tag attached. Care Tags Customer purchasing of potted plants is bas’ largely on impulse buying. Early in the experimen " numerous requests were made by customers for s; formation on the identity and care of the plant Therefore, instruction tags were placed on sealed bag giving the name of the plant and tell' ' l how to care for it. l A Examples of information on the instruction ta for foliage and flowering plants follow: ‘ CULTURAL DIRECTIONS FLOWERING PLANTS Common Name: Chrysanthemum Variety: Delaware Scientific Name: Chrysanthemum hortorum Chrysanthemums are natives of China and have been in cultivation for over 3,000 years. When the flowers have faded on your plant, it can be planted in the garden and it will flower again in the fall of the same year. Keep the plant well watered and do not let it dry out until the flowers have withered. Then follow the procedure outline below: 1. Tap the plant out of the pot, cut the tips of the stems off to about 2 inches above the soil line and plant it in the garden. 2. When new shoots begin to grow, pinch off the tip of each shoot as soon as it reaches about 4 inches in length. Pinch each shoot that grows in this manner until August 1. 3. Apply a 5-10-5 fertilizer, 1 teaspoon per plant once each month until September 1. Keep plants well watered. 4. If insects attack the plants, dust them with any all-purpose rose dust. 5. Any variety of chrysanthemum is an excellent plant for Texas gardens, and flowers also can be cut for long-lasting colorful bouquets in the house. CULTURAL DIRECTIONS FOLIAGE PLANTS Common Name: Devil’s Ivy Variety: Wilcox Scientific Name: Scindapsus aureus Wilcox This plant is a native of the East Indies. The requirements for growing foliage plants in the home are simple and easy and these plants will respond readily to your care. Keep the soil uniformly moist and water only when the soil feels dry to the touch and then water only enough to moisten the entire amount of soil in the con- tainer. Keep them in a light corner or part of the room or under artificial light for 8 hours a day. Do not keep them in direct sunlight nor in direct drafts from doorways or windows. For best results, keep the foliage washed off with a fine atomizer about once each week. Do not fertilize foliage plants in the home oftener than once a year. lfetail Sales Procedures The plants were sold from Thursday afternoon through Saturday or Sunday, depending on the store hours. The plants not sold were picked up Monday morning and returned to the greenhouse. The plants were removed from the package and placed on a greenhouse bench until they were assembled and packaged for the next sales period, or were dispos- ed of. Various types offdisplays were tried with the pot- ted plants. A mass "display with all types of plants readily accessible to the customer produced the best results. Packaged cut flowers must be sold from a re- frigerated produce case. Carnations and chrysanthe- Dirplay rack used for Jmall pot plant sale: in mar: market rale: outlet. mums keep in excellent condition for 3 days without shortening the life of the flowers after they are re- moved from the packages. Some flower colors, such as red and bronze, look "dead” under the usual daylight fluorescent lighting in supermarkets. lighting cannot be provided, these colors should be avoided. Cut flowers were packaged in uneven numbers, such as 5, 7 or 9 per package, rather than the con- ventional 6 or 12 flowers as they now are sold. Un- even numbers are easier to use in arranging cut flowers. Dirplay 0f cut flowers in refrigerated care. l7 When yellow or incandescent \Y N0 sales or promotional campaign was conduc- ted. Cut flowers were sold only in the supermar- ket since a refrigerated case was not available in the variety store. All sales were consignment selling. This procedure permitted perfect control and ma- nipulation of the products when desired. The ulti- mate goal was the purchasingof the product. Since early trials indicated that potted flowering and foliage plants offered more possibilities than cut flowers through mass market outlets in this area, cut flowers were discontinued rather early in the studies. RESULTS OF MASS MARKET SALES I Sales Data Sales for all types of merchandise occur in cycles that are caused by seasons, special holidays and such occasions. Flower sales are no exception. The largest number of sales was made during the months with special holidays, such as Christmas, Easter and Mother's Day. Sales were up during the fall, possibly due to entertainment for football games in this area, increase in assortment of plants available, replacement of plants lost or damaged outdoors during summer heat and the increased number of store customers caused by the opening of the college fall semester. The large percentage for July may be accounted for by a special sale of ca- ladiums, Table 1. Caladium plants were sold at 59 cents from the middle of May to the first weekend in July. Sales dropped the last 3 weeks to an aver- page of about 1O per week. The price was reduced to 19 cents per plant (about advertised prices in Houston and Dallas at that time) to determine the effect of price on sales. Sales increased from 10 to 160 plants the first week, and 60 plants were sold the first day of the second week when supplies were exhausted. The first week of the month seems to be the best for sales, with the percentage of sales decreas- TABLE 1. TOTAL ‘SALES OF POTTED "PLANTS AT GRO- CERY STORES. BY MONTHS Month Percent >1 a Ianuary February March _ April May Iune IulY August September October November December l-l l-i l-l PPPFPPPFPFP mannequin-hummus: 18 TABLE 2. PERCENT OF VALUE SALES OF POTTED PL f‘ SOLD IN GROCERY STORES BY WEEKS. MAR AUGUST. 1955 First Second Third Fourth F ' . Month week week week week we j — — — — ——Percent —————‘ March 20.0 42.7‘ 23,1 14.2 April 36.1 29.7 _.._18,‘.;2 10.2 5 y May 30.1 10.4 38.8‘ 20.7 ' lune 54.8 12.1 25.0‘ 8.1 ~ Iuly 17.3 31.5‘ 21.1 19.0 11.15 August 31.4 20.7 25.3‘ 22.6 i ‘Special holidays, or special plants, or special price. ing with each succeeding week. There were exC-’ tions, such as the occurrence of a special occasion 5 holiday, which caused the change shown in Table » The areas in which the studies were conduct are primarily those with monthly payrolls, which. .- account for the best sales around the first of t month and the decrease with each succeeding wee This proves that flowers are purchased readily wh‘ money is available. ' The amount of stock on display had a markf influence on the amount sold. Table 5 shows increase in sales as the size of the display was L creased. However, the percentage sold decreas TABLE 3. SALES OF POTTED PLANTS IN RELATION - SIZE OF DISPLAY, ONE GROCERY STO FEBRUARY-AUGUST. 1955 ' Potted plants Size of stock sold’ percent s 60 or less 53.8 60 to 100 57.4 100-119 62.3 120-129 68,8 130-149 71,5 150 plus 72,4 as the size of display was increased, indicating th: there would be a limit to the desirable size of p display. The customer apparently likes to make i‘, selection from a large number of plants, even '3 the purchase is made on an impulse. Flowering plants had 58 percent of total sal Table 4. Novelty plants were made up mainly W dish gardens or pottery planters. Some folia plants could be thought of as seasonal or sp ' , purchases, because a large amount of such types . caladiurns and coleus were used for outdoor plan ing. The sale experimentwas conducted for 1 in Bryan, while the sale period in Austin was on during February, March and April. The differen in the percentage of plant types sold between if TABLE 4. DISTRIBUTION OF MASS MARKET POTTED PLANT SALES FOR TWO OUTLET AREAS Outlet Type of plants iiiTotal Bryan Austin — —- — Percent — —- — Flowering plants 46.8 72.8 58.4 Foliage plants 41.9 14.9 29.9 Novelty planters and dish gardens 11.3 12.3 11.7 two areas may be caused by the season and length of sale period. A distribution of total sales for cut flowers and potted plants at retail prices, ranging from 19 cents to $1.49, is shown in Table 5. The most popular retail price for potted plants was from 59 to 69 cents. The retail price of 49 cents seemed to be the most popular for cut flowers, with sales ranging from 49 to 98 cents. This indicates that when cus- tomers have a selection to choose from, they nor- mally do not select the least expensive. TABLE 5. DISTRIBUTION OF TOTAL SALES. CUT FLOWERS AND POTTED PLANTS, BY RETAIL PRICES price Cut Potted flowers plants it Dollars — — — — Percent — — —- — .19 6.9 .29 3.1 .39 17.3 .49 38.7 17.9 .59 17.2 17.2 .69 6.7 7.7 .79 9.9 6.6 .89 16.2 6.7 .98 6.7 7.1 1.19 3.7 1.29 4.6 3.4 1.39 1.3 1.49 1.1 When Purchases Were Made The store was checked each morning and after- noon during the sales period to determine the re- placements needed. This provided an opportunity to determine when the sales were made during the weekend. Apparently, some of the customers an- ticipated the purchasing of flowers because 26 per- cent of the sales were made Thursday afternoon, Table 6. More than 50 percent of the plants were sold by Saturday noon. An additional 21 percent were sold between Saturdavytrnoon and Monday. The effect of price on the sales of potted plants is shown in Table 7. The most popular price range for potted plants was 39 to 69 cents. ; Tables 6 and 7 indicate that the sales of potted i plants were impulse or possibly anticipated pur- chases along with the weekend shopping period. Some of the store customers asked the clerks if the flowers would be on sale again during the weekend. Because there was no advertising, it was felt that the sales were made as an impulse purchase. The customers usually were unaware that the plants were on sale in the store until after they entered the store. TABLE 6. SALES OF POTTED PLANTS BY DAY OF WEEK IN A MASS MARKET OUTLET AT VARIOUS CHECK TIMES DURING PART OF A 3-MONTH PERIOD. BRYAN. 1955-56 Thurs- Fri- Fri- Satur- Satur- Time of TYPe of plants‘ d“! d“ d“ d“? d“ pick up’ pm am pm am pm Cumulative percentages of plants sold Flowering plants 37 49 57 64 76 85 Foliage plants 18 26 33 45 53 64 Novelty 13 20 25 35 42 57 All plants 26 36 43 52 61 73 ‘Check period varied from 8 to 13 weeks. “Plants delivered to store by Thursday noon. “Unsold plants were picked up Monday morning. Late in the Week (Saturday and Sunday) with the week's shopping completed, it appears that the cus- tomer purchased plants entirely on impulse. Usually the low-priced plants were sold out during the week- end sale period. The higher priced plants were slower to sell. Marketing Costs The average cost distribution for marketing pot- ted plants through mass market outlets, Table 8, was determined on the year’s operation. It covered the wholesale cost of the plant, including transpor- tation; the cost of the cellophane bag into which the plant was placed and sealed; and the cost of the packaging, which was determined on time studies TABLE 7. SALES OF POTTED PLANTS AT VARIOUS PRICES IN A MASS MARKET OUTLET AT VARIOUS CHECK TIMES DURING PART OF A 3-MONTH PERIOD. BRYAN. 1955-56 Thurs- Fri- Fri- Satur- Satur- Price. day day day day day IIiZnIZeuOf, dollars‘ pm’ am pm am pm p p Cumulative percentages of plants sold .19 8 29 57 57 72 100 .29 42 54 58 69 74 93 .39 24 27 33 45 50 50 .49 19 28 4O 51 69 75 .59 36 49 54 62 69 81 .69 18 27 34 43 55 75 .79 0 29 36 43 43 64 .89 8 I2 26 49 63 67 .98 20 4U 53 53 60 66 1.29 0 U 9 27 27 55 All prices 25 34 41 53 63 71 ‘Check period varied from 8 to 13 weeks. ‘Plants delivered to store by Thursday noon. “Unsold plants were picked up Monday morning. 19 TABLE 8. AVERAGE COST DISTRIBUTION OF THE SELLING PRICE OF POTTED PLANTS IN A MASS MARKET OUTLET GROCERY STORE IN BRYAN. 1955-56 Item Percent Plant 39.4 Container 4.0 Packaging‘ 8.3 Commission 20.0 Profit 28.3 ‘Packaging cost determined by 27 weeks of study with the labor cost per hour at S1. conducted for 27 weeks after the packaging tech- nique was developed, but with inexperienced per- sonnel during the study period. The commission _ based on the selling price was agreed upon with the outlets before the experiment started. The commis- sion approach allowed the research worker the op- portunity to regulate price and volume. The stores were well pleased with the commission received and the arrangement for the study. The profits were variable because the selling price was changed at times during the experiment to see the effect of price on the sales. TABLE 9. CONSUMERS‘ REACTION TO THE MASS MAR- KETING OF FLOWERS IN BRYAN AND AUSTIN. 1956 Question Austin‘ Bryan’ Total —- — — Percent — — — Male purchasers interviewed 5.0 21.5 11.5 Female purchasers interviewed 95.0 78.5 88.5 Did you notice the plants on sale? Yes 82.5 100.0 89.1 No 17.5 10.9 Did you buy any o! the plants? "r Yes 43.7 72.5 56.3 No 56.3 27.5 43.7 How did you make purchases? Frequent . 10.5 32.1 19.7 Occasional 21.0 35.7 27.3 Single 68.5 32.2 53.0 What type plants did you purchase? Flowering 86.3 42.5 63.8 Foliage i 1 1.3 40.4 26.3 Dish garden 2.4 17.1 9.9 What did you use plants tor? Gifts 27.9 25.7 26.7 Home 72.1 74.3 73.3 Would you like to see flowers sold in grocery stores all the time? - Yes 98.7 100.0 99.2 No 1.3 e .8 ‘Three outlets. ’One outlet. 20 The marketing of potted plants through ~- market outlets can be profitable. It could be Q ducted in connection with a retail shop that has reliable sources of supply available or the sup‘ has greenhouses for producing his own plants. n, period varies with the condition and size of -p plant on arrival from the wholesale grower, the -_ of stock required to market the plants for a git period of time and the number of plants retur after a weekend sale period to be held until the n sale period. ' In these studies, except on special sales, an eff was made to price both potted plants and cut fl. ers so that the return to the grower would yield reasonable profit. It should not be assumed that i’ prices or markups used in these studies are the cl rect ones. Different approaches, conditions or si ations to these problems could result in entirely -" ferent prices and margins. a Customer Reaction The mass marketing of cut flowers and po i. plants is fairly new. Two hundred people were p terviewed in the stores to find the consumers’ r '1 tion to the purchasing of items. These people w 1 selected as they stopped to examine the display. a was apparent that the display attracted attention y cause about 9O percent of the people intervie a stated that they had previously noticed the plants , sale, Table 9. More than 56 percent of the peo»; interviewed stated that they had made purcha f The Bryan study, which was conducted for 1 -l shows that more than 67 percent of the people terviewed made more than one purchase. The A; tin study was not conducted long enough to a quately evaluate repeat sales. Flowering plants w the most popular, followed by foliage plants . then novelties. About 73 percent of the people w‘: ted that they had purchased the plants for use I the‘ home. é Almost everyone favored the continuation I plant sales in grocery stores. They apparently ' the convenience of making all their purchases in" y place, if possible, and the significantly lower p ‘p than is found in flower shops conducting a se ' _ type operation. ‘