Our Freedom Red 7.5" double stem pots have quite thick stems, which leads to the plant literally falling apart once the bracht is fully developed. A few years ago our greenhouse had this happen and we dumped thousands of pots. It's like the stems, or breaks, are so heavy that the plant cannot support them anymore. We are low on micronutrients and we have adressed that issue by applying a micronutrient blend. I am looking for suggestions or ideas on what might cause the thick stems or help them. Thanks for your suggestions.

My first suggestion? Don't grow Freedom (sorry Ecke), go to Prestige Early. If it were me, I would get some support rings on them now, and you will be fine. I have had the same problem with Freedom. You can literally shake the pot just a bit and all the bracts fall off. I don't know why some years are worse than others, Ecke would have to answer that. But put those support rings on and you will be fine, next year grow Prestige Early and you won't have to worry.

Last year I had little if any breakage, but it was a cooler Aug. and Sept. This year is the worst I've seen in a while and we have had Aug. temps right thru until yesterday. Next year I think I'll invest in a lighter shade cloth to use thru Sept. to keep the temps down a bit. So I'm back to three thin bamboo stakes and a piece of poly-coated wire for each pot!

Freedom is naturally susceptible to stem breakage because it has a tendency to put out breaks with a more horizontal architecture but are there are some things you can do to reduce the amount you see.

Here are some things to think about that contribute to stem breakage:

Low light levels early on contribute to weak stems. Prior to the start of short days we like to see levels above 3,000 f.c.

Pinch height that is too high; the plant puts on more breaks than it can support. Excess leaves and shoots block light to the lower shoots, they become weak, and break off late in production.

Many growers use support rings on a variety like Freedom as an added insurance policy against stem breakage. You may also want to consider trying Early Prestige. It finishes with Freedom but overcomes the stem breakage problem with it v-shaped architecture.

Thank you for using Ecke Ranch Tech Help on-line!

I'm seeing breakage -- more like collapse -- on other varieties, not just Freedoms. Even some of my Prestige are dropping the lower branch or two. I do grow a single plant per 8" pot and leave about 8 nodes at pinch. But last year I dind't see this and the weather was unusually cool for August and September ... unlike THIS year!

Hi Deanne -

Are you seeing any lesions on the stem? When you mention "collapse" it makes us think about disease being an issue and leading to the stem breakage.

Let us know...Thanks!

Nope, no lesions. I'm wondering if the higher temps this year caused the cells to grow faster, weaker than last year which was much cooler. Maybe not enough calcium in the usual regime to satisfy because they were growing so fast? I did use cycocel sprays regularly, starting early. I have seen this before, mostly in Freedoms, but this year is the warmest fall we've had by far.