1. Growing Better Baptisia Starts With the Best Production Practices
Cultivate 2019

2. Better Baptisia History Proven Winners varieties
Walters Gardens varieties
Production at WGI
Container production from plugs and bare root
Cultural requirements
Landscape/Garden use

3. Baptisia ~20 species, native North American perennial
Member of the pea/legume family (Fabaceae)
B. australis is the most commonly cultivated species, also interspecific hybrids and cultivars
Historically used for blue dye (Blue False Indigo), seed pods as rattles (Rattlebush), medicinal uses
Seed pods can also be used in floral arrangements
Flowers can be used in arrangements, but don’t
last long
Host plants for several species of butterfly

4. Baptisia DECADENCE® Series
‘Dark Chocolate’
Compact habit
Flowers on top of foliage
Range of unique colors
‘Blueberry Sundae’
‘Sparkling Sapphires’
‘Lemon Meringue’
‘Cherries Jubilee’
‘Vanilla Cream’

5. Baptisia DECADENCE® Deluxe Series
Larger than DECADENCE®, more substantial landscape presence
Flowers on top of foliage
Vivid colors
‘Pink Truffles’
‘Pink Lemonade’

6. Baptisia ‘Violet Dusk’ ‘Grape Taffy’ ‘American Goldfinch’ B. australis
‘Indigo Spires’

7. Internal Baptisia Production
72ct plugs planted into the field
Stock containers are planted from 2 year bare root
Cuttings taken from January – May
300,000 + plugs produced every year

8. Baptisia Production at Walters Gardens
Bare root is grown for 1.5 years for sales, 2 years for stock

9. Baptisia Production from plugs
72ct plugs are available from weeks 20-28
Plant in 1-2 gallon containers in late spring to early summer
Plant plugs slightly deep – crown ½” below soil line
Pinch before transplant if not done already and again a few weeks later
Bulk, then 8-10 weeks vernalization at 35-40°F

10. Baptisia Overwintering
Ensure a healthy crop with good root system going into winter
Allow plants to acclimate – short days, cooler temperatures – before going cold
Clean up overwintering location
Soil should be moist before covering/storing
Trim foliage back to the crown (2-3”), remove debris, place pot tight
Apply preventative fungicide drench and bait for rodents
Methods for overwintering
Minimally heated greenhouse (36-38)
Unheated polyhouse under thermal blanket
Outdoors under thermal blanket
Sandwich method
© A.M. Leonard

11. Baptisia Production from bare root
G1 bare root is available from weeks 2-23
Plant in 2-3 gallon containers in late winter to late spring
Plant bare root with eyes slightly below the soil surface, trimming roots if needed
Do not pinch!
For height control grow cool (55-60°F) and apply
PGRs as needed

12. Baptisia Cultural Recommendations
Grow cool for best results, 55-60°F
Soil pH , EC (pour-through method)
Moderate feeders in production – apply ppm N via constant liquid fertilizer, or CRF at 1.25 lbs/yd3 of media
Slightly dry to moderate moisture in container production

13. Baptisia Cultural Recommendations
Day neutral, prefer high light levels
Spider mites, powdery mildew, rust, root rots, leaf spots
Growth regulation
Uniconazole drench at 1 ppm, once shoots are ~6” tall
Uniconazole 5-10 ppm toning sprays
Paclobutrazol drench ppm, once shoots are ~6” tall
Paclobutrazol sprays ppm, 2-3x

14. Baptisia Scheduling 68-70°F – six to eight weeks to flower
63-65°F – nine to ten weeks
Flowering can be delayed by moving to 35-40°F
Staggered bare root plantings for extended window
G1 planted wk 8, photo wk 16
G1 planted wk 24, photo wk 27

15. Baptisia Scheduling 72 ct plugs Transplant Wk 23 Vernalize 38° F Wk 46
22 weeks
10 weeks
9 weeks
Transplant
Wk 23
Vernalize 38° F
Wk 46
Force 60° F
Wk 10
Ship/Sell
Wk 19
G1 bare root
8 weeks
Transplant
Wk 11
Grow at 60° F
Ship/Sell
Wk 19

16. Baptisia in the Landscape
Low maintenance, drought-tolerant, long-lived, shrub substitutes, lupine alternatives!
Large impact in the garden – best as specimens or small groupings
Sleep, creep, leap
Choose your location carefully! Best not to try to move or divide
Zones 4-9 hardy (B. australis 3-9)
Tolerate a wide range of soil types
Need 6+ hours of sun daily for best flowering and habit
Can trim after flowering to tidy up, but this removes the attractive seed pods
Very few pests/diseases in the landscape
BBG – Baptisia and Amsonia hubrichtii
© Helen Battersby, Toronto Botanical Gardens
© Patrick Cullina, Brooklyn Botanic Garden

17. © Goodness Grows

18. Thank You!
Laura Robles