FOLIAGE FILLERS - Asparagus and Dracaena - introduction and uses – varieties – propagation - planting systems and methods – nutrition and water management - role of growth regulators- harvest index and yield

1. FOLIAGE FILLERS

2. CUT FOLIAGE
Standards for cut foliage- Refers to leaves or part of leaves along with
stems, branches with or without decorative fruit or other parts of the
plant
 Fresh or dried and are intended for decoration on its own or in
association with flowers in bouquets
 Usage- Filler, lining and background materials
 Foliage capital – Apopka, Florida , U.S.A

3. Advantages
 Lesser cost of production – open conditions- eliminates construction
of greenhouse
 Year round production
 No strict time limit for storage
 Lesser risk of damage to quality while transport
 Longer shelf - life

4. SCOPE IN INDIA
 Agro-climatic conditions, sunshine throughout the year
 November – March peak demand period
 Indian cut foliage – Europe, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore
 Kerala potential place for cut foliage industry- humid tropical
climate

5. Cut foliage industry in the world
Important producers
Costa Rica
Guatemala
Columbia
Spain
Kenya
Zimbabwe
Exporting
country
Australia
Japan, Netherland, Spain
Importers

6. • The Netherlands foliage imports consisted of 91% fresh foliage, 2%
Dried foliage and 7% Dyed foliage.
• They are the highest importer of fresh foliage, compared to an EU
average of 82% Fresh, 6% Dried and 12% Dyed.
• The majority of dyed (36%) and dried (54%) foliages are coming into the
EU from Developing Countries.
• The leading supply countries are China and India for both dried and
dyed.

7. Important cut foliage crops of global trade
Trees Araucaria, Pinus, Thuja, Eucalyptus,
Podocarpous, Cypress
Shrubs Acalypha, Cordyline, Aralia
Creepers Asparagus, Monstera, Scindapsus,
Philodendron
Annuals Coleus
Grasses Emu grass, Fountain grass, Pampas grass
Herbaceous perennials Golden rod, Anthurium
Palms Christmas palm, Chinese Fan palm, Areca
palm
Ferns Leather leaf fern, Sharon fern, Asparagus fern

8. Asparagus Podocarpus Thuja
Eucalyptus Chamaedorea palm Leather leaf fern
Important cut foliage crops

9. Lecture No.: 24
Foliage fillers – Asparagus and Dracaena - introduction and uses – varieties –
propagation - planting systems and methods – nutrition and water management - role
of growth regulators- harvest index and yield

10. Introduction
Botanical name: Asparagus densiflorus syn. A. sprengeri
Family : Asparagaceae
Origin : South Africa
Common Names: Asparagus Fern, Foxtail Fern, Sprenger’s
Asparagus, Emerald Feather and Asparagus grass
• Asparagus is one of the most widely used cut foliages for
enhancing the beauty of cut flower bouquets.
• A. plumosus Baker and A. densiflorus Jessop cv.
Myriocladus are the two most important species
grown for cut foliage production.

11. Introduction
• Evergreen long-lived perennial plants growing from
the understory as lianas, bushes or climbing plants.
• Its not true ferns, but do have fine, leaf-like branch lets called
cladophylls
• Asparagus have small spines on their stems
• Its produces small white or pink flowers
• Fruit are red or orange and inedible fruit
• Ornamental species such as Asparagus plumosus, Asparagus
aethiopicus, Asparagus densiflorus Asparagus setaceus, and Asparagus
virgatus

12. uses
• Used for planting in garden beds
• Rock gardens
• Containers
• Hanging baskets
• Indoors as houseplants
• Bouquet
• When combined with rose, gerbera, and other focal flowers it
forms an attractive floral display
• Vase life: two weeks

13. Ornamental Asparagus species
• A. africanus - climbing asparagus
• A. crispus - basket asparagus
• A. densiflorus - Myers Asparagus, meyerii foxtail, foxtail fern meyeri
• A. densiflorus - sprengeri fern, emerald fern, asparagus fern
• A. falcatus - bamboo fern
• A. macowanii - ming fern
• A. setaceus - plumosa fern, wedding fern, lace fern
• A. virgatus - tree fern, broom fern

14. Asparagus densiflorus
• Foxtail fern, asparagus fern, or Myers fern
• It cannot tolerate frost, in temperate regions
• Its produces thick and upright stems
• Myers or Myersii is a popular cultivar

15. Asparagus aethiopicus
• Branching perennial herb with tough green aerial stems
which are sparsely covered with spines.
• Stems droop downward -hanging baskets
• The oval-shaped leaves
• The root system is a mat of fibrous roots with bulbous tubers

16. Asparagus setaceus
• Common asparagus fern, asparagus grass, lace fern, climbing
asparagus, or ferny asparagus
• It is a climbing perennial herb
• The leaves are actually leaf-like cladodes up to 7 mm long
• Flowers occur during spring to autumn
• It is native to Southern Africa

17. Sparagus virgatus
• Tree fern, tiki fern and African broom fern
• Plants produces bushy stems with needle like leaves, reaching over
1m
• Perennial plant produces small white flowers during spring,
• Major producing areas include South Africa,
Central America, Florida and Israel

18. Asparagus racemosus( Kurilo )
• Ornamental perennial plant native to India and the Himalayas
• Gown in rocky and gravelly soils
• The plant grow up to 6.5 feet with glossy green linear foliage
• Produces white flowers in mid summer are followed by rounded
purple-black berries
• It is a popular herbal tonic plant in India

19. MYERI
• Foxtail fern
• Plants - conical plume like shape
• Each stem is densely packed with leaves resembling pine
needles
• Produce white flowers in the summer and red berries
• Foxtails grow 2 feet tall and spread 3-4 feet.

20. SPRENGERI
• Emerald fern
• Sprengeri has a mounding habit and airy foliage that resembles
small pine needles on gracefully arching stems
• Bear white blossoms followed by red berries

21. NANUS
• A. plumosa
• This cultivar has a more compact growth habit that makes an
eye-catching ground cover
• It grows to a height of 1.5 to 2 feet, with a spread of 2 to 3 feet

22. Climate and soil
• The plant prefers annual rainfall of 600– 1000 mm or less, of
which 85% is received during July to September
• A well-drained fertile sandy-loam to clay-loam soil, with a pH
of 6–8 is best suited for its cultivation
• Slightly acidic soil may help it grow better
• It can be grown in open land as well as under shade, but very
high moisture levels result in rotting of root

23. Light and temperature
• These plants thrive in sunny places, as bright light will encourage
growth.
• Indoors, plant placed in south or north-facing windows
• Low light : yellowing of leaves
• High light: leaves turn brown
• Love mild temperatures : 21 °C
• Optimum temperature: 18-24°C.
• Foxtail fern will tolerate a minimum of 10°c
• Maintain 40-50% relative humidity.

24. Propagation
• Both seeds and crown rhizomes
• Seeds -low germination percentage
• Seeds may be collected from March to May when their colour
changes from red to black
• Seeds are sown during the first week of June in well-prepared and
raised nursery beds
• Seeds are sown in lines 5 cm apart and covered with a thin layer of
fine sand.
• The beds are lightly watered at regular intervals using a rose water
cane.

25. • About 7 kg of seeds are required for raising seedlings for 1
hectare of crop
• To obtain early and higher germination percentage, presoaking
in water is required for softening the seed coat.
• Higher germination is also achieved by soaking the seeds in
cow urine for 24 hours.
• The germination commences after 20 days of sowing and is
completed in 30 days
Propagation

26. Division
• Divide overcrowded plants in spring
• Divide it into more than two pieces as long as each segment
has multiple leaves
• Remove the plant from field or pot
• Cut through the thick roots with a sharp knife to avoid pulling
and tearing
• Plant in separate containers, using fresh potting soil or in field

27. Land preparation and planting
• The land should be given a deep disc ploughing, followed by
harrowing and levelling
• The field is normally divided into plots, keeping one irrigation
channel in between two rows of plots
• Seedlings are ready for transplanting - 35 days of sowing
• Transplanted in onset of monsoon in july
• Spacing: 15 cm (plant to plant)
• 150 000 seedling per ha

28. Potting Media
Soil + Sand + FYM + Vermicompost @ 2:1:1:0.5
(670g+375g+375g+165g) - best substrate for vegetative and root
characters like plant height, shoot number, leaflet number, leaflet
length, leaflet width, root number, root length and vase-life
in Asparagus densiflorus 'Meyersii'

29. Irrigation
• Water thoroughly, allowing soil to dry out a little between
waterings
• Too much water can lead to root rot.
• Water sparingly in winter, but do not allow soil to dry out
completely, which can cause foxtail fern to shed its leaflets.

30. Fertilizer
• Feed monthly spring a balanced water-soluble fertilizer
• balanced, slow-release granular fertilizer at the beginning of
spring, summer and fall
• Alternately, apply a half-strength liquid fertilizer once per
month throughout the growing season
• NPK dose of 60: 40: 40 kg per hectare
• One-third of nitrogen and entire dose of phosphate and
potash applies as before transplanting

31. Pruning
• Prune the foxtail fern fronds in autumn if they do not die back
in winter
• Plant grow to about 70 cm long
• Pinch off 3 or 8 cm from stem tips as required to shape the
plant.
• Prune out old or yellowing stems in spring
• Prune out every year at ground level in the spring produces
healthy shoots

32. Pests
Scale insects:
• Appear as ugly little lumps attached to the leaves or stem of the
plant.
• Mealybugs, a common type of scale insect, are white with lots
of short legs
• They’ll feed on the plant’s sap
• Most plants show initial signs of infestation with discoloring or
droopiness.
• Neem oil is an excellent organic insect repellant

33. Diseases
• Like a succulent, a foxtail fern’s root stores water for potential
droughts
• Unfortunately, this makes it vulnerable to fungal root rot if
overwatered
• Prevent overwatering by frequently checking that the soil is
draining well and mostly drying out between watering
• If the roots are already rotting, dig up the plant and cut off the
diseased roots

34. Harvesting
• Foliage is used as economic part
• Harvest fully developed stem at the length of above 50 cm
• Harvested stems are bunched about 20 to 30 numbers
• The base of the bunch raped with rubber band

35. Postharvest handling
• Mixed solution of 8-hydroxyquinoline sulphate (8-HQS),
aminooxyacetic acid hemihydrochloride (AOA) and 3,4,5-
trichlorophenol increases longevity of cut asparagus foliage
• 5 or 10 ppm BA which significantly extended the vase life of the cut
foliage
• Recutting the stems under water was found to have a positive effect
on the vase life of cut Asparagus, increasing their vase life from 10.3
to 25.5 days
• Wet cold storage was better than dry storage for maintaining quality
and longevity of cut asparagus

36. Thank you

37. Dracaena

38. • Botanical name : Dracaena sp.
• Family : Asparagaceae
• Origin : Africa
Dracaenas comprise one of the most important and diverse families sold as
foliage plants
Available in many different varieties, leaves can be oval or lance shaped
and from 10 to 70 cm long.
The leaves vary in color from emerald to grey green, sometimes with white
or yellow stripes or yellow or cream spots.
They range in size from small tabletop varieties to plants 20 feet tall.
Introduction

39. Introduction
• 40 species
• Ornamental shrubby species, such as
• D. deremensis,
• D. fragrans,
• D. godseffiana,
• D. marginata, and
• D. braunii

40. Uses
• • Cut foliage
• • Pot plants
• • Landscaping plant
• • Export Products -Rooted cuttings and Unrooted cuttings
• • Cut leaves of Dracaena deremensis and Dracaena fragrans
(masangeana) are exported
• Dracaena sanderiana export mainly as potted plants.

41. Dracaena marginata
• •Native to Madagascar
• •Recently introduced to the Philippines.
• •The ‘Tricolor’ has in addition white or yellowish stripes along
the green centre, giving the plant an overall greenish-gold
colour.
• •Thrives in sunlight and well-drained soil.
• Slow growing
• Propagated from stem cuttings.

42. Dracaena fragrans (Corn Plant)
• Species is entirely green and although it is an excellent colorful
cultivars
• Dracaena fragrans `Massangeana' is the most popular cultivar
and has leaves with a broad yellow central stripe
• Two other attractive cultivars are Dracaena fragrans `Lindenii'
with white marginal stripes and Dracaena fragrans `Victoria'
with golden marginal stripes

43. Dracaena reflexa ‘Song of India´
• Multi-trunk or clumping shrub
• Can become a small tree, although its stems are weak and may
require support to keep the plant from sprawling
• The Reflexa bears white flowers once annually
• It prefers lightly shady to shady conditions
• Needs to be watered regularly as the soil must be kept moist
• Propagated from stem cuttings and by division.

44. Dracaena sanderiana
• Common names: Sander's dracaena, ribbon dracaena, lucky
bamboo, curly bamboo, Chinese water bamboo
• The plant is commonly marketed as "lucky bamboo".
• The plant has become the most popular indoor plant in certain
parts of India, where the plants are usually imported from
China and Taiwan.
• A perennial herb reaching a height of 100 cm, the plant has
slightly twisted leaves of grey-green colour, with a length of
which is up to 23 cm

45. Dracaena braunii
• Short stem
• Usually unbranched
• Leaves bright to dark green and shiny above concolorous
Varieties: gold, victory and white

47. Growing
• Red and white coloured shade-nets
• Red shade net has been found to be effective for improving
plant height, number of leaves, leaf area and Harvest Index ,
while other important characteristics were superior under
white.
• Temperature: 20-35 0c
• RH: 60-70%
• Shade level: 63-73 %

48. Propagation
• Dracaenas are propagated commercially by vegetative methods
• Rooting of tip cuttings, air layering, and cane cuttings are the
primary methods of Dracaena propagation.
• Air layering or cane cuttings are mainly used for large specimens,
and tip cuttings are used for producing the smaller Dracaena species.
• Dracaena marginata propagated from cuttings or, in a few instances,
air layers are used on relatively large stems.
• Most small dracaenas are started from terminal cuttings with foliage
to the base

49. Potting media
• Potting media should be free from pests, well drained and
moisture retentive.
• Small plants grow well in a mix composed predominately of
organic components.
• Larger plants growing in shadehouses should have a heavier
mix, often composed of 10 to 20% sand, to prevent wind
toppling
• The potting medium should be adjusted to a pH range of 6.0
to 6.5 prior to sticking or potting plants.
• Elevating pH levels above 7.0 has been shown to cause iron
deficiencies

50. • Medium containing coco peat (75%) + rice husk (10%) +
vermicompost (15%) was found to be best with respect to
root length, root spread and number of primary roots

51. watering
• Although dracaena plants are native to subtropical regions,
these do not tolerate wet soils.
• When potting up dracaena, make certain that the plants are
situated in a well-draining container.
• Drooping or yellowing leaves could indicate over-watering or
poor drainage
• Sensitive to fluoride-Leaves with dark brown and dead areas
with yellow edges may indicate fluoride toxicity

52. Fertilizer
• Dracaenas should be fertilized with a water-soluble
commercial fertilizer.
• Fertilizer: nitrogen-phosphorous-potassium ratio of 3:1:2 plus
traces of zinc, sodium, manganese, copper and iron

53. Repotting
• Repotting may be necessary every 2 years, usually best
accomplished during the spring.
• Remove rotted leaves and canes.
• Prevent the plant from growing too high by “topping” it, a term
for cutting the center stem at the top.

54. • Dracaena can get various pests (mealy bugs, scale, spider
mites, etc)
• Spider mites are sucking insects that cause the leaves get
ragged.
• Mealy bugs, as well as scale, are controlled by an insecticide
that contains pyrethrin.
•

55. The most common diseases that affect the plant include:
Fusarium leaf spot – reddish spots on young leaves.
Soft rot - soft, brown rot and foul odor on rooted cuttings
• Applying : thiophanate methyl, mancozeb and
chlorothalonil

56. Fluoride toxicity – leaves have dark brown and dead areas
with yellow borders.
• Management: avoid using soil amendments that contain
fluoride.
Flecking – leaves have yellow and white spots near tips. The
problem is treated by maintaining moderate moisture, light
conditions and temperature.

57. Harvesting
• Harvesting: Pulling and cutting the lower leaves from the cane
• Two new leaves are left for further growth
• Harvesting is done in once in a month
• Vase life: 14-21 days

58. Storage
• Cold storage at 16 0C and 85-90 % relative humidity
• Wax treatments - reduced leaf yellowing and defoliation and
preserved quality and colour.
• Kinetin applied in a concentration of 10 ppm effective in
maintaining quality and reducing yellowing and defoliation
• A combination of 10 ppm kinetin and wax was found to be an
effective treatment for retaining overall quality during
prolonged storage