CONFIGURE: Christmas Cacti
Brian Whipker
Floriculture Extension and Research
NC STATE UNIVERSITY
Experiment Setup

Christmas Cacti ‘Nicolas’

6.5-inch pots (4 reps)
Plants market ready
Foliar sprayed 24 Oct.

0, 100, 200, 400 ppm
Configure 2% BA
Phyto inspection
Number of phylloclades
and buds counted

Christmas Cacti

Cultivars: ‘Victoria, Nicole,
Thor Nillie, Thor Alex,
Stephanie’
6.5-inch pots (1 rep)
Plants market ready
Foliar sprayed 24 Oct.

0, 100, 400 ppm
Configure 2% BA
Phyto inspection
Number of phylloclades and
buds counted
Replicated Study Results
Statistical Significance

No differences in the number of
phylloclades with buds across rates.
Mean = 125 phylloclades with buds.
Statistical Significance

Statistical significance occurred for the
chemical x concentration interaction:

Number of buds per pot (P<0.017, r2 = 0.79)
Number of buds per phylloclade (P<0.006, r2 =
0.82)
Christmas Cacti ‘Nicolas’
294.3
300
298.0
247.5
Buds per pot
250
228.3
200
0
100
200
400
150
100
50
0
Configure
Buds per Phylloclade
Christmas Cacti ‘Nicolas’
2.4
2.5
2
2.4
2.2
1.8
0
100
200
400
1.5
1
0.5
0
Configure
Conclusions

Bud count and number of buds per
phllyoclade increased with increasing
Configure concentrations of 400 ppm.

Bud count on some phylloclades exceeded 12
buds with >200 ppm Configure.
Spray coverage is important.

Bud count was higher at the top of the plant than on
phylloclades which were covered.
Observational Study Results
Christmas Cacti ‘Victoria’
Buds per Phylloclade
2.5
2.5
2
2.2
1.5
1.5
0
100
400
1
0.5
0
Configure
Non-replicated study, n=1.
Buds per Phylloclade
Christmas Cacti ‘Nicole’
5
4.3
4
3
2
2.1
1.5
1
0
Configure
Non-replicated study, n=1.
0
100
400
Christmas Cacti ‘Thor Nillie’
Buds per Phylloclade
2.0
2
1.7
1.5
1.5
0
100
400
1
0.5
0
Configure
Non-replicated study, n=1.
Buds per Phylloclade
Christmas Cacti ‘Thor Alex’
2.2
2.5
2
1.9
1.5
1.5
0
100
400
1
0.5
0
Configure
Non-replicated study, n=1.
Buds per Phylloclade
Christmas Cacti ‘Stephanie’
2.8
3
2.5
2.5
2
1.8
0
100
400
1.5
1
0.5
0
Configure
Non-replicated study, n=1.
Conclusions

Configure concentrations of >100 ppm
improved the number of buds per
phylloclade.
Christmas Cactus: Configure Sprays
0
100 ppm
Increase flower buds
Christmas Cactus: Configure Sprays
Increases flower buds
0
200 ppm
Christmas Cactus: Configure Sprays
Increase branching
Overall Thoughts

The use of Configure will improve the flower
power of Christmas cacti.
In addition, early sprays of Configure can
have a positive effect on branching.
-End-