Resin-coated Fertilizers Affect
Postproduction Growth, but Not
Flowering, of Potted Alstroemeria
We suggest that this reflects the remobilization of nutrients from Alstroemeria storage roots to support flowering. However, nonfertilized plants were much smaller than fertilized plants and extremely chlorotic, indicating inadequate nutrition in the absence of fertilization. Unfertilized plants weighed less and produced fewer vegetative stems, but not fewer floral stems, demonstrating that mineral nutrition strongly influences the partitioning of assimilates into reproductive vs. vegetative growth. Minimizing the number of vegetative stems while maintaining high production of flowering stems would be desirable for Alstroemeria, especially those grown for cut flowers, because excessive vegetative stems should be removed from the plants to increase light intensity in the interior of the plant (Bridgen, 1997; Healy and Wilkins, 1991).