Purple Prince (Alternanthera)
Latin Name: Alternanthera brasiliana
Item #: 5000401
Difficulty:
Easy
Suitable for Containers:
Yes
(10-16 in/25-41 cm) A durable carpet of ruby/burgundy foliage works great as a spiller in high-impact containers. Pkt contains 10 seeds.
(10-16 in/25-41 cm) A durable carpet of ruby/burgundy foliage works great as a spiller in high-impact containers. Low maintenance and drought tolerant. Pkt contains 10 seeds.
ALTERNANTHERA
Annual
Purple Knight (16-20 in/40-51 cm) approx 17,400 seeds per oz/28g
Royal Tapestry (12-18 in/30-45 cm) approx. 56,400 seeds per oz/28 g.
Two dark purple foliage/accent plants. Purple Knight is an effective ground cover spreading 2-3 ft/60-90 cm and is more vigorous than Royal Tapestry, which spreads only 10-12 in/25-30 cm. It has a smaller leaf, appears to be deep burgundy, red or copper colored, depending on the season and can be used in full sun conditions. It's more compact plant makes it more suitable for smaller containers. Both have spreading plant habits and have exceptional heat tolerance. Use both for hanging baskets, mixed containers or as backgrounds in massed beds with Wave petunias.
CULTURE: Allow 11-12 weeks from sowing for finished saleable 4 in/10 cm pots. Both are usually sold with other foliage plants like coleus or dusty miller. Sow Feb. 1st-15th. Germinate @ 64-75°F/18-24°C for 3-4 days. Cover Purple Knight seed lightly with vermiculite, but do not cover the smaller seed of Royal Tapestry which needs light to germinate. Keep both moist until seedlings appear. Plugs or seedlings of both should take about 4-5 weeks to mature large enough to transplant. Grow seedlings @ 63-72°F/17-22°C days and cooler 60-66°F/16-19°C nights. Transplant both into 4 in/10 cm pots or larger containers 7-8 weeks from mature seedlings or plugs. (Purple Knight is too vigorous to transplant into packs). High light conditions rather than shady locations will result in deeper leaf colors for both. The use of B-Nine or Alar growth retardant spray weekly after the final transplant into containers @ 5,000 PPM will result in a more compact plant of Royal Tapestry and darker foliage colors - for hanging baskets or mixed containers. Aphids can cause loss of foliage color on both and eventually result in leaf drop. Both varieties thrive in full sun conditions, but will survive in partial shade with lighter leaf colors.
