Andropogon ‘Silver Sunrise’
Good Qualities:
Year 1:
It grows like a weed; The color was really nice; Plants were in good shape on arrival, large flower heads.
Year 2:
Kind of interesting for special work, but looks a bit weedy for my customers; Ease of cultivation; Good color, the crazy thing is my customers would rather buy johnson grass than this..go figure.
Problems:
Year 1:
What are we suppose to cut, flower or foliage? flower was not impressive, too weedy looking.
Year 2:
Slow growing; Time consuming to harvest.
Trial Data
Year 1
| Plants flowering (%) | Plants dead at end of summer (%) | Yield (stems/plant) | Stem Length (inches) | Market Appreciation Rating - Wholesale (1) | Market Appreciation Rating - Retail (1) | Market Appreciation Rating - Consumer (1) | Repeat Again Rating (1) | Ease of Cultivation Rating (1) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | 80 | 0 | 1.3 | 29.6 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 5.0 |
| Range of Responses | 0-100 | 0 | 1-3 | 32-48 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1-4 | 5 |
(1) 1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.
Year 2
| Yield (stems/plant) | Stem Length (inches) | Market Appreciation Rating - Wholesale (1) | Market Appreciation Rating - Retail (1) | Market Appreciation Rating - Consumer (1) | Repeat Again Rating (2) | Ease of Cultivation Rating (2) | Average Spacing (in2) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | 92 | 15.8 | 39.1 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 4.6 |
| Range of Responses | 50-100 | 6-45 | 30-54 | 5 | 3-5 | 2-3 | 2-5 | 4-5 |
(1) Data shown are from those respondents who harvested stems. Some respondents may not have harvested stems because they were too short. Flowering stems may be longer next year after plants are established. See comments section for more details.
(2) 1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the best. Market ratings are based on sales to wholesalers, retailers, or final consumers direct.
Supplier
University of Nebraska (UN)
Horticulture Department
377 Plant Sciences
Lincoln, NE 68583-0724
402-472-1639
FAX 402-472-8650
Comments:
Year 1:
Next year this should take off!; We have native grasses that are more desirable for cuts; I think this will be a very nice grass when there are numbers to pick, the fall color is almost better than the summer color; These were grown in one gallon pots and planted out in September, no data as yet.
Year 2:
Keep in pots because I felt this grass is a weed;A designer's choice at the retail florist; Three trialers reported on the vase life: 7.5, 10 and 12 days, respectively.