1. 2009
ECKE POINSETTIA
BRACT METER
™
TM
FROM THE PAUL ECKE R ANCH

2. FREEDOMTM PEPPERMINT
(PER16806) PPAF
SHIMMERTM SURPRISE!
(PER5499) USPP 15,917
Grow beautiful, FREEDOMTM PINK
(490 Pink) USPP 8,817
energy-efficient poinsettias
FREEDOMTM EARLY WHITE JESTERTM RED SHIMMERTM PINK ADVENTTM RED FESTIVAL WHITE FESTIVAL PINK FREEDOMTM JINGLE BELLS EARLY JOYTM RED EARLY JOYTM PINK
FREEDOM EARLY RED
TM
JESTER WHITE
TM
JESTER JINGLE
TM
JESTER PINK
TM
RED VELVETEEN TM
FESTIVAL RED FREEDOM TM
RED FREEDOM MARBLE
TM
PRESTIGE EARLY RED
TM
FREEDOM EARLY MARBLE
TM
FREEDOM EARLY PINK
TM
JESTER MARBLE
TM
AUTUMN RED TM
FESTIVAL ROSE FREEDOM WHITE
TM
FREEDOM SALMON
TM
GALATM RED GALATM WHITE
= COLD GROW
Use the Bract Meter™ to set greenhouse temperatures. Apply just the right amount of heat to meet your ship
COLD GROW VARIETIES dates, and not a bit more. You’ll reduce heating waste and save 20 percent or more on energy costs.
Choose Ecke’s Cold Grow Varieties: Advent ™ Red, Prestige™ Early Red, Autumn™ Red, Use Ecke’s production tools to stay on track. Track your flower development rate with the Bract Meter and
your plant height with On Target™. Both tools are designed to help you stay in control of your poinsettia crop.
Red Velveteen™ Freedom™ Early Red, White, Pink, Marble, Freedom™ Red, White, Pink,
,
Marble, Salmon, Peppermint, Jingle Bells, Jester™ Red, White, Pink, Marble, Jingle Start tracking up to 49 days before shipping. Put an end to last-minute panicking. With the scientifically proven
Bract Meter, you can be fully confident that you will finish your crop at the mid-season peak or whenever you
Early Joy™ Red, Pink, Shimmer™ Surprise!, Shimmer™ Pink, Festival Red, White, Pink, need to meet market demands.
Rose, Gala™ Red, White

3. ECKE
BRACTyour energy costs
METER
™
Take control of
HOW TO USE THE ECKE AVERAGE DAILY
TEMPERATURE DAYS TO MARKET*
POINSETTIA BRACT METER™
1. Set your greenhouse thermostat according 60˚ F /16˚ C 49 43 37 32 26 20 14 9 3
to days to market. For example, if you are
62˚ F /17˚ C 41 36 32 27 22 17 13 8 3
starting with 49 days to market, you can
settle on an average daily temperature of 64˚ F /18˚ C 35 31 27 23 19 15 11 7 3
60°F/16°C. However, if you have only 31
days to market, you’ll need to increase that 66˚ F /19˚ C 31 28 24 21 17 14 10 7 3
temperature to 68°F/20°C. Either way,
68˚ F /20˚ C 29 26 23 19 16 13 9 6 3
you can realize significant energy savings.
2. Monitor plant height with On Target™ , 70˚ F /21˚ C 29 26 22 19 16 12 9 5 2
Ecke’s easy-to-use online tracking tool.
By the start of short days to first color,
plant height should be near the upper range ADVENT™
of the window on your tracking curve.
Apply a chlormequat chloride plant growth RED
regulator as necessary to achieve this height
before the start of short days.
3. Monitor flower rate development with the
Bract Meter™ Compare your crops to
.
AUTUMN™
the photos on the Bract Meter. If bract
development seems to be proceeding too RED
quickly for your finish date, simply decrease
the greenhouse temperature by a degree
or two. If bract development is lagging,
increase the greenhouse temperature.
FREEDOM™
EARLY RED
Ecke varieties grown
cool over traditional PRESTIGE™
programs achieved a EARLY RED
savings of 21 percent
in an energy efficient
greenhouse! This FREEDOM™
RED
number can be double
that in a less efficient
greenhouse. 5% 15% 25% 35% 45% 55% 65% 75% 85%
* Days to flower are illustrative for each 2008 Developed by Jim Faust,
BRACT CANOPY COLOR
©
cultivar and temperature. Actual days Clemson University for Paul Ecke Ranch
to flower may vary based on individual
greenhouse conditions.
W H E R E V E R Y O U G R O W Paul Ecke Ranch P.O. Box 230488, Encinitas, CA 92023-0488 www.ecke.com TM

4. Saving energy with cold grow poinsettias
Get optimum results with
Ecke’s exclusive
Poinsettia Bract Meter ™
Technical recommendations backed by years of experience and research are an Ecke
tradition. We always provide the science behind our recommendations and the Ecke cold
grow program is no different.
Our research into effective cold grow techniques has led to the development of a new
production tool that can help any grower find success when they turn their greenhouse
thermostats down and select Ecke’s energy-efficient varieties. With the Ecke Poinsettia
Bract Meter ™, you can eliminate guesswork and take control of profitability!
SAVE 20 PERCENT OR MORE ON ENERGY COSTS
To evaluate potential energy savings at cooler temperatures, Ecke enlisted help from commercial growers
around North America. The support of these growers has helped us demonstrate the risks and benefits of
using lower temperatures for production while quantifying the energy savings that are possible.
On average, select Ecke varieties grown colder than traditional programs achieved a savings of 21 percent ADVENTTM RED
(PER2804) PPAF
in an energy-efficient greenhouse. This number can be double that in a less efficient greenhouse.
Testing conducted in Europe helped further validate the energy savings potential
by comparing poinsettias from all major breeding companies. These tests
measured the litres of oil per square meter required at different
production regimes.
The results speak for themselves! Freedom™ Early Red required 23
percent less energy than its nearest competitor. Compared to
more traditional temperatures, cold-growing Freedom
Early Red is nearly 35 percent more fuel-efficient.
This poster was printed on recycled
paper with soy-based ink and
produced by wind power through
a Green-e certified program using
Renewable Energy Credits.