Seed versus tissue culture

Why Microflor prefers tissue culture for all hellebores varieties to propagation via seed? Because it fits completely with our mission: only plants with the highest margin make it to the final measurement. And that is exactly what tissue culture promises.

As in propagation from seed, we cross a mother and father plant that already meet a number of objectives. The seeds we harvest from these, we sow and allow to grow into flowering plants. Microflor then goes one step further and selects the plant that perfectly meets our requirements. So with the desired flowering season, the perfect flower position, floridity, uniformity and so on. At that point, we also get a picture of pest susceptibility. We then select the best plant(s) and propagate them in the lab. The resulting cuttings are potted for further testing. Only when we are left with a variety that meets all the requirements will we scale up production and market this plant. Plants that are thus genetically 100% identical

With propagation from seed, production starts immediately after crossing a mother and father plant. Main difference with tissue culture? Because the seeds from the cross are not genetically identical, you get bigger differences between the plants. Consequence? Less uniformity and also the weaker plants will end up with the grower. It is also more difficult to predict when they will flower, which is the case with tissue culture.

Why is tissue culture so interesting with a Microflor Helleborus niger?

Predictability is a key criterion in our industry. As a grower, you want to be able to plan your production exactly. Like the Helleborus niger, or Christmas rose, as a fixture at the end of November. The Christmas rose, as the name suggests, has to flourish around Christmas. In other words, the sales moment is between week 42 and 50, so timing is everything for this popular Christmas bloomer. And thanks to our genetics and our choice of tissue culture, it is there just then.

So what makes this Helleborus niger so special? Admittedly, it doesn't quite have its name. Niger refers to its pitch-black roots. But apart from that, with its milky white petals, it radiates pure innocence. What else typifies it? It does not form a stem with leaves, but the flowers and leaves grow right out of the ground. Furthermore, the plant is evergreen and grows about 30 cm tall. The leaves are shiny dark green and leathery. Discover our ViV®-niger collection here. You can recognise them by the male name with each species.

Predictable production, control of your labour costs, increased stability and quality

So with our Microflor Helleborus niger range propagated from tissue culture, you can perfectly plan your production towards the most important sales weeks. When propagated from seed, the flowering period is spread over several months. Thanks to strong genetics and strict variety selection, our varieties suffer less from pre-flowering and bad foliage and you get uniform batches. This saves a lot of cutting in the preparation phase and sorting during the sales weeks. With the Microflor range, you get the highest quality that you can pick at the moment you want to put them on the market. That predictability is a key advantage, but there are others. Plants from tissue culture are also distinguished by their stability and quality. Moreover, we breed for varieties that are not or hardly susceptible to disease or pests. Varieties that score insufficiently are not retained or go out of range.

For Microflor, the most profitable plant for our customer always applies, and this is only possible by offering a range that meets the highest expectations: predictable, stable, qualitative and cost-efficient.

We highlight a few more assets. For example, the plugs are heavier than those produced from seed. The advantage? You can pot them efficiently and in larger pot sizes (P13-P21). You also get a more filled pot quickly. A flower stem can contain up to two to three flowers and more than twenty-five flowers per plant. Result? The plants form a uniform whole, are ready for sale at the right time and bloom for up to three months on average. When they finish flowering, they turn vivid green. In other words, they retain their charm. Even after a year when flowering again in the consumer's garden.

• Hardly susceptible to disease or pests
• Large and heavy plugs
• Possible in larger pot sizes
• More than 25 flowers per plant
• Uniform whole
• Ready for sale at the right time
• Average flowering time of 3 months

Better quality = more expensive market segment

Bottom line? With our Microflor Helleborus niger from tissue culture, as a grower you choose stability, quality and predictability. Of course, this comes at a price. With this Helleborus niger, you are in the higher market segment. But the price is perfectly justifiable because you can keep your promise to both customers and consumers. Strong plants that last a long time.

Would you like to meet ViV® Hindrik, ViV® Willem, ViV® Alexander, ViV® Viktor, ViV® Vince, ViV® Albert, ViV® Edward or ViV® George? Ask your account manager.