According to the latest USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Commercial Floriculture Survey, when it comes to units sold, poinsettias remain America’s No. 1 potted flowering plant. More than 42 million poinsettias sold in 2022 alone — more than 21% of all potted flowering plants sold in the U.S. that year. That’s an exceptional achievement for a plant that traditionally has a six-week selling season each year.
We’ve shared before that we have a soft spot for poinsettias here at Oasis Grower Solutions. Half a century ago, our quest to create a foam propagation substrate for Ecke Ranch poinsettias led to the launch of OASIS® Rootcubes®. But our poinsettia connection had just begun.
After that success, our team continued working with Paul Ecke, Jr. to develop a propagation substrate even more ideal for poinsettias. The distinctively tapered engineered foam substrate born from that collaboration, now known as OASIS® Wedge®, became synonymous with superior poinsettia propagation performance. The overwhelming majority of the millions of poinsettias grown annually worldwide, including mother stock for cuttings production and finished plants for consumers, get their start in OASIS® Wedge®.
Poinsettia-Perfect Propagation Substrate
Of all the propagation media options, very few substrates offer the focus of OASIS® Wedge®. While OASIS® Wedge® is ideal for vegetative cuttings of a wide variety of plants — including many problematic, difficult-to-root crops prone to disease — its development hinged on poinsettia propagation challenges. No wonder some call it “The Poinsettia Propagator’s Dream.”
World-renowned poinsettia breeder and ornamental horticulture consultant Steve Rinehart of Rinehart Poinsettias has relied on OASIS® propagation media throughout his career, including three decades with Ecke Ranch, where he rose from grower/production manager to Chief Operating Officer. As Rinehart Poinsettias continue raising the bar for poinsettias worldwide, Steve still turns to OASIS® Wedge® — and only OASIS® Wedge® — for poinsettia propagation. Every propagator will identify with his reasons why.
“Use of OASIS® Wedge® in propagation allows me to mist as I need for the plant needs, without the need to be concerned about oversaturation of media,” Steve shares. “OASIS® Wedge® provides a clean media free of fungus gnat larvae and provides a media easy to store and to set out for propagation. I can easily review the propagation bed at callus formation and easily repair to make solid strips of non-injured plants for beautiful finish of rooted cuttings.” Steve isn’t alone in his appreciation of this poinsettia-perfect propagation substrate.
Clemson University Professor of Floriculture Physiology Dr. Jim Faust — widely known for extensive research on poinsettia propagation and production, as well as cultivar trials — knows this substrate’s benefits firsthand. “The beauty of OASIS® Wedge® is how easy it makes water management during propagation. The high porosity/aeration of OASIS® Wedge® eliminates the possibility of over-misting or overwatering during the critical stage of root initiation. Basically, you can't overwater the cuttings, which is the single biggest error made by beginner and experienced propagators,” Jim explains.
“Additionally, every drop of water in the OASIS® Wedge® is available for the cutting to uptake. In contrast, peat-based substrates have much higher matric potential, meaning that water uptake by the cutting is restricted before the substrate starts to be dry. Thus, cuttings in foam will not wilt as quickly as cuttings propagated in peat. Finally, every batch of OASIS® Wedge® is the same, which eliminates the variability of loose-fill substrates caused by inconsistent tray-filling technique,” Jim says.
Rediscover OASIS® Wedge®
With OASIS® Wedge® at the core of your poinsettia propagation, you and your customers can benefit from the decades of proven propagation excellence found only in OASIS® Wedge®. From the tapered shape that directs roots downward for rapid root development to superior cutting hydration, OASIS® Wedge® can help you shorten bench times, transplant earlier, minimize transplant shock and speed post-transplant establishment — and be in the company of some of the world’s greatest poinsettia experts.
Whether your crop is poinsettias or something else, we’re ready to help you excel. Lean into us. We’re Oasis Grower Solutions, your source for real-world, grower-driven innovations.