Nitrogen and Potassium Effect on the Color of Red Roses

Variable coloration was displayed by Rosa hybrida, var. Better Times, grown in solutions of various concentrations of nitrogen and potassium. As revealed by measuring the color in Hunter values, growth in high potassium and low nitrogen concentrations resulted in less reddish and more bluish roses, while cultivation in a low nitrogen concentration, irrespective of the N/ K ratio, resulted in roses which were more lightly colored than those grown in high concentrations of nitrogen and potassium. The results were statistically significant at the 1 percent probability level.