The New Zealand Chrysanthemum Society
BULLETIN 22 Update 9/2002
GROWING CHRYSANTHEMUMS IN NEW ZEALAND
EDITORIAL
We bring to you yet a further revision of Bulletin 22, first published in August 1961. With several revisions, it has served members well as a straight forward summary for growing show chrysanthemums in our country. These cultivation notes, perhaps less rigorously applied, are also a more than useful basis for growing other types of chrysanthemum - late sprays, cushions, pot mums, and so on.
Please note that the stopping and bud securing times suggested in the text are particularly relevant to growing in the central regions of New Zealand. If you live in the northern regions of New Zealand you will need to adjust these times forward approximately one to two weeks (that is stop your plants and secure buds one to two weeks later). If you live in the south you should take the times back approximately two weeks (that is stop and secure buds about two weeks earlier).
SITUATIONS AND OPTIONS FOR GROWING
Chrysanthemums are best grown in New Zealand outdoors but then protected from overhead conditions when buds begin to open and show colour. If possible choose your site to ensure that good levels of sunlight are enjoyed by all your plants. It is also very important to protect your plants from extreme winds and draughts.
Traditionally in New Zealand chrysanthemums have been grown in raised beds, with the soil built up and enriched over the weeks and months prior to planting. Alternatively though you may choose to grow some or all of your plants in pots. There is much debate at to which is best but in truth both methods of culture can and do result in excellent show blooms - choose which suits your circumstances best and consider experimenting a little with some of your cultivars.
Growing in Beds
Beds should be raised at least 100mm above surrounding ground level, to ensure that adequate drainage is given, for although chrysanthemums require plenty of moisture, especially in the hot summer weather, they will definitely not do well if they are subjected to boggy conditions. The beds can be 900mm wide, which is quite adequate to hold two plants crosswise. Length of beds would of course be dependent on number of plants to be accommodated, remembering that these should be set out at least 450mm apart. Two beds running parallel with a 600mm path between is ideal, for in preparation of beds covering must be considered and a compact layout is to advantage.
Preparation of the beds should begin in September and consider addition of new soil plus generous amounts of organic matter, animal manure, compost, peat etc as available. If the beds are very heavy consider adding coarse river sand or pumice. An application of lime may be necessary especially if a lot of new soil or peat are used. Be aware that mushroom compost is an excellent source of organic matter for your beds but is markedly alkaline so use it in relatively modest amounts and avoid further liming.
A few weeks after use of lime work into the top 15cm a base fertilizer - either a balanced (egg: 6-6-5) pre-made mix or, if you wish, a home-made mix (egg: by weight 6 parts super phosphate, one part sulphate of ammonia, one part of dried blood and two parts bone flour). Apply these at a rate of 200g per square metre.
Plant out your young plants into your beds in early November. Do so reasonably firmly and do not plant too deeply. Always keep the name-tag with the plant. Water your plants in and support them with an initial stake.
Pot Culture
Here, rather than planting out your cultivars into a bed, you will transfer your plants through a series of pots of graduated size (usually 3 or more), allowing the plant to fill each pot with roots before moving it on. In preference to a soil bed, the pots are best standing on several centimetres of coarse river shingle, or equivalent, to allow good drainage.
Pots used can be made of black polythene, hard plastics, or terracotta. Plants in polythene or plastic pots require less watering but conversely terracotta allows optimal drainage.
Composition of soil mixes for use in pots follows the same principles of plenty of organic matter and excellent drainage - again prepare ahead of when you will use and in general use less rich mixtures for young plants. An example of an appropriate mix for final pots is:
1 part quality garden soil
3 parts compost, peat and/or animal manure (well rotted).
1-2 parts fairly coarse river sand or pumice
Add approximately 1/2kg of a balanced fertilizer (6-6-5 or thereabouts) to each barrow-load of mix and use lime (ideally added at a different time to the fertilizer) if soil or compost used is somewhat acid (egg: if bark or peat based). 150g of lime per barrow-load would be an appropriate amount.
Rather than mix a potting mix from scratch, consider using a modern bark based mix containing a 3-4 month slow release fertiliser.
Proponents of pot culture believe that their plants develop better root systems and can be treated more specifically - that is a particular cultivar can be given more or less water, more or less feeding. (They will also suggest smaller pots for incurving varieties to encourage tighter blooms).
In general, though, pot culture is somewhat more labour intensive than growing in beds - which is hard work in itself!
STOPPING AND BUD SECURING
The next important phase of culture is stopping, which means simply taking out the top of the plant to encourage branching. When doing so, it is advisable to cut the plant back, shortening it by about one-third, or to where the side shoots are about 1cm long. This encourages even branches to develop. This firm cutting back controls the ultimate height of your plant and without such treatment some varieties can present headaches, as they naturally grow quite tall. The timing of stopping is very important for exhibitors. Stopping charts can be uses as a guide if local information is not available. Many cultivars require a second stopping approximately one month after the first stopping.
Large and Medium Exhibition
With the majority of Large Exhibition and Medium Exhibition, stopping should take place from late November to mid December according to cultivar and locality. The plant then commences to branch and when these have grown about 50mm long, select the two best and gradually take the others off. These two are to be allowed to grow on to maturity. It is only now a matter of ensuring that these branches are well staked as they progress and that side growths or laterals are taken off as they appear. Your objective is to have a plant carrying only two branches, on which the only growths retained are the leaves and the flowering bud when it appears. New shoots from ground level around your plant - commonly known as sucker shoots - may appear, and these should be trimmed back to the ground and never allowed to develop during this period of culture. To encourage extra size these types can be reduced to one or two leads once buds start to appear.
The buds on your two flowering stems will appear about the first or second week in February, and by rubbing out the side growths around the bud you perform what is known as “securing the bud”. Should buds appear early, one of the side growths surrounding the bud should be retained and the top bud rubbed out. This side growth, or side bud, will develop later and rectify the timing of bloom maturity. This procedure is known as “sending a plant on”. Once secured, your buds will rapidly swell and develop and, as they burst open to reveal colour of petals, covering and protection of your prospective blooms is important.
Exhibition Incurved
Treatment for Exhibition Incurved cultivars differs a little, for these are often encouraged to carry four to six blooms and consequently an extra stopping to encourage the branching required is necessary. Planting time is the same as described above. The first stopping is carried out in late November. Allow three branches to come away and stop each branch again in early January. Allow one to two branches to develop and grow on to maturity from each branch stopped. This will give you six flowering stems which are to be pruned of laterals, as is the case with Large and medium exhibition, and treated in similar fashion when the buds appear. Buds should show up, to be secured in February or early March.
Decorative, Fantasy, Anemone Centred etc
With regard to Decoratives, Anemone Centred, Singles, the time of first stopping or cutting back should take place in later November when the plants are nicely established. For Fantasies, mid-November stopping is required for many cultivars. From this stopping select three branches to grow on, on each plant. A further stopping is made a month later. Anemones and Singles in late December. Encourage two or three further branches on each branch you have stopped. This will allow your bush to carry six to nine flowering stems. You are not advised to allow it to carry more. These stems will now grow on to maturity and should be treated similarly to the stems on the larger cultivars, ensuring removal of all side growths etc. Buds on these smaller cultivars should not appear until the end of February onward up to the second week of March. These blooms will also require covering and protection when buds mature and begin to show colour.
STAKING AND TYING
Plants should have the benefit of support by staking right from the time of planting to protect them from undue buffeting and root damage by twisting in the ground. As the plant develops and branches are encouraged, it is considered advisable to give each flowering stem support with an individual stake or wire. These should be placed in position so that as the stems develop they can be secured to it by tying securely.
All cultivars need support right up to and underneath the bud to ensure your bloom flowers in a perfect upright position. There are many ways of achieving this. An adjustable stake is easily made and is excellent for this purpose. Into a wooden stake 1m long drive two small staples on one side, one near the top, the other 150-200mm lower, so that a piece of No. 8 wire can be slipped down the stake through the staples. Rubber bands can be use instead of staples. Your wire can be of similar length to your stake. As the stem grows beyond the wooden portion the wire can be pushed up to the required height and the stem secured. Plastic covered wire (twist ties) can be used to secure the stem to the wire. An alternative is to use bamboo canes of various lengths then adding a length of No. 8 wire holding it to the cane with two “spring pegs” - the wire can then be moved up as required.
SPRAYING
A continuous two-week programme should be maintained from the time of planting until maturity. The following sprays are recommended for the control of pests and diseases, emphasis being on the fact that prevention is so simple and effecting a cure quite difficult, sometimes impossible:
Combination sprays such as Shield, Super-Shield and Gild are readily available and do have a place, however their use should be on a “sometimes” basis only. Alternating their use with some of the following agents is generally prudent.
Caterpillars and chewing insects are controlled by using Carbaryl or Pyrethrim.
Aphids succumb to application of Maldison (Malathion) or Confidor (useful if black aphids are found).
Mites (sometimes known as red spider), can prove quite troublesome late in the season. Tau-fluvalinate (Mavrik) and Perapal can be used.
Chrysanthemum rust and other fungus diseases respond to most garden fungicides. The important point is to realize that these are best used as preventatives to keep the fungus diseases out.
Gall Midge and Eelworm require a systemic insecticide. Maldison is a partial systemic and would need to be used every ten days if gall midge is a problem. Parathion is a systemic insecticide but is only available commercially. Plants affected with gall midge or eelworm are best destroyed. New ground is necessary if eelworm becomes a problem.
All sprays should be made up to label specifications.
A combination of fungicide and insecticides is much quicker and easier to apply as one spray than to use separately. Thorough coverage of plants is essential, especially underneath the leaves.
A surfactant to ensure that a spray sticks to a plant is readily available and can be used to advantage especially if only one material is being used for a specific purpose. Once a spray has been mixed and prepared it should be applied as soon as possible. Be careful not to mix copper or sulphur sprays with other sprays. All spray materials should be stored safely and protective clothing and equipment used where required. This is especially important when using or handling insecticides.
There are many new sprays on the market these days. Those we have recommended have been found satisfactory. However, this does not mean that new formulations should not be used at your own discretion. Be sure, however, that if you mix various spray materials they are compatible. This is indicated on the label.
FEEDING
It is true that chrysanthemums are gross feeders required to make a lot of growth in a very short time. However feeding is an area of chrysanthemum culture somewhat shrouded in mystique although in fact the principles are relatively simple. The most important principle of all is balance - that is in general you should use fertilizers, whether dry or liquid, that have a reasonable balance of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium
(N-P-K). In addition, tend to use small amounts often rather than large amounts infrequently, especially when using liquid feeds. Following are some sound methods of feeding you may wish to employ:
Apply side dressings of a balanced dry fertilizer in mid January and mid February. Apply when the soil is moist. After the bud has been secured feed plants once or twice weekly with weak liquid feeds. Whether homemade or a specific brand (eg: Phostrogen, Miracle-Gro, Nitrosol etc) remember the above principles and over time learn to read your plants. For instance, if growth is too soft and sappy, a modest feed a little richer than usual in Potassium may be beneficial. When the buds burst and show colour, feeding is normally discontinued. Water with judgment from this point, not too heavily but ensuring that your plants do not dry out. Once or twice per season consider treating you plants with trace elements. For example, if lime is required use trace mineralized lime. In addition, some dry and liquid fertilizer preparations are enriched with trace elements.
Optimizing soil pH will allow your plants to make best use of nutrients and for chrysanthemums a pH of 6 to 7 should be aimed for. If your plants really do seem to be struggling consider having your soil pH checked - simple kits can be purchased although for greater accuracy a better quality meter is required. Your club may own one, as indeed may a gardening friend.
About the middle of December to early January, before the hot weather has had time to dry out the soil and damage the surface roots that will be developing to search for feed and nourish your plants, a mulch should be applied. This mulch should consist of a mixture of compost, new soil, and well-rotted animal manure. Five centimetres of this mixture spread over your bed will be a safeguard against dryness and root damage. It should be applied, of course, when the soil is wet, either from rain or otherwise a good soaking. Plants in pots also benefit from such a mulch which is usually applied about one month after final potting.
DAMPING
This is a condition whereby petals are affected by a fungal condition causing them to spot with brown, moist areas. Many petals and blooms can be lost and this condition regularly ruins or threatens to ruin the grand finale to a grower’s season. Large and Medium Exhibition seem to be particularly prone to damping. Strategies of use in controlling damping are:
Balanced feeding - in particular use of excessively nitrogenous feeding in the latter stages of plant development will predispose to damping.
Avoid heavy watering of plants once blooms are showing colour.
If just the odd petal in a bloom is affected carefully pull out the entire petal and remove such petals from the house. If a bloom is badly affected cut it and remove it completely from your house (ideally placing it immediately in a bag) to prevent dissemination of spores.
Adequate ventilation of the house (vents, open doors, fans).
Close in the house (including sides) in misty or foggy weather.
Avoid growing cultivars that are particularly prone to damping (and there are some!).
Accept that you will probably lose at least a few blooms each season from damping, especially if the season proves to be humid and wet over flowering.
COVERING
Most growers protect their blooms from overhead conditions when buds begin to show colour. Various materials are used. The basic structure is usually lean-to or gable-like. Plastic secured to wooden frames is quite popular, having the advantage of providing easily made shelters later for wintering stools and propagating cuttings. Many are using more permanent Nova Roof type of roofing. What ever way your shelters are erected, they should be high enough to allow you to walk comfortably around your bed and to ensure a reasonable circulation of air, which is a big help to the blooms. Draughts should be avoided and side covers should be available for erection to prevent damp air or direct winds blowing into your beds under the covers. You will enjoy many thrilling hours watching your booms unfold and will be well rewarded for your care and attention to your plants. Make your covers so that you have easy access to your bed. With regard to plastic, the following method of covering is widely adopted:
Wooden frames 1.8m long and 900mm wide are made from 50mm x 25mm timber. They are then covered with plastic that is battened on to the frame with wooden slats. Two of these are then hinged or tied together at the top. This frame can now be opened out to sit on railings erected about 1.5m high along each side of the show bed. When seven or eight such frames are secured the effect is similar to an open sided glass house.
Various systems can be made using permanent Nova Roof-type material on frames or directly on to supporting framework. Though this seems to be quite an undertaking, the initial work will provide a construction that can be utilized for several years. Frames should be taken down and stored away from bright sunlight in a dry position and will last for many years. Ideally allow a path down each side of your bed as well as the middle. Once covered, water judiciously and stop feeding.
CARE OF STOOLS
A chrysanthemum stool is the base of the stem and the roots of a plant cut down after it has completed its year of service. From this come the new shoots that provide the cuttings for your next year’s supply of plants. After flowering, the plant should be cut right back and sprayed with insecticide/fungicide. It can be lifted (forked up) and transported to a warm spot for wintering. Perhaps a couple of frames can be secured at ground level and your stools, well and clearly labelled, packed under this ideal protection. Do not dig a hole to place the stool in, but sit it on the ground and build up good soil around it. Do not over-water. Protect from slugs and snails, which love the tender young shoots. Today there are a number of effective proprietary lines of slug and snail baits on the market.
CUTTINGS
Tip cuttings provide the best method of producing new plants. The cuttings are taken by snapping off 75mm of the soft growth at the tips of the new shoots sent up by the stool. These should be taken in September, to provide plants in time for planting into the show bed. Should the stool have tall growth at the beginning of July, the long shoots should be cut back to provide ample good cuttings from subsequent growth at the right time. Refer to charts or local growers for the best dates to start the rooting procedure.
Cuttings should be planted into a seed tray containing a mixture of4/5 sharp sand or coarse pumice (No. 2 to No. 4) and 1/5 compost or peat. The mixture is watered and firmed and holes about 2.5cm in depth made with a pencil or similar tool. The base of the cutting is then dipped into a hormone rooting compound and inserted into the hole. Sixty or so cuttings can be easily accommodated in an average seed tray. The cuttings are watered with a fine-rose watering can. Addition of a tablespoon of Captan or Thiram to a can of water will help avoid damping off. The box should then be placed in a warm position and here plastic frames can be used to advantage in providing temporary propagating quarters. If in direct sunlight, cuttings should be shaded during the day, and a sheet of newspaper laid over the top of them is ideal and this should be removed at night. This procedure of shading is necessary for about 10 days, when it will be quite apparent that cuttings are beginning to grow.
When well-rooted, plants can be placed into a temporary bed containing good soil or into small pots, and from there the strongest and best can be selected for planting out in the show bed or big pots at the time recommended. During the propagation period it is important that cuttings are not allowed to dry out.
Depending on the methods used, it may take two to four weeks for the roots to develop on the cuttings.
POINTS ON SHOWING
Do study the schedule carefully to ensure you enter blooms in the right class.
Do be sure you enter correct number of blooms.
Do place the stems in deep water immediately they are cut.
Do choose blooms of even size and colour.
Do name each bloom or group of blooms correctly.
Do see that foliage is clean and healthy.
Do clean your blooms and remove old or damaged petals and pull right out with a pair
of tweezers.
Do secure blooms carefully for transportation to show venue.
Do not be nervous of showing.
Do not expose blooms to sun or high temperatures after cutting.
Do not forget that form is more important than size, except in Large and Medium
Exhibition.
Do your best and have fun!
BULLETIN 22 Update 9/2002
GROWING CHRYSANTHEMUMS IN NEW ZEALAND
EDITORIAL
We bring to you yet a further revision of Bulletin 22, first published in August 1961. With several revisions, it has served members well as a straight forward summary for growing show chrysanthemums in our country. These cultivation notes, perhaps less rigorously applied, are also a more than useful basis for growing other types of chrysanthemum - late sprays, cushions, pot mums, and so on.
Please note that the stopping and bud securing times suggested in the text are particularly relevant to growing in the central regions of New Zealand. If you live in the northern regions of New Zealand you will need to adjust these times forward approximately one to two weeks (that is stop your plants and secure buds one to two weeks later). If you live in the south you should take the times back approximately two weeks (that is stop and secure buds about two weeks earlier).
SITUATIONS AND OPTIONS FOR GROWING
Chrysanthemums are best grown in New Zealand outdoors but then protected from overhead conditions when buds begin to open and show colour. If possible choose your site to ensure that good levels of sunlight are enjoyed by all your plants. It is also very important to protect your plants from extreme winds and draughts.
Traditionally in New Zealand chrysanthemums have been grown in raised beds, with the soil built up and enriched over the weeks and months prior to planting. Alternatively though you may choose to grow some or all of your plants in pots. There is much debate at to which is best but in truth both methods of culture can and do result in excellent show blooms - choose which suits your circumstances best and consider experimenting a little with some of your cultivars.
Growing in Beds
Beds should be raised at least 100mm above surrounding ground level, to ensure that adequate drainage is given, for although chrysanthemums require plenty of moisture, especially in the hot summer weather, they will definitely not do well if they are subjected to boggy conditions. The beds can be 900mm wide, which is quite adequate to hold two plants crosswise. Length of beds would of course be dependent on number of plants to be accommodated, remembering that these should be set out at least 450mm apart. Two beds running parallel with a 600mm path between is ideal, for in preparation of beds covering must be considered and a compact layout is to advantage.
Preparation of the beds should begin in September and consider addition of new soil plus generous amounts of organic matter, animal manure, compost, peat etc as available. If the beds are very heavy consider adding coarse river sand or pumice. An application of lime may be necessary especially if a lot of new soil or peat are used. Be aware that mushroom compost is an excellent source of organic matter for your beds but is markedly alkaline so use it in relatively modest amounts and avoid further liming.
A few weeks after use of lime work into the top 15cm a base fertilizer - either a balanced (egg: 6-6-5) pre-made mix or, if you wish, a home-made mix (egg: by weight 6 parts super phosphate, one part sulphate of ammonia, one part of dried blood and two parts bone flour). Apply these at a rate of 200g per square metre.
Plant out your young plants into your beds in early November. Do so reasonably firmly and do not plant too deeply. Always keep the name-tag with the plant. Water your plants in and support them with an initial stake.
Pot Culture
Here, rather than planting out your cultivars into a bed, you will transfer your plants through a series of pots of graduated size (usually 3 or more), allowing the plant to fill each pot with roots before moving it on. In preference to a soil bed, the pots are best standing on several centimetres of coarse river shingle, or equivalent, to allow good drainage.
Pots used can be made of black polythene, hard plastics, or terracotta. Plants in polythene or plastic pots require less watering but conversely terracotta allows optimal drainage.
Composition of soil mixes for use in pots follows the same principles of plenty of organic matter and excellent drainage - again prepare ahead of when you will use and in general use less rich mixtures for young plants. An example of an appropriate mix for final pots is:
1 part quality garden soil
3 parts compost, peat and/or animal manure (well rotted).
1-2 parts fairly coarse river sand or pumice
Add approximately 1/2kg of a balanced fertilizer (6-6-5 or thereabouts) to each barrow-load of mix and use lime (ideally added at a different time to the fertilizer) if soil or compost used is somewhat acid (egg: if bark or peat based). 150g of lime per barrow-load would be an appropriate amount.
Rather than mix a potting mix from scratch, consider using a modern bark based mix containing a 3-4 month slow release fertiliser.
Proponents of pot culture believe that their plants develop better root systems and can be treated more specifically - that is a particular cultivar can be given more or less water, more or less feeding. (They will also suggest smaller pots for incurving varieties to encourage tighter blooms).
In general, though, pot culture is somewhat more labour intensive than growing in beds - which is hard work in itself!
STOPPING AND BUD SECURING
The next important phase of culture is stopping, which means simply taking out the top of the plant to encourage branching. When doing so, it is advisable to cut the plant back, shortening it by about one-third, or to where the side shoots are about 1cm long. This encourages even branches to develop. This firm cutting back controls the ultimate height of your plant and without such treatment some varieties can present headaches, as they naturally grow quite tall. The timing of stopping is very important for exhibitors. Stopping charts can be uses as a guide if local information is not available. Many cultivars require a second stopping approximately one month after the first stopping.
Large and Medium Exhibition
With the majority of Large Exhibition and Medium Exhibition, stopping should take place from late November to mid December according to cultivar and locality. The plant then commences to branch and when these have grown about 50mm long, select the two best and gradually take the others off. These two are to be allowed to grow on to maturity. It is only now a matter of ensuring that these branches are well staked as they progress and that side growths or laterals are taken off as they appear. Your objective is to have a plant carrying only two branches, on which the only growths retained are the leaves and the flowering bud when it appears. New shoots from ground level around your plant - commonly known as sucker shoots - may appear, and these should be trimmed back to the ground and never allowed to develop during this period of culture. To encourage extra size these types can be reduced to one or two leads once buds start to appear.
The buds on your two flowering stems will appear about the first or second week in February, and by rubbing out the side growths around the bud you perform what is known as “securing the bud”. Should buds appear early, one of the side growths surrounding the bud should be retained and the top bud rubbed out. This side growth, or side bud, will develop later and rectify the timing of bloom maturity. This procedure is known as “sending a plant on”. Once secured, your buds will rapidly swell and develop and, as they burst open to reveal colour of petals, covering and protection of your prospective blooms is important.
Exhibition Incurved
Treatment for Exhibition Incurved cultivars differs a little, for these are often encouraged to carry four to six blooms and consequently an extra stopping to encourage the branching required is necessary. Planting time is the same as described above. The first stopping is carried out in late November. Allow three branches to come away and stop each branch again in early January. Allow one to two branches to develop and grow on to maturity from each branch stopped. This will give you six flowering stems which are to be pruned of laterals, as is the case with Large and medium exhibition, and treated in similar fashion when the buds appear. Buds should show up, to be secured in February or early March.
Decorative, Fantasy, Anemone Centred etc
With regard to Decoratives, Anemone Centred, Singles, the time of first stopping or cutting back should take place in later November when the plants are nicely established. For Fantasies, mid-November stopping is required for many cultivars. From this stopping select three branches to grow on, on each plant. A further stopping is made a month later. Anemones and Singles in late December. Encourage two or three further branches on each branch you have stopped. This will allow your bush to carry six to nine flowering stems. You are not advised to allow it to carry more. These stems will now grow on to maturity and should be treated similarly to the stems on the larger cultivars, ensuring removal of all side growths etc. Buds on these smaller cultivars should not appear until the end of February onward up to the second week of March. These blooms will also require covering and protection when buds mature and begin to show colour.
STAKING AND TYING
Plants should have the benefit of support by staking right from the time of planting to protect them from undue buffeting and root damage by twisting in the ground. As the plant develops and branches are encouraged, it is considered advisable to give each flowering stem support with an individual stake or wire. These should be placed in position so that as the stems develop they can be secured to it by tying securely.
All cultivars need support right up to and underneath the bud to ensure your bloom flowers in a perfect upright position. There are many ways of achieving this. An adjustable stake is easily made and is excellent for this purpose. Into a wooden stake 1m long drive two small staples on one side, one near the top, the other 150-200mm lower, so that a piece of No. 8 wire can be slipped down the stake through the staples. Rubber bands can be use instead of staples. Your wire can be of similar length to your stake. As the stem grows beyond the wooden portion the wire can be pushed up to the required height and the stem secured. Plastic covered wire (twist ties) can be used to secure the stem to the wire. An alternative is to use bamboo canes of various lengths then adding a length of No. 8 wire holding it to the cane with two “spring pegs” - the wire can then be moved up as required.
SPRAYING
A continuous two-week programme should be maintained from the time of planting until maturity. The following sprays are recommended for the control of pests and diseases, emphasis being on the fact that prevention is so simple and effecting a cure quite difficult, sometimes impossible:
Combination sprays such as Shield, Super-Shield and Gild are readily available and do have a place, however their use should be on a “sometimes” basis only. Alternating their use with some of the following agents is generally prudent.
Caterpillars and chewing insects are controlled by using Carbaryl or Pyrethrim.
Aphids succumb to application of Maldison (Malathion) or Confidor (useful if black aphids are found).
Mites (sometimes known as red spider), can prove quite troublesome late in the season. Tau-fluvalinate (Mavrik) and Perapal can be used.
Chrysanthemum rust and other fungus diseases respond to most garden fungicides. The important point is to realize that these are best used as preventatives to keep the fungus diseases out.
Gall Midge and Eelworm require a systemic insecticide. Maldison is a partial systemic and would need to be used every ten days if gall midge is a problem. Parathion is a systemic insecticide but is only available commercially. Plants affected with gall midge or eelworm are best destroyed. New ground is necessary if eelworm becomes a problem.
All sprays should be made up to label specifications.
A combination of fungicide and insecticides is much quicker and easier to apply as one spray than to use separately. Thorough coverage of plants is essential, especially underneath the leaves.
A surfactant to ensure that a spray sticks to a plant is readily available and can be used to advantage especially if only one material is being used for a specific purpose. Once a spray has been mixed and prepared it should be applied as soon as possible. Be careful not to mix copper or sulphur sprays with other sprays. All spray materials should be stored safely and protective clothing and equipment used where required. This is especially important when using or handling insecticides.
There are many new sprays on the market these days. Those we have recommended have been found satisfactory. However, this does not mean that new formulations should not be used at your own discretion. Be sure, however, that if you mix various spray materials they are compatible. This is indicated on the label.
FEEDING
It is true that chrysanthemums are gross feeders required to make a lot of growth in a very short time. However feeding is an area of chrysanthemum culture somewhat shrouded in mystique although in fact the principles are relatively simple. The most important principle of all is balance - that is in general you should use fertilizers, whether dry or liquid, that have a reasonable balance of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium
(N-P-K). In addition, tend to use small amounts often rather than large amounts infrequently, especially when using liquid feeds. Following are some sound methods of feeding you may wish to employ:
Apply side dressings of a balanced dry fertilizer in mid January and mid February. Apply when the soil is moist. After the bud has been secured feed plants once or twice weekly with weak liquid feeds. Whether homemade or a specific brand (eg: Phostrogen, Miracle-Gro, Nitrosol etc) remember the above principles and over time learn to read your plants. For instance, if growth is too soft and sappy, a modest feed a little richer than usual in Potassium may be beneficial. When the buds burst and show colour, feeding is normally discontinued. Water with judgment from this point, not too heavily but ensuring that your plants do not dry out. Once or twice per season consider treating you plants with trace elements. For example, if lime is required use trace mineralized lime. In addition, some dry and liquid fertilizer preparations are enriched with trace elements.
Optimizing soil pH will allow your plants to make best use of nutrients and for chrysanthemums a pH of 6 to 7 should be aimed for. If your plants really do seem to be struggling consider having your soil pH checked - simple kits can be purchased although for greater accuracy a better quality meter is required. Your club may own one, as indeed may a gardening friend.
About the middle of December to early January, before the hot weather has had time to dry out the soil and damage the surface roots that will be developing to search for feed and nourish your plants, a mulch should be applied. This mulch should consist of a mixture of compost, new soil, and well-rotted animal manure. Five centimetres of this mixture spread over your bed will be a safeguard against dryness and root damage. It should be applied, of course, when the soil is wet, either from rain or otherwise a good soaking. Plants in pots also benefit from such a mulch which is usually applied about one month after final potting.
DAMPING
This is a condition whereby petals are affected by a fungal condition causing them to spot with brown, moist areas. Many petals and blooms can be lost and this condition regularly ruins or threatens to ruin the grand finale to a grower’s season. Large and Medium Exhibition seem to be particularly prone to damping. Strategies of use in controlling damping are:
Balanced feeding - in particular use of excessively nitrogenous feeding in the latter stages of plant development will predispose to damping.
Avoid heavy watering of plants once blooms are showing colour.
If just the odd petal in a bloom is affected carefully pull out the entire petal and remove such petals from the house. If a bloom is badly affected cut it and remove it completely from your house (ideally placing it immediately in a bag) to prevent dissemination of spores.
Adequate ventilation of the house (vents, open doors, fans).
Close in the house (including sides) in misty or foggy weather.
Avoid growing cultivars that are particularly prone to damping (and there are some!).
Accept that you will probably lose at least a few blooms each season from damping, especially if the season proves to be humid and wet over flowering.
COVERING
Most growers protect their blooms from overhead conditions when buds begin to show colour. Various materials are used. The basic structure is usually lean-to or gable-like. Plastic secured to wooden frames is quite popular, having the advantage of providing easily made shelters later for wintering stools and propagating cuttings. Many are using more permanent Nova Roof type of roofing. What ever way your shelters are erected, they should be high enough to allow you to walk comfortably around your bed and to ensure a reasonable circulation of air, which is a big help to the blooms. Draughts should be avoided and side covers should be available for erection to prevent damp air or direct winds blowing into your beds under the covers. You will enjoy many thrilling hours watching your booms unfold and will be well rewarded for your care and attention to your plants. Make your covers so that you have easy access to your bed. With regard to plastic, the following method of covering is widely adopted:
Wooden frames 1.8m long and 900mm wide are made from 50mm x 25mm timber. They are then covered with plastic that is battened on to the frame with wooden slats. Two of these are then hinged or tied together at the top. This frame can now be opened out to sit on railings erected about 1.5m high along each side of the show bed. When seven or eight such frames are secured the effect is similar to an open sided glass house.
Various systems can be made using permanent Nova Roof-type material on frames or directly on to supporting framework. Though this seems to be quite an undertaking, the initial work will provide a construction that can be utilized for several years. Frames should be taken down and stored away from bright sunlight in a dry position and will last for many years. Ideally allow a path down each side of your bed as well as the middle. Once covered, water judiciously and stop feeding.
CARE OF STOOLS
A chrysanthemum stool is the base of the stem and the roots of a plant cut down after it has completed its year of service. From this come the new shoots that provide the cuttings for your next year’s supply of plants. After flowering, the plant should be cut right back and sprayed with insecticide/fungicide. It can be lifted (forked up) and transported to a warm spot for wintering. Perhaps a couple of frames can be secured at ground level and your stools, well and clearly labelled, packed under this ideal protection. Do not dig a hole to place the stool in, but sit it on the ground and build up good soil around it. Do not over-water. Protect from slugs and snails, which love the tender young shoots. Today there are a number of effective proprietary lines of slug and snail baits on the market.
CUTTINGS
Tip cuttings provide the best method of producing new plants. The cuttings are taken by snapping off 75mm of the soft growth at the tips of the new shoots sent up by the stool. These should be taken in September, to provide plants in time for planting into the show bed. Should the stool have tall growth at the beginning of July, the long shoots should be cut back to provide ample good cuttings from subsequent growth at the right time. Refer to charts or local growers for the best dates to start the rooting procedure.
Cuttings should be planted into a seed tray containing a mixture of4/5 sharp sand or coarse pumice (No. 2 to No. 4) and 1/5 compost or peat. The mixture is watered and firmed and holes about 2.5cm in depth made with a pencil or similar tool. The base of the cutting is then dipped into a hormone rooting compound and inserted into the hole. Sixty or so cuttings can be easily accommodated in an average seed tray. The cuttings are watered with a fine-rose watering can. Addition of a tablespoon of Captan or Thiram to a can of water will help avoid damping off. The box should then be placed in a warm position and here plastic frames can be used to advantage in providing temporary propagating quarters. If in direct sunlight, cuttings should be shaded during the day, and a sheet of newspaper laid over the top of them is ideal and this should be removed at night. This procedure of shading is necessary for about 10 days, when it will be quite apparent that cuttings are beginning to grow.
When well-rooted, plants can be placed into a temporary bed containing good soil or into small pots, and from there the strongest and best can be selected for planting out in the show bed or big pots at the time recommended. During the propagation period it is important that cuttings are not allowed to dry out.
Depending on the methods used, it may take two to four weeks for the roots to develop on the cuttings.
POINTS ON SHOWING
Do study the schedule carefully to ensure you enter blooms in the right class.
Do be sure you enter correct number of blooms.
Do place the stems in deep water immediately they are cut.
Do choose blooms of even size and colour.
Do name each bloom or group of blooms correctly.
Do see that foliage is clean and healthy.
Do clean your blooms and remove old or damaged petals and pull right out with a pair
of tweezers.
Do secure blooms carefully for transportation to show venue.
Do not be nervous of showing.
Do not expose blooms to sun or high temperatures after cutting.
Do not forget that form is more important than size, except in Large and Medium
Exhibition.
Do your best and have fun!