CHRYSANTHEMUMS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 4 August 1938, Page 4

CHRYSANTHEMUMS

ROOTING OF CUTTINGS. With the arrival of August, the grower of early-flowering chrysanthemums must make a start m earnest for the coming season if he wishes to secure from his plants the best possible results. If the stools of last year’s plants were duly lifted in March and placed either in frames or in the greenhouse, they will now be showing numerous fresh young growths, provided, of course, that they were only lightly covered with soil and have been kept reasonably moist and free from shrivelling.

The mixture used for rooting cuttings of Chrysanthemums is not satisfactory for sustaining the plant for- any length of time, and the. rooted .cuttings consequently should, after a short stay in the frame, be transplanted into a

slightly richer compost free from sand, either in the frame-bed or, if more convenient, in seed boxes, with a dozen plants in each, instead of the original four dozen. Exhibitors dealing with troublesome varieties that are inclined to be late in flowering can, at this stage, secure a gain in time of from two to three weeks if they pot the rooted cuttings singly in 60-sized pots, and stop them as soon as they recover from the move. By this means three first-crown shoots, about three inches long, can be obtained on each plant before planting out early in November; and, in addition, by transplanting from a pot, with a ball of soil, any subsequent check is eliminated. From early October onwards the aim should be to secure hardy plants ready for planting out early-in November. The frame light should be raised daily, and air admitted until the plants are gradually hardened and,able to stand the complete removal of the light. Undue risks should not, however, be taken, even when the plants are hardened, and, if sharp ground frosts are probable, the lights should be replaced at night. Planting out can usually be undertaken with safety about November. f , The foregoing is the method we advise all to adopt who are making a point this year of going in for early chrysanthemums seriously. And really this is the only cultural method that pays with a magnificent crop of flowers. Where, however, plants of early kinds are still in the garden borders these are throwing up plenty of new shoots in most cases, and cuttings may be left until the end of September or October, and then be lifted and pulled io pieces, the site well dug, and the best portions replanted to form new plants. If a new site is chosen, so much the better. This rough and ready method serves well for merely garden decoration but is not productive of the best flowers. Border chrysanthemums are splendid subjects with which to stock a new garden one, perhaps, only now in the making. So long as beds or borders can be dug decently by November, the planting can then be done.