When about 12 inches high, feed each plant one rounded tablespoonful of fertilizer, working it into the soil while cultivating. Cultivate weekly, or as soon as the soil is workable after each rain, from sprouting time until blooming starts. Before blooming, water only when the soil is very dry and then do a thorough job of soaking to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. Avoid light and frequent sprinklings during the growing stage. If large blooms are to be produced, disbudding is necessary.
Buds form in clusters of three.
As soon as they can be seen, break off the two side buds, leaving the center bud. When the center bud develops a stem about 6 inches long, other buds will appear at the base of the leaves on the same branch. These are leaf buds and, if allowed to develop, they will produce a small bushy effect and imperfect flowers. Only one terminal bud should be left on each branch if large perfect flowers and long sterns are wanted. Plants should be gone over about once a week during the growing season with the object of disbudding.