Pinched pompons can be pulled out of the soil, and then cut to correct length. Leaves are removed from the lower third of the stems. Standards or disbuds of equal sizes are graded into groups of 10 or 12. Each bunch of 5-8 pompons should be sleeved to prevent flowers from becoming entangled. Standards and spider mums can be wrapped individually with thin wax paper to avoid bruising and entangling florets.
Some growers place individual nets over spider mum buds in the greenhouse.
Stems should be placed in water containing a germicide soon after harvest. Chemical solutions Bud-opening. After the buds are open, the injured portion of the stem can be removed. Silver nitrate is, however, absorbed into the stem and becomes a lasting germicide throughout the life of the flower. HQC at 200 ppm may also be used as a germicide.