Evening star., 1953-03-29
|Chrysonthemum ime
New Shoots Indicate It's Ready for Cuttings
And the Nursery Bed Should Be Prepared
By w. H. Younomon
Garden Editor

Editor
mum growers that the addition
of trace elements will help to
reduce the loss Of foliage dur.
ing the heat of the summer.
This point is open to study. but
certainly they do not harm the
plants.
Space the rooted cuttings
about two feet apart, in rows
three feet apart. for maximum
growth. However, II they are
to be lifted and transplanted to
the perennial border In late
summer for fall bloom, they
may be planted closer. Crowd.
ing. should be avoided at an
times If strong growing plants
with good foliage are desired.
Mulch or Cultivate.
AS soon as the newly set-out
rooted cuttings are well estab-
lished the beds should be
mulched. Otherwise, frequent
shallow cultivation Is needed
throughout the season to keep
the plants in good condition.
Weeds should be kept under COM
troll and adequate moisture sup
piled during the heat Of the
summer. Lack Of moisture at
any stage Of development is
likely to stunt the plants.
Should the chrysanthemum
nematode appear-it can be rec
ognized by the triangular brown
ing of the leaveS-an applica.
ton Of DDT or methoxychlor
will control this tiny pest.
Chrysanthemums need an oc-
casional feeding during the sum-
mer. Most growers plan to feed.
using the 5-10-5 commercial fer
tilizer two or three times during
the growing period. Because the
plants are very shallow rooted
some apply liquid fertilizers.
Suitable liquids may be prepared
either from animal manures or
from chemical plant foods. Both
seem to give satisfactory results.
Spray for Aphids.
AS the plants reach the now.
ering stage the aphids may be-
come a problem, especially II
showers are infrequent. The new
material. malathon. seems to be
very effective in their control.
but nicotine sulphate, or any
other good contact spray, will
serve the purpose. It takes two
or three applications at weekly
intervals to clean up an infesta-
ton.
Many people were surprised to
see chrysanthemums in bloom at
the National Capital Flower
Show. Chrysanthemums may be
brought into flower at any sea-
son of the year if the light is
long enough for them. There
are several commercial firms who
supply the market throughout
the year with Towering plants.
While the hardy garden varieties
are generally classified as to
month of Towering, this will vary
according to the amount Of sun
light and cloudineSs. To insure
having them in flower when
wanted, the gardener might
make a framework about the bed
on which to hang a black, light
proof cloth. Covering in the
early evening and removing in
the late morning will soon pro-
duce a crop of buds. Heag,v
The aza1eamums are so sen.
sitive to lack Of sunlight that q
prolonged period Of cloudy
weather will force them into
flower in August.
Chrysanthemum breeders have
produced such an endless array
of colors and forms Of bloom
that the beginner is bewildered
when it comes to selecting a few
varieties for his own garden.
There is no one way to solve this
problem. The average chrysan-
themum shows only display those
varieties in flower at the time.
Perhaps the best way is to visit
the garden Of a chrysanthemum
lobbyist, one who grows a con-
siderable number Of varieties. BY
visiting such garden in mid
and late September. and in Oc-
tober, a reasonable range Of sea-
son of bloom can be seen.
It will be a very extensive list
If a full range of colors and
forms is to be had for each Of
the Towering periods. However.
most gardeners are satisfied with
the "autumnal" colors Of the
usual buttons and pompoms.
They do make grand display.
II well grown, and 1t Is more
than marvellous when we think
back to last April Of the tiny
rooted cutting that looked 80
lonesome and lost in the border.
Yes, the real chrysanthemuin
displays begin in March or April;
! it's time to get started.