310 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
January 16, 1892. 
CHRYSANTHEMUM 
CULTURE. 
By an Amateur. 
To convey my ideas upon the subject in as clear 
and connected a manner as I am able, I have been 
compelled to enter into a fuller minuteness of detail 
than to our professional members will seem neces¬ 
sary ; but being but an amateur I do not of course 
presume to convey any information to men of greater 
experience. My remarks must therefore be patiently 
borne with by them, as being more especially 
addressed to our amateur friends. 
Before striking cuttings one must have a plage to 
strike them in, suitable soil, pots, etc. We will there, 
fore take these matters first. 
The system I follow is similar to that advocated 
by Molyneux, slightly altered in detail but the same 
in principle, and less cumbersome for small growers. 
I use some empty currant boxes obtained from the 
grocer. These are about 24 in. long by 8 in. wide 
and deep, with a sheet of heavy corrugated glass 
fitting closely over the top. This gives a cool close 
frame, capable of holding twenty four 2 J in. pots for a 
cost of 6d. Half a dozen of these make a very useful 
set of apparatus for striking, and will last for years ; 
these can be used standing outside on the ground, or 
placed on the shelves of a greenhouse without in¬ 
convenience, owing to their handy size. 
Soil. 
For the soil I use equal parts of loam, leaf soil, and 
coarse sand, well rubbed through a sieve to fine 
down and thoroughly mix them. This porous compost 
I find encourages rooting better than an excess of 
loam. Take a aj-in., or 3-in. pot, place a piece of 
perforated zinc over the hole at bottom—I prefer 
zinc to crocks, as it gives a more perfect drainage, 
and excludes worms and slugs. The snippings from 
a tin-smith’s shop answer the purpose well, and 
cost next to nothing ; one piece, completely covering 
the hole, serves well. Fill up the pot with the soil 
already mentioned, press it down slightly, and give 
a topping of about an eighth of an inch of coarse 
sand ; it is then ready to receive the cuttings. 
Taking Cuttings. 
This requires considerable care in selection. Take 
the sturdiest of the suckers, about 3 in. long, coming 
up from the soil of the old plants. Sometimes they 
will have a few roots attached ; if so, all the better, 
it is so much of a start gained, though frequently 
you must be content with cuttings without rootsi 
and weakly ones at that. Cut clean across about a 
sixteenth of an inch below a joint, pick off the lower 
leaves, then, taking your already prepared pot, dibble 
a small hole about 2 in. deep at edge of pot, let a 
few grains of the sand topping fall in ; this makes a 
foot for the cutting that encourages callusing ; push 
the cutting in the hole, being certain it touches 
the bottom firmly, press the soil firmly round with 
the fingers, give a little water to settle closely, and 
you may consider it properly inserted for striking. 
Three or four cuttings may be placed round each 
pot if desired. Always label each pot, giving the 
name of the variety and date of insertion. The 
reason I prefer suckers to stem shoots is that those 
coming from stems often develop bloom buds at the 
growing point, and while that exists rooting will not 
take place. The bud must be cut out, and the cut¬ 
ting having but little energy at this stage, you would 
very likely lose it — sometimes even your suckers will 
develop this bud. If. such a thing does occur the 
only thing to be done is to cut off the top and hope 
for the best. 
Well now that your cuttings are ready, put them 
in your little frames ; place the glass on the top ex¬ 
cluding air, and, the glass being corrugated, it gives 
a slight shade very desirable at this stage. While 
the cuttings are in this state, they naturally require 
a little moisture, but generally the water given at 
insertion is sufficient to last until rooted ; but, should 
they show signs of flagging, give a slight sprinkling 
from a fine rosed pot and place the glass on again at 
once. Each morning it is -well to wipe off the mois¬ 
ture condensed on the inside of the glass, as it tends 
to keep the foliage dry. But when doing this or in¬ 
serting fresh pots, make it a point to keep the glass 
off as little as possible, for, until rooting has taken 
place, they must be kept close. 
The greatest enemy to young cuttings is mildew or 
' A paper read by Mr. George Crabise, at the meeting of the 
Devon and Exeter Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement Associa¬ 
tion on January 6th. 
damping. To check this I always puff a little brown 
sulphur over the box and its contents. The lower 
leaves naturally are most liable to this. If it ap¬ 
pears, cut the leaf off, using scissors so as not to 
disturb the cutting. 
At this point it may not be amiss for me to give 
what I consider the best dates for taking cuttings. My 
general rule is, to take all alike, as early as I can 
after the 15th October, so as to get them rooted be¬ 
fore severe weather comes, but as dates may be 
desired, I would say 15th October to 15th November 
for late varieties ; 15th November to 15th December 
for mid-season varieties ; and 15th December to 15th 
January for early sorts; but if I saw a good cutting 
of an early variety in November, I should take it ; it 
means so much more root, and that is above all the 
greatest object now. 
Transferring the Pots. 
Well, assuming that your cuttings are rooted after 
their stay in the first frame, they then require fresh 
quarters. Take another box similar to the first, 
place the rooted cuttings in this box, and gradually 
give them air, opening the glass a little more day by 
day as you find they can stand it without flagging. 
Admitting air will naturally cause dryness ; water in 
the morning, just enough to effect the freshening, 
using a fine rosed can, In case of frost keep your 
glass close when the temperature is at, or below 
freezing, and, if very severe, throw a mat over the 
tops of the boxes if outside. The wisdom of keeping 
all fairly dry is here apparent, for if your earth and 
consequently the plants are sodden, and in that state 
get frozen, the earth will he converted into a block 
of ice, and the stems, by the expansion of the water 
in them, will most likely split. After taking every 
precaution should they get frozen, close up your 
frames and keep the mats over them until the frost 
is quite out of them ; then gradually admit air and 
light—with this treatment little harm is likely to 
follow. 
We will now suppose that the plants have been in 
their second boxes for a month or six weeks, having 
had an existence of about ten weeks from their 
parent plants; if not dead they are pretty sure to be 
nicely rooted. Those in the first set of boxes or 
frames require to be shifted into the second, and 
those in the second are ready for somewhere else. 
Of course many varieties of Chrysanthemums may 
be successfully grown by those having no green¬ 
house, but to grow those blooms we see at the 
November shows one must have, even at this stage, 
a deep frame or greenhouse, where the plants can 
have plenty of air and light and necessary protec¬ 
tion. Close to the glass in a greenhouse is the best 
place for those in the condition of those we have now 
taken from the second set of frames. Water when 
necessary, always in moderation, and do that only 
in the mornings; give all the air you can. This 
treatment encourages sturdy growth. If kept at a 
great distance from the glass, and in a close atmos¬ 
phere, they grow weakly and lanky. 
Potting off. 
But before running ahead too far, another matter 
needs attention. Each of these pots contains 
several rooted cuttings, which must be potted 
separately, still using the 3-in. pots and soil as in the 
first place. Gently knock out from the first pot, and 
separate each plant with some soil adhering to the 
roots. Put a little soil over the drainage, set the 
roots out upon this, fill up with soil, pressing it gently 
but firmly with the fingers. Give a little water to 
settle the soil, label the pot, and the operation is 
completed. Many growers prefer rooting each cut¬ 
ting in a separate pot, but when one considers that 
if fifty varieties are being grown—and that is by no 
means a big lot—you would require at least three 
cuttings of each. This alone would necessitate 150 
pots. 
After your plants have each enjoyed a separate 
3-in. pot for a fortnight or three weeks, cut them down 
to within two joints of the soil, and wait for fresh 
leaders to break from either or both joints ; let them 
grow on a bit, then selecting the strongest, as best 
for the coming stem, rub out the other shoot, leaving 
but one to run up. If you select the lower one, cut 
the stem down to about a quarter of an inch above 
it. I think there is with some a little novelty ir. 
making this cutting down a general rule. I do it 
because I invariably find the new leader breaks 
thicker than the parent stem, and you get a cleane? 
and sturdier growth, and, while causing ho injurious 
j M i., 
delay, it effectually stops the too early formation of 
buds. 
When the plants have been growing on in this 
manner about a month or six weeks, it is reasonable to 
assume that the roots are well out to the edge of the 
pot, and ready for a further shift; if not, wait a week 
or two longer for the lazy ones, but pot on those that 
are ready. 
I consider in all stages of potting that as soon as 
the roots are out to the edges of the pot in fair 
quantity, they are ready for shifting forward, I am 
convinced that it is a great evil to allow plants to get 
at all potbound before shifting. It is evident that 
if a mass of roots has grown round and round itself, 
all the nutriment in the ball is expended, and the 
outer surface only in a position to receive nourish’ 
ment from the new soil. 
Second Potting. 
For the second potting I use 5-in. pots, well drained 
with zinc or crocks, and a soil composed of six parts 
of loam, two of leaf soil, and one of charcoal and 
mortar rubbish. The loam should be well chopped 
up, the leaf soil rubbed fairly fine, and the charcoal 
and mortar smashed up to about half-inch size, put¬ 
ting in the dust as well; thoroughly mix this together. 
Set the ball of earth and roots from the old pot upon 
the drainage of the new one ; fill up with the com¬ 
post to above the juncture of your leading shoot 
and the old stem, and so regulate it that about 
half-an-inch is left for watering. . 
This in a general way brings us up to about the 
first week in March. Keep the plants up near the 
light ; water when they want it ; put a stick to them 
as soon as they require support a.nd training; give 
all the air you can, protecting from frost, and as soon 
as you feel sure frost is over, put your plants outside 
in full light and air. Standing them in a long row 
upon old slates or boards is the best way, as it allows 
full play of sun and air around them, and moisture 
to drain away freely, besides keeping out worms, 
Being out they will in dry weather require daily 
watering. Rain water is always best, but where that 
is not obtainable, use that which has stood in the 
open a day previous, so as to ba of the same tern’ 
perature. 
Watch for green-fly and slugs; a little’ tobacco 
dust removes the fly ; and a little lime dusted round 
the pots wards off the slugs; but look yeur plants 
over for any signs of the latter. The stems are yet 
but soft, and a slug of ordinary abilities can eat it 
through in its tenderest part in about two nights. 
With a light in the night-time is the way to catch 
them. Should you get a plant bitten through in this 
manner, the only thing to do is to cut down below 
the wound, and run up a fresh leader, but it is a dan¬ 
gerous delay. When side shoots begin to appear, 
pick them off as they show, but never nearer the top 
than about four joints, for then, in case of accident 
to the tip, you have a shoot to fall back upon, 
Third Potting. 
After the plants have been in their second pots about 
a month or six weeks, the final shift is at hand. 
Determine the time by the state of the roots as be¬ 
fore. Professionals can indulge in 12-in. pots; 
amateurs do not like the expense and space they re¬ 
quire, and I think that in nine cases out of ten they 
can succeed just as well with 7-in., 8-in., and g-in. 
pots;—7-in. for the delicate rooters, S-in. for the 
ordinary run, and g-in. for the strong growers. 
Drainage must be free. I prefer zinc even at this 
stage, a few crocks on the bottom, with a circular 
plate of perforated zinc over this fitting closely to 
the sides. It allows more room, and constitutes 
more perfect drainage than crocks ; but if one dis¬ 
likes the expense, clean crocks must be used: a 
rough piece over the bottom hole, then about an 
inch layer over the entire bottom of pieces broken 
to about fin. and Jin. 
The Final Shift. 
For this I use 8 pa£ts of loam, 2 parts of leaf soil, 
1 of charcoal, broken as . before, 1 of mortar and 
granite sand mixed. Mix and chop up well to¬ 
gether, sift out nothing. This mixture is porous 
enough without sifting, and is rich in plant food. If 
the soil is properly proportioned there is more senti¬ 
ment than service in sifting; this applies also to the 
drainage. If the soil is properly porous an inch 
surface of drainage is all that is required—all 
the drainage in the world will not make a sticky soil 
perfect, and excess of drainage occupies the place of 
better stuff. The pots, drainage, and plants, being 
beady, place a few of the roughest pieces of soil ove? 
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