Culture for Cascades 
I. Cascading Chrysanthemums 
Some of the necessary requirements for cascading varieties are: (a) varieties of naturally 
bushy and very floriferous types; (b) those with pliant stems but with sufficient strength to 
support their blooms erect; (c) those with very attractive blooms; (d) plants with blooms of 
lasting quality, etc. In these respects anemone type cascading varieties like “Comet,” “Snow 
Bird,” Makie,” “Rainbow halls,” “Aloha,” “Senorita,” and “Mt. Fuji” are strongly recom¬ 
mended. For single type, “Jane Harte” shares equal distinction for its abundant floriferous 
character. See our illustration on page 8. 
II. Soils and Fertilizers 
A compost as prepared by many consists of at least one-half by volume of peat (a well 
decayed oak leaf mould may be substituted) and well decomposed manure with remaining 
one-half of medium heavy loam. This compost may be prepared in large quantities at one 
time and be stored in the shelter for later use. In starting rooted cutting, it is advisable to 
use peat and loam only minus the manure. 
As for the fertilizer, a very good formula which is recommended by many is 10-6-4, al¬ 
though we have applied 8-8-4 and have obtained successful results. The old method of ob¬ 
taining liquid fertilizers from animal manures is considered obsolete today when commercial 
mixtures can be had so readily and the latter are much easier to use. Since chrysanthemums 
are considered gross feeders, they must be fed sparingly at bi-weekly intervals during the 
entire growing season up to the formations of their buds. 
III. Re-Potting and Watering 
Our plants are sold at April in 3 inch pots. They should be shifted into a 6 inch pot im¬ 
mediately. By early part of June the plants should be shifted again into 7 inch pots, and 
by the middle part of July they should be further shifted into 8 or 10 inch pots. Further 
re-potting depending on the variety and size of the plant. This process of shifting the plants 
into larger pots gradually is to avoid from becoming pot-bound. Fresh new compost should 
be added at each of these operations. As proper drainage is essential for all potted chrysan¬ 
themums, broken pots and small amount of coarse sand may be used as drainage. The top 
of the pot should have at least one inch of space to retain water when irrigated. 
Watering should be attended to daily, and in no time during the growing stage the 
plants should be left dry. 
Tying and Pinching 
Cascades can be trained to various shapes to suit one’s fancy, but the ordinary heart- 
shape drew best attention during our show. In training this type, the main growth is pinched 
at the top when the plant grows to 5 or 6 inches. Three new shoots are then allowed to rise 
preferably from the upper axils of the leaves. The leader is selected from the strongest of 
these new shoots. When the main leader is selected, the remaining two shoots are spreaded 
on each side of the leader and stopped at third or fourth joints. 
When the main leader reaches the height of about 12 inches, it is bent from about the 
middle and the end tied to a fairlv long No. 9 size galvanized wire which has been previously 
pushed into the soil and bent about 5 inches above the surface at the angle of 45 degrees. 
The supporting wire should point to north and the leader must be tied to it with raffia at 
least every 7 days. 
All the laterals and sublaterals of both the main leader and hasal shoots should be 
pinched at every second or third joints as they grow until around September 1st. The final 
pinching is very important in order to make the plant bloom simultaneously from the 'base 
to the tip. The chrysanthemums have the tendency of developing their blooms from the 
extreme tips, gradually moving toward their bases. This can be overcome by employing the 
final pinching in three different stages of 5 day intervals. The plant is first divided into three 
equal parts by drawing 2 imaginary horizontal lines. When the regular pinching is terminated 
on September 1st, the broadest one-third which is the base of the plant, is pinched on Sep¬ 
tember 5th, the middle one-third on September 10th, and the final one-third on September 15th. 
The main leader is lowered gradually so that it will be in the horizontal position around 
September 15th. When the buds begin to form the stem starts the gradual vertical bending 
from its horizontal level with the surface of the plant now facing south. This will be 
around October 1st for nearly all varieties in Southern California. The supporting wire must 
be bent down together with the main stem to avoid it from breaking at the base. When the 
buds show color, the pot is placed on high position so that the sprays will not touch the 
ground and bend to the final vertical position. 
