Cultural Suggestions—Commercial and Exhibition Types 

SOIL PREPARATION. Prepare the beds early by spad- 
ing in well decayed cattle manure or bone meal working 
in thoroughly to a depth of 12 to 15 inches. Use peat if 
the soil is too sandy or too heavy. 
FERTILIZING. Few applications of commercial fertilizers 
such as “Gaviota,” “Vigoro” or other complete fertilizers 
should be used during the summer months. The feeding 
should be avoided during the periods of extreme heat or 
when the soil is too dry. Water the soil before applying 
if it is necessary. It should be stopped when the buds are 
large enough to make the final selection (Fig. 2 below). 
STOPPING. When the plant is established in your gar- 
den and when it has developed 2 or 3 pairs of matured 
leaves, the center or the main growth is nipped off. 
Then the plant should be restricted to two or three shoots 
in order to obtain larger blooms. For the late blooming 
variety, the main growths of these new shoots may be 
nipped off again around July 15th in order to regulate the 
height, allowing only the original number of new shoots 
to rise per stem. 
For the large anemones and pompons, allow 6 to 8 
growths to a plant. Other cultures for these being similar 
with those of the larger flowering varieties. 
DISBUDDING (see drawing above). Immediately after 
the new shoots of your selection begin to send out side 
laterals, they should be removed very close at the base 
(see lowest lateral of figure 1) at regular intervals about 
once a week. The basal shoots should be removed also 
as they appear. This procedure should be adhered to 
very religiously in order to obtain successful results. 
Culture for Bush 
Under these types are pompons and buttons, anemones, 
singles, and hardy Koreans. These varieties are most effec- 
tive in the gardens when grown low with as much growth 
as possible. This is obtained by pinching off the center 
ete 


The first bud produced by the plant is called the 
“Crown” bud and is distinguished by being surrounded 
by leaves. The ‘terminal’ bud appears later in clusters 
surrounded with several flower buds. 
The procedure of “taken buds’’ depends very largely 
on the variety and no fast rules can be given, but we 
recommend reserving terminal buds for the Spider types 
and majority of the early flowering commercial and exhi- 
bition types in Southern California. The safest rule, we 
find, is not to save buds formed before August 20th in our 
district. The retention of too early crown buds often 
results with large percentage of crippled flowers, espe- 
cially when large amount of nitrogen fertilizer remains 
in the soil unconsumed by the plant. Again, the hottest 
period of the year usually comes during the month of 
September and early October, the hazards of burning of 
petals and fading of colors are too frequent when early 
crown is retained in this district. 
The final selection of bud should not be made too 
hastily nor when buds are very small (see figure 1). It is 
also advisable to allow an alternate bud (see figure 2) to 
remain until one is certain of all defects when final selec- 
tion is being made (figure 3). 
PESTS. Common pests and diseases are thrips, aphids, 
leaf-tyers, cut worms, mildews, etc. Plants should be 
examined frequently and sprayed with proper insecticides 
as recommended by dealers as soon as they are detected. 
After September lst we recommend spraying the plants 
twice a month until buds begin to show color. 
STAKING. Every individual stem should be supported 
with stake or by other means to hold the blooms upright. 
or Garden Varieties 
of all the laterals two or three times up to the lst or 10th 
of August. This method will prevent the plants from top- 
pling too freely with minimum support. 
