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BLACK-CLOTH SHADING 
Taking advantage of the “short-day” char- 
acteristic of Chrysanthemums, most growers are 
now shading with black cloth certain varieties 
so as to have them in flower earlier than the 
normal season. Chrysanthemum flowering buds 
are normally formed at a certain time during 
the fall and it is supposed that the decreasing 
amount of light the plants receive during this 
season is responsible fer the formation of flower- 
ing buds. By covering the plants completely 
with an opaque material such as black sateen 
cloth, rubberized cloth, canvas, heavy tar-paper, 
etc., for a few hours each day, (usually from 
5 in the afternoon thru until 7 the next morn- 
ing) the decreasing day length condition of the 
fall season can be simulated and Chrysanthemum 
plants will form their flowering buds earlier 
than normal, resulting in earlier cutting of 
flowers. The big economic advantage involved 
in shading Mums and Pomps for earlier flower- 
ing lies in the fact that the finer quality mid- 
season varieties can be ready for market early in 
the season and bring a much better price than 
do the generally poorer flowers produced nor- 
mally by the early flowering varieties. 
About materials for shading. Some growers 
like black sateen cloth that is about the oldest 
in the field; others prefer rubberized material, 
canvas or tar paper. Whatever is used, the main 
point is that it keeps out light. If there is a 
light leak around a support post for instance, 
the plants immediately around that point will 
not flower as early as those that were shaded 
properly. Go to particular pains to see that 
no light leaks reduce the efficiency of your job. 
For earliest shading—to flower end of August 
or first part of September, shading should start 
July ist or about 60 days in advance of flower- 
ing date. Continue shading until buds on either 
Mums or Pomps begin to unfold and show color. 
In any event shading shouldn’t be started until 
Pomps are at least 14 to 18 in. high since most 
of the stem length is made before shading starts. 
Mums should be 18 to 24 in. high before shad- 
ing starts. This points to early planting—May 
first preferably. We usually finish planting 
stock for shading immediately after Mother’s 
Day. 
Varieties differ a lot in their reaction to shad- 
ing. Generally strong-colored varieties should 
be used since the tendency is for colors to fade 
somewhat under shading. For instance, the 
variety Apricot Queen that is a rich shade of 
buff or apricot yellow, grown naturally, shades 
down to a clear deep yellow under black cloth. 
Pink varieties sometimes fade particularly into 
washed-out worthless colors; use only the 
deepest pink colored varieties. The varieties we 
have found best for shading are so indicated in 
the list in the front of this catalog. 
ELECTRIC LIGHT TREATMENT 
To prolong the flowering season of partic- 
ularly desirable varieties, the plants should be 
exposed for 3 hours each night to a minimum 
of 10 foot candles of Mazda light beginning 
about Aug. 15. Laurie suggests a convenient 
rule-of-thumb for determining how long to leave 
the lights on. He says the lights should be con- 
tinued for 34 as many nights after September 
Ist as it is desirous to delay flowering. That 
is, if you intend to delay the flowering a month 
on a certain variety, then lighting should be 
kept on 34 of a month after Sept. 1st or until 
Sept. 22 or 23. Lighting late varieties like 
Garza Supreme results in bringing them into 
flower in Jan. and Feb. when flowers are some- 
times scarce: 
The tendency among better growers, with the 
advent of shading and lighting is to grow fewer 
varieties. Pick the finest available for your con- 
ditions and extend their flowering season as 
long as practical. 
GROWING CHRYSANTHEMUMS 
OUTDOORS 
Many growers are successfully producing good 
quality Mums and especially Pomps in outdoor 
beds. This method has the advantage of saving 
more expensive greenhouse space and producing 
flowers cheaper. In some parts of our country, 
and with greenhouses that are not cool in the 
summer, a better quality flower can be produced 
out-doors because of lower summer temperatures. 
Several precautions must be observed if first 
class flowers are to be produced out-doors, how- 
ever. 
Cuttings must be planted early. Cuttings 
should be planted outdoors by May Ist at the 
latest. Keep the plants in a good growing con- 
dition thruout the season. They are being 
forced into flower early and any check to their 
growth will certainly be reflected in poorer 
quality flowers. This includes keeping them 
free of insects, which is more of a problem than 
when they are grown indoors. The use of 
medium early varieties that normally flower 
middle to latter part of October is advisable; 
by shading with black cloth they can be flowered 
’ in Sept. The protection of cheese or Aster cloth 
20 
for outdoor grown stock is advisable thruout 
the season; it helps prevent sun burn of foliage 
and flowers and generally makes ‘for a higher 
quality product. The choice of varieties is 
especially important. Try varieties that are new 
to you in a small way first and use only those 
that are recommended for shading. 
