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WEST CHICAGO 
TLUNDIS 
Chrysanthemum Culture 
By Vic Ball 
WHAT KIND OF SOIL? 
Mums aren’t fussy about soil—but there are some points that 
we must watch. 
As a rule, a bench of soil that has grown good Snaps or Stocks 
or Carnations for you is a good bet for Mums. We like to 
steam our benches once a year. In case of Mum-Snap or Mum- 
Stock rotations we do so just before benching the Stocks (or 
Snaps). Before benching the Mums, we add 1! or 2 wheel- 
barrows of rotted cattle manure per 100 sq. ft.—and 3 lbs. of 
20% superphosphate. 
Fresh outdoor soil may be used. Great care must be used in 
selecting soils for greenhouse use—mainly to avoid tight, non- 
porous, clay-like soils. We have seen soils that appeared black 
and good—but which turned out waxy and pasty. On gently slop- 
ing land, you'll often find the best soil washed off the rises. As a 
rule, a field that produces good corn, or grains, is good green- 
house soil, too. We prefer to steam even fresh soils—to get rid 
of weed seeds, insects—and disease spores that are plentiful in 
outdoor soil. 
Soils that seem tight and drain poorly can sometimes be open- 
ed up and improved by addition of peats, manures, or even 
screened, weathered cinders. An example: we recently had a 
bench that showed all the symptoms of poor structure; poor drain- 
age, cloddy hard lumps as it dried, green moss on the surface, 
etc. On half the bench, we removed the top 2 inches of soil, re- 
placed it with a partly decomposed peat (pH 6.8). The peat was 
rototilled in with the lower 4 inches of soil. The succeeding crop 
of Pomps made almost twice the headway where the peat had 
been added. 
A month or so after benching, Mums should be in vigorous 
growth. If they seem to be holding back, and if the soil seems 
cloddy and poorly drained, give them a good cultivating, then 
let the soil dry back for a.week or two. Then give them a good 
soaking, and they will usually get going. 

Have you considered off season Mums? May and June crops are a good 
place to start. They’re easicr to grow then, production is better, and they 
seem generally well received at this time. Here’s a house under lights—for 
May bloom. Herb Buhr, our greenhouse superintendent, in the foreground. 
See page 24 for details on off season Mum growing. 
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LABOR SAVING SUPPORTS 
This season every Pomp—and Mum too—on our place is be- 
ing supported with one layer of wires and cross string——no more. 
This represents a great economy both in material and labor com- 
pared to the old system. We see absolutely no need for 3, 4 or 
even more sets of wire and cross strings on Pomps. We install 
the first (and only) set when plants are about 8-10 inches high, 
then each week keep sliding the layer of wires and string up—so 
that it is never more than 6-8 inches below the plant tops. 
As for Standards, the old practice of tying a string around each 
plant at its base, wrapping it spirally up the stem, is too expen- 
sive for us under present conditions. One layer of wires and 
strings will do the job, if it is moved up regularly. However, we 
do find that the uprights that support this layer of wire must be 
some heavier than under the old system. 
Besides saving many hours of laborious wiring and stringing, 
you'll find the one layer system makes it a lot easier to pick the 
flowers—especially on the Standards. 
CARE OF THE CROP 
1. WATERING. Lots of Mum crops are checked and harden- 
ed simply by a lack of water. Provided soil is porous and well 
drained, you're not likely to overdo on watering; most errors are 
on the too dry side. The rule of thumb: dig a trowelful well be- 
low the surface, wad up a ball of it in your hand, then drop it. 
If the ball breaks up, it’s ready for water. If it won’t even make 
a ball, it’s much too dry! Always watch ends and edges of bench- 
es—give them an extra lick between regular waterings. 
Nozzle watering and sub-irrigation both offer promise in sav- 
ing labor, both have problems. Consult your state floriculture 
school. 
2. FEEDING. In addition to the manure and phosphate at 
benching time, most Mums will need two or three applications 
of some balanced fertilizer such as Vigoro. One to two lbs. per 
100 sq. ft. is usually enough each time. Generally raised beds, 
sandy soils need more fertilizer. Also,.as growth gets up 2-3 feet 
high more food is-called for. Soil tests are excellent; maintain 
medium levels of nitrates, potash, and phosphate. Well fed Mums 
are a deep green.coler; they quickly start yeilowing as the food 
runs out. 
This past summer we have fed our Mums with a small hydrau- 
lic unit (Fertil-mizer) that injects liquid fertilizer into the hose 
as you water. We found that a gallon jar ($1.50) would feed 
two to four benches 150x4 ft. Applications made along with 
regular waterings about every 14 days kept our Mums greener 
than we've ever seen- them. Cost of unit about $60.00. Write 
Smith Equipment Co., 1615 N. Central Ave., Chicago, Ill. The 
Hozon applicator (Plant Marvel Laboratories, 12050 Parnell 
Ave., Chicago 28, Ill.), costs around $1.50, does the same job. 
but whereas the Smith unit delivers full normal water pressure 
plus fertilizer, the Hozon cuts the pressure down so far that 
watering time is more than doubled. We always give our benches 
a light watering before feeding to avoid root burn. 
Best pH or soil acidity level for Mums according to our ex- 
perience is about neutral. Betwcen 6.5 and 7.2 seems OK. Avoid 
extremes. 
3. SHADE. Outdoor Mums seem not so hard and woody, and 
“longer stemmed if grown under Aster cloth shade. Under glass, 
a light shade might help, especially in very hot weather, but with 
a moderate summer, we apply no shade at all. 
4. EXCESS SOLUBLE SALTS. In extreme cases, an excess 
of salts in the soil can actually cause plants to wilt and die. We've 
seen it happen! More often, it just slows down and hardens the 
crop. How do the salts get into the soil? It’s usually a combina- 
tion of circumstances. First the grower steams his soil—releasing 
large quantities of nitrates, potash, etc., to the soil. Then, being 
