BE el Fee aK MSOs S: 
FOR FO LSOUR 1 Seiees) 
WEST CHICAGO 
ILLINOIS 
Chrysanthemum Culture 
By Vic Ball 
TRENDS 
Like most everything else, ideas on Mum growing are 
changing—and fast. Highlights: 
1. Direct benching, rapid growth. Growers are realizing 
the remarkably rapid headway a good soft cutting will make 
in good soil. Instead of 6-7 months, modern growers bench 
cuttings direct, grow single stemmed (no pinch)—and cut ex- 
cellent pomps and Mums in as little as 90 days after planting 
(longer in winter). 
2. Single stemmed culture. Doesn't pay always, but when 
close rotations are planned, the 3-4 weeks saved will easily pay 
added cutting cost, in better sprays and production, we find. 
3. Accurate scheduling of crops. With tables available to 
growers today, it is possible to flower a crop of Mums or 
Pomps within 5-7 days of a predicted date amy week of the 
year. Controlling day-length with light and shade is now a 
proven tool for growers. Controlled flowering date means 
controlled height—no more 6-7 ft. stems half of which are 
wasted effort. 
4. Varieties for each season. Thanks to extensive testing 
and breeding work, there are available today specific variety 
recommendations for each color of Mums and Pomps for all 
seasons. Since varieties are at their best often for only a month 
or two out of the year, it is highly important to know which 
to use when. 
5. Spreading production. Formerly the mum crop all flow- 
ered during October-November-December—too many flowers 
at once. We still have fall Mum gluts, but certainly the trend 
toward flowering more and more of the crop earlier (even in 
spring and early summer )—and later—is relieving the prob- 
lem immensely. 
GOOD MUM CULTURE 
What’s a Good Mum Soil? 
It makes very little difference whether your soil is sandy or 
heavy, yellow or black. The tip-off in picking soils for green- 
house use: is it producing gocd stands of field crops? A soil 
We are firm be- 
lievers in annual 
steaming of our 
Mum soils —to stop 
verticillium ( Seide - 
witz disease), stem 
rot, to control 
weeds, insects, and 
to improve “tilth’”’ 
of soil. ; 
that grows good corn or wheat will grow good Mums—if 
handled right. Of course, sandy soils need a lot more water 
and more frequent and heavier feeding. 
Most any field soil will do a better job of growing if 
an inch of rotted cattle manure or of peat is plowed into it. 
If a soil seems “tight” and poorly aerated, and gives retarded, 
hard growth, add 2 inches of such material as peat. We have 
seen 2 inches of peat open a very heavy, tight soil so well as 
to grow excellent Mums. Where soils are used repeatedly, an 
inch, or better half an inch, of peat or manure can be added 
between each crop to advantage. Soils can be made sticky 
with too much peat! 
Most soils will benefit by the addition of 5 lbs. per 100 sq. 
ft. of 20% superphosphate before each crop. It can do no 
harm. Beyond that, we add no fertilizers till the crop is in 
active growth. 
Good drainage is essential—cracks in the bottom of benches 
that are open even when the boards are wet. On ground beds, 
where the sub-soil is heavy, one or two lines of 4 inch clay 
tile should be dug under each bed. 
One or two cultivatings as the crop is starting into growth 
will help on soil aeration. It pays. 
About sterilizing: we steam fresh field soils before using 
them. In general, where soil is used for Mums-Snaps-Stocks, 
etc., we try to steam once a year. We've seen Mums grown 
continuously for two years without steaming the soil. Of 
course, if soil-borne insects show up, they must be cooked. 
Likewise, if a lot of verticillium or stem rot appears on Mums, 
we would certainly steam before replanting to Mums. In 
other words, on all crops, we steam before planting if steam- 
ing will control a disease we have reason to expect trouble 
with. 
We use the Thomas method (surface steaming) well de- 
scribed in a Cornell University Bulletin on the subject. Write 
the Dept. of Floriculture, Cornell University, Ithaca, New 
York. Soil must be heated to 180° for 30 minutes; on ground 
beds it should be heated to a depth of 8 inches to do a job. 
Some soils give “‘after sterilizing” troubles if planted immedi- 
ately after steaming. Symptoms: retarded, slowed, yellowish 
growth, poor roots. Cure: a very heavy, thoro leaching (or 
two). Turning the soil with forks helps. Some _ schools 
recommend 4-5 lbs. per 100 sq. ft. of gypsum before planting. 
It could do no harm, and may help the soil recover from the 
“steaming miseries.” Usually with a week or 10 days of 
leaching and waiting, you are safe. Some soils are OK the 
same day they are steamed. 
Chemicals will kill soil insects, but are questionable in con- 
trol of diseases. 
A word about excess salts: Every so often a grower com- 
plains of a gradual hardening and yellowing of his Mums— 
“just won't grow” is the usual conclusion. A Solu-Bridge 
test in 20 minutes shows that there is a serious excess of all 
salts in his soil. How did it get that way? Well, a very hard 
water can contribute large amounts of sulfates, carbonates, 
calcium. A too-heavy fertilizing program will cause build-up 
of nitrates, potash, etc. Some soils are naturally ‘saline’ — 
or loaded with salts. Some such soils can be cured by heavy 
and repeated leaching; others must be abandoned. 
Bench a Good Cutting 
Certainly good Mums can’t be grown unless the cutting 
used is grade A in every respect. They often aren’t. Here 
are some points we find important: 
