Delphinium Care and Culture 
As we do not sell seed and as this part of the Delphinium culture seems 
to be the most treacherous, we will take the culture of transplanting the 
plant as it will come to you. If you have a problem of germination of seed 
or some other phase of Delphinium culture, please feel free to write and we 
will gladly do our best to help you. 
As your plants arrive, unpack and remove the paper that is around them. 
Not the pot they are shipped in. If dry, wet good and set in airy place 
until ready to plant. They should be planted as soon as they arrive but if 
due to weather conditions or for any other reason it is impossible, they 
should keep quite well in the paper pot for a week or two. 
Where you plant them is not too important but sunshine is important to 
any blooming plant. If I had my choice, full morning sun and partial shade 
in the afternoon would be ideal, but such places are seldom available and 
people raise fine Delphinium anyway, so it may just be my idea. 
Soil should be well prepared by digging in liberal application of well 
rotted manure. A sprinkling of Bone Meal worked into the ground, good 
drainage and uniform supply of moisture during the growing season are 
essential. 
Feeding: When the first crop of ‘blooms has faded, cut the flower spikes 
off just above the foliage and keep slightly dry for two or three weeks, to 
give the plants time to rest before the new shoots appear above the ground. 
When this takes place, cut the rest of the old stock off, sprinkle a teaspoon- 
ful of ammonium phosphate around each plant, rake it into the soil slightly 
and water thoroughly. From the new shoots appearing from the ground 
select two or three of the strongest and break the rest out. The remaining 
ones will develop into fine spikes again. Do not force a new growth late in 
autumn: rather, keep the plants on the dry side, because if forced into 
bringing a third crop late in the season the plants will soon exhause them- 
selves and gradually die. 
Diseases and Insects: Are more or less a matter of geographic location. 
What will affect a plant in the North or East may not be heard of in another 
part of the country 
Here in central Indiana we spray regularly with Rotecide Extra or any 
spray that will kill red spider mite. In the spring we use Fermate or Bor- 
deaux Mixture and again in the fall. Fermate can be mixed with other 
sprays. 
The best source of information available we think is the American Del- 
phinium Society Year Book. 
Length of Life: Length of life of Delphinium plants is governed by 
several factors. In climates with a long resting period in winter, the plants 
will usually live much longer than in districts where this period is confined 
to but one month of the year. Some may die after the first flowering, while 
others live for years. 
