Cultural Suggestions — Commercial and Exhibition Types 
SOIL PREPARATION. Chrysanthemum beds should 
be prepared early by spading into the ground a liberal 
amount of decayed manure. The ground should be spaded 
to a depth of 12 to 15 inches. Peat is used if ground is 
either too sandy or too heavy. 
FERTILIZING. About three applications of complete 
fertilizers, such as “Gaviota,” ‘“Vigoro,” etc., should be 
made at two to four pounds per 100 square feet. Feeding 
should be avoided during periods of extreme heat or 
when soil is too dry. The soil is watered before the appli- 
cation if necessary. The last application is made when 
buds are large enough to make the final selection (Figure 
2 below). 
STOPPING. When the plant is established in a garden 
and has developed two or three pairs of matured leaves, 
the center or the main growth is nipped off. From then 
on, the plant should be restricted to form about three or 
four shoots in order to obtain large blooms. For a late 
blooming variety, the main growths of these new shoots 
may be nipped off again around July 15 in order to regu- 
late the height. 
For large pompons and anemones, six to eight stems 
are allowed to grow to a plant. Other cultures for these 
are similar with those of large flowering varieties. 
DISBUDDING. (See drawings below.) Immediately 
after new shoots of your selection begin to send out new 
laterals, they should be removed very close at the base 
(see lowest lateral of Figure 1) at regular intervals of 
about once a week. This procedure should be adhered to 
religiously in order to obtain successful results. 
SELECTION OF BUDS. The first bud produced by 
the plant is called the “Crown bud” and is distinguished 
by being surrounded with leaves. The “Terminal bud” 
appears later in clusters surrounded with flower buds. 
The procedure of “taking buds” depends very largely 
on the variety, and no fast rule can be given, but we 
recommend retention of terminal buds for majority of 
early flowering Commercial and Exhibition types, par- 
ticularly here in Southern California. The safest rule, 
we find, is not to save buds formed before August 20 in 
our district. Retention of early formed “Crown buds” 
often results with large percentage of crippled flowers, 
especially when a large amount of nitrogen fertilizer re- 
mains unconsumed by the plant. Furthermore, since the 
hottest period of the year usually comes during the 
month of September and early October, the hazards of 
burnt petals and fading of colors are too frequently ex- 
perienced when early crown buds are retained in our 
district. 
The final selection of a bud should not be made too 
hastily nor when it is very small (see Figure 1). It is also 
advisable to allow an alternate bud (see Figure 2) to re- 
main until one is certain of all defects when final selec- 
tion is made (Figure 3). 
CONTROL MEASURES FOR INSECTS AND 
DISEASES. INSECTS. 
1. Leaf tyer. A brown moth emerges at night and 
lays white eggs which hatch into white cater- 
pillars, but later change into a green color. Con- 
trol: DDT. 
2. Aphids, leaf miner, and red spider. Controlled 
with sprays such as “Vapotone,” “Parathion,” etc. 
3. Thrips. Control: DDT. 
4. Mealy bugs. Control: White oil emulsion sprays. 
5. Tarnished plant bug. A yellowish brown bug with 
long probosci used to puncture young shoots. Con- 
trol: Handpicking or DDT. 
6. Grasshoppers. Control: Dusting with arsenical 
compounds. 
7. Cutworms. Control: DDT. 
8. Slugs, snails, sowbugs and milipeds. Control: Baits. 
DISEASES. 
1. Rust. Indicated by blisters and exposes dark brown 
powder—a mass of spores. Infested leaves should 
be removed and burned. Control: Fermate. 
2. Mildew. It has white powdery appearance. Con- 
trol: Sulphur dust or sprays. 
STAKING. Individual stem should be supported with 
stake or by other means to hold the blooms upright. 
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