INDOOR CULTURE 
Growers of miscellaneous crops, who can rotate carnations with other crops, find it easier to set up an 
indoor culture program than those who grow carnations exclusively. Even so, to use bench space 
effectively and efficiently, planned rotations are necessary. The following rotations are possibilities where 
houses or benches can be alternated between carnations and other crops every other year: _ 
1. Late mums, followed by single-stem 
Easter snapdragons, then carna- 
tions. 
2. Mums followed by lighted asters, 
then carnations. 
3. Mums followed by lighted mums, 
then carnations. 
4. Mums followed by stocks, then car- 
nations. 
5. Early winter snapdragons followed 
by second crop of snapdragons, 
then carnations. 
Early benching of young carnation 
plants is an important factor in devel- 
oping well branched plants in indoor 
culture. Plants benched after June 1 
seldom fill the bench well until the 
following spring. (Note: Rooted cut- 
‘tings benched direct after June 1 
actually break more freely and pro- 
vide heavier fall and winter produc- 
tion than do young plants benched at 
the same time from pots, bands, flats, Heavy branching from a single pinch made high on a strong, 
etc.) actively growing young plant. 
TWO-YEAR CULTURE 
Carrying carnation plants through for a second year’s crop has been practiced more frequently the 
past decade, concurrent with the development of more effective disease and insect control methods and 
materials. Unless a bench of carnations can be kept clean during the first year and the second summer, 
there is no need to consider carrying it through the second winter-flowering season. 
The advantages of two-year culture are: One propagation, one planting operation, one changing or 
sterilizing of soil, etc., plus the fact that some varieties produce more in the second year than in the 
first. Disadvantages commonly found are reduced flower size and stem length the second year; the need 
for absolute control of diseases and insects; heavier watering and fertilizer requirements the second year, 
and greater problems in plant support. 
Two procedures are in general use. One is to cut flowers continuously through the two years; the 
other, to gradually pinch or head back the plants in the spring, removing those shoots which would 
otherwise make summer flowers. The continuous procedure should be considered only for those varieties 
which produce flowers of good size, color and substance in hot weather and in those colors which sell 
during the summer months, Red, for example, is so little in demand during the summer, that it is better 
to pinch potential summer flowering shoots so that the comeback will be heavy in fall and winter when 
the demand is greater for red. 
(Continued) 
