Cultural Suggestions — Commercial, Exhibition and Spidery 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 tco sandy or too heavy. 
FERTILIZING. About three applications of complete 
fertilizers 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 application 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 the 
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 regulate the height. 
For disbud 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. 
DISBUDUDING. (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 plan 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 
remains 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 
experienced 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 remain until one is certain of all defects when final 
selection 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 caterpillars, but 
later change into a green color. Control: 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 com- 
pounds, 
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. Control: 
Sulphur dust or sprays. 
STAKING. Individual stem should be supported with 
stake or other means to hold the blooms upright. 
—= 36 
