Wall 
rue 
WEST CHICAGO 
ILLINOIS 
Caratiou Culture 
There are three principal ways in which Carnation cuttings are handled in establishing greenhouse flowering 
crops. Each has its merits, and each is practiced by a considerable number of growers. There are circum- 
stances which tend to favor each one of the three methods described below. Here they are. 
1. Field Culture 
This is the time-honored method that has been practiced for a 
great many years and still is to a considerable extent. Cuttings are 
made starting in January and continuing on through early spring. 
As cuttings are rooted on each bench, they are usually put into 
veneer bands—3 x 3 bands for the earliest cuttings, 22 x 22 inch 
bands for the cuttings that come out in February and March. Nor- 
mally the bands are set in flats. It is important, of course, to keep 
the cuttings well watered and give them an occasional fertilizing 
while they are in the bands. 
As soon as danger of frost is past, the banded plants are set out 
in rows in the open field. It is important that, as much as possible, 
Carnations are not put back into a field which was used for this 
purpose during the previous several years. It is impossible to ster- 
ilize soil, but at least some help on the disease problem can be 
~ obtained if rotation is practiced so that Carnations are not grown 
year after year in the same field. Some growers actually do sterilize 
outdoor ‘’beds’’ usually four feet wide, plant the bed of plants 8 by 
8 inches in these beds. Pinching must be a continuous process from 
the time of the first pinch until late summer. Most growers go over 
plants every week, taking out one or two of the strongest shoots 
from each plant as they are ready. They will break better if this is 
done early in the morning. 
Starting early July and usually winding up by mid-July, the plants 
are moved from the field to their final benches in the greenhouses. 
Bands are usually removed at this time. 
Field culture tends to produce a heavy plant with a lot of breaks 
by fall. The cooler outdoor temperature seems to encourage this 
heavier growth as compared to what is obtained where plants are 
left under glass clear through. Advocates of field culture claim 
definitely heavier production—and somewhat earlier production too. 
The main disadvantage is principally the hazard of picking up 
disease in the unsterilized field soil. Also it is considerably more 
work to get the plants out to the field and to dig them. A great 
many plants are still carried out to the field for parts of May and 
June and early July. 
2. Indoor Culture 
Indoor culture is probably the most widely practiced of the three 
methods at this time. Cuttings are ordered for delivery in Febru- 
ary, March, and April, banded, potted to Jiffy-Pots or perhaps clay 
pots, or in some cases planted out three or four to the pot in regu- 
lar greenhouse benches (nursery beds). They are left in these con- 
tainers—or nursery beds—until late June or early July, at which 
time they are moved into the final flowering benches. This method 
has the big advantage of leaving the flowering benches in produc- 
tion through more or less the month of June—which is an important 
cut flower month. The same can also be said for field planting, of 
course. Also indoor culture does make possible keeping the plants 
in sterilized soil and benches throughout their life. Many growers 
feel they can do a better job of watering, spraying, etc. where the 
plants are kept in the greenhouse. To some extent, you just don’t 
get the heavy, rapid growth that plants will make planted out to 
the open soil in the field—and given the cooler night temperatures 
that they get outdoors. Indoor culture is definitely less work than 
field culture. One very important point in either field culture or 
indoor culture is to be sure that banded or potted plants are not 
allowed to become checked and pot-bound. Actually around six to 
eight weeks is the maximum time a cutting should be allowed to 
remain in a pot or a band of any size. It is for this reason that, 
more or less, propagation of Carnations is moving later into the 
spring. 
3. Direct Planting 
Direct benching of Carnation cuttings has been a rather contro- 
versial question for the past several years. Under ideal conditions, 
especially where summer temperatures are moderate, really out- 
standing results have come from direct planting. Cuttings are 
planted directly to the flowering benches. Sim varieties direct 
benched mid-June under favorable conditions are in very heavy crop 
by early November—and tend to stay more or less in crop through 
the fall with a slump during February and March, and a good heavy 
second crop in April, May, and June. However, even this schedule ~ 
calls for discarding the previous season’s benches early in June to 
allow time for sterilizing, etc.—which means that much of the June 
crop is lost. If cuttings are direct benched back in April or early 
May, very definitely good results are obtained; however in this case 
the entire May and June crop of flowers from the previous season’s 
plants is lost. Some growers have met this problem by direct bench- 
ing a part of their planting in late April, May and through June 
and leaving a part of the crop out until late June, replanting these 
beds with plants out of Jiffy-Pots, bands, etc. 
Probably the biggest trouble with direct planting of Carnation 
cuttings has been the tendency to poor growth and in some cases 
outright loss of plants due to very high summer temperatures. It 
seems to be one of those operations where if good, heavy, well- 
rooted cuttings are used, soil is in perfect condition, the man with 
the hose is really on his toes, and if the weather is not too terribly 
hot, excellent results can be obtained. However if the plants don’t 
get a good break on each one of these points, there is a definite 
tendency to trouble—especially in areas where summers are very hot. 
Some rather outstanding production records have been recorded 
on direct planting of good Carnation cuttings under favorable con- 
ditions. It is obviously the least amount of labor of any of the three 
methods and is certainly in line with the modern trend toward 
unchecked growth of all crops. However it can also be argued that 
the cuttings are occupying bench space for a rather long time and 
wide spacing, whereas under nursery bed, Jiffy-Pot or band culture, 
they are spaced closer during this earlier period of their growth, thus 
saving considerable space—at a time when space is at a premium 
in the greenhouse. 
Conclusion. For the small to medium-sized retail grower, it 
would be our recommendation that cuttings be handled either in 
Jiffy-Pots or bands or in nursery beds prior to benching. Especially 
where the crop is not a large one, it’s hardly worth the trouble to 
set up a field area for outdoor planting and give all the attention 
to the few plants that would be needed out in the field. Direct 
benching of cuttings, as pointed out above, is a rather exacting 
operation. It might fairly be said that ordering cuttings for delivery 
in perhaps late March and putting them in a 3-inch Jiffy-Pot is 
about the most foolproof and is certainly not as much work as. field 
planting, and is the most likely to give a fair result in production 
the following season. \ 
For the retail grower wanting to plant perhaps several benches 
of Carnations, our recommendation would be to order cuttings for 
delivery late April, set them in a 3-inch Jiffy-Pot, bench Jiffy-Pot 
and all in late June—to sterilized benches, of course. 
More details on all the above points can be found in our BALL 
RED BOOK, Eighth Edition, Page 74, and also from time to time 
in our monthly GROWER TALKS. 
Certainly of great importance in any crop of Carnations is the 
matter of starting with a good, clean, stocky and yet not hard cut- 
ting. Diseases on Carnations are a particularly tough problem. A 
great many growers have the dismaying experience year after year 
of seeing parts of their Carnation benches simply rot off during the 
summer months. The only suggestions we can offer on this are, 
first, to start with the very best and cleanest cuttings that are to 
be had. Certainly any soil used either in potting or banding, and 
also in final benching, should be carefully sterilized. Be sure to 
sterilize bench supports, tools, and anything else that will come in — 
contact with the soil. If the plant does die out early in the summer, 
it is of great help if the plant and the soil surrounding it for a foot 
in all directions are removed promptly. Again be careful of rein- 
fecting soil with tools. 
Most growers carry a light shade on their Carnation houses until 
plants are established, then allow the glass to wash clear. 
