Cultural Pointers 
Petal Burn 
Chrysanthemums grow most rapidly under conditions 
of high light intensity and with a temperature above 
60 degrees Farenheit. Shading to reduce the light 
intensity is very rarely needed. Usually shading on the 
glass is more beneficial to the workers than it is for 
the growth of the plants. However, if shade is used it 
should be removed by August 15. 
Temperatures much above 90 degrees will act as a 
prohibitor, When the night temperatures are in the 
90's, bud development is hindered. This is especially 
true when black-clothing in the hottest part of the year. 
To reduce high temperatures under the black cloth, it 
is suggested that the sides of the cloth be lifted after 
sundown and dropped again before the sun rises in 
the morning. During high temperature periods, it is 
much better to apply the cloth later in the afternoon 
and allow it to remain later in the morning. 
Temperature has been responsible for peculiar types 
of flowers. The Indianapolis varieties develop quilled 
and flat blooms when allowed to develop under low 
temperatures. Many varieties will develop black cen- 
ters in the flower when grown under high temperatures 
and low light intensity. 
Pink and bronze colors just do not develop when the 
temperatures are high in the early stages of flower 
development. If good color is desired in pink and 
bronze varieties the night temperature should be 50 
to 55 degrees during the development period. High 
light intensity and low temperatures are conducive 
for good color development. Many of the newer varie- 
ties will develop better color during hot summer months 
than the older varieties. Low moisture during the period 
of bud development intensifies the color. The pinking 
of white varieties and the bronzing of yellow varieties 
results as the flowers develop at low temperatures. 
Blindness 
Blindness is associated with temperature. When plants 
are grown below 50 to 55 degrees during the bud in- 
itiation period, many varieties will produce blind 
growth. In ''Year-Around Flowering’ we have found 
that chrysanthemums should be grown in a 60-degree 
temperature to insure good bud development. How- 
ever, there are some varieties which require a higher 
temperature, and there are likewise varieties that will 
initiate their buds at a lower temperature; but it is 
safe to recommend a 60-degree temperature. Cornell 
workers found that growing the stock at different tem- 
peratures will affect the flowering of some varieties. 
When blooming chrysanthemums during high tempera- 
tures and high light intensity, it is advisable to cover 
the beds with a cheesecloth stretched about |8 inches 
above the top of the developing blooms. This covering 
will also help keep dirt off the open blooms. Sunburn 
sometimes is confused with flower ray blight, which is 
caused by Botrytis. Botrytis is more abundant during 
periods of high humidity and low temperatures. Ray 
blight can be controlled by spraying with Parzate 
when the color shows and then repeating the applica- 
tion every 5 days. 
Packing of cut flowers should be carefully studied. The 
most common error is over-crowding in the shipping 
boxes. Not securely fastening the blooms in the box 
will cause bruising of the petals. Cleating or sewing 
the stems to the box is essential. Cushion the blooms 
by placing enough padded paper on the bottom of 
the corrugated box and between the layers of blooms. 
Wrap the pompons with a loose wrapper. The wrap- 
ping paper could have the name of the grower printed 
on it. Chrysanthemum "'Saf-Pak'' are very helpful in 
shipping standards to market. One dozen blooms are 
held securely in one ''Saf-Pak'' holder. 
Long distance shipments carry better if the cut flowers 
are packed dry. Reduction of temperature is accom- 
plished by precooling the packed cut flowers. 
With high labor costs, it has become necessary to 
eliminate some of the labor in supporting standards 
and disbuds, The old way of supporting with stakes or 
stringing each plant has given way to the box-wire and 
cross-string method of support. Turn-buckles placed 
near the end of the bed will keep the wires much 
tighter. Some growers are only using one layer of wire 
and cross strings and are gradually raising it as the 
crop grows. Many still use two layers of wires and also 
raise the top wire as the crop grows. 
Pompons are usually supported by the string and 
wire method similar to that described above. Two 
layers of wires are necessary to give the pompons 
good support. When growing out-of-doors or in cloth 
houses, heavier wire is necessary to give proper sup- 
port, because moisture often collects in the open 
blooms causing extra weight. 
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