Topic: Chrysanthemum’s

[sandersj89]

I have managed to lay my hands on 36 incurved chrysanthemum cuttings. They are of mixed colours, currently about 4 inches tall. Their new roots look OK and the leaves are off good colour. Some are showing signs of new lateral bubs. No other signs of growth since the cuttings were taken though.

I have them in 4” pots in a proprietary compost designed for tubs/baskets and plan to transfer to the allotment when appropriate to use as cut flowers for the house.

The question is, having never grown them before, when is appropriate and how do I care for them through the year to get the best out of them and lots of tall cut flowers?

I have looked on the net quickly and there seems to be massive amounts of advice, some of it contradictory. Also most of the sites seem to be targeted at growing for show. I want simple plane advice on how to grow healthy plants, how to over winter them, when in the year to do what, etc.

Anyone have any tips/advice/experience?

Thanks

Jerry

[Yuet_Lee]

Hi Jerry,
You should leave them chrysum till end of season. Pulled the root out keep in the shelt till spring time. when some new shoots come up cut them & pot them. Does most people used this method .Don't do it now.
yuet

[Hugh_Jones]

Unfortunately the plants are far too small and late to do anything useful this year.  As Yuetlee suggests, the best thing to do with them is to regard them as breeding stock for the future.  Try to get them growing (repot if necessary) and get as much size on them as you can by late autumn.

The plants will need some protection from frost, and will need housing by November.  Cut them right back in late November, give them a little bottom heat if possible, and wait for the new shoots, which you take off and strike once they are large enough.  Start hardening off the new plants in April.  How you need to treat them after that will depend on whether they are early (Sept) or late (Nov/Dec) flowering incurves and you should ask the donor which they are.

Once the old cuttings are taken it is usual for the old plants to be discarded, but they can be bedded out in the herbaceous border in spring and can provide a lot of small blooms for colour.

[sandersj89]

Manythanks both. Very helpful.

Jerry