Chrysanthemums

[Snadger]

Just an update....my mixed chrysanths have just started to flower but shock, horror, they are all salmon colour! What a swizz! Next time I'm in Morrisons I'm going to make my mouth go as I aint got mothing to loose!

There is even a picture on the label showing the six colours, which I am going to take with me and a picture of the plants growing in my lottie, all the same colour!

If that doesn't work I'll picket the dammed place!

[Snadger]

One of the plot holders has a plot full of Chrysanths and Dahlias. We have a saying in the Northeast which goes 'Shy bairns get nowt!' With that in mind I asked if I could have a few stools for taking cuttings from for cut flowers.

At first I was told that all stools were to be used for his own cuttings.

Today I was told by his father "If you want whats left, my Son says you can have them as he has now lifted all he needs"

I was over his lottie like a shot!

I now have five stools each of White,Pink,Red,Yellow early crysanths (luckily they still had an odd flower so was able to differentiate colours)

I have rinsed them off(al la NIc!) cut them to 8" and potted up four eight inch pots with five stools in each (some stools were quite small)

This should give me enough cuttings along with a few late's I may buy, to keep the OH in cut flowers for the house!

Just wondered, if I stagger the time of taking cuttings will this give me a longer flowering period?

As far as I know they are quite hardy so could I slow down or speed up cuttings rate by simply bringing them under glass or leaving them outdoors?

[martini]

Your OH is going to be well pleased with all the cut flowers you'll be taking home next year. Can't answer your last 2 questions but have got one for you - do you dip the cuttings in hormone rooting powder ? Thanks

[Snadger]

Your OH is going to be well pleased with all the cut flowers you'll be taking home next year. Can't answer your last 2 questions but have got one for you - do you dip the cuttings in hormone rooting powder ? Thanks

Yes, but not sure whether I need to though? Nic's the chrysanth man!

It's a long time since I did them last but I seem to remember the standard 'cut under a leaf node and apply rooting powder' worked well!

[nick the grief]

Well done snadger. Didn't he have the names on them or has he taken the labels out before you got to them ?

Taking the cuttings at different times won't stagger the flowering I'm afraid snadger. There are aother varieties that you can grow however.

Chrysanths are split into 3 main flowering periods

Earlies (August/September)
October flowering (go on, guess )
Lates (November/December flowering)

If you only want them for cut flowers then I suggest you go for spray Chrysanths rather than disbuds. despite what I've just told you you can spread the flowering over a period of 2 or 3 weeks but the exact timings will vary from place to place, for instance I live about 1 mile from my friend but his plants flower about 2 weeks ahead of mine if we stop them on the same day. The way you grow them, available light etc have a bearing on when they flower.

Anyway the earlies, october & lates need to have the cuttings taken around January for your area Snadger & I use rooting powder, not to help them root but more for the fungicide it contains. the earlies you'll need to stop around 10th May, the Octobers around 25th May & the lates from about the 1st June up to the 25th July depending on variety & whether they are November or December blooms

Some of the varieties that I would recommend are

Early
Any of the Enbee Wedding family single sprays
any of the Talbot Parade family Double sprays

October
probably the Margarets are the easiest to get but they can suffer with White rust unless you spray them

Lates
The choice is a bit more limited. Late sprays aren't easily available (I only know 2 places theat sell them. Hallls of Hedon & Harold Walkers nr Chester) but there are some disbuds that you can grow with about 4 or 5 blooms on that will look nice or Singles & Anenomes which you would grow with 10 blooms on.

I grow Enbee's & Talbots plus a few others for earlies & then for lates I have about 5 varieties of late Sprays plus about another 6 different varieties of disbuds and Pink Cassandra for December (hopefully around Christmas).

By coincedence, I'm in the throws of doing a website for the Chrysanth & dahlia club there is a link off the front page of the lottie site.

Hopefully that will have answered most of your questions.

[nick the grief]

Late sprays for snadger

Here you go Snadger

[Snadger]

Just to resurrect this thread a bit, and i'm sure when Nick see's 'Chrysanthemum' mentioned he will be in like a shot......

Until I get my Chrysanthemum books of santa I just wondered about the stools I have potted up.........They are outside but are already showing signs of throwing up cutting material. Am I best leaving them there, or should I bring them under glass?
Problem with that is won't it make them grow even faster and will cuttings not be far too advanced?

[nick the grief]

You can bring them in Snadger. and just keep cutting the growth back

[Snadger]

Just been to the local garden centre looking for apple trees that don't require a second morgage!
As I was coming out the door empty handed, I spotted some chrysanths, Reduced to 50p each. There was one which was two coloured, a browny red to the centre and yellow tips .

Splashed out and when I got it home I realised it was three plants in one small pot. I know it has been dwarfed but after its finished flowering I intend to use it for cuttings for next year as its relly nice and i havent got this colour!

Anyone any idea how long the dwarfing compound works for?

[Snadger]

Just been to the local garden centre looking for apple trees that don't require a second morgage!
As I was coming out the door empty handed, I spotted some chrysanths, Reduced to 50p each. There was one which was two coloured, a browny red to the centre and yellow tips .

Splashed out and when I got it home I realised it was three plants in one small pot. I know it has been dwarfed but after its finished flowering I intend to use it for cuttings for next year as its relly nice and i havent got this colour!

Anyone any idea how long the dwarfing compound works for?

Oops, forgot to add a piccire!!!Silly me!

[nick the grief]

It may be that it is a pot mum & not a big un thats been dwarfed. The dwarfing agent won't transfer to any new growth so any cutting that you take will be "normal" and anywhere upto 6ft tall possibly. Looks a nice one Snadger, not sure of the variety as it is probably a commercial variety and not one thats registered for showing.

[Snadger]

Just recieved a catalogue from Elm House Nurseries which has some rather nice looking Chrysanthemums in it!

There are early decorative sprays and late decorative sprays, but the two collections I am interested in are Early Outdoor Bloom Chrysanths and Late Outdoor Bloom Chrysanths!

The six earlies are:-
1. Ja Dank white
2. Alec bedstar yellow
3. Holiday purple
4. Regal Mist Red
5. Alloise orange
6. Alloise pink

The six lates are:-
1. Hanenburg red
2. Migoli yellow
3. Regal Mist purple
4. Taiga white
5. Breitner dark pink
6. Astro bronze

Each pack of six plants is £6.95 but if you buy both collections they are £9.90 + £2.95 P & P = £12.85 for twelve plants delivered!

This offer sounds reasonable to me but would like grapes views (especially our recently re-instated Guru, Nic)
More questions...Could the lates be grown in large pots and utilise the greenhouse after the tomatoes?

[nick the grief]

It depends what you want them for Snadger. If it's just cut flowers well I guess they would be OK - the only one I've heard of is Alec Bedser all the others are "commercial" varieties I think so you wouldn't be able to show them and to be honest there ae better ones I think but I'm biased. If you go to Harold walkers (nr CHester) website they do collections or you can pay a bit extra & have your own choice. ALso you've got Halls nursary at Heddon they do Chrysanths & dahlia cuttings not sure of the price though.

I'm not sure what they mean by Late outdoor. A late chrysanth is November flowering & if they are out door they won't flower too good with all the rain, I suspect they mean October flowering but with the right varietys you could well get a second flush anyway.

IMHO for spray chrysanths you can't go far wrong with the Enbee wedding family of singles and the Talbot parade family of doubles all are obtainable in a variety of colours or any of the Pennine ones they are a bit older but still good.

http://www.hallsofheddon.co.uk/system/index.html
http://www.harold-walker.co.uk/mail_order/about_mo.htm

Spooky or what, I found this post in this section that may prove useful snadger ( post #11)

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...read.php?t=900

[Snadger]

Just sent for the Harold Walker catalogue Nic ...Halls of Heddon (which is just up the road) are too expensive!