Chrysanthemums

[Martin H]

Today I finished potting up my cuttings into John Innes no. 1. They've all done very well. Possibly thanks to that heated propagator every cutting has taken; although to be fair I've never had much trouble getting them to root just in an unheated propagator.

Here they are:



The four plants on the left of the box, which are the biggest, arrived in the post on 17th Feb.

The other 8 in the box are the first batch of my own cuttings, taken 19th Feb and potted up on 6th March.

Then there are two more batches in pots. The ones on the left of the tray were taken on 1st March, the ones on the right on 8th March. I put them all into pots this morning, 25th March. I'd have done them earlier if I hadn't been on holiday, they are a bit drawn from being in the heated propagator a few days too long.

They will stay there unheated and uncovered unless we get a sub-zero night forecast.

The first ones have come on a bit more quickly than I'd expected. I guess I got them too early; I'd have been better off asking for an early March delivery rather than a mid Feb one. It's a few weeks yet before I can start hardening them off ready to plant out into the allotment. Hopefully I can get away with just giving them a feed or two and avoid potting them on.

[Martin H]

Today I stopped one of my purchased plants. As I mentioned earlier, for these I'm going to try and stop them on the recommended date. I failed! One of the varieties was listed for 25th March and I missed it. Still a couple of days won't hurt, it's not as if I'm exhibiting.

Here's the before-and-after picture:



It really hurts me to take off so much - back to the top fully-opened leaf. But I've found in the past that if I take less off I only get one, maybe two breaks; I want at least 4.

I've also stopped two of my home-grown cuttings to see how they get on.

[Scarlet]

Oh, I better check the dates for mine. I'll keep you posted

[Scarlet]

^^ Have you messaged the seller. It just seems wrong you should lose 2 that quickly

I didn't because I received 22 so I still have 20, though the last couple of days the GH has been very warm and they've perked up no end will post a photo tomorrow .

I wonder how Hayleys have done?

[brownfingers]

I usually have great success with my chrysanth cuttings, but not this year. None of them have taken properly. I didn't save any inside this year. I just left them in the soil and left them to it. They are all throwing a profusion of new growth, and I've takem some of the new shoots to repot and make new stock. None have shown ant sign of taking. At least I've got some of last years plants which should provide blooms. I only grow for sprays for cut flowers, so I should get away with it.

[Hayley]

G

I didn't because I received 22 so I still have 20, though the last couple of days the GH has been very warm and they've perked up no end will post a photo tomorrow .

I wonder how Hayleys have done?

Sorry Scarlet Ive only just read your post. Oddly I also received 22 and have lost 2 but I think I may have overwatered them. The 2 I lost went floppy and I couldn't revive them.

[Scarlet]

Mine went floppy but I'm sure it wasn't my heavy handedness with the watering can
Though I'm happy so far with the 20 that are still growing strong

[Martin H]

My first batch of rooted cuttings, including the four I bought, are outgrowing their deep seed tray. I think I'll plant them out in a few days and be prepared to throw some fleece over them if frost threatens.



The two tallest ones are due to be stopped on April 15th, not a moment too soon!

[Martin H]

I'm going to finish getting the allotment bed ready today. I put a load of compost on during the winter but they could do with some food as well.

My book says that, in addition to soil improvement...

In the spring a general fertilizer, such as National Growmore, should be applied at four ounces per square yard, and worked in before planting. An alternative is four ounces each of bone meal and hoof and horn meal and two ounces of sulphate of potash to each square yard. Chrysanthemum base fertilizers are also available and these usually give satisfactory results when applied at four to eight ounces per square yard.

The allotment shop sells growmore so I'm going to put some of that on.

[Martin H]

I planted out the first batch of 12 plants today: four shop-bought ones and four hand-reared. They are still small enough to fit under a fleece tunnel for the next week or two:

[Scarlet]

Sorry - I need spoon feeding! What spacing are you using?

[Elfeda]

I grabbed 2 sets of chrysanthemums for £1.50 each. seems they are good companions with onions? can I set them around shallots?

[Martin H]

Sorry - I need spoon feeding! What spacing are you using?

Mr F W Allerton suggests ...

In the field, it is convenient to plant at fourteen inches square and to allow a two-foot path after every fifth row.
...
In the garden, planting should be in groups of about six plants allowing fourteen to eighteen inches between each plant.

I probably shouldn't have squeezed so many in, but I've planted mine in a single row with spacing of just over 12 inches. When I put in the second row, it will be 30 inches away from the first one.

In terms of timing, the suggestion was as follows:

The usual advice ... is to plant as soon as there is a reasonable chance of freedom from frost ... as a general guide the end of April in the south, the middle of May in the Midlands and towards the end of May in the north
...
however
...
there is much to be gained by planting a fortnight or three weeks earlier than suggested above, and giving overhead protection if frost is predicted.

Hope this helps!

[Martin H]

I grabbed 2 sets of chrysanthemums for £1.50 each. seems they are good companions with onions? can I set them around shallots?

I don't know. It might depend on what kind of chrysanthemum they are. The large-flowered and spray ones we've been discussing ("early flowering chrysanthemums") grow around four feet tall and would crowd out your average onion or shallot. Those ones that form mounds of flower in the autumn might be okay though, they perhaps wouldn't get too big until after you've harvested? I don't see how they would help the crop though, I'd have thought you want something that flowers earlier to attract predatory insects that will keep the pests off.

[Scarlet]

I grabbed 2 sets of chrysanthemums for £1.50 each. seems they are good companions with onions? can I set them around shallots?

I don't know much about companion planting but are you sure the benefit is for the onion? I know that the smell of the onion is supposed to help deter aphids but I'm not so sure why chrysanths would help onions?