How to protect your developing chrysanthemum blooms
As the show season approaches, keep on top of your feeding, watering and pest control
All your plants should be in bud now and it’s worth giving them some protection from the elements. I grow mine in the ground in a purpose-built wooden frame, where I can cover them with corrugated plastic panels and clear plastic sheeting. They also need protection from wind and rain around the side of the frame and for this I use some sort of strong polypropylene (green netting). If you’re growing in pots, move them into the green house. I like to put a bit of shading up over my blooms as they’re developing, especially over the darkcoloured reflexes, as this helps to prevent fading. I usually use white fleece, which you can buy from a local garden centre. I create a tent-like effect so that I can still get under to tend to the blooms.
You should also protect the bud/blooms on your incurves and intermediates with a big greaseproof bag. The reason for doing this with incurves (petals which curve up) is that water that collects in the bloom will rot the petals. Keep plants well-watered and don’t let them wilt. At the end of August your first blooms should be ready, whether you’re having them for cut flowers in the house or exhibiting. Give them a good watering the day before you cut them and the blooms will last for weeks.
If you want to exhibit your flowers get in touch with your local chrysanthemum society or check the National Chrysanthemum Society website (www. nationalchrysanthemumsociety.co.uk). On September 9 and 10 the NCS holds its national show at Bingley Hall County Showground in Stafford. Ivor and I will be there and are happy to answer any questions on growing and showing your blooms. y now most of the buds on our large exhibition will be secured. By this I mean removing all sideshoots and buds in the leaf axils of each stem and just keeping the topmost central crown bud intact. Incurved and decorative buds will be coming ready to secure any time from now on, followed by singles and anemones at the end of this month.
Traditionally, growers change over to a fertiliser with a little more nitrogen once the buds start to appear. You can use a base fertiliser such as Medwyn’s High Nitrogen Base Fertiliser, with trace elements, or you could use a soluble fertiliser with slightly more nitrogen. I go down the soluble fertiliser route, because these fertilisers, by their very nature, leach from the pots by watering and I’m aiming to reduce nutrient levels in my pots as the buds begin to show colour. The reason for this is that during hot, autumn days in the greenhouse I want my plants to be able to absorb water through the roots and transport it up the plant to replace
water lost through transpiration. High conductivity levels (due to high concentrations of nutrients) in the pots hamper this from taking place. So it’s using your judgment to feed your plants enough to get strong ones that carry full-sized blooms but not too much so as to get bloom scorch as they develop.
Importantly, don’t neglect your pest and disease control, either. Once the blooms start to develop it’s extremely difficult to control both without damaging the flowers.