Protect blooms from the elements
With the National Shows just around the corner, make sure you look after your developing chrysanths
John Peace (earlies)
National Early Chrysanthemum Champion for the past 20 years, John has also won the best exhibit award 15 times.
During he first week in August I put the top on my chrysanthemum frames. You can cover your frame with any waterproof materials, such as polythene, corrugated sheets or white transparent tarpaulin. The latter is the best option in my opinion as this helps with the quality of the blooms by reflecting the heat of the sun, giving them shading and keeping them cool under the covers.
When the tops have been on for about a week I put some kind of shading under the covers, such as fleece or muslin, to absorb any moisture from condensation which may form under the covers. If you have an electricity supply it will help the quality of your flowers if you put oscillating fans into the frame, to circulate the air under the covers.
For me this is one of the best times in the chrysanthemum growing calendar as you can watch the development of the flowers changing daily.
Keep a keen eye open for earwigs, it’s best to go under the covers at night with a torch and if they are there you’ll see them crawling about your blooms. The best thing to do is pick them off and dispose of them away from your frame.
Be careful with the watering at this stage, only water on a morning because if you water at night this will create moisture under your covers, which will cause high humidity and your blooms will damp off.