Potted Plant Productions

Chrysanthemums

Introduction• Dendranthema grandiflora or

Chrysanthemum morifolium

• Native to China and Japan

• #2 potted flowering plant

• Grown year round

• Bright, Colorful, large variety, live long, & EASY TO GROW

Cultivars• Many types• 1. Decorative• 2. Daisy• 3. Pompon• 4. Fugi• 5. Spider• 6. Spoon tip• 7. Anemone

• Colors• 1. Yellow• 2. White• 3. Pink• 4. Bronze• Response periods• 8, 9, & 10 weeks

Propagation• Usually purchased

from specialty grower• 1 cutting/4.5” pot• 2-3/5-5.5”pot• 4-5/6”pot• Azalea pots are used• Planted at 45° angle to

allow for more room to grow

Propagation• Cuttings bought can be rooted and unrooted

• Unrooted cuttings are:– stuck directly in finishing pot– watered in– placed under mist– as time progresses mist intervals lessen– romoved from mist when well rooted

Growth Requirements• Media-• 1. Well drained• 2. Well aerated• 3. Sterile• 4. High water holding

capacity• 5. pH of 6.0-6.5

• Water -• 1. Requires LOTS &

LOTS & LOTS of H2O

• 2. Don’t allow to wilt• 3. Subsurface

irrigation prefered

Growth Requirements• Fertilizer -• 1. HEAVY FEEDERS• 2. Begin when roots

develop• 3. Constant liquid feed

of 300-400ppm N&P• 4. Reduce during final

stages of growth

• Temperature -• 1. Starting mum temp

– 65-68°F at night

– 70-75°F during the day

• 2. After a few weeks temps should be– Night - 62-65°F

– Day -65-70°F

Growth RequirementsLight

• High light intensity

• Short days for flowers

• Long days for vegetative growth

• Night interuption is used to create long days

• 10 fc of light from 10pm-2am

• Short days can be created by pulling a black cloth from 5pm-8am

Growth Requirements• Pinching-

– Will increase the number of flowers

– can be done when a good root system has developed and 3/4”-1” of new growth

– 12-14 days after planting

– Soft pinch leaving 6-8 leaves

• Bud Removal– There are Three types

• Disbudding

• Center bud removal

• Multiple bud removal

Disbudding• Improves the size &

quality of the flower• Remove all lateral

buds• Leave only terminal

bud• Do as soon as buds

can be handled

Center Bud Removal• Improves flower

placement • Minimizes “clubby

spray formation”• Remove terminal bud

only• Do as soon as terminal

bud separates from lateral

Multiple Bud Removal• Creates a fuller plant

• Second soft pinch

• Done 2-3 weeks after first pinch

• remove 1/4”

Growth requirements• Height control

– most commonly controlled with B-nine– 2 weeks after pinching– rate of 2500-5000ppm– depends on cultivar grown

Problems• Insects -

– Aphids

– Fungas gnats

– White fly

– Thrip

– Leaf miners

– Spider mite

– Can be controlled by IPM system

• Diseases -– Stem rot

– Foliar pathogenms

– Can be controlled by fungicide drench, keeping humidity down and maintainingn dry foliage

Problems• Physiological -

– Heat delay - delay of flowering due to heat. Minimized by using heat tolerant cultivars, decreasing temps, increase ventilation

– Uneven flowering - cause by leaks in black cloth, high temps, low light, ethylene

– Neckiness- elongated stem below flower. Controlled by B-nine, 1-3 days after disbuding

Post Harvest & Handleing

• Maximize light levels

• Stop fetilizer 3-4 weeks before marketing

• Lower temps 2-3 weeks before sales

• Ship plants cool

• Ship when 1/2 - 2/3 open