Detailed Explanation of the Cultivation Methods and Technical Key Points for Spray Chrysanthemums
The public appreciates chrysanthemums, enjoying a plant with three to five blooms, with a graceful and swaying posture, fresh and lively; they love to see three branches and nine tops, with clusters of blossoms, symbolizing "three abundances and nine tops," embodying traditional folk customs.
1. Variety selection: oriented toward popular preference, choose varieties with wide adaptability, strong stress resistance, moderate plant type, upright stems, uniform leaves, full flower form, brilliant flower colors, and long-lasting flowering period. It is better to have few but fine varieties, and do not choose rare late-blooming or difficult-to-grow varieties.
2. Mother plant maintenance: In the Beijing area, the perennial roots of mother plants can overwinter in the open field or in a sun frame (cold frame). For perennial roots overwintering in the open field, cuttings can be propagated in July and planted in a wind-sheltered, sun-facing bed with a plant spacing of 30 cm. In winter, cut off the stems and water thoroughly with frozen water. The perennial roots are cold-resistant but not resistant to wind drying, so they can be covered with a layer of chopped straw. When the soil thaws in spring, remove the covering, and new shoots will gradually sprout. For perennial roots overwintering in a sun frame (cold frame), these are potted chrysanthemum plants. After flowering, cut off the old stems, remove the entire clump, scrape off the outer layer of fertile soil and root mass, spray with medium-concentration lime sulfur mixture and other insecticidal and sterilizing pesticides, then heel in the clumps in the sun frame and firm the soil. If the soil is dry, spray water to keep it moist but not too wet. In winter, cover with plastic film for cold protection; during the coldest period, cover with cattail mats at night. During the day, pay attention to light, ventilation, and keep the temperature below 5°C; at night around 0°C. Move them out the following spring and plant them in the bed at a spacing of about 45 cm according to the size of the root clump. After planting, depending on soil moisture (dry or wet), water thoroughly once or twice, and loosen the soil in a timely manner to preserve moisture.
When the new shoots from the perennial roots grow into 10 cm new branches, begin thinning branches and pinching. First thin out the dense, weak, and small branches, then pinch off the growing tips of the remaining robust branches to promote the growth of a large number of new branches in preparation for cutting propagation. If the new branches do not develop vigorously, apply a quick-acting fertilizer as appropriate to promote vigor. However, mother plant maintenance generally requires controlled fertilizer and frequent watering to make the branches grow solid and mature; it is not suitable to apply heavy fertilizer and heavy water, to prevent the branches from becoming fat and tender with weak quality, which would affect the survival rate of cuttings. For small-scale home chrysanthemum growing, after flowering in late autumn, cut off the old plant and the original pot can be placed in a sunny, cool place (around 0°C); the following spring when taken outdoors and branches grow, propagate by cuttings in the same way.
3. Cutting propagation: Cutting propagation is a commonly used method for traditional shaped artistic chrysanthemums. It is simple and easy to carry out, has a high success rate for propagation, and can maintain the excellent traits of each variety. Through cutting propagation, all organs of the whole plant have a new-growth advantage, which can both prevent premature aging of the plant and restrain the degeneration of variety traits.
1. Cutting period: Carry out in stages according to the size of the cultivated plant, the shaping, and the number of blooms.
Large "three branches and nine tops" chrysanthemum: In early May, carry out the first stage of cutting propagation, cutting the tips of the mother plant's newly grown branches.
Medium three-to-five-bloom chrysanthemum: In early June, carry out the second stage of cutting propagation, using the branches that continue to grow from the mother plant after the first stage of cutting.
Dwarf single-stem chrysanthemum (used as general desk chrysanthemum): In mid-to-late July, carry out the third stage of cutting propagation. Select and cut the top branches growing from the upper part of the mother plant after the second stage of cutting; require full buds, vigorous growth, and no sign of lateral buds sprouting in the leaf axils. The cuttings should be slightly short, about 7 cm long.
2. Cutting method: One or two days before cutting, first spray once each with insecticides and sterilizing pesticides. The next morning, select and cut vigorous new branches about 10 cm long (the stem cross-section should be green, fleshy, and solid; do not use those with a white, cottony, hollow cut surface) as cuttings. The base of the node should be cut flat 1 mm below the lower part, and at the same time cut off the lower 1-2 leaves that would enter the soil; if the upper leaves are large, some can be trimmed to prevent the cuttings from wilting and rooting slowly.
The cutting substrate is plain sand or a mixture of vermiculite and fully decomposed ordinary potting soil in equal parts, mixed evenly, with an appropriate amount of insecticide and sterilizing pesticide added. For small-scale cuttings, use shallow pots or seedling pots, about 15 plants per pot. For large-scale production, use cutting boxes 70 cm long, 40 cm wide, and 10 cm high, with 3 drainage slits 3 mm wide at the bottom, inserting about 100 cuttings per box. First place a 2 cm thick layer of coarse sand at the bottom of the box as a drainage layer, then fill the box with the substrate and press it level, covering the surface with 1 cm of washed river sand. When inserting the cuttings, use bamboo chopsticks to poke holes, and insert the cuttings one or two leaf nodes into the soil; it should not be too deep, but must fit closely with the substrate. Immediately after inserting, spray thoroughly with water; after the pot soil settles, straighten and align the cuttings again.
Cuttings made in May, when the weather is dry and windy, should be placed in front of a greenhouse or large shed, with doors and windows opened, and shade covering put up. For cuttings made in June and July, place them under a shade frame in a cool, moist, and ventilated environment, and the substrate should be kept moist at all times. Depending on whether the weather is dry or wet, promptly spray water on the substrate and the surrounding ground every day, and do not let the substrate dry out. The cutting containers should be elevated and not placed directly on the ground. During the first 3 weeks after cutting, provide heavy shade, then light shade afterward, with light in the morning and evening, and full light for hardening after 5 weeks. After 6 weeks, the seedlings should be transplanted and planted separately with soil balls.
4. Cultivation management
1. Transplanting and separate planting: For the first and second stage cuttings, use ordinary potting soil or highly permeable sandy loam with 20% decomposed human and livestock manure (20:80 manure soil), and plant with soil balls into No. 1 tube pots (inner diameter 10 cm) for maintenance. When white roots extend from the bottom of the pot, use fertilized potting soil or 30:70 manure soil; for the first-stage three-branch nine-top seedlings, repot into No. 2 jar-shaped tube pots, and for the second-stage three-to-five-bloom seedlings, repot into chrysanthemum tube pots for final planting. The third-stage cuttings are directly planted into No. 2 tube pots for final planting. Fill the planting pots to 80% full with soil and place them on a high platform for maintenance. 2. Pruning and shaping: For the first-stage cuttings, cultivate "three branches and nine tops." When the cuttings survive, pinch off the growing tip before its bud center elongates. The top of the cutting is tender and the leaf nodes are dense, so several lateral buds soon appear; at this time, select and keep 3 neat, parallel new buds to develop branches, and remove the rest. When the 3 new branches have grown 3-4 leaves, pinch again, keeping 3-4 new buds on each branch to develop branches. When the new branches grow to 30 cm, prune and shape the plant, retaining 7 to 11 branches; keep an odd number, not an even number, gather the plant with fine string, and tie it appropriately with thin bamboo to keep the plant symmetrical. For the second-stage cuttings, cultivate three-to-five-bloom chrysanthemums. Generally, for three-branch plants, do not pinch again after the first pinching, and shape appropriately to maintain the balance of the three branches. For five-bloom plants, after the first pinching retain two or three new buds to develop branches, and when they have grown 3 to 4 leaves, pinch once more to develop branches, and finally shape them into 5 branches.
Pruning and shaping, framing and tying, bud removal, final shaping, and conditioning are all carried out according to the conventional operations for artistic chrysanthemum cultivation.
3. Watering and fertilizing: Chrysanthemums like moisture and fear waterlogging; they like fertilizer and fear excessive stimulation. Water and fertilizer application should follow "control first, release later" and be coordinated according to the season. During the high-temperature growing period in spring and summer, keep the pot soil moist but not wet for long periods, to prevent yellowing from water and aging of the lower leaves. In the cool development period in early autumn, the pot soil should be kept wet and not allowed to dry out intermittently, and the branch tips should remain fresh and not wilting. In early September, use 10% of potting soil mixed with 50% farmyard manure as a topdressing, spread it on the pot surface, then loosen the soil and water it in. As the temperature drops, gradually strengthen water and fertilizer. After mid-September, according to the growth condition of the potted chrysanthemum, use a mixed solution of 0.1% urea and 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate as a topdressing once a week. Medium-concentration decomposed hoof shavings water or organic liquid fertilizer water such as oil cake can also be applied alternately until the buds are low and the buds show color, then stop fertilizing. When the flowers are 40% open and the central petals begin to loosen, they can be displayed or marketed.