Chrysanthemum Propagation Methods and Tips for Dealing with Red Spider Mite Infestation in Potted Plants
The chrysanthemum is the third of China's top ten famous flowers and one of the Four Gentlemen of Flowers (plum blossom, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum). Within the different types, chrysanthemums have been given a wide variety of cultivar names. The chrysanthemum is a precious ornamental flower developed through long-term artificial selection and breeding. Below, let us talk about the knowledge related to cultivating chrysanthemums!
What are the chrysanthemum propagation methods?
There are two methods: vegetative propagation and seed propagation. Vegetative propagation includes cuttings, division, grafting, layering and tissue culture, etc. Usually cutting propagation is the main method, and this is further divided into bud cuttings, softwood cuttings and leaf-bud cuttings.
1. Bud cuttings
In autumn and winter, cut off the outer basal shoots of the plant for cuttings. The standard for selecting shoots is that they are relatively far from the plant and the buds are plump. After selecting the shoots, strip off the lower leaves and insert them at a plant spacing of 3-4 cm and a row spacing of 4-5 cm into flower pots in a greenhouse or polytunnel, or into coarse sand in a cutting bed, maintaining a room temperature of 7-8°C, and plant them outdoors after the weather warms in spring. Softwood cuttings: this method is the most widely used. Cuttings are mostly taken in April-May. Cut soft shoots of 8-10 cm as cuttings, and manage them well after insertion. At a temperature of 18-21°C, most cultivars root in about 3 weeks, and after about 4 weeks the seedlings can be transplanted into pots.
2. Ground cuttings
The medium can be garden soil mixed with 1/3 rice-husk ash. Build a reed-screen shed on a raised bed for shade. For a fully exposed cutting bed, if automatic misting equipment is available, no shade is needed. Leaf-bud cuttings: cut a single leaf with an axillary bud from a branch and insert it. This method is only used for propagating rare cultivars. Division: generally around Qingming, dig up the plant, separate it along the natural form of the roots while keeping the roots attached, and plant the divisions separately in pots.
3. Grafting
To make chrysanthemums grow strong and robust, for creating "Shiyangjin" or large standard chrysanthemums, Artemisia annua or Artemisia apiacea can be used as rootstock for grafting. Collect mugwort seeds in late autumn and sow them in a greenhouse in winter, or raise seedlings in a hotbed in March; in late April, when the seedlings are 3-4 cm tall, move them into pots or the field, and carry out cleft grafting on a sunny day. Layering: this method is used only when propagating bud-sport sections.
4. Seeds
Chrysanthemum seeds germinate slowly above 100°C; the optimum temperature is 25°C. Sow thinly between February and April; under normal conditions, most can flower in the same year.
5. Tissue culture
Using tissue culture technology to propagate chrysanthemums has the advantages of requiring little material, producing a large number of plantlets, and being able to detoxify, eliminate disease and maintain the excellent characteristics of the cultivar. The culture medium is MS + 6BA (6-benzyladenine) 1 mg/L + NAA (naphthaleneacetic acid) 0.2 mg/L, pH 5.8. Use chrysanthemum shoot tips (0.3-0.5 mm), tender stems or flower buds (9-10 mm in diameter), cut into 0.5 cm small segments, and inoculate. Room temperature 26°C ± 1°C, with 8 hours of supplementary light daily (1000-1500 lux). After 1-2 months, callus tissue can be induced. After another 1-2 months, green shoots and buds differentiate. Then transfer the differentiated green buds onto White + NAA 1-2 mg/L medium, and after about 1 month sturdy roots can be induced. After another 1 month of culture, they can be planted outdoors. Watering with half the strength of the original culture solution is the key to the success of the test-tube plantlets.
What are the chrysanthemum propagation methods? How do you deal with red spider mite infestation in potted chrysanthemums?
How do you deal with red spider mite infestation in potted chrysanthemums?
Red spider mite is a major pest of chrysanthemums. It generally tends to break out in large numbers during dry, hot wind weather in May-June. Red spider mites mostly overwinter in the cracks of the bark of infested flowers and trees, in dead-leaf soil, at the roots of weeds and in soil crevices, etc. The following year they first grow on weeds and the like, and in May they transfer to chrysanthemums to cause damage by crawling, wind, rain splash and water runoff.
Red spider mites mostly gather on the underside of chrysanthemum leaves, spinning silk and forming webs. On damaged leaves, grayish-yellow spots first appear on the leaf surface, gradually expanding and merging; when the damage is severe, the leaves turn scorched yellow and drop as if baked by fire, seriously affecting the growth and development of chrysanthemums.
Weeds and fallen leaves should be cleared away; in winter the ground can be watered to freeze or be compacted, so as to eliminate overwintering red spider mites and other pests.
In dry weather, pay attention to spraying water several times; if a temporary windbreak can be set up, so much the better, to create a humid microclimate and prevent a major outbreak of red spider mites.
For nearby flowers and other plants where red spider mites have occurred, control should be carried out early to prevent red spider mites from spreading to chrysanthemums.
When red spider mite numbers are low, a writing brush can be dipped in pesticide and used to paint them. Use 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate at 2000 times dilution, or 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate or 40% dicofol emulsifiable concentrate at 1500-2000 times dilution. When red spider mites occur in large numbers, the above solutions can be sprayed. Generally spray once every 7-10 days to kill newly hatched larvae. When spraying, be sure to spray the underside of the leaves; in particular, dicofol has no systemic action, and only acts as a contact poison when sprayed on the red spider mites and eggs.
How do you deal with red spider mite infestation in potted chrysanthemums?
Red spider mite is a major pest of chrysanthemums. It generally tends to break out in large numbers during dry, hot wind weather in May-June. Red spider mites mostly overwinter in the cracks of the bark of infested flowers and trees, in dead-leaf soil, at the roots of weeds and in soil crevices, etc. The following year they first grow on weeds and the like, and in May they transfer to chrysanthemums to cause damage by crawling, wind, rain splash and water runoff.Red spider mites mostly gather on the underside of chrysanthemum leaves, spinning silk and forming webs. On damaged leaves, grayish-yellow spots first appear on the leaf surface, gradually expanding and merging; when the damage is severe, the leaves turn scorched yellow and drop as if baked by fire, seriously affecting the growth and development of chrysanthemums.
Weeds and fallen leaves should be cleared away; in winter the ground can be watered to freeze or be compacted, so as to eliminate overwintering red spider mites and other pests.
In dry weather, pay attention to spraying water several times; if a temporary windbreak can be set up, so much the better, to create a humid microclimate and prevent a major outbreak of red spider mites.
For nearby flowers and other plants where red spider mites have occurred, control should be carried out early to prevent red spider mites from spreading to chrysanthemums.
When red spider mite numbers are low, a writing brush can be dipped in pesticide and used to paint them. Use 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate at 2000 times dilution, or 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate or 40% dicofol emulsifiable concentrate at 1500-2000 times dilution. When red spider mites occur in large numbers, the above solutions can be sprayed. Generally spray once every 7-10 days to kill newly hatched larvae. When spraying, be sure to spray the underside of the leaves; in particular, dicofol has no systemic action, and only acts as a contact poison when sprayed on the red spider mites and eggs.
How do you deal with red spider mite infestation in chrysanthemums? I hope everyone can gain something after reading this article!
Tips for Controlling Red Spider Mites on Potted Chrysanthemums
Autumn is the season when chrysanthemums bloom in full. Although it is already early winter, most chrysanthemums are still blooming, without the slightest sign of fading. Their beautiful flowers are infused with a noble temperament, sometimes fresh and refined, sometimes delicate and charming, delighting the eye beyond measure. However, when they are in full bloom, it is also the time when pests and diseases most easily invade, especially red spider mites, which are quite numerous. They reproduce continuously in summer and autumn, and in winter they attach themselves to chrysanthemum plants to overwinter, thus seriously affecting the ornamental value of chrysanthemums. So how do you control red spider mites on home potted chrysanthemums? Let us take a look below.
Red spider mite is a major pest of chrysanthemums. It generally tends to break out in large numbers during dry, hot wind weather in May-June. Red spider mites mostly overwinter in the cracks of the bark of infested flowers and trees, in dead-leaf soil, at the roots of weeds and in soil crevices, etc. On damaged leaves, grayish-yellow spots first appear on the leaf surface, gradually expanding and merging; when the damage is severe, the leaves turn scorched yellow and drop as if baked by fire, seriously affecting the growth and development of chrysanthemums.
Control methods:
1. Weeds and fallen leaves should be cleared away; in winter the ground can be watered to freeze or be compacted, so as to eliminate overwintering red spider mites and other pests.
2. In dry weather, pay attention to spraying water several times; if a temporary windbreak can be set up, so much the better, to create a humid microclimate and prevent a major outbreak of red spider mites.
3. For nearby flowers and other plants where red spider mites have occurred, control should be carried out early to prevent red spider mites from spreading to chrysanthemums.
4. When red spider mite numbers are low, a writing brush can be dipped in pesticide and used to paint them. Use 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate at 2000 times dilution, or 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate or 40% dicofol emulsifiable concentrate at 1500-2000 times dilution. When red spider mites occur in large numbers, the above solutions can be sprayed. Generally spray once every 7-10 days to kill newly hatched larvae. When spraying, be sure to spray the underside of the leaves; in particular, dicofol has no systemic action, and only acts as a contact poison when sprayed on the red spider mites and eggs.