Indian Wildlife Club Ezine (July, 2005)

By the end of June or beginning of July when weather conditions become less harsh and some moisture comes into the atmosphere, chrysanthemums are propagated for the coming season.

How to prepare the pot

Take a large pot. Fill it with soil and soil conditioners. The top two inches should be filled with sand. Then water it. The soil conditioner should have one part bio-manure/cow-dung manure/farmyard compost, one part bone-meal, one part neem-cake. In a pot fill two part soil and one part soil conditioners.

How to prepare new plants

For making new plants two methods are followed—

• By root division – here root is divided and the plants are put directly in ten inch pots.
• By cuttings—in this method cuttings are taken from the softer part of the plants. It should be approximately 2.5inches in size. They should be dipped in the rooting chemical rootex No.2, which is used to develop root system in soft cutting, and put in the large pot which has been kept ready for the purpose.

Stake the pot on all sides and cover it with polythene from top and tie it. Keep it in filtered light. Remember that the pot should not get dry nor it should become slushy. It should remain moist. In two week’s time cuttings should be ready.

Ten-inch pots should be kept ready for plating the rooted plants. Once roots are developed take out the cuttings without damaging the roots and plat them in final pots and water them. For first few days keep the newly planted pots in filtered light slowly keep them in full sun.

When to look for buds

By mid October buds will appear. Start liquid feed once a week. When the buds show colour stop feeding them. As the plants grow stake them to keep the flower head erect and intact.

There are many varieties available in the market. Select according to your need and liking- large flower head or bedding varieties which can also be grown in pots as spray flowers.