I've always had a lot of success with growing the Chessington and World of Sport families, and once you got used to them they were easy to handle. I have grown both cultivars for many years. My garden is some 800 feet above sea level and with some varieties it is difficult to get them ready for the show season.

Propagation starts in December
Cuttings are taken by 15th December at the latest. I always use hormone rooting powder as it was the way I was taught and has become part of my cultural technique. The rooting medium is peat and filter sand. One batch only is rooted for each of these cultivars aiming for a flowering time of mid to late September. When I first started growing I used to lose up to 40% of my cuttings due to damping off. On introducing artificial grow strip lights to increase the daylength to some 12 hours the loss due to damping was eliminated. After rooting the cuttings are removed from the warming bed and put into trays and then on into tomato boxes at six per box. I use either John Innes base or Chempak potting mix. Plants are only watered when necessary.

Stopping
Each cultivar is stopped mid March and only the smallest growing tip is removed. I don't use growth retardant during the early part of the growing season.

Soil preparation
As I have a very light loam my soil preparation takes place in early spring by rotavating the top six inches. Occasional soil testing is done professionally. pH readings are taken regularly - I seldom need to adjust my pH. Base dressing is 4 oz per square yard of 7-7-7 Fish compound. Soil sterilisation is carried out when necessary using Basamid .

Planting out
Planting out takes place during the last week in May with normally a dozen plants of each cultivar gown. Plants are spaced 18" apart offset in double rows. I don't use my covers at this stage. I try to keep three laterals on all plants until buds are
secured when they are reduced to two. No feeding is carried out during the growing season.

Spraying is carried regularly - every two weeks using the usual insecticides and fungicides, e.g. Malathion, Tumblebug etc.

Securing buds
As bud securing time approaches the Chessingtons are sprayed with growth retardant on the top 12 inches of each lateral. This will normally be about 10 days before I expect to secure the bud and is a way of keeping the plants from getting a long neck below the bud. Side shoots are removed when it is safe to do so. There is no need for growth retardant with the World of Sports.

Overhead protection
Covers go up when bloom colour appears. Bagging starts with bud bags on both cultivars followed by the appropriate larger bag when the bud bag is filled with the developing bloom. Each large bag has a small piece of vapona fly killer inserted before the bag is inflated. Benlate is watered in during the flowing stage as this helps to keep away any damping of the blooms. Blooms frames are not used with these cultivars.

After the shows
In early October the stools are lifted, cleaning back green growth and trimming roots if necessary, sprayed with fungicide and boxed up using fresh compost. They are brought into the greenhouse at the beginning of November, put on the warming bed with the artificial ligh ts switched on to extend the daylight to 12 hours, hoping to produce cuttings for 15th December. I do not use hot water treatment but do like to dip the stools in a mixture of Jeyes Fluid.

If you would like further information or wish to comment on this publication please send your e-mail to: paul.barlow@chrysanthemums.info

Last updated on 20 December, 2001