I've always liked yellow incurves. My very first experience with showing chrysanths was with a Late medium incurve called Golden Lady when I won the novices section in Ellesmere Port and for me Cornetto, although classified intermediate, is only just short of being a good incurve. In the three years I've grown it it has proved to be very consistent. Blooms tend to be ready all at once which gives maximum choice at show time. Plants are short, around 3' 6" with good straight stems and healthy foliage. The bud clears the top leaves nicely to allow bagging without problems.

Propagation
This cultivar produces an abundance of good quality cuttings. I propagate in plug trays (40 cells per standard seed tray) using a soilless potting compost with added perlite. I also cover the top of the compost with perlite in the belief that this will reflect light back towards the plant. Cuttings are always snapped off the stools and are dipped in hormone rooting powder before inserting into the plug trays.

For the last fifteen years I have successfully used a soil warming cable to provide bottom heat but this year (1996) I decided to move with the times and buy a soil warming blanket. Success rate was similar to the cable but it's much more convenient. I also invested in two gro-lights this year and placed them about 24" above the propagator, using an electric timer to ensure 12 hours of light per day during January and February. I'm convinced that this had a beneficial effect on the quality of cuttings.

A word of warning however - with the blanket I found that the bottom half inch of compost dries out very quickly and this is not always apparent from the surface. To combat this I placed a layer of capillary matting below the trays and kept this moist.

Potting on
I use a 50/50 s compost/loam mixture for potting into 3.5" and 5" plastic pots. Water is withheld to the point where the plants begin to flag. Plants are sprayed with Alar while in the 3.5" pots, this is to produce a small stocky plant with closer leaf joints. I find this usually produces a more even batch of breaks after stopping, which takes place about mid April. Plants remain on the greenhouse staging until planting out.

Planting out
I grow Cornetto in the greenhouse from propagation to flowering. This is a method I have used for a number of years with a reasonable success rate. I also grow Gingernuts, Muriel Vipas, Wingfields this way as well as conventionally in the open bed. My greenhouse is laid out with a centre path which allows enough room for planting in domino fives on either side. Spacings are 14" between plants and rows. Ground preparation takes place quite late in the day - about two weeks before planting - and a base dressing of 4oz/yard of Vitax Q4 typically used. In 1996 I did have my soil a nalysed and have followed the analysis recommendations to correct a number of deficiencies.

Spraying programme
I use most proprietary insecticides and fungicides, using them alternately to hopefully reduce the build up of resistance to any particular one. I tend to spray when pests are seen during the early part of the season, adopting a more frequent spraying programme from about mid June onwards. It is also around mid June that I remove the top row of glass from both side of the greenhouse to allow greater air movement and prevent the house from overheating.

Feeding
I have always fed my plants. I begin in early June with Vitafeed 1.0.1 or 3.0.1 and feed weekly through bud securing until calyx split. I am hoping to provide sufficient nitrogen from bud initiation onwards.

Securing buds
I expect to be able to see buds around the last week in June/first week in July and have them secured by mid July for showing in the first two weeks of September. Side shoots are removed when about 1" long and are removed in twos over a period of several days. This cultivar does not have a problem with cocked buds.

Bagging
Buds will be sprayed several times before the calyx splits as it is my practice at this time, to go over the plot every other day with a small hand sprayer spraying all buds which are secured. By the time the bud bag is put on I am fairly confident that the buds are clean. No further spraying is carried out. In the past I have used 12"x13" bloom bags for this cultivar but this year (1996) will try a 12" x10" bag and perhaps sacrifice a little size for better form.

Exhibition
Cornetto is a fine flower with good straight stems which make staging easy. I cut blooms on a Thursday for a Saturday show and keep them in water in the garage until I leave for the show. I have not found it necessary to boil the stems of this cultivar. Because the blooms all seem to come together it is not usually a problem to find a matched set. There is one area where I would fault the flower and that is that it can be a bit lumpy and not be quite spherical in outline. I expect to cut and show around 75 % from this cultivar.

Boxing Stools
I lift the stools quite early - usually during October. Stools are trimmed into approximately 2" squares and boxed in fresh compost.  All green growth trimmed back at this time and the stools sprayed with insecticide. The compost is watered once to settle around the roots and then in early December they are soaked through and placed on the propagator to produce cuttings for January.

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

Llast updated on 20 December, 2001