The importance of good stock plants cannot be over stressed, it takes a minimum of two seasons to arrive at that enviable position. Healthy , vigorous 'bankers' require sharp observation at the point when the flower is cut for exhibition, and continual roguing to maintain a satisfactory standard.

With regard to intermediate/incurve cultivars which I consider are my first love, well grown they have good form and they do not require the same effort at dressing time when presenting for exhibition as do reflexing cultivars.

Treatment of stools
With Malcolm Perkins and Rachel Knowles, as I do with all my cultivars, I try to retain a minimum of six to eight healthy stock plants. At the end of the growing season, around 1st October, the stools are hot water treated using the standard method. This has been my practice for many years. This practice does of course retard by a couple of weeks the a v ailability of cuttings. However the stools do recover and good strong cuttings are produced. Prior to hot water treatment the stools are inspected for crown gall and any affected stools are destroyed. The two cultivars concerned are rarely affected by thi s problem. Stools are boxed into standard trays (9"x15"). I have used John Innes no 1 but recently I have been using Levington soilless potting compost.

The stools remain on the greenhouse bench until mid October, by this time there is evidence of coming into growth, bottom heat using a soil warming cable at a root temperature of 60F is then applied. Cuttings should be ready by 1st December.

Propagation
My objective with both cultivars is to obtain 2 batches of 14 cuttings, about 28 cuttings in total over a 14 day period. This number permits some final selection of 18 to 20 plants when planting out. I am not over concerned whether cuttings are basal or stem, however my preference would be for basal cuttings.

Twin, 8ft tubular lights are used over the propagating bench from November through to March producing a total of 12 hours light per day. No damping problems have been experienced with either of these cultivars. By the end of December the cuttings, which were rooted in 1 part loam, 1 part peat, 1 part sharp sand, are moved into 3.5" pots using a John Innes no 1 type compost of 6 parts loam, 3 parts peat, 2 parts vermiculite, 1 part rough gravel. A minimum air temperature of 40F is maintained at this time.

I am inclined to hold the plants in the 3 .5" pots for as long a period as I gauge they can stand, greenhouse space is at a premium at this time of year. They are then moved into 5.5" pots using John Innes no 2 with the same makeup as used in the earlier potting. I do this because using this part icular mix is likely to retain more moisture and generate greater root activity. At least that's my theory!

Ground preparation
Before the end of the year I rough dig the plot and being near the sea shore there is always a good supply of bladder-rack seaweed there for the taking. I alternate each year using seaweed and farmyard manure.

It has been my practice almost annually to obtain a professional soil analysis during the month of April. I should say that my personal experiences with obtaining soil a nalysis results is that they have not always been reliable so it is important to find a laboratory you are happy with. Fertiliser is always added as re commended by the soil analysis results.

The type of shelter I use has slip-in roof frames. These are in place prior to planting out as this aids the raising of the soil temperature and provides protection during the early stages of growth. They are then removed until approximately mid August when they are replaced until the end of September.

Planting out
Planting out takes place during the third week of May. Plants are spaced 18" apart in rows of three deep, 15" between rows. using 5ft above soil leve l plant supports. I am not a supporter of growth retardant materials. I try to grow as naturally as is practical for exhibition. I remove all but the two strongest and most uniform laterals and aim for consistency with at least ten other plants of the sam e cultivar. This gives me 20 laterals and hopefully optimises the possibility of 5 uniform blooms for exhibition.

Feeding
I have no fixed feeding programme during the growing season but depend on observation of the condition of the plant supported by the soil analysis report. Feeding is after all a matter of experience.

Securing buds and bloom protection
When buds appear I am often accused of 'digging in' in order to secure the bud. I carry out this exercise as soon as I consider it safe to do so, I feel it may even have a slight benefit in avoiding 'cocked neck' syndrome to some extent, although this is not really a problem with either Rachel Knowles or Malcolm Perkins. Rachel does however tend to split horizontally beneath the bud, obviously a weak ness in the makeup of the cultivar. I adopt a regular spraying programme through the growing season. I use a variety of proprietary brands of insecticides and fungicides on a 10 day cycle.

Bud bags are applied when the calyx splits, every bud having been thoroughly sprayed before the bag is applied. When the bag is almost filled it is removed, the flower inspected for any signs of infestation (rarely seen at this stage), re-sprayed and then re-bagged using 12"x13 " or 12"x15" single bags. Double bagg ing may be used depending on the time available, however I'm not convinced of the benefits of double bagging especially under covers.

Exhibition
Rachel Knowles is less problematic to obtain 5 similar blooms, although they may not be as attractive in col our and form as Malcolm Perkins. The difficulty with Malcolm is achieving 5 blooms of equal form and size - this is not easy without a fair number of blooms to choose from. Nevertheless I like him!

The stopping date for both culivars is 15th March. This should provide blooms for cutting from the 1st to the 3rd week of September. Both cultivars are treated in the same cultural manner. Of the two, Rachel is the most consistent with nearly all blooms exhibited, with Malcolm I expect show about two thirds.

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