Cutting and Plant Care

Planting your cuttings

Plant your cuttings (image above) as soon as they arrive.  

For best results, plant the cuttings in a 6-inch pot of good potting mix. Water and place the pots in a shaded area. Ensure the soil does not become dry. 

After 2 weeks, the cuttings should have grown, and they are now ready to be planted in a larger pot - 8, 10, or 12 inch pot, or into the ground. Water in well.  

Feed with slow-release fertiliser every 6 months. Chris uses a rose slow-release fertiliser. 

Chrysanthemums are most suited to full sun or part-shaded areas. 

Your chrysanthemums should flower from late April to late June of that season. 

Cutting Plants Down After Flowering 

After the chrysanthemum has finished blooming (late June), for best results, the plant should be cut down. 

Cut the main stem about 150mm above the ground using clean sharp secateurs, and cut the new growth (side shoots) coming from the ground back to 50mm  long. Sometimes the plant does not produce side shoots from the ground, and they will only come from the main stem - that is why it is good to leave the main stem long.    

Disbudding     

Disbudding involves removing the smaller, side flower buds along a stem, allowing only a single or few central buds to form flowers. This allows the plant to produce fewer larger, more higher quality blooms per stem, rather than several smaller ones. The side flower buds can be removed using a sharp blade or gently with your fingers.

For show purposes, disbud your plants as per the following depending on the chrysanthemum type:

Sections 1 & 2 - two laterals only 

Sections 3, 6 & 7 - four laterals only 

Sections 4, 5 & 10 - three laterals only  

Section 8 - ten laterals only