Garden pyrethrum, chryzantema — Chrysanthemum morifolium
Garden chrysanthemum is characterized by a branched stiff stem, often lignified at the bottom. Petal leaves, narrowly or broadly ovate in outline, pinnate, they are more or less leathery, the upper ones usually have the entire edge. Flower baskets are gathered in umbels, less often embedded singly. Due to the size of the flower baskets, we can distinguish large-flowered gilding (with a diameter of over 10 cm) and small-flowered (with a diameter from 2 do 6 cm). In addition, there may be single gilding, when marginal flowers are lamellar in the basket, and the middle tubular or full gilt - when the basket contains mainly ligament flowers or tubular flowers, they are more strongly developed and colored in the same way as ligular flowers.
Large-flowered gilt-baskets with full baskets are most often grown as cut flowers, tinted white (e.g. ,,Fred Shoesmith” „Mefo”), yellow („Connie Mayhew”, „Golden Balcombe Perfection”, „Golden Fred Shoesmith”), brownish yellow („Balcombe Perfection”), pink ("Bernea", „Mayford Crimson”), purple red („Crimson Robe”) and purple („Dark Orchid Queen”).
Selection of mother plants. We propagate chrysanthemum by cuttings. During flowering, we choose mother plants; they should be highly developed specimens, with well-developed flowers, healthy, typical of the variety. We mark them with labels with the name of the variety. After cutting the flowers, the pots are placed on the tables in a cold greenhouse with a temperature of 3-5 °. We water them poorly, approximately every 10-14 days. Keeping plants under tables is not recommended, because plants are easily infected by pathogens and produce weak shoots. 4-6 weeks before the start of planting, the temperature should be increased to 3-12 °. On sunny days, the greenhouse should be aired.
Preparation of seedlings. The time of preparing the seedlings depends on the variety and on it, how many shoots will be carried out. Overall you can say, that early varieties are planted in February and in the first half of March, medium early from mid-March to mid-April, later from April to the first days of May. You should remember this, that if the plants are to be carried on 3 or 5 shoots, then the seedlings should be prepared 2 or 4 weeks earlier than these, which will be conducted on 1 momentum. Both butt and stem shoots are suitable for seedlings, as long as they weren't run out, but stocky and well developed. The seedlings should be approx 5 cm. If there are few of them, put them in boxes, if a lot - right on the tables. From April, it is also possible to plant in frames.
As a substrate for seedlings is used 3 cm layer of peat mixed with 2 parts of coarse sand. It is recommended to add a 4-5 cm layer of frame soil under this mixture, from which plants will be able to absorb nutrients immediately after rooting. The seedlings are placed shallowly, 4X5 cm apart, then waters through a dense strainer. They are sprayed daily in the morning and at noon, it shades on sunny days and offers air from the moment, when they begin to take root.
The temperature is kept between 14 ° and 16 °. They take root after 2.5-3 weeks.
Growing rooted plants. Rooted gilding is planted in pots with a diameter 8-9 cm, removing 2-3 lower leaves, which are often the habitat of nematodes and fungal diseases. A mixture of 2 parts of the frame land, 1 parts of peat and 1 parts of sand.
If the plants are to be carried out on several shoots, we pinch off the main shoot when it reaches 15-20 cm in height. As a result of this treatment, shoots grow out of the leaf axils, from which it is left 3 or 5 the strongest. This operation should be performed by the end of May at the latest. In the leaf axils of growing shoots (or shoot, if the plants are run as single shoots) side shoots appear, which should be broken out, while they are still quite small, preferably in the morning and on a cloudy day.
The course of further cultivation will depend on the method of production chosen, there are several methods (e.g. growing all the time in the greenhouse, semi-ground cultivation, partially in a greenhouse, etc.), the choice of which usually depends on the capacity of the farm.