Chrysanthemums

[Snadger]

Thanks nic...thats two books to drop hints for at Christmas...Moon gardening and Understanding Chrysanthemums. Just need a shed now with a pot bellied stove in it now so I can sit and read them in peace. Lol

[nick the grief]

If you do a google on potbellied stoves there used to be somewhere that told you how to make one out of an old car wheel & some other bits!! I used to work for a guy who had a smallholding (when I was at school) & he had a pot bellied stove in it.

It was brilliant on a cold frosty day to go in there for a sarnie & a cuppa to warm up! When his Gundogs or goats were expecting we used to sleep in there as he had two chaislonges !!!

[Snadger]

If you do a google on potbellied stoves there used to be somewhere that told you how to make one out of an old car wheel & some other bits!! I used to work for a guy who had a smallholding (when I was at school) & he had a pot bellied stove in it.

It was brilliant on a cold frosty day to go in there for a sarnie & a cuppa to warm up! When his Gundogs or goats were expecting we used to sleep in there as he had two chaislonges !!!

Tasted my first mussel on one on a frosty day many moons ago...put it on top of the hot stove, shell opened, juggled it in hands while adding vinegar. & salt...ahhhh! memorable moment. Never had mussels that wern't pickled before that...never had a pickled mussle since. Lol

[JennieAtkinson]

Thanks Nick for you answer to my question - been on holiday, so just now catching up.

My Chrysanthemums are SPECTACULAR!! They've been a bit wind ravaged these last couple of days, but I have four vases of flowers in the house at the moment, and lots more buds to come.

Another stupid question (SORRY!!) I thought I just dug the corm up and overwintered it - or am I confusing Chrysanths with Dahlias? Got some of them too. The Bishop of Landaff is just flowering. Again very pretty, but not as showy as the Chrysanthemums. Even OH thinks I should turn over the garden for more of them (and he has no interest in flowers at all!).

[nick the grief]

Yes to both JA.
Dahlias

The dahlia tubers you over winter somewhere frost free (unheated bedroom is good) then about january/febuary get them out of storage, cut out any diseased bits & set them in trays of Multi purpose compost some bottom heat & a light watering & they will start to shoot. You can either cut the tuber into portions with a shoot on each (dust with flowers of sulphur to make sure the wound doesn't get infected) or take cuttings.

Chrysanths

The Chrysanth stools you lift before the frosts get them, cut the tops back to about 8" or so,attch a label (either the same or the colour) & get rid of as much soil as possible ( you can even trim the long roots back if you want it won't hurt) then "pot" up in to seed trays with some multi purpose compost. around Christmas give them some bottom heat & a light misting of warm water a few times & the will trow new shoots from the base, it's these you take as cuttings.

[Snadger]

I grew a lot of chrysanths from cuttings at one time. All I did was dig up the 'stools' which are just the roots after cutting the stem to 4" or so.I kept as much soil on them as I could. I put them in wooden trays and with peat or old potting compost to keep them damp. Keep them in a frost free greenhouse and they form stolons and rysomes from the bottom which come up as new growth . When they are 3" long they can be severed and rooted as cuttings. You can get umpteen plants from one parent plant
You can do the same with Dahlias if you want a lot or just plant the tubers if you want a few.

There's probably a lot more to it, but this worked for me!

[Snadger]

Not bad from memory anyway!

Marks out of 10 Nic?

[nick the grief]

No Snadger, thats all you do. If you get rid of a smuch soils as possible you get rid of the pests aswell though. you can wash them in a 5% solution of bleach & water then rinse under a hose, this will kill nasties or about 1/2tsp ***** to a 2 gallon bucket of water that'll do the trick as well.

[Snadger]

I remember I was given about a dozen assorted chrysanths one year and finished up with about 200 chrysanths the following year! Very easy to do and very satisfying!

As an aside, my six shop bought chrysanths are still looking healthy in the lottie, but still no flowers and only about 2'0" high

I have put three canes around each and haven't done any more stopping, working on the assumption that sprays will flower quicker?

[JennieAtkinson]

Thanks Nick - printed and just about to be stuck in my notes book.

[martini]

Nick - I've grown dahlias before but have always chucked the tubers and gotten new one In your earlier post - what do you overwinter them in? Sand or peat or something? Thanks

[nick the grief]

Thanks Nick - printed and just about to be stuck in my notes book.

Would you like me to sign it

Nick - I've grown dahlias before but have always chucked the tubers and gotten new one In your earlier post - what do you overwinter them in? Sand or peat or something? Thanks

You don't need to store it in anything. When I was younger (before the advent of central heating) & lived with my mum & dad I used to lift them, wash in a weak Jeys solution & rinse well. then leave to dry in the front room on news paper then wrap them up in newspaper & put under my bed.

Unfotunately my wife doesn't appreciate this technique so I had to get two greenhouses instead You can just put them on the soil bed of the greenhouse (with a few slug pellets to be safe) & cover with a couple of old blankets if it's unheated to keep the frost out. then box them up in MP compost. or ytou can box them up from the start & keep them frost free.

I use the polystyrene boxes that fish comes in (from out local chippy) as it has 4 holes in it for drainage already then cover with a layer of fleece or two.

Hope this helps

[martini]

Thanks Nick - I'll never chuck another tuber now I know what to do with them. I'm definitey going to reserve a bed (or at least half of one) for them as I think they're lovely. I can remember pre central heating days too Ice on the insides of the windows and that many blankets and eiderdowns on the bed you were literally weighted down! When I tell my kids (both idle teenagers) how lucky they are to get up in the winter in a nice warm house, they say 'oh here we go again - the old days'

[Waffler]

I'm a bit worried about my chrysanths: I bought 2 pots from a reputable garden centre around a month or so back and have planted them in a bed. Having heard all your tales of monster plants I'm wondering whether mine a re a dwarf variety - they can only be about a foot high. They had loads of buds on when they were planted, then suddenly seem to have all gone over. Does this sound right??

[nick the grief]

For a guess Waffler I would say they were dwarf cushion mums they only grow about a foot tall or there abouts - If you could take a foto it would help.

Alternatively they could have been trated with a growth retardant ( there are a couple that are used Alar is one) & this will keep them Dwarfed. The early pot mums are a variety called Princess Anne ( and the different coloured sports) if this is grown normally it can make 6 foot easily! But they spray the cuttings with the dwarfing agent & sell them in pots

As to the lack of buds, if you bought it in bud/flower then it has probably been grown in a greenhouse & the move from pot to garden along with the change in temp could have made it drop it's buds ( its the plants built in survival mechanism. You can leave it in the garden & it will probably be OK over winter or you can lif it & treat it like a "normal" chrysanth & take cuttings in january/Febuary time.