Evergreen Chrysanthemum Association

HAPPY SPRING, HAPPY FLOWERS

MEETING OF THE ECA – THURSDAY MAY 10th, 2007 at 7 PM at the Seattle Police Athletic Association Office (SPAA) site at 11030 East Marginal Way South, Tukwila.

TELEPHONE COMMITTEE MEMBERS call your lists early in the week of May 2 as your calls do help to increase attendance.

YEARBOOKS – The 2006 ECA Yearbooks have been distributed by mail to those members that did not attend the April meeting.

PLANT CULTURE and SUPPLIES –Cultural suggestions are attached for May and will be discussed at the meeting.

Supplies available:

Contact Don Stark for soilless and supplies needed.

New and new slightly flawed clay pots are available at good wholesale prices from Washington Pottery near South Center. Washington Pottery is at 18815 – 72nd Ave. South in Kent.

NEW MEMBERS –. The ECA welcome’s our new members.
Novices take your Coach’s recommendations.
Pinch Date Lists were distributed at the April meeting and are available. (See Don Stark)

APPRECIATION – ECA appreciates all the work Joe Pettigrew has done in the preparation of the 2006 ECA yearbook, they look great.

ANNOUCEMENT

Please let us know if you are interested in having your chrysanthemums viewed during our annual
August garden tour. We need 3 or 4 hosts. Thank you

Tacoma Chrysanthemum Society - Plant Sale Saturday, May 5th, 2007 9-2 pm 4101 E. 72nd St., Tacoma WA Chrysanthemum Plants, Potted Perennials

If you prefer to receive future monthly notices by email only rather than US mail.

MEETING OF THE ECA – THURSDAY June 14, 2007 at 7 PM at the Seattle Police Athletic Association Office (SPAA) site at 11030 East Marginal Way South, Tukwila.

TELEPHONE COMMITTEE MEMBERS - Contact your lists early in June as your calls do help to increase attendance.
Looking forward to seeing all of you at the meeting

YEARBOOKS – The 2007 ECA Yearbooks have been distributed. Notify the secretary if you did not receive your yearbook.

CLUB SHIRTS: We still have polo shirts left, $12.00 each: 5 Large (42-44) & Medium (38-40).

SUNSHINE: If anyone has “Sunshine” to report, please let Claudia Attebery know and she will send a card.

GARDEN TOUR: Claudia is looking for one willing participant to open their yard for viewing, we already have three volunteers, and one of them has offered to host the picnic. Last year’s tour will be hard to top & lets hope for wonderful sunshine again.

Koji Norikane will be celebrating his 93rd on June 1st, 2007. He has been married to his wife Mary, 65 years. Don Stark and Bob Ewing gave Koji 20 chrysanthemum plants to help replace the ones lost last winter.

In the latest issue of NEWS FROM KING’S MUMS, Ted King announces he will be retiring. He says “sadly, I have reached that point in life (age 87) when I must consider retirement.”

Follow-up on “Messenger”

(From News from King’s Mums) We have been using Messenger for four years now. We have found that in addition to increasing growth and general health, we have been able to reduce the amount of fertilizer needed by half. Messenger is applied with our soluble fertilizer at a rate of approx. 2 oz. To 50 gallons in 25 pounds of 20-9-20 concentrate fertilizer. This is then diluted at 100-1 through our injector system. This then becomes only a very trace amount of Messenger. All plants become more efficient in their use of nutrients with traces of Messenger.

PLANT CULTURE and SUPPLIES – Be sure to have soilless available for your top-dressing needs later this summer. Preorder soilless mix, by contacting Don Stark for pick up at the meeting.
Supplies available:
Soilless Potting mix (preorder to assure availability)
Pumice
Mid Season Mum fertilizer (20-10-20)
Marathon Systemic Insecticide for aphid control
Twistems

Cultural recommendations for June are similar to May and will be discussed at the meeting.

If you prefer to receive future monthly notices by email only rather than US mail, please send an email to aldrich2@msn.com.

“TO DO LIST” for May and June (revised DRS 4/25/05)

Stopping:
Most plants are stopped April 15 through June 1, including the Early English classes. Keep your stop list handy and follow it rigorously. The calendar doesn’t move backwards. For #1 and #2 varieties the English literature recommends a fairly hard pinch; that is pinching 6-8 leafs down from the growing tip. For the incurves, #3, #13, #23 pinch the smallest portion of the growing tip to get more uniform growth of the laterals. For all varieties, fertilize 1-2 weeks before pinching to produce more laterals. This is especially true for the Fairweathers.

Final Potting into 8”, 9” or 10” pots. (Or maybe in the garden soil)
Preparation
Wash pots (in mild Clorox solution) then rinse in clear water.
Prepare potting mix. - Soil less users, add another 5-10% of screened pumice or Perlite to improve drainage. Also at this final stage, I recommend adding Cedar Grove compost or other fresh compost and a small amount of well-composted horse manure. This results in a mix of 6 parts M&R soil less, 4 parts compost, 1 part pumice, and small amounts of horse manure and Alfalfa meal.
Water plants in the 6” pots 1 day before repotting.
Potting (Pot on when the ring of roots around the bottom of the pot is semi root bound.)
Cover drain holes in bottom of clay pots with a piece of broken crock to keep drain clear
Put a layer of broken sod or course pumice in the bottom of pot, then cover with 1 or 2 inches of the final (9”) mix.
Place the 6” root ball on top of the 9” mix and fill around with the 9” mix. The top of the root ball should be 1+ inches below the top of the pot.
Do not pack the mix except as necessary to hold the plant and stake in place. Stake with shingle or bamboo stick.
Add Marathon Systemic at this time to control black aphids. Sprinkle ½ tspn. Marathon on top of the potted plant, add a thin layer of mix over the top, then water moderately.

Note: When potting on occurs after June 1, consider dropping down one pot size pot because the roots will not have time to fill the bigger pots. # 1 & #2 cultivars, 9” max, 8” could be used. #3s, 8” max.

Feeding and pest management
After 3 weeks in final pot start summer feeding program.
1 to 2 Tsp. Peters 20-10-20 per gallon water, once a week.
Some plants will thrive with the heavier solution, while others may not like so much fertilizer. Watch the leaves to gauge the fertilizer needed. If leaves become hard and curl up you are overfeeding. If leaves were somewhat weak and lighter green then more fertilizer would help.
Miracle Grow is also used quite successfully by some during this summer stage.

If plants are yellowish, first try drying them out. If drying the plant is unsuccessful, feed ½ tsp. Epsom Salts per plant. Leaf feeding of liquid iron such as Greenall or Sequesterine also helps green up the plant. Follow product directions. Do not over feed Liquid Iron.
Review your pest management program every 2 weeks,
Marathon systemic is the most effective black aphid control.
Diazinon, Black Leaf 40 if available, and most rose insecticides are somewhat less effective, and require spraying every 2 weeks, as they are contact insecticides.
Spray every two weeks with a fungicide. Ortho Funginex
is recommended. Other fungicides will work well if used regularly. If fungus gets away and is growing fast, a fungicide used to control early blight in tomatoes will really shut it down. I use Monterey “Bravo” for such control.

Lateral Control
As side laterals develop after the final pinch, select the number of lateral to carry through the summer and remove all other side shoots. Generally the topmost lateral below the stem break is removed, as it is the weakest lateral structurally and easily broken off by accident. At this early stage you should carry 1-2 more lateral than you want at the bloom stage. An old saying goes: “I grow 2 for me and one for the bug.” Surplus laterals are removed later in the summer using the following guide.
For #1 & #2 cultivars, carry 2 or 3 laterals initially, cull to 1 or 2 in Aug.
For #3 cultivars, carry 5 laterals and cull Sept. or Oct.
For #4 & b#5 cultivars, carry 4 to 5 laterals and cull to 2 to 3 in Sept.
For Earlies (13-15 and 23-25) carry 4-5 laterals and cull to 2-3 in Sept.
For Spiders, Quills, Spoons, Singles etc. follow the guide for #4 and #5.
Note: Cutting back to the few laterals seems to be a most difficult task for the
Novice. You must do it however if you wish to get large blooms.
Staking.
By now all plants will require staking. A 16-24 in stake should be placed along the main plant stem and tied to it to support and protect the plant. As the side laterals develop it will be necessary to add longer stakes that can support each lateral all the way to bud development. Care must be exercised so as to not spread the new laterals too far apart when staking, as one or more could be broken off. In other words let the laterals grow till they can be easily tied to the new stakes.

Know Your Nitrogen (John Harden supplied following in the newsletter for thought and discussion)
If you are growing in soilless mixes, it's important to note the nitrogen source in your fertilizer. Several recent studies show that soft, weak growth, chlorosis and leaf burn, and poor flowering are due to an excess of ammonium nitrogen. Many fertilizers contain more ammonium nitrogen than nitrate nitrogen: a 20-20-20 formula, for example, has 3.96% ammonium nitrogen, 10.43% urea nitrogen and 5.61% nitrate nitrogen. Since urea hydrolizes to ammonia, the total amount of ammonium nitrogen is 14.39%.Soil contains microorganisms which convert ammonium to nitrate, soilless mixes do not. This is a good reason to include soil as 20% or more of a mix. But, if you use a totally soilless mix, avoid fertilizers that have ammonium sulfate, urea or di-ammonium phosphate as their main nitrogen source. Look for those that contain calcium nitrate or sodium nitrate, or at least ammonium nitrate that is half ammonium and half nitrate.Reprinted from the Avant Gardner, New York.

EVERGREEN CHRYSANTHEMUM ASSOCIATION
Seattle, Washington
ECAmumclub.org

Jill Aldrich, Secretary

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

MEETING OF THE ECA – THURSDAY JULY 12, 2007 at 7 PM at the Seattle Police Athletic Association Office (SPAA) site at 11030 East Marginal Way South, Tukwila.

TELEPHONE COMMITTEE MEMBERS call your lists early as your calls do help to increase attendance.

2007 GARDEN TOUR – The annual ECA garden tour and Picnic is scheduled for Sunday August 19th. The 2007 garden tour will be in the South end and will finish with a picnic at Don and Jane Stark’s home.. Picnic is Pot Luck and at the July meeting, there will be a sign up sheet provided. Club members will finalize any outstanding issues, details and directions for the upcoming event.

HIGHLIGHTS: By Bob Ewing,
MESSENGER: Messenger is not a fertilizer or pesticide. But it will help protect your plants from harmful pathogens through growth and stress-defense responses. I have been using it every 2-3 weeks for several years on a variety of plants. Overall I have noticed more fruit on the tomatoes. Improved leaf and bloom quality, greater root mass. I have experienced earlier blooms and more robust plants. One packet will supply a gallon of spray. Messenger is non-toxic and can be applied to fruit even on day of harvest. The American Rose Society and the National Chrysanthemum Society have endorsed it as a product that will improve the vigor of these plants. Our club is offering it at a price of $2.00 a package, a bargain price for keeping your garden healthy.

SUPPLIES – Club supplies will be available at the July meeting. Please place supply orders early (at least two or three days prior to meeting) with Don Stark. Messenger packets will be available for $2.00. . Chrysanthemum care recommendations are attached for July and August.

MEMBER NEWS – Congratulations to Don Slaughter who just celebrated his 92nd Birthday and is an active member still growing Chrysanthemums. Best Wishes from all of us.
Congratulations to Bob and Laureen Walker who is celebrating their 57th Wedding Anniversary on July 15th, Congratulations to you both.

As a reminder, please send any email address or postal address changes to Jill Aldrich.. To receive future monthly notices by email only rather than US mail.

JULY TO DO LIST – Revised July 2005 by Don Stark and Bob Walker

Staking and Lateral Control

• Surplus laterals should have been removed by now. At this stage of the growing cycle carry one more lateral than planned to carry at the bloom stage for large and medium exhibition (#1 and #2). For incurves, 4’s, and 5’s, carry up to five laterals. This provides extras in the event of bug damage or accidents. Within 3 - 4 weeks after the buds are formed, cut down to the final lateral count.
• Surplus laterals are culled using the following guide noting that the incurves (#3) do not get the final cull until September.
• For #1 and #2 cultivars, carry 2 or 3 laterals, cull to 1 or 2.
• For #3 cultivars, carry up to 5 laterals, cull to 3 in Sept.
• For #4 and #5 cultivars, carry up to 5 laterals, cull to 3-4.
• For earlies (#13-15 and #23-25), observe last number (Example for #13 and #23, use the #3 guide and for #14, #15, #24, or #25 use #4 and #5 guide).
• For the spiders, quills, and spoons (per mr), follow the guide for the #4 and #5.
• Continue disbudding the remaining laterals to channel growth to the main lateral.

All present laterals saved should now be individually staked. Use stakes ripped from nominal one-inch lumber, which are ½ inch wide
(5/8” x ½”). These stakes look better and do not rot if you paint or stain them green. Stake length ranges from 3-6 feet, with the majority
feet. Another much more costly alternative is to purchase the green fiberglass stakes also available in 3-6 foot length at local stores.
Finally, heavy (Big) 4 FT. and 5 Ft. bamboo stakes can be used effectively.

• Fasten the laterals to the stakes with “twist’ems”, 2-4 per lateral. If the laterals are not staked or otherwise supported, they break off with rain or breeze and also grow crooked, making the resulting bloom difficult or impossible to enter in shows.

Taking the buds

• Most buds are formed from late July to the end of August
• Watch for the buds to form and as soon as the bud is the size of a pea start removing the ring of little side buds that form just below and around the main bud. This is called “Taking the Bud” which in reality is leaving the main bud and removing all the next layer of buds. A light push sidewise with the thumb will break away the small buds you are removing.
• Keep those side laterals removed as they reform on the main stem after taking the bud
• Get strips of wood 16-18 inches long and 3/8” wide made from shingles, shakes, or ¼” plywood. Stain them green. These are used to support each bloom and are secured with two “twist’ems”. Place them on the bud/lateral as the bud over-grows the stakes to protect the lateral and bud, to keep the lateral growing straight, to support the bloom, and keep the bud horizontal. A “cocked” bloom will never win a blue ribbon.

Feeding & Top-Dressing

• Keep feeding! Keep feeding! The club sells Peters 20-10-20 and Technigrow 20-9-20+ (The plus is for added sulfur for greening) water-soluble fertilizer at our meetings. Either of these, or standard Miracle grow are excellent mid season fertilizers.
• Standard dosage for all is 1 tsp per Gal. Of water, fed once per week. If you feed with every watering, you may cut the dosage in half. It is common to increase the dosage (up to double the rate) for some blooms during July and August. Heavy feeders include Gigantics, Jessies, Connies, Seychelles and Ralph Lambert. On the other side, most reds, most purples and most incurves require a lighter feeding level such as 2/3 the standard dosage, or in the case of incurves, grow lots of laterals to absorb the heavier feeding.
• Some growers like to add a little granular rose fertilizer such as Agro 4-10-8. However keep in mind that it is easy to overfeed so be prudent. Watch and feel the leaves. They’ll tell you when you are over feeding.
• Feeding should be continued right up to the bud formation to get that added surge of nitrogen into the bud. Then cut feed in half or discontinued for 1-2 weeks after the bud has formed. Then resume feeding at a reduced rate, Some switch to a high Potash fertilizer (15-11-29). Others continue with the mid season fertilizer and add some murate of potash to harden off the plants.
• Some plants may tend to be yellowish instead of green (Jessie Habgoods, Dules, Lundies and Connies for instance). If you have yellow plants first try drying them out with less water. If unsuccessful feed ½ to 1 tsp Epsom salts per plant. Leaf feeding with liquid iron such as Greenall or Sequesterine also helps green up the foliage. Follow product directions, do not over feed the iron.
• If plants are yellow, first try drying them out. If unsuccessful, feed ½ teaspoon Epsom salts per plant. Leaf feeding of liquid iron such as Greenall or Sequesterine also helps green up leaves. Follow product directions, do not overfeed liquid iron.
• Water thoroughly when you water but don’t water until the plant needs watering. Jessies and Dukes generally require less water than most so don’t water them just because your passing by with the hose. On the other side, the Gigantics and Pat Brophy need more frequent watering. Above all, don’t over water. You can let the plants flag a little before rewatering.

Top Dressing
Top dress the pots in late July to early August, and again when the buds show color (around Sept 1-15) Spread 1-2 handful of your
final potting mix or the soil less mix each time. This gives the roots a better growing environment.

Pest Management

• Continue to review your pest management program every two weeks. Have plants free of aphids and fungus before the blooms are set to open. Aphids in blooms are unsightly and can be cause for disqualification at shows.
• Marathon Systemic Insecticide is applied once per growing season to each pot at a rate of ½ teaspoon per pot to control aphids (particularly black aphids). A second application can be used if needed. Some other bugs such as leafhoppers and ear wigs need to be picked off the plants or they will ruin the bud/bloom.
• Spray every two weeks with a fungicide or an insecticide/fungicide, mostly on the older bottom leaves. Pick off damaged and dead leaves to reduce the sources of fungus.
• For fungicide, Ortho Funginex or Funginil work well but are hard to find as they have been pulled from the wholesale market.
• A very good replacement fungicide is the Ferti.lome broad spectrum liquid fungicide. It contains Daconil. Also the Shultz Garden safe fungicide should work well as it is essentially the same as the Ferti.lome.
• Insecticides that are effective historically for black aphids include Liquid Diazinon and Nicotine Sulphate (Black Leaf 40), if available. Malathion can be sprayed for green aphids; however, it is not effective on black aphids.

AUGUST TO DO LIST – Revised July 2005 by Don Stark and Bob Walker

August is a major growing month. Continue with the watering, feeding, and pest control programs noted in the July newsletter. l The appearance of bud color, especially for the early cultivars, signals a shift to the late season feeding program. Flush the pots at least once during the month to reduce the accumulation of fertilizer salts in the pot. Disbudding is the primary cultural activity for the first half of August. Stake and reduce the number of laterals as the buds appear and are secured. Experience suggests there is no way to get too much support for laterals and blooms. Top-dress the plants with fresh potting mix to assure maximum plant growth now and new shoots for next season.

1. Staking and Lateral Control

• Surplus laterals are removed as the buds are firmly established for all varieties with the exception of incurves (classes 3, 13, and 23) and some intermediate types (classes 5, 15, and 25), which are culled in early September. With 2 ½ months until the ECA show, it may be conservative to wait a few more weeks for the final reduction in the event of bug damage, wind, or accidents.
• Reduce the number of laterals to the final count as listed below. For early varieties follow last number, ex. #14 and #24 use #4.
• For #1 and #2 cultivars, carry 1 or 2 laterals.
• For #3 cultivars, carry up to 5 laterals, cull to 3 in Sept.
• For #4 cultivars, carry 2 or 3 laterals.
• For #5 cultivars, carry 2 to 5 laterals.

• All laterals should be individually staked Fasten the laterals with “twist’ems”. If the laterals are not staked or otherwise supported, they break off with rain or breeze and also grow crooked, making the resulting bloom difficult or impossible to enter in shows.

2. Blooms and Bloom Support

• Watch for buds and secure them as they appear. Most buds appear by August 15. Look for “rabbit-ear” leaves below the bud and laterals forming at leaf axils. As the bud reaches about ¼ inch, or the size of a small pea, it should be secured by removing the ring of side buds and the other side shoots that may appear in the leaf axils below. Keep those new laterals removed. This grooming of the selected laterals will require regular and sometimes daily attention.
• Prepare strips of wood 16-18 inches long and 3/8” wide made from shingles, shakes, or ¼” plywood. Stain them green preferably. These are used to support each bloom and are secured with two “twist’ems”. Place them on the bud/lateral as the bud over-grows the stakes to protect the lateral and bud, to keep the lateral growing straight, to support the bloom, and keep the bud horizontal. A “cocked” bloom will never win a blue ribbon.

3. Feeding & Top-Dressing

• Top-dress the pots in early August and again when the buds show color, about September 1-15. Put about 1 handful of compost or Soil less mix on the surface of the pot and level it each time you top-dress.
• Water thoroughly when you water and then almost dry out the plant before watering again. If plants are yellow, first try drying them out. If drying out fails, feed ½ teaspoon Epsom salts per plant or carefully use of one of the liquid iron solutions.
• Continue fertilizing until buds appear with the mid season fertilizer program as described in the July to-do list.
• Flush the pots once per month to prevent fertilizer salts build-up.
• The appearance of the bud especially for the early cultivars, also signals a shift to the late season feeding program. When the buds appear, stop or reduce feeding ½ strength for 1-2 weeks and water the plants more sparingly. At this stage it’s time to change the feeding program to a late season fertilizer. Either switch to a high potash fertilizer (15-11-29) or continue with the 20-10-20/20-9-20+ fertilizer and add approximately15 % by volume of Murate of Potash. In either case continue to fertilize at ½ to 2/3tsp per gal of water.

4. Pest Management and Housing

• Review your pest management program every two weeks and correct as necessary. Have your plants free of aphids and fungus before the blooms are set to open. Aphids in blooms are cause for disqualification at shows.
• Spray every two weeks with a fungicide or an insecticide/fungicide if not using Marathon as an insecticide.
• Watch for and destroy earwigs. They wreck blooms when they get inside.

• Finally, anticipate your housing needs and start preparations to get your show flowers under cover by the first or second week of September.

Don Stark, 4 July 2005

EVERGREEN CHRYSANTHEMUM ASSOCIATION
Seattle, Washington
ECAmumclub.org

Jill Aldrich, Secretary

MEETING OF THE ECA – MEETING WILL BE HELD AT DON STARK’S HOME AS PART OF OUR ANNUAL GARDEN TOUR AND POT LUCK PICNIC, SUNDAY AUGUST 19TH, 2007.

TELEPHONE COMMITTEE MEMBERS call your lists early as your calls do help to increase attendance. Please ask if they our attending the garden tour and pot luck picnic and confirm what they will bring to the Pot Luck Picnic and give a count of members attending and dishes they will bring to Claudia Attebery, social chairman. Thanks

2007 GARDEN TOUR – The annual ECA garden tour and Picnic is scheduled for Sunday August 19th. The 2007 garden tour will be in the South end and will finish with a picnic at Don and Jane Stark’s home. Picnic is Pot Luck and at the July meeting, there was a sign up sheet provided. (A copy of the sign up sheet from the July meeting is included with this newsletter) Club members can still sign up and attend. Directions for the upcoming event are attached. Members can also call Claudia Attebery to confirm what dish they will be bringing to the Picnic.

For those going on the garden tour, we will meet at VALLEY RIDGE PARK, right next to TYEE HIGH SCHOOL at 188th and 46th Ave. South. The tour/ Caravan will be leaving at 9:00am sharp. Scheduled stops for the tour include the homes of and Bob and Mary Lou Ewing, Richard and Jill Aldrich, Ron and Sue Elliott and lastly, Don and Jane Stark’s home for our Annual Pot Luck Picnic. Tour order and maps for the tour destinations will be provided at the meeting place, Tyee High School on 188th. The tour will proceed as a caravan from there.

 Meet at VALLEY RIDGE PARK (NEXT TO TYEE HIGH, WA 188TH and 46th Ave. S. at 9:00am.
First Stop, Bob and Mary Lou Ewing. Here we will enjoy the Ewing’s beautiful garden and see his MUMS and enjoy refreshments. Next will we continue to Richard and Jill Aldrich’s Mums and garden. We will proceed to Ron and Sue Elliott’s garden for a tour of their yard and Mum’s. We will then proceed to Don and Jane Stark’s beautiful garden where we will enjoy his Mums and also have our annual Pot Luck Picnic. Members who cannot make the tour may proceed directly to Don and Jane Stark’s.

Members should receive a call from the Club’s telephone tree committee this week to determine an estimated head count of those planning to attend and their potluck contribution (hot dish, salad, or desert) to assist the picnic planners.

LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING EVERYONE AT THE PICNIC

PLANT CULTURE and SUPPLIES: - Place orders for specific items with Don Stark. Cultural recommendations are attached for August and September. It is time to consider your sheltering options for September as we move to the latter part of the growing season.

Happy 51st Anniversary to Bob and Mary Lou Ewing. August 4th CONGRATULATONS

EVENTS:

Aki Matsuri:
The 2007 Aki Matsuri will be held Saturday, Sept. 8th & Sunday the 9th.
I-5 on the Bellevue Community College’s main campus, Admission & Parking are FREE. E-mail www.enma.org. Tom & Katsuko Brooke.

Puyallup Fair:
First Show Friday, September 7th, second show is Saturday September 15th, 2007 additional information will be available at the Pot Luck Picnic or call Mark Ross.

As a reminder, please send any email address or postal address changes to Jill Aldrich. To receive future monthly notices by email only rather than US mail, please send an email to Jill.


AUGUST TO DO LIST – Revised July 2005 by Don Stark and Bob Walker

August is a major growing month. Continue with the watering, feeding, and pest control programs noted in the July newsletter. l The appearance of bud color, especially for the early cultivars, signals a shift to the late season feeding program. Flush the pots at least once during the month to reduce the accumulation of fertilizer salts in the pot. Disbudding is the primary cultural activity for the first half of August. Stake and reduce the number of laterals as the buds appear and are secured. Experience suggests there is no way to get too much support for laterals and blooms. Top-dress the plants with fresh potting mix to assure maximum plant growth now and new shoots for next season.

Staking and Lateral Control

Surplus laterals are removed as the buds are firmly established for all varieties with the exception of incurves (classes 3, 13, and 23) and some intermediate types (classes 5, 15, and 25), which are culled in early September. With 2 ½ months until the ECA show, it may be conservative to wait a few more weeks for the final reduction in the event of bug damage, wind, or accidents.
Reduce the number of laterals to the final count as listed below. For early varieties follow last number, ex. #14 and #24 use #4.
For #1 and #2 cultivars, carry 1 or 2 laterals.
For #3 cultivars, carry up to 5 laterals, cull to 3 in Sept.
For #4 cultivars, carry 2 or 3 laterals.
For #5 cultivars, carry 2 to 5 laterals.

All laterals should be individually staked Fasten the laterals with “twist’ems”. If the laterals are not staked or otherwise supported, they break off with rain or breeze and also grow crooked, making the resulting bloom difficult or impossible to enter in shows.

Blooms and Bloom Support

 Watch for buds and secure them as they appear. Most buds appear by August 15. Look for “rabbit-ear” leaves below the bud and laterals forming at leaf axils. As the bud reaches about ¼ inch, or the size of a small pea, it should be secured by removing the ring of side buds and the other side shoots that may appear in the leaf axils below. Keep those new laterals removed. This grooming of the selected laterals will require regular and sometimes daily attention.
Prepare strips of wood 16-18 inches long and 3/8” wide made from shingles, shakes, or ¼” plywood. Stain them green preferably. These are used to support each bloom and are secured with two “twist’ems”. Place them on the bud/lateral as the bud over-grows the stakes to protect the lateral and bud, to keep the lateral growing straight, to support the bloom, and keep the bud horizontal. A “cocked” bloom will never win a blue ribbon.

Feeding & Top-Dressing

Top-dress the pots in early August and again when the buds show color, about September 1-15. Put about 1 handful of compost or Soil less mix on the surface of the pot and level it each time you top-dress.
Water thoroughly when you water and then almost dry out the plant before watering again. If plants are yellow, first try drying them out. If drying out fails, feed ½ teaspoon Epsom salts per plant or carefully use of one of the liquid iron solutions.
Continue fertilizing until buds appear with the mid season fertilizer program as described in the July to-do list.
Flush the pots once per month to prevent fertilizer salts build-up.
The appearance of the bud especially for the early cultivars, also signals a shift to the late season feeding program. When the buds appear, stop or reduce feeding ½ strength for 1-2 weeks and water the plants more sparingly. At this stage it’s time to change the feeding program to a late season fertilizer. Either switch to a high potash fertilizer (15-11-29) or continue with the 20-10-20/20-9-20+ fertilizer and add approximately15 % by volume of Murate of Potash. In either case continue to fertilize at ½ to 2/3tsp per gal of water.

Pest Management and Housing

Review your pest management program every two weeks and correct as necessary. Have your plants free of aphids and fungus before the blooms are set to open. Aphids in blooms are cause for disqualification at shows.
Spray every two weeks with a fungicide or an insecticide/fungicide if not using Marathon as an insecticide.
Watch for and destroy earwigs. They wreck blooms when they get inside.

Finally, anticipate your housing needs and start preparations to get your show flowers under cover by the first or second week of September.

EVERGREEN CHRYSANTHEMUM ASSOCIATION
Seattle, Washington
ECAmumclub.org

Jill Aldrich, Secretary

MEETING OF THE ECA – THURSDAY September 13, 2007 at 7 PM at the Seattle Police Athletic Association Office (SPAA) site at 11030 East Marginal Way South, Tukwila.

TELEPHONE COMMITTEE MEMBERS call your lists early as your calls do help to increase attendance.
ANNUAL GARDEN TOUR - The annual garden tour and picnic was Sunday August 19th the tour viewed a variety of gardens with many Chrysanthemums. It was rainy at times, but it all worked out. The tour visited the gardens of Bob and Mary Lou Ewing (who supplied refreshments to help us wake up) Many Thanks also to Jill and Richard Aldrich, Ron and Sue Elliott, and the tour concluded with a potluck picnic at Don and Jane Stark’s Home. It was a great picnic; Thanks to all of you bringing such delicious dishes for everyone to enjoy. We had 24 members in attendance. Don Stark commented on plant quality of the gardens on the tour. Thanks to, Steve Backstrom for the driving directions and maps to get us from place to place. President Mark Ross lead a very brief meeting after the picnic.

Special Thanks to the members who opened their gardens for us to tour, it was a pleasure. Special Thanks to Jane and Don Stark for Hosting the Picnic. Special thanks to Claudia Attebery who called and coordinated with Jane Stark the attendance and menu we all enjoyed. I would like to also express Our Thanks to Darlene Shimizu for coordinating the telephone tree helpers and notifying members of the events; this contributed to our great turn out for the garden tour and picnic. Many Thanks to all the great cooks.

For those who already have mature blooms, consider entering them in the Puyallup Fair either September 7th or September 15th. For information about the fair, go to www.thefair.com on the internet. Select Entries and Floral and the Chrysanthemum section to obtain the Puyallup Fair Show Schedule for both fair shows. Those exhibiting at the fair get free admittance to the fair for the day.

Heinz Pieniak has a variety of chrysanthemum growing supplies he wants to disburse pending their future move. For anyone interested, contact Heinz.

SEPTEMBER MEETING: This is a very important meeting as we begin to prepare for our annual show October 27th and 28th (Set-up Wed. Oct. 24th). Judging Friday Oct. 26h at Furney’s Nursery, 21215 International, Blvd. and Pacific Hwy. S.

LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING EVERYONE AT THE MEETING, IF RIDES ARE NEEDED PLEASE CALL SOMEONE LIVING IN YOUR AREA.

PLANT CULTURE and SUPPLIES: - The September meeting will devote time to the care and feeding of the blooms as they develop; Club supplies will be available, place orders for specific items with Don Stark. Cultural recommendations are attached. With possible rain or showers consider your sheltering options for September as we move to the latter part of the growing season.

SEPTEMBER TO DO LIST – (adapted from Don Stark 9/98 notes)

Once the buds have broken the membrane and some petal tips are showing, it is time to get the pots into or under some kind of shelter. The basic idea is to protect the blooms from rain and dew. If rain or dew is present when the sun strikes, you will almost certainly burn the florets. Shelters come in a variety of sizes, names, and shapes including porches, large overhanging eaves, garages, greenhouses, and temporary wood and plastic structures.

Sheltering Plants During the Bloom Cycle Starting September 1
Shelter requirements are daytime light (though it can be shady), ventilation, and temperature control.
Maximum temperature should be kept below 80 degrees F if possible. Above that temperature the probability of bloom damage due to petal rot is high. If the shelter is exposed to too much sun in the early Sept days, the temperature within the shelter can skyrocket.
Big fans keep the air moving and the temperature down. Fans also hopefully can bring air from a shady side of the shelter to cool the overall area as well.
Lining the inside of the shelter with old sheets or muslin will also reduce the heat and filter the sunlight.

Bring Pots Into Cover
Wash the pots to get rid of the crud and residue from the growing area.
Pick off old dead and damaged leaves (mostly at the bottom of the plant) that harbor pests and fungus.
Spray the plant with a fungicide and insecticide before taking to the shelter.
Watch for and destroy earwigs. They wreck blooms when they get inside.
Top-dress the pots again. Put about ½ to ¾” of the 9-Inch mix or Soilless mix on the surface of the pot and level it. Top-dressing the plants helps finish plant growth now and also promotes shoots on the plant stools for our next growing season.
Optionally, add ¼ teaspoon FeSo4 to enhance color. Do not add to plants with white or yellow blooms.
Add ¼ teaspoon of Potash to help harden off the plant and keep the blooms from being too soft.

Plant Clean Up and Cut Back to Final Lateral Count
As the plant goes to shelter, if not already done, cut back to the final lateral count selecting the best overall laterals. For #1’s keep 1 or 2 blooms per plant, #2’s keep 2 blooms per plant, #3’s and others excluding specimen plants keep 2 to 5 blooms per plant.
Stake and tie up the selected laterals and add support shingles for the blooms as you house the plant.
Remove or pick off the side laterals on the selected stems.

Fertilizing & Watering
For late season fertilizing, reduce fertilizer to ½ strength for 2-3 weeks. After the petals start to fall, gradually increase feed. Switch to a higher potash fertilizer along the lines of a 15-10-30 or other bloom feeder fertilizer and go lightly.
Watering is different at this stage as the plants are kept a little dryer at this stage. Water plants more sparingly, using about 1 pint per watering. Do not water when the temperature exceeds 75F.
There are two schools of thought as to the best time of day to water. Previous year cultural notes recommend to water in the evening as the day is cooling down to help avoid sending the plant sap to the blooms in heat of day and blowing out or cracking the bloom neck. Bob Walker recommends watering in the early part of the day.
Water/fertilize from a bucket using a 1-pint jar or similar small container. Do not use the hose and spread water everywhere on the shelter floor. Keep the finishing area dry and clean.

EVERGREEN CHRYSANTHEMUM ASSOCIATION
Seattle, Washington
SHOWTIME
ecamumclub.org

Jill Aldrich, Secretary


MEETING OF THE E.C.A. – Will be THURSDAY October 11, 2007 at 7 PM at the Seattle Police Athletic Association Office at 11030 East Marginal Way South, Tukwila.

TELEPHONE COMMITTEE MEMBERS – Thanks for calling your lists early, as your calls do help to increase attendance. Last meeting 18 members attended.

Reminder

We have “ECA Polo Shirts left: $12.00 each; 1 Medium (38-40) & 5 Large (42-44. Contact Claudia Attebery


ANNUAL FLOWER SHOW – The E.C.A. annual flower show will be Friday October 26th, Saturday, October 27h and Sunday, October 28h at Furney’s Nursery, 21215 International Blvd. Pacific Highway (99). Telephone: 206-878-8761.
Members Please attend, even if you don’t have any flowers to enter we will like to see everyone attend.

OCTOBER MEETING: - We begin to prepare for our annual show Set-up Wed. Oct. 24th, Bring your flowers in Thurs. Oct. 25th. Judging will be on Friday morning Oct. 26th. We need everyone’s help to make this year’ s show a spectacular event. Assignments will be given at the Oct. meeting.

If you have any questions Please call Ron Elliott our Show Steward.

SHOW RULES FOR THIS YEAR’S FLOWER SHOW:

Show Rules, Entry forms and Name Tags will be distributed

TROPHIES:

Last year’s Trophy winners please bring your clean trophies and give them to
Ron Elliott who will prepare them for this year’s Awards Banquet. If you have not given Ron Elliott your trophy yet please contact him to make arrangements. You can bring the trophies with you to our meeting on October 11th.

PLANT CULTURE– The October meeting will be devoted to the care and how to prepare your mums for the show. Cultural recommendations are attached. With possible rain or showers consider your sheltering options for your Plants.

ANNUAL AWARDS BANQUET: - The E.C.A. annual awards dinner is in lieu of the November meeting and will be held at the GOLDEN STEER Steak ‘N Rib House 23826 104th Avenue SE, Kent, WA. 98031 Telephone: 1-253-852-1144. Come at 6:00 PM for the Social Hour, Dinner at 7:00 PM Everyone is welcome to enjoy an evening with good friends, good conversation and an excellent dinner. Put it on your Calendar Thursday November 8th 6-9 PM. A sign –up sheet will be available at Furney’s Nursery during the Flower Show and also at our October meeting. If you have any questions regarding the Banquet Contact: Claudia Attebery.

Bring your late maturing blooms for display at the E. C. A. awards dinner.

Members are asked to pay $25 for their meal. (You can pay Claudia Attebery, Treasurer at the Banquet)

ELECTIONS OF NEXT YEAR’S CLUB OFFICERS:

The time has come once again to vote for your 2008 Board of Directors/Officers. Recent members are encouraged to fill positions and get involved; seasoned club members will provide assistance. Bob Walker (Chair person), nominating committee will contact you:

Members will vote on new Officers during our Dec. 13th meeting.


See you at the Flower Show



OCTOBER TO DO LIST – (adapted from Don Stark 9/98 notes)

This month the focus is finishing the blooms, and preparing them for transport to the show, and the grooming and presentation of the blooms for the show.

1. Care and Feeding
• Get support sticks under the blooms to keep them upright. A cocked bloom is discounted severely by the judges.
• Watch for aphids. Spray blooms with a very fine mist of liquid Diazinon or Nicotine Sulfate if aphids appear. Repeat every 3 to 4 days for 3 sprayings. Do not let direct sunlight hit the blooms you have sprayed till they are dry.
• Watch for and destroy earwigs. If you see petals with holes in them, you will also see telltale small terds from the earwigs. Poke around in the bloom and you will probably find the earwig holed up inside the petals. Dig him out and crush him.
• Water and feed plants sparingly. Stark does his watering with a 1-pint coffee can. Feed at approximately ½ the recommended dosage at each watering. Note, you are not watering per se, but feeding with a half-diluted solution each time the plant needs a drink. Water sparingly, preferably around 5pm (Note Bob Walker believes plants should be watered early in the day).

2. Getting Ready for the Show

• As show time approaches, you can speed up bloom development by supplemental heat (electric heaters) in the finishing areas.
• Cut the blooms 1 to 2 days before judging. Cut the stems approximately 20 inches long and immerse the stem in a bucket of water immediately. After a few minutes, make a second cut one-inch off the end of the stem under water. Let the bloom set a few more minutes, then move to a vase or other water container for transport to the show. Following this procedure, your bloom will hold up well for up to a week. The key is the second cutting under water.
• After the stem has set in water for a few minutes, remove the stem from the water and dry with a paper towel and turn the bloom upside down. Pull out all damaged or browned off petals, reset the support stake to get the bloom upright and return to the water.

3. Show Materials
• show materials will be distributed at the October meeting. You will need entry forms, bloom tags, and a show rules book to show you how you can enter your blooms.
• The following page is a show entry outline to help guide you through the show catalog contained in the show rules. Do not be afraid to ask for help in getting your blooms ready and entered.
• Good luck

The ECA is attempting to build an inventory of pictures of all the cultivars we grow. If a club member is growing a variety relatively new to the club that may not make it to the show, please try to take a picture of the bloom with a digital camera and pass it on to Steve Backstrom.

EVERGREEN CHRYSANTHEMUM ASSOCIATION
Seattle, Washington
ECAmumclub.org

Jill Aldrich, Secretary

PARTY TIME

EVERGREEN CHRYSANTHEMUM ASSOCIATION 2007 AWARDS BANQUET

The annual awards banquet will be on Thursday Evening November 8th at The Golden Steer Steak ‘N Rib House 23826 104th Avenue S E, Kent, WA. 98031 (253) 852-1144.
Directions attached.
The evening will begin with a 6 PM Social Hour with dinner to follow at about 7 PM.

Menu choices are:
Prime Rib, Salmon or Chicken Cordon Bleu $25.00/person for either of the entrees.
There will be tables for the blooms and trophies; payment for the dinner will be collected at the door by the Treasurer, Claudia Attebery at the event.

The telephone committee canvassed the membership for their plans to attend and their choice of entrée. If you plan to attend the dinner, and did not previously sign up, please call Claudia Attebery.

ECA SHOW SUMMARY – The annual ECA Chrysanthemum Show was at Furney”s Nursery October 26 through 28. ECA added FIVE new members as a result of our annual show. There were many outstanding flower entries, potted plants, charms and 5 bowl/basket floral arrangements plus 2 novice bow/basket floral arrangement entries.

Among the show highlights Connie Mayhew figured in eight of the major awards with its inclusion in both the Medium Exhibition and Late Decorative Classes. Enjoying the most success with Connie Mayhew was Novice grower, Jean Smith, making the winner’s table with the Best Vase of 5 Open Classes and Best Entry in Show. Her vase of five included blooms that also won Best and Second Best Bloom for Novices. Mas Tamekuni used Connie Mayhew to claim Best Bloom Open Classes, Best Medium Cut Bloom, Best Bloom of Color, and Best Vase of 3 Late Decoratives.

Don Stark won the Grand Challenge, Medium Challenge, Late Decorative Challenge, and Early English Challenge. He also won Best Bloom in show with the cut bloom Athabasca plus Best Potted Plant with Mt Rainer and Best Specimen Plant with King George as well as Best Bloom of Color for Woolmans Glory, Mt Rainer and Duke of Kent. Bob Ewing won the overall Fantasy Challenge with his Section 10 entry, Mas Tamekuni won the Incurve Challenge and Best Bloom of Color with Lanchashire Fold, and Mark Ross the Section 6-8 portion of the Fantasy Challenge. Other award winners included Richard Pozniak for Best Vase of 3 non-member for his White City and Best Potted Plant non-member also with White City. Ed Pawlowski had the best incurve cut bloom with Len Hall. Bob Ewing had the Best Potted Plant Garden Varieties. Bob Walker had a Best Bloom of Color with Doreen Stratham. Jane Stark had the winning entry for the Best Bowl or Basket.

Special thanks to Ron Elliott, John Harden, Larry and Betty Mayer for their efforts at the show. Also, thanks to all the members who supported the set-up and tear down/clean up for the flower show. We can all congratulate ourselves for another outstanding flower show.

HAPPY TURKEY DAY

DECEMBER MEETING – Please note next month’s meeting will be on December 13th. The
December meeting will include election of club officers for the upcoming year.
NOMINEES:

President: Mark Ross Vice-President: Treasurer: Claudia Attebery, Secretary Jill Aldrich

Board member nominees:

1 year Mike Kubo
2-year Bob Ewing and Larry Mayer and Betty Mayer
3-year

We thank the nominating committee chaired by Bob Walker for their effort.
The officers of the E.C.A. attempt vigorously to involve newer members to take leadership positions. We encourage all members to actively get involved in the managing of the club.
ALL SUGGESTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ARE WELCOME. SUCH AS:
HOW TO INCREASE ATTENDANCE AT MEETINGS AND CLUB MEMBERSHIP.

MEMBER NEWS: JOE PETTIGREW is under the weather and could not participate in the flower show. I am happy to report he is improving daily. We wish him a speedy recovery to regain his strength

CULTURAL NOTES – Attached are a few notes to take care of your plant stools until we start to take new cuttings for Exhibition and Medium Exhibition cultivars for 2006 in December and January.

NOVEMBER TO DO LIST –

November is a month of the year with little activity in regard to chrysanthemum growing. It provides an opportunity to reflect on the recent growing season and to start planning for the next growing season. It is also a time to discard stools that will not be used for cuttings in the next growing cycle, while protecting those stools that will be retained. Next month, instructions will be provided to take new cuttings. Following are some tips to keep your stools viable until you are ready to take cuttings over the next few months.

Cleanup and cut back plant stalks in the pot to 12 – 18 inches as the plants complete blooming.

Discard plant stools now that are diseased or were poor performers. If you have not already done so, label your top performers while still relatively fresh in your mind.

Keep pots sheltered outside from the wind, cold rain, and slugs. It is important for the plant stool to chill and remain relatively dry during its dormant period until 2 weeks before you start to take cuttings. The chilling period will produce much stronger cuttings for the next growing cycle.

Protect stools from hard freezing (less than 28 degrees). Most plants can stand a night or more of freezing temperatures but three consecutive hard freezing nights will probably kill all but the hardiest cultivars. During severe cold snaps a garage, shed, greenhouse, or a tarp can be used temporarily to protect the plants until the cold subsides.

Two weeks before taking the desired cutting, bring pot stools into heated area (60 degrees for example) and feed with a nitrogen fertilizer such as Miracle-Grow to stimulate new growth.

Prepare to start cuttings from mid December through January for #1’s and #2’s. Cuttings for other classifications will be taken starting in January continuing on until spring.

Directions to the Golden Steer:

From I 5 /Pacific Hwy/99, take the Kent Des Moines Road (516) Exit
Towards Kent (East)
Follow down into the valley,
First Traffic Light turn left onto Meeker, follow Meeker across Green River
bridge along golf course past Valley FRWY (167) overpass follow the main
road and make a left turn and then right turn onto Smith St.
Follow Smith Street to Central Ave. intersection (Traffic Light)
Make a left turn onto Central Ave.
Follow Central Ave. for 1 block to James Street (Traffic Light), turn right onto
James Street, follow James Street up the East Hill (James Street becomes
SE 240th St. on top of hill) On top of hill make a left turn onto SE 104th Ave.
(Traffic Light) stay in the right lane drive approximately 300 ft. The Golden Steer Restaurant is on your right hand side (restaurant is located across from
McLendon’s Hardware) Banquet Hall Entrance is at the back of the restaurant,
there is plenty of parking.
See you there.

EVERGREEN CHRYSANTHEMUM ASSOCIATION
Seattle, Washington
ECAmumclub.org

Jill Aldrich, Secretary

HAPPY HOLIDAYS
HAPPY TURKEY DAY, MERRY CHRISTMAS

MEETING OF THE ECA –Thursday December 13th at 7 PM in the classroom facility to the left as you drive into the SPAA complex. Seattle Police Athletic Association Office (SPAA) site at 11030 East Marginal Way South, Tukwila, WA.

TELEPHONE COMMITTEE MEMBERS - Please contact your lists early in the week of December 1st.

NOMINATION OF 2006 CLUB OFFICERS – The December meeting includes the election of officers for the upcoming year.
Nominees:
Mark Ross, President , Vice President
Claudia Attebery, Treasurer, Jill Aldrich, Secretary
Past President: Steve Backstrom

Trustees: 3 year term: Nominees are: David Rhynes
2 year term: Bob Ewing and Larry Mayer
1 year term: Mike Kubo and Betty Mayer
Nominations are encouraged from the floor at the December meeting for all officer and trustee positions. It is up to all of us to rotate as officers periodically to provide the club fresh ideas and new perspectives.

MANY THANKS to Jean Smith and Sydney Ogilvie for organizing all the refreshments

The club commends the faithful service of Darlene Shimizu, Chairperson and all the telephone tree callers.
Many Thanks

Darlene Shimizu has asked to be replaced as phone tree and phone notification chairman, effective in January. A replacement for her is needed on the overall phone tree committee and a chairman from the overall committee members.

2008CLUB DUES – Members are encouraged to pay dues for 2008. Annual dues are $15/member or $20/couple. Dues are paid to the ECA Treasurer

If you wish to continue receiving the Newsletters and “To Do Lists”, I encourage you to pay your dues for 2008 by January, so you are not dropped from our Database. By-Laws, Article 1, states that fees are due no later than the March meeting for members who have paid dues in 2007.

AWARDS BANQUET: Our Banquet was great and everyone had a nice time. There were several members and spouses in attendance.

Many Thanks to Ron Elliott in preparing the trophies that were presented. They looked great. Also many thanks to Larry Mayer who made arrangements for the Engraved Chrysanthemum Plates and generated all the Certificates for the winners.

CULTURAL NOTES – The cultural for the December meeting will include a review of the last growing season and cultivars response, planning for the upcoming 2007 growing season, and getting new plant starts growing well. Refer to the cultural page for Don Stark’s recommended top ten mum varieties for 2007

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the December meeting, come and vote for your choice of Officers for 2008

I will send out the results of the voting for the 2008 Officers.
Attached is the “To Do List for December.

Have a Merry Christmas, see you in the New Year.

Jill Aldrich, Secretary

DECEMBER TO DO LIST – (adapted from DRS 12/03/98 notes, Modified 11/26/04)
Success for the upcoming year begins with the care of our stock to produce the quality cuttings needed for other members, our club plant sales and ourselves. It is important that you identify your best plants of each variety and try to get your cuttings from those plants. Weak or diseased plants should b destroyed. Get a new start from another member at the plant sale if your stock is weak.
Cultivars in classes #1, #3 and #3 are usually started in late Dec. and January. The #1 varieties such as Jessie Habgood, Gigantics, Mark Woolman, Dukes and Lancaster Fold need early starts and so do the Fairweather family of #3’s. Most #2’s can be started in January. Cultivar classes #4 & #5 and 14 & 15’s are usually started in Feb. and March. Plants to be grown for specimen (10 or more blooms) should be started ASAP. In spite of the above suggestions for starting times. It is always a good idea to wait on the cuttings till they are ready. Cuttings should be 1” to 2” and growing vigorously.

PREPARING STOOLS FOR CUTTINGS
• Keep pots outside and sheltered from the wind, cold, rain, and slugs. It is important for the plant stool to chill and remain relatively dry during its dormant period until 2-4 weeks before you want to start taking cuttings. The chilling period will produce much stronger cuttings for the next growing cycle.
• Protect stools from hard freezing (less than 28 degrees). Most plants can stand a night or more of freezing temperatures but three consecutive hard freezing nights will probably kill all but the hardiest cultivars. During severe cold snaps a garage, shed, greenhouse, or a tarp can be used temporarily to protect the plants until the cold subsides.
• Two to four weeks before the desired cutting-time bring pot stools into heated area (60 degrees for example) and feed with a nitrogen fertilizer such as Miracle-Grow to stimulate new growth.

TAKING CUTTINGS
• The recommended cutting media is a 50% sand 50% Peat Moss. However, I and others have recently switched to starting in the M&R soilless mix that we pot into for the rest of the year. I start right in the 2 ½ or 3-inch pots and set them in or on the bed of sand in my cutting bed. I also start some of the later varieties directly in the 2-½ plastic cubes that we use mostly for plant sales.
• The cutting bed temperature should be maintained at 65F.
• Cover the newly taken cuttings with a glass or clear plastic cover for the 3 days after taking the cutting.
• Cuttings should be from 1½ to 2 inches long with the cutoff or break at a leaf node.
• It is recommended to dip cuttings in a mild insecticide/fungicide solution before setting the new cutting in the cutting media.
• Cover the newly taken cuttings with a glass or clear plastic cover for up to three days after taking the cuttings. Leave some room under the cover so that air can get in and circulate around a bit.
• Provide overhead light for the new cuttings. A 4-foot fluorescent shop light with Growlux bulbs works great.

Don Stark’s Top Ten Mum Varieties for 2005

1. Connie Mayhew is a #2 yellow that everyone should grow. Ed Pawlowski won best bloom open classes with it.
2. Len Hall is a #3 pink incurve that is reliable and in his opinion the best #3 in our club.
3. Port Stanley is a #5 yellow incurving bloom with good form and color that does well with 4-5 blooms per plant
4. Lundy and Yellow Lundy are #2 reflex varieties and in his view the best #2 blooms in our club. You will love the yellow and the white is brilliant. These are winners.
5. Seychelles is a #2 dark pink reflex that is big with good form and likes a lot of fertilizer. Don Stark won best in show with a Seychelles last year.
6. Fairweather family (Pink, White, Salmon, Primrose Yellow) produces all good #3 incurves. The Primrose and yellow varieties are new and very healthy and vigorous.
7. Ralph and Yellow Ralph Lambert are #1 bronze and yellow reflex varieties that are easy to grow two up.
8. Alexis and Apricot Alexis, #5 pink and apricot varieties that you will love to grow.
9. Stan Addison is a good #5 new comer, it grows fairly big as a #5 when grown 2 or 3 blooms, and can be grown successfully as a #3 when grown 5 to 7 blooms per plant.
10. Vienna Waltz is a #10 purple spider that is one of the club’s best varieties in this class. It blooms on time, beautiful, and a winner.

EVERGREEN CHRYSANTHEMUM ASSOCIATION
Seattle, Washington
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008
ECAmumclub.org

Jill Aldrich, Secretary

HAPPY CHRYSANTHEMUM GROWING 2008

MEETING OF THE ECA – Our monthly meeting is Thursday January 10 at 7 PM at the Seattle Police Athletic Association Office (SPAA) site at 11030 East Marginal Way South, Tukwila. Wa.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Once again it is time to mark your yearly calendar for EVERY SECOND THURSDAY OF THE MONTH 7:00 pm for our Monthly Chrysanthemum Meeting. Please join us to exchange your growing experiences with all of us and lets learn from each other and have a fun evening out.
TELEPHONE COMMITTEE MEMBERS - Please contact your call lists early in the week of January 3rd.. If it is not necessary to give you a reminder call please call Jack Brandon and tell him to take you off the list.
The ECA EXECUTIVE BOARD will meet January 8th at Bob Ewing’s at 7:00 pm to finalize the 2008 calendar and plan ECA activities for the upcoming year.

2008 CLUB OFFICERS – Officers and trustees for 2008 are as follows:
President: Mark Ross
Vice President: Ron Elliott
Secretary: Jill Aldrich Treasurer: Claudia Attebery

TRUSTEES:
Immediate Past President: (1 Yr.) Steve Backstrom Trustees (3-Yr,) David Rynes, Mas Tamekuni Trustees (2-Yr.) Bob Ewing, Larry Mayer Trustees (1 Yr.) Mike Kubo, Betty Mayer
Cultural Instructor: Don Stark
CONGRATULATIONS

2008 CLUB DUES – Members are encouraged to pay dues for 2008. Annual dues are $15/member or $20/couple. Dues are paid to the ECA Treasurer, Claudia Attebery (Make Checks out to ECA)

CULTURAL NOTES and SUPPLIES – Cultural recommendations are attached for January and will be discussed at the meeting. Early season supplies including plant tags, 2½" plastic cubes (pots), and a limited amount of early season fertilizer and soilless potting mix will be available at the meeting. For those interested in the soilless potting mix, call Don Stark with your orders as soon as possible.

PROPAGATION OF NEW PLANTS/CUTTINGS
Bob Ewing will set aside time to show any member who is interested in how to take cuttings and generate new starts for 2008.
For Help: Call, Bob Ewing

ECA BOARD MEETING – The ECA executive board will meet January 8th at Bob Ewing’s at 7:00 pm to finalize the 2008 calendar and plan ECA activities for the upcoming year.
Members that prefer to receive future monthly newsletters by email only rather than USPS mail, please send your email address to that effect to Jill Aldrich.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING EVERYONE AT THE MEETINGS NEXT YEAR
PLEASE BRING SUGGESTIONS TO THE MEETING ON HOW WE CAN INCREASE/IMPROVE ATTENDANCE AT THE MONTHLY MEETINGS.

Supplies available for the Jan meeting and prices are :

M&R soilless mix (1 cu ft.) $4.50
Five in. labels, (100 per bundle) $1.50
2 1/2 in cross bottom bands $0 .05 each
4 in. Twistems 4 bundles for $1.00
Clear domes for planting bed $3.00 ea.
B-9 as marked

Don Stark
January to-do List – (Revised 1/2/06, DRS)
Success for the upcoming growing season begins with the taking of new cuttings needed for ourselves, other club members and for the upcoming public plant sales. Taking the cuttings and potting on the newly rooted cuttings are the major January activities. Hopefully we have kept last years’ stools alive and have added some 20-10-20.fertilizer. At 55 to 60 Deg room temp. our stools should now be producing the strong shoots we need.
Timing:
-Cuttings for classes #1 and #3 should be taken in late Dec. and all of January.
-Most #2 varieties are started throughout January: but Keith Luxford, Ivor Mace and
James Bryant should be started in Dec. or early January, if the stools are far enough
along to produce healthy cuttings.
-Cuttings of classes #4, #5, #14’ & #15 are usually started in late Jan. or Feb.
-Plants to be grown for Specimens (11 or more blooms) should generally be
started earlier, Nov. Dec, or Early Jan. for example.
- Spiders Quills and spoons are also good candidates for January starts.
The cutting bed
should be a flat four-sided box with heating cable, mat or other devices for heating the cutting medium. The box should be at least 18 in wide so that it can hold 1 or more of the 17 in by 9 in. flats. An overhead Fluorescent lamp such as a 4-foot, two-bulb shop light will provide needed light supplement for the new cuttings. Plantgrow or GrowLux bulbs are good but expensive and simple white bulbs seem to work adequately. Fill the box with 2 ½ to 3 inches of cutting media and provide heating controls to maintain the required temperature.
- Cutting bed media -A 50-50 mix washed sand and peat moss
- Cutting bed Temp -65 to 70 deg F.
Taking the cuttings:
We offer two different methods for handling the initial cuttings:
1. Place the cutting directly in the cutting bed media, maintain cutting bed heat at 65 deg
(In approximately 4 weeks the new cuttings will have roots 1 in. long and are ready to
be transplanted into 2 ½ or 3 inch pots.)
2. Fill the 2 ½ in cross bottom bands with our standard M&R growing mix. Set these
bands directly on top of the cutting media and insert your cuttings directly into the
M&R mix. Maintain cutting bed Temp at 70 deg. In 5-6 weeks the cutting should be
ready for transplanting into 4 in pots.)

The cuttings should be from 1 ½ to 2 inches long with the cut off or break at the bottom of a leaf node. It is recommended to dip each cutting into a mild insecticide/fungicide solution (1/4strength). Then dip the base into Rootone or other rooting hormone before setting the cutting into the growing media.
Cover the newly taken cuttings with a glass or clear plastic cover for up to 3 days after taking the cuttings. Leave some room under the cover so that air can get in and circulate around a bit.
Keep the cuttings moist. Don’t let the bottom of the bed dry out

Place a plant label with each cutting Label should contain the name and classification of the cutting, the date of the cutting and the grower’s initials. For example
Charlie’s Mum, (1Y)
DRS, 12/30/05

EVERGREEN CHRYSANTHEMUM ASSOCIATION
Seattle, Washington
http://ecamumclub.org/

Jill Aldrich, SECRETARY

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

MEETING OF THE ECA – is scheduled for THURSDAY FEBRUARY 14, 2008 at
7:00 PM at the Seattle Police Athletic Association Office (SPAA) site at 11030 East Marginal Way South, Tukwila.
TELEPHONE COMMITTEE MEMBERS call your lists early in the week of February 6th as your calls do help to increase attendance.

DUES – Members are encouraged to pay dues for 2008 soon. Annual dues are $15/member or $20/couple. Must be paid no later than the March meeting for inclusion in this year’s yearbook.

MEMBER PLANT SALE – The first member plant sale of the year occurs at the February meeting. ECA growers bring plants to the meeting for sale to help other members who do not start plants from cuttings, secure plants for the coming growing season. Plants available for the first sale are generally the late blooming varieties that are in classifications 1 through 5. The cost of each plant will be $1.00 for members.
New members receive ten free plants for the first growing season. No more than five free plants should be selected at the February sale. This helps assure the new grower success managing the early season growing challenges and also greater access to a wider selection of plants such as the early blooming varieties which are easier to grow and are more available at the March member sale (March 13th Meeting) and March 29th (at Furney’s Nursery) Public Plant Sale.

New Members are encouraged to contact Bob Ewing to be assigned a coach who will provide personalized growing instruction and advice. It is highly recommended that new members take advantage of this membership service. Don’t be shy give Bob a call!!!

This is a note from Ian McGlashan, “After my visit to your club at show time, I came back to express to our Association how great it was to see so much participation by your members in the show. This has led to an interest by our “newer members” as to what your secret might be. We have had quite a melt in interest and would be open to much improvement. (at this point I must tell you that I am the longest time participating member. I have been involved with the club since it’s beginning March 1937. Some day maybe I can explain further.) I am not going to last forever. Also a prophet is not listened to in his own country. I am open to learning success from others. Your club is our closest neighbour. We are hoping that you may have a couple of members who might come to a meeting and tell us how you operate, and possibly we can learn a new approach. There would be a choice of accommodation, at our expense, either a Guest Suite at a condominium complex or a family home quite close by offered by our Vice-President. Thanks for your time, Ian McGlashan, Secretary

MUMS REQUESTED BY PATRONS FOR 2008

Golden Rain, Connie Mayhew, First Light, Woolmans Century, Ice Box, Alabama, Lundy, Mt Rainier, Morning Star, Honey, Powder Puff, Elsie Prosser, Revert Equinox, Chase Wakes, Elizabeth Shoesmith, Red Woolmans Glory –red & yellow, Anzac , Mary Jane, Atomic, Cossack, Tennis, Pumpkin, Primrose Tennis, White Billy Bell, Bullfinch, Port Stanley, Purple light, Seatons Ruby, Vienna Waltz, Kermit, Gillette, Ogmore Vale, Seigi, Cherry Venice, Fairweather, Koshi no Yuki,
Talbot Parade, Lilli Gallon, Lava, Vicky

PLANT CULTURE – Continue to start plants for our public sale in March. Plants must be given protection for the first few months and carefully nurtured to establish strong root systems before potting or repotting. In February, take starts for the early blooming varieties. At this month’s meeting, the focus is growing plants, cultivar selection, materials and your reference books. Cultural recommendations are attached.

SUPPLIES – Supplies to be available at the February meeting.
• Plant Labels, White and Yellow 100 per pack.
• 2½” Plastic planting/starting cubes
• M&R Soilless Growing Media (Need enough orders to buy a pallet for a lower price). The cultural committee has decided to provide only M&R mix. It is a better product for mums than the mix used previously. This mix can be used for all pottings from the first 2 ½” pot to the 9 or 10” final pot.
Contact: Don Stark with Soilless orders.

Messenger will also be available for purchase if you have any questions, Contact: Bob Ewing

Novice Handbooks will be available at the next meetings and the Public Plant Sale at a cost of $2.00 (payable to the Treasurer)

To receive monthly Newsletters by email only rather than U.S.mail, send an email to Jill Aldrich

February to-do List (New: 1-28-06 DRS)

Continue with cuttings:

Continue taking cuttings throughout Feb. and into March for some. A few early Feb. cuttings can be available for the March Plant sales (March Members sale at the March meeting and the public plant sale on Sat. March 29th). Most Feb. and March cuttings should be of the early English and American varieties. Late Decoratives) Classes 4, 5, 14 and 15) should be started primarily in Feb. Take cuttings for yourself and for the plant sale.

Most varieties in classes 1,2 and 3 should have been started by the end of January: however here are some varieties that can be successfully grown from Feb. cuttings. #1 & #2’s Lundy, Yellow Lundy, David Dando, Ralph Lambert, Yellow Ralph Lambert, Athabaska, Harry Gee, Jane Sharpe and Seychelle. #3’s Len Hall, Salmon, Primrose and yellow Fairweathers, Stockton and Heather James.

Cuttings started directly in the cutting bed media should not require fertilization before potting on. If you are starting in the cross bottom bands or 2” clay pots, fertilizer should be added after 3 to 4 weeks as these cutting generally require 5-6 weeks before potting on. Start fertilizing once a week beginning with the 4th week. Use an early Mum fertilizer, Peters 9-45-15 or Plant Marvel 12-45-10 (One Tsp/Gal once a week)

Potting on:

Most growers are using the soilless M&R potting mix sold by the club. In general no additives are required for the early pottings (2” and 4” pots); however some growers like to add some special ingredients. For instance Alfalfa meal or pellets is a good stimulant that can be added. Avoid adding Bone meal, as you will probably find fungi growing on the top of your pots due to too much potassium.
- Pot the mums directly from the cutting beds into 2” pots, or from the starter bands or pots into 3” or 4” pots.
- Use new pots, or wash previously used pots with a mild bleach solution (Clorox) to kill moss and eliminate the viruses. When bleach is used thoroughly rinse pots in fresh water to get the bleach out of the pot.
- Clay pots are recommended for the 2”, 3”, 4” and 6” potttings as the clay pots will dry out better than plastic after watering. This is especially important during the cool March and April days.

- Pot on from cutting beds when the roots are ½ to ¾ in. long (Typically 4 weeks) into 2 ½” or 3” pots.

- Pot on from cross bottom bands, or pots when roots are growing thickly out of the pots or bands (Typically 6 weeks). Do not compact the mix!

- Place the newly potted mums out of the light or under the bench for 2-3 days to stimulate root growth.

Care:

- Shelter mums in the greenhouse, cold frame, or other shelter (Kitchen table or south facing window)
- Temperature should be between 50 and 60 degrees.
- Glass overhead will help keep mums from getting leggy.

Care Continued:

- B-9 is a good growth retardant that tends to help plants from getting too leggy. It is available through the club. If you choose to use B-9 it should be applied at the time of potting on and again at or near pinch time. Caution: Do not use B-9 on plants that tend to naturally grow short: i.e. all the Fairweathers, all the Alexis, Port Stanley and others.

- Plants will remain in this first potting for 4-6 weeks until they have produced a noticeable root ring around the bottom of the pot. Don’t be afraid to knock the root ball out of the pot after several weeks and examine the roots.

- Fertilize with 9-45-15, or 12-45-10 beginning the 4th week
(1 Tsp/Gal once a week) These fertilizers are available through the
Club at the monthly meetings.

EVERGREEN CHRYSANTHEMUM ASSOCIATION
Seattle, Washington

PLANT SALES
ecamumclub.org

Jill Aldrich, Secretary


MARCH ECA NEWSLETTER

MEETING OF THE ECA –THURSDAY, March 13th, 2008, at 7 PM at the Seattle Police Athletic Association Office (SPAA) site at 11030 East Marginal Way South, Tukwila.

TELEPHONE COMMITTEE MEMBERS contact your lists early, as your calls do help to increase attendance, and please mention the plant sale at Furney’s March 29th 9:00 am-1: 30 pm.

DUES – Members are encouraged to pay 2008 dues to treasurer, Claudia Attebery.. Annual dues are $15/member or $20/couple. Dues must be paid before or at the March meeting for members to be listed in the clubs 2008 yearbook.

PLANT SALES – The second member plant sale of the year is at the March meeting, March 13th.

Our public plant sale will be March 29th (Saturday) from 9-1:30 at Furney’s Nursery in Des Moines (21215 Pacific Hwy South). At least 8 people are needed for Set-Up on Friday March 28th 1:00 pm to about 2:30 pm. On Saturday about 10 people are needed,

PLANT CULTURE and SUPPLIES – Members are reminded to bring in their extra plants for our member plant sale and the public sales. Only healthy looking plants are accepted for the “Sales Events”. For those bringing in plants, also bring in newspaper or a cloth to cover the table if your plants are in an open bottom carrier. This will help the clean up crew when tidying at the end of the meeting. Cultural recommendations are attached for March and will be discussed at the March meeting.

Contact Don Stark, for soilless and supplies.

Plant Sale: Bring your “Don’s top ten list” from the Dec. Newsletter. Have a list of what you want. We’ll help you make your selections.

PLANT SELECTION IS A VERY IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THIS GAME.
You older hands, if you have grown the same cultivar from your own stock with poor results, throw your stock away and buy a plant or two of that cultivar at the plant sale. Select carefully, you want a healthy cutting, and if the grower didn’t think enough of it to put his initials on the tag, go get a different one. Keep looking for the best stock available. Don Stark
New Members are encouraged to contact Bob Ewing to be assigned a coach who will provide personalized growing instruction and advise. It is highly recommended that new members take advantage of this membership service. Don’t be shy give Bob a call!!!

NEW MEMBERS – Welcome to the new members that joined ECA late in 2007 and early this year 2008. New members receive ten free plants the first growing season. (Couples receive 15 free plants)
If you prefer to receive future monthly notices by email only rather than US mail, please send an email to Jill Aldrich, Secretary.

MARCH TO DO LIST (edited from DRS 2-21-05)

1. Clean pots and gather materials for potting:
• For soilless growers, supplies include soilless mix, Peters 9-45-15 fertilizer, and optionally, ¼ inch screened pumice, perlite or grit. Most of our growers use the M & R Soilless potting mix sold by the club. Addition of the pumice perlite or grit is not necessary for this stage. Generally the pumice etc. is added for the 9-inch potting. Some also add the pumice to the mixture for the 6-inch potting.
• For McGlashen soil mixes, you will need good garden loam; pumice, perlite or grit; and leaf mold or course greenhouse peat, plus well composted manure, steamed bone meal, slacked or hydrated lime and a good dry rose fertilizer such as 4-10-8. See your copy of the McGlashen book for details.
2. Pot mums into 4 or 6-inch pot:
• Clay pots are recommended when possible for the 4 or 6 inch potting as these pots breathe and dry out faster during cool March and April days.
• Wash used pots in a bleach/water solution, i.e. 2 teaspoons per gallon of water. Then rinse in fresh water. Let the cleaned pots set in the clear water for 3 or 4 minutes to clear out the bleach. Change the rinse water occasionally to clear out the bleach from previous rinses.
• Pot on when the ring of roots around the bottom of the pot is substantial. Do not compact the mix and leave room at the top for watering.
3. Move pots outdoors:
• After mums have become well established in the new pots (1-2 weeks) move mums outdoors or to cold frame to slow the foliage growth and toughen up the plants. The desirable ambient temperature is 50 to 60 degrees.
• To keep roots warm and at a stable temp, bury the pots in the soil or in a layer of compost or manure. Six inches is a good depth for the compost or manure. A cold frame is the best solution for this stage!
• Lacking a good sunny location, B-9 is a growth retardant spray mix that tends to help plants from getting too leggy. It is available through the club.
4. Stopping Dates:
• Review stopping dates and stop mums as their stopping dates arrive. Very few varieties require pinching in March unless a double pinching regimen is being followed (Phil Houghton March 15 and May 15 for example).
• Refer to the various ECA lists of stopping dates. Copies of a stopping date list will be available at the meeting.
5. Keep growing vigorously:
• Water as needed, but keep relatively dry
• Spray or control aphids
• Fertilize soil less plants with 9-45-15 or Miracle Grow solution starting the 2nd or 3rd week after potting. Use fertilizer at ½ strength that is approximately ½ teaspoon/gallon.
Begin culling process in March to get to the final growing group. Send surplus
quality plants to plant sales or share with other ECA members. Throw away poor
plants and damaged or diseased plants.

EVERGREEN CHRYSANTHEMUM ASSOCIATION
Seattle, Washington

Jill Aldrich, Secretary

MEETING OF THE ECA –THURSDAY April 10, 2008 at 7 PM at the Seattle Police Athletic Association Office (SPAA) site at 11030 East Marginal Way South, Tukwila.

TELEPHONE COMMITTEE MEMBERS contact your phone list members early, as your calls do help to increase attendance.

YEARBOOKS – Joe Pettigrew announced that the 2008 ECA Yearbooks would be available for distribution to members attending the April 10th meeting. For those members unable to attend, your yearbook will be sent to you through the U.S. Mail. As of this mailing, the names of those members with 2008 unpaid annual membership dues have been removed from the Yearbook.

ECA once again appreciates the time and effort Joe Pettigrew devoted this year and every year to the preparation of our annual yearbook. It is a BIG JOB; THANKS SO MUCH JOE.

PLANT SALES – We give a BIG THANK YOU to Bob Ewing for all his hard work coordinating our public plant sale. The March plant sale at Furney’s was a huge success.

"There are approximately 150 good looking plants of many varieties left over from the public plant sale that will be available to our members at the April meeting. For those still wanting additional plants, please take advantage of this opportunity."

MEMBER NEWS – E.C.A. appreciates all the time and effort of the growers who took the time to propagate plants to sell at our membership and public plant sales. The Public Plant sale and our membership dues are the club’s only means of income to cover the club’s yearly expenses. Thanks to all of you, GOOD JOB.

CLUB WEBSITE—Steve Backstrom is continuing to update the website and encourages members to visit the site—ecamumclub.org. There is a current list of the cultivars that have been identified within the club along with their pinch dates, etc. Steve welcomes any and all input. Nice job Steve.

If you prefer to receive future monthly notices by email only rather than US mail, please send an email to Jill. This will also save the Club some money on postage.

PLANT CULTURE and SUPPLIES –April and May are the months where most of our cultivars are stopped. Cultural recommendations are attached for April and will be discussed at the April meeting.

Contact Mas Tamekuni this month for soilless and supplies needed.

Please note the change in recommendation for starter fertilizer.
Don Stark notes that we are out of the early mum fertilizer recommended for the
2 1/2 to 6" pots. Don indicated that water-soluble 10-50-10, Peters Super Blossom Booster plant food, is available at local garden stores or McLendons Hardware in 1.5-pound bags. The application directions indicate 1 tsp per gallon of water for indoor use. Use this fertilizer as a supplement through the 6” pot stage.

When we switch to 8" or 9" pots, we will switch to Peters 20-10-20 or Technigro 20-9-29+ until the buds are taken in late summer. We will have a continuous supply of the 20-9-20+ available at the meetings starting in may. Don prefers the 20-9-20 because the + includes significant sulphur which helps with the greening of the plants.

APRIL TO DO LIST (edited from DRS 3-21-05)

1. Potting on mums into 4” or 6” pots

• Soilless growers who are using the club recommended M&R mix. This mix is ph balanced at 6.5 and contains a good mix of fertilizers that carry the plant for 3-4 weeks. It requires no additives at this time, but some growers like to add a little Alfalfa meal and some additional pumice for increased aeration.
• Soil or compost mixes: See McGlashen mix in the McGlashen Hand Book. You’ll need to mix your own soil, consisting of compost, or garden loam plus slacked Lime or Dolomite to keep soil sweet plus Steamed Bone to promote root growth. Also, ashes and a little Rose and garden fertilizer (i.e. 4-10-8 or 5-10-10) Pumice or grit may be added to loosen the soil mix.
• Wash previously used pots in a mild Clorox bath (bleach), then rinse in clear water.
• Clay pots are recommended for 4 or 6 inch potting as they breathe and dry out faster during cool April days.
• Pot on when a significant ring of roots forms around the bottom edge of the pot (semi root bound). Do not compact the potting mix. Tie plants to small stakes.

2. Move mum pots outdoors as weather warms. Choose a sunny location.

• Bury pots to rim if using clay. Protect from frost, wind, dogs, cats and Children.

3. Review stopping dates. Most ECA cultivars are stopped Between April 15 and May 30.

• Pinch date lists for most club cultivars should be available at the April meeting. Contact your Coach for other cultivars not on the list.

4 OTHER CARE:

• Control Aphids. Spray for Aphids every 2 or 3 weeks, with liquid Diazinon, or other insecticides. Water only as needed, do not over water.

• Fertilize weekly starting the 3rd or 4th week after potting. Standard Miracle Grow is recommended. Water soluble 10-50-10 Peter’s upper blossom booster is also a good substitute.

• Continue culling process in April to get to your final growing group. The 6” potting should
be used for this reduction. Don’t always keep the first plants to reach 6” potting stage. Keep
the best cultivars. Send surplus quality plants to plant sale, or share with other club members.
Throw away damaged or diseased plants.

Member Plant sale are at the Meeting on Thursday, April 10th. If you are not a member, then join up and have fun with these interesting plants.