BROOKS:
CHRYSANTHEMUMS
the common insect pests and fungus diseases
was determined for each grass.
After several years of testing, a few of the
most promising strains were planted in ob
servational nurseries on different soil types all
over Peninsular Florida where they were un
der the professional eye of experienced golf
course greenkeepers and park superintendents.
Three fine textured strains of Bermuda were
outstandingly superior to all other species
under trial and to the remaining 123 selections.
These three, which have since become known
as the "Velvet Bermudas," are Everglades 1,
Everglades 3, and Ormond.
The "also rans" in these trials included each
of the much publicized varieties of Bermuda
such as U-3, from Beltsville, Maryland, and
Tifton 57, from Georgia.
The U-3 Bermuda is one of a series selected
in the vicinity of Washington, D. C, because it
was able to survive cold winters in which the
ground was frozen. When U-3 was planted
alongside the other Bermudas in South Flori
da, it was surprising to observe that the leaves
of this variety were more easily injured by a
light frost than on several local selections.
There is no relationship between winter hardi
ness and frost tolerance.
Both U-3 and Tifton 57 are of inferior ap
pearance to the Velvet Bermudas because of
the susceptibility of the former to leaf-spot
fungi in the humid Florida climate.
Velvet Bermuda is deep rooted while the
common, seeded type is shallow-rooted. This
deep rooting habit gives the lawn both drought
resistance and the ability to continue some
growth during cool weather.
Although a
hard frost will brown this grass, recovery be
gins at once as nutrients and water move into
299
The chinch bug resistance of Velvet Ber
muda is the characteristic which has endeared
it to dozens of people who have lost their
Bitter Blue lawns to these pests.
Another characteristic, not shared by Centi
pede or Bitter Blue, is the ability of Velvet
Bermuda to recover without applications of
chemicals after fall army worms, sod webworms, or fungi have attacked the lawn.
Unfortunately, there is no perfect grass, and
Velvet Bermuda is subject to these pests,
which are easily controlled by any one of
several chemicals when unsightly spots appear
in the lawn.
Velvet Bermuda falls short of being an allpurpose grass in two other respects. It grows
well only in full sun and should not be plant
ed in shade.
Near the seashore it may be
periodically browned by salt spray.
For uniformly beautiful appearance, Velvet
Bermuda requires more nitrogen than the other
lawn grasses, and more air around the roots.
It should not be recommended unless the
lawn owner is willing to mix the soil ingredi
ents properly before planting.
For deep, healthy, drought resistant root
systems with any lawn grass, about equal parts
of weed-free muck and marl or clay should be
thoroughly mixed with your sandy soils.
If
neither marl nor clay is available, 100 pounds
of colloidal phosphate to each 100 square
feet of lawn will act. as a fair substitute. On
acid soils, the addition of lime, also, will add
to the ability of your lawn soil to hold fertil
izer and water.
the root system in the deeper, warmer layer
of soil. The golf course people have learned
to speed up recovery of Bermuda after frost
by spray applications of soluble fertilizer high
In summary, a ground cover of Velvet
Bermuda can be maintained without danger
of destruction by insect pests and fungi, even
if no chemicals are applied, but the appear
ance will be variable.
But, more than any
other species, this grass has the ability to
in nitrogen.
respond to good treatment.
CHRYSANTHEMUMS BECOME AN IMPORTANT
CUT FLOWER CROP IN FLORIDA
J. Hapgood Brooks, hi
University of Florida
Gainesville
Any person, who has grown cut flowers in
the northern sections of the United States, is
only too familiar with the short outdoor grow
ing season of the summer and the long, indoor
300
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1952
growing season inside the greenhouse during
the fall, winter and spring.
He is well ac
quainted with the cold bone chilling winds,
the ice and drifting snow, the mountainous
pile of coal outside the boiler room door or
the almost daily arrival of the fuel oil trunk.
True, he can work indoors in a tropical at
mosphere wearing a short sleeved shirt, ac
quiring a winter's sun tan, while at the same
time looking out on a winter wonderland
where the sun shines on the glistening snow
that decorates the pines and the hemlocks like
little dabs of whipped cream sprinkled by
mother nature on the tips of the feathery
boughs.
He sees no reason to go to Florida when he
can have all the tropical atmosphere in the
midst of winter. He sees no reason for leav
ing his established business to move south
ward until on one winter's night with the
mercury outside hovering at eight degrees
below zero, the northeast blizzard howling
around the greenhouses, piling the snow high
er and higher in the driveway, he sits in his
easy chair toasting his shins in front of the
open fireplace, soaking up the heat from the
crackling logs, and dishing up buttered pop
corn from a dish at his right hand and sip
ping Carbonated Chrysanthemum Ale from a
tall glass in his left. Lazily turning the pages
of some current magazine he happens upon
an article therein which is illustrated with
pictures in vivid natural colors of flowers in
the arms of some pretty maids entitled "Flor-
ida-The Flower Box of the World." Natural
ly, he looks at the pictures of nature's beau
ties, and, of course, reads the story. As our
northern friend begins to dream of far-off
Florida, having been soothed by the radio's
often called "Mood Music" his thoughts are
very suddenly and rudely interrupted by the
announcer's voice saying "Another Coal Strike
is Pending."
That does it, and before the
last flake of snow has settled to earth, he
has already made up his mind, packed his
bag, made train or plane reservations and
has started for Florida.
There in the land of perpetual sunshine,
the waters of eternal youth, the citrus center
of the universe, the salad bowl of the United
States and the flower box of the world, all
one has to do is to plant the seed, pick the
flowers and ship them back to the land of
the chilling winds, ice and snow.
Thus it
was, that 25 years ago men began to move
to Florida to begin a new venture in Flori
culture — to grow Asparagus fern, gladiolus,
Easter lilies and many other miscellaneous
flower crops.
Today we are facing a new
invasion of people from the North, witnessing
a new era in the production of cut flowers both
outdoors and in the greenhouse.
Visitors from other states remark about the
scarcity of greenhouses used for the produc
tion of cut flowers and potted plants. They
have been accustomed to seeing, in almost
every community, at least one, if not many,
greenhouses devoted to flower production. In
the United States, cut flowers make up about
eighty percent of the florist business with
roses, carnations and chrysanthemums leading
the list in that order as to popularity and as
to the number of flowers sold. Most of our
flowering plants bloom at specific times each
year making them seasonal in their supply
as well as their demand. Due to the results
of plant breeding and careful selections, roses,
carnations, sweet peas, snapdragons and or
chids have long been available the year round
in florist shops. Due to suitable climatic and
environmental conditions
here in
Florida,
gladiolus are now produced in some part of
the state in every month of the year.
Visitors to the state have usually connected
flower growing outdoors with large acreage
operations mainly because in travelling in cer
tain areas they have seen large farms devoted
to the growing of gladiolus.
Gladiolus have
been the major cut flower crop in the state
of Florida because of the number of acres
under cultivation, the millions of bulbs plant
ed each year and the same large numbers of
flowers being cut, and shipped annually to
all parts of the country.
Many other cut
flowers have been produced annually, but due
to their not being
always
out in
the
open
where the average person can see them, have
been considered as of minor importance even
though the financial returns per acre have been
high.
The list given here of important cut flow
ers being produced throughout the state and,
in turn, being shipped all over the United
States, and exported as well, is far from com
plete, but does give some picture of the scope
of the cut flower industry for the state. As
paragus plumosis, although not a cut flower,
is a very valuable florist's crop and the cen-
BROOKS:
CHRYSANTHEMUMS
301
ter of the production is found within the state.
Statice, snapdragon, gypsophila, larkspur, del
phinium, Easter lily buds and blooms, strawflower, candytuft, orchids, tulips, tuberoses,
paperwhite narcissus, sweat peas, calendulas,
gardenias, Fleur d'Amour (Ervatamias), an
nual chrysanthemums,
stephanotis,
Dutch
Iris, asters, roses, carnations and chrysanthe
mums are a few of the cut flowers one finds
being grown for florist use.
Strange as it
may seem, our economic system is such that
some of the very same flowers we grow here
and ship out are also being grown in the very
area receiving Florida grown flowers and, in
turn, shipping that same flower back to Flor
ida for the use by the florists of the state.
Potted flowering or foliage plants have not
been discussed here, but in passing let it be
noted that poinsettias, azaleas, hydrangeas,
Easter lilies, Saintpaulias, Gloxinias, are only
a few of potted plants which have up to now
been considered as crops strictly for the north
ern greenhouse operator.
With greenhouses
now being rapidly erected throughout the
state, each month the picture of flower pro
duction in Florida is rapidly changing. Since
the beginning of 1952 the production of
roses and carnations in hydroponics has be
come big business.
The number of Dutch
iris bulbs being planted by one grower alone
this year will amount to almost two million
bulbs.
Floriculture is the last of the three branches
of horticulture to apply science to produc
tion.
Pomology and vegetable crops were
using science to solve their problems many
years ago. The fruit and vegetable markets
have thought that various crops could be sold
only at specific times because of seasonability.
By means of transportation and a knowledge
of scientific fundamentals of culture and stor
age the housewife must now have citrus prod
ucts every day in the year as well as tomatoes,
beans, lettuce, potatoes and nearly any other
food.
The production of chrysanthemums out
doors in Florida, and not inside greenhouses,
is, at the present time, attracting considera
ble attention throughout the country. In fact,
the interest in their production has been so
great that many greenhouse operators have
sold out completely in the north and moved
to Florida hoping to cash in on the "Gold
Rush of Chrysanthemums."
Within the past decade experiments deal
ing with the effect of day length and tempera
ture upon the growth of plants have shown
that crops previously not considered com
mercially possible or profitable in Florida are
now very much in the foreground.
Only
within the past two years has there devel
oped a tremendous increase and interest in
the production of asters, chrysanthemums,
roses, bulbous iris, and carnations.
At the
start, doomed to fail in the opinion of some
individuals, the interest as well as the quan
tity of flowers being actually cut and shipped
has increased by leaps and bounds. So great
has been the interest shown that since the
first of the year the number of individuals
engaged in the production of the above five
crops has increased too fast to be counted.
Whether or not any or all of these mentioned
cut flowers will in time rival, equal or sur
pass the gladiolus is a question open to seri
ous debate.
It is rapidly becoming evident,
however, that Florida is capable of producing
many cut flowers and potted plants hither-tofore considered as impossible.
Not long ago, the chrysanthemum was con
sidered only as a fall flower. With the dis
covery of the daylength and temperature re
quirements of the chrysanthemum it no longer
has remained in the seasonal group, but has
become a year 'round, 365 day flower. Since
1946 it has appeared in markets every month.
Possessing the knowledge of how to manage
the life of a chrysanthemum, the grower can
produce cut flowers as well as potted plants
for any day in the year. Continuous flower
of 'Mums is rapidly becoming as common
place as the production of roses, carnations
and gladiolus.
To give an estimate of the
number of acres actually now in production
is difficult to do. A fair guess would be one
approximating thirty acres this year. Chrysan
themums are a concentrated crop in that they
are usually spaced eight inches both ways
and grown in beds usually four feet wide
and from one to two hundred feet long. The
few plantings which have been under per
sonal observation so far, if increased annually
as they have the past year, will soon triple
the above estimation as to acreage.
To grow chrysanthemums around the year
it is very necessary that one know exactly
how to handle the plant in order to make
it produce when you want it to.
Having
302
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1952
learned the factors which control the growth,
bud formation and flower development, one
still has much to learn about how the chrysan
themum grows in Florida.
Chrysanthemums
are grown in Florida to flower normally in
October, November, and December without
the assistance of added light or the reduction
of daylength.
To produce cut flowers dur
ing the period of from Christmas to Easter
does require lighting equipment in order to
prevent bud set at the wrong time and to
keep the plant in a state of vegetative growth
in order to produce the proper length of stem
before buds and flowers form.
The techniques involved and the procedures
followed are too lengthy for a discussion of
this kind. Besides, the schedule of operations
for year around production of chrysanthe
mums is readily available from all of the
commercial florist seed and plant suppliers
who handle rooted chrysanthemum cuttings.
However, there is one difficulty which is soon
apparent when attempting to use the grow
ing schedules at present as printed. That is
that the schedules are for the area within
40 to 45 degrees north latitude.
The area
where most of the chrysanthemums are now
being grown in Florida is between 26 to 28
degrees north latitude.
This accounts for
the differences in the day length between say
Ohio, Massachusetts and Florida.
The big
difference is that Florida does not have the
large differential in day length between sumrrier and winter that the northern latitudes
have. In winter we have a longer day than
they do and in summer a shorter day. It is
going to be necessary to work out growing
schedules for this area alone as far as daylength requirements of the best commercial
varieties are concerned.
In order for a grower to have a plan for
the flowering of his crop, he must have some
knowledge of the nature of the chrysanthe
mum plant.
A few of the most important
factors to be considered are as follows: It is
a "short-day" plant in that it sets its buds
during the shorter days of the year. It takes
14 hours or less to set the bud and 13/2 hours
or Jess to develop the bud. Thus, if you want
to delay or prevent bud set during the short
days of the year, one must use electric lights
to delay the Lowering. Actually, the chrysan
themum is a long night plant rather than a
short day plant for flower buds can be pre
vented from forming by interrupting the hours
of night even though the days are short. To
prevent the flower buds from forming, the
light intensity must be a minimum of 10 foot
candles and the lights are turned on at 10:00
p. m. for the number of hours listed below.
3 hours additional lights for months of Au
gust, September, October, March, April and
May.
4 hours during the months of November and
February.
5 hours during the month of December and
January .
It is to be noted, though, that for the month
of August and April, some growers are using
only two hours of added light and 2% hours
for September while others are using 3 hours
right straight through for all the months con
cerned. This latter procedure is not recom
mended, however, as being the correct one to
follow.
Through the manipulation of the length of
the light periods into short days and then
followed with a period of long days, followed
again by short day periods, one can control
the spray formation of pompons, but this con
trol requires more work and planning and is
too complicated for the grower who is not a
mum specialist.
Providing the additional light needed to
prevent bud formation is a problem which
you will have to study for the proper ar
rangement of the lights and for the proper
equipment to provide the electric current
without disastrous results. Reflectors must be
used and the general spacing of the bulbs,
wattage to use, and height above the plants
is given in the foLowing table.
Bulb Wattage
60
100
200
watts
watts
watts
Spaced Apart
Hgt. Above plant
4 feet
6 feet
8 feet
2 feet
3 feet
4 feet
One precaution must be observed and that
is a barrier must be erected between the
lighted and unlighted portions of plantings
to prevent any light from striking the plants
which are not being given additional light.
If this precaution is not heeded, the plants
on the adjacent beds will be affected and
result in blooming at the wrong time.
BROOKS:
2nd — Another factor which is not always
generally recognized is that the varieties of
chrysanthemums vary widely in their response
to shade or "short-day" treatment.
This socalled "short-day" treatment may be the ap
plication of black cloth to shorten the day
or allowing mother nature to do it naturally
for you when the days become short enough
to form buds.
This variation in the time it
takes the various varieties to mature or flower
from the date of bud formation varies from
55 days in some varieties to 100 days in
others.
Most all varieties of chrysanthemums set
their buds at approximately the same time.
In latitude 40-45° this takes place naturally
at some time between August 15 and Sep
tember 5 although some of the late blooming
varieties for Christmas may set their buds as
late as the first of October.
The difference
between an early and a late variety is not
so much in the difference in the date the
buds set as in the difference in time that an
early variety takes to develop the buds as
compared to a late variety. The early varie
ties flower early due to the rapid bud! de
velopment. The later the variety, the slower
the bud development.
3rd — Response Groups.
This variation
brought about the necessity for classifying
all varieties of chrysanthemums as to their
response to short days. Some variety listings
segregate the varieties as 56, 66, 76, 86, and
96 day varieties, while the more common
method is to list them as 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13,
and 14 weeks varieties. For example, those
varieties that normally bloom at or about the
following dates require the given weeks from
shade to maturity.
Normal date of bloom
Oct. 20 requires 8 weeks from shade to
maturity.
Nov. 1 requires 9 weeks from shade to ma
turity.
Nov. 10 requires 10 weeks from shade to
maturity.
Nov. 20 requires 11 weeks from shade to
maturity.
Dec. 1 requires
maturity.
303
CHRYSANTHEMUMS
12 weeks from shade to
Dec. 10 requires 13 weeks from shade to
maturity.
Dec. 20 requires 14 weeks from shade to
maturity.
Keep in mind that the above table is only
general and that varieties will vary in their
response in different growing areas and un
der different environmental and climatic con
ditions.
"Maturity Date" means the time
when it is possible to harvest at least 60 per
cent of the crop at one cut and not when
just a few flowers show enough color to be
cut.
4th — Light and shade are combined to pro
duce an accurately timed mum crop for some
specific market, such as for Christmas.
In
order to do this, it is necessary to use both
lights and shade on certain varieties at cer
tain seasons of the year. By shade one means
the use of a good durable Black Cloth which
when applied will reduce the light intensity
If more light in
to 2 foot candles or less.
tensity than this is allowed to reach the chrysr
anthemum plants there will result a definite
delay in flowering and an unevenness of
bloom. The cloth is usually applied at 5:00
p. m. and removed at 8:00 a. m. and it is
necessary
that the
covering be
complete
around the plants for any leaks of light will
cause uneven spots in the bench at bloom
ing time. The black cloth should be applied
each evening, although if one night is missed
in a week the results will be fair, but delayed
flowering will be the result if the cloth is not
applied religiously each night.
One precaution regarding temperature must
be observed.
Excessive high temperatures
will prohibit the bud development and if at
any time the night temperatures are above
90 degrees, it is best that the black cloth be
raised after sunset and lowered again in the
morning before daylight.
5th — Temperature
control.
One
of
the
most important points in growing and timing
a 'mum crop is temperature.
For the best
bud formation a minimum of 60-65° should
be maintained and during the growing period
a night temperature of 60° is ideal. After the
color shows, the temperature can be dropped
down to 52-55°.
If the proper temperature
is maintained, one will go a long ways towards
producing a uniform bud set, a uniform ma-
304
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1952
turity of bloom, resulting in the cutting of a
profitable crop which has been timed for a
given market.
6th —
effect on
crowded,
be slow
Spacing and pruning also have an
the timing of a crop. If plants are
they will result in weak stems, will
to respond to shade and lights, be
uneven in maturity and of poor quality. Plants
are generally spaced 8 by 8 inches each way
and pruned to 2 or 3 stems per plant. Some
growers are now growing only one stem per
plant with a spacing for this no-pinch method
varying according to the season of the year.
Spacing
Flowering date
May 15
Sept. 15
Nov. 15
Mar. 15
-- Sept.
-- Nov.
-- Mar.
--May
Pompons
15
15
15
15
4
4
4
4
x
X
X
X
Standards
6
7
8
6
6
6
6
7
X
X
X
X
5
6
7
6
7th — Disbudding is also very important
in the well-timed 'mum crop.
Follow the
standard method of disbudding which is best
suited to the variety.
When growing dis
budded sprays, one waits until the crown bud
forms and then removes all but three vegeta
tive shoots.
Later when terminal buds ap
pear, disbud each shoot similar to the normal
disbudding of standards. Some growers allow
three flowers to mature on each spray re
sulting in a slight increase in size over the
normal procedure of allowing all the buds to
reach maturity.
8th — Pinching. For many years the reason
for pinching was to regulate the number of
CHRYSANTHEMUM
stems on the plant.
We have learned that
in the case of pompons and singles, the time
of pinching determines the type of spray for
mation.
With the standards, the time of
pinching determines the type of bud forma
tion whether it be a crown or terminal bud,
which will in turn produce a much stronger,
straighter flowering stem.
After the rooted
cuttings have been planted out and become
established, they are more often soft pinched.
This usually is done from 5 to 25 days after
planting.
The date of the pinch should be
timed to allow from 25 to 50 days from pinch
ing to the short-day treatment depending upon
the time of the year. If the plants are grown
single stem, the date of planting should be
25 to 50 days from short day treatment.
Precision culture of 'mums is set up around
the so-called "Last Pinch."
To grow a top
quality pompon, the rooted cuttings should be
planted in the permanent location approxi
mately three weeks before the date given in
the lists of varieties as "last pinch."
The
exact pinching date for many varieties has
been worked out and the table below will
show the time to pinch after planting accord
ing to the various planting dates.
Dates
of Planting
Nov. 15 — Feb.
Feb. 15 — May
May 15 — Aug.
Aug. 15 — Nov.
Allow
15
15
15
15
from
plant to
pinch
5 weeks
4 weeks
3 weeks
4 weeks
Whatever the time used, it must be corelated with the shade and maturity dates in
order to obtain the maximum results, for
FLOWERING
SCHEDULE
Bloom January 12
Latitude
40-45°
35-40°
30-45°
25-30°
Plant
Pinch*
Aug. 11
Aug. 11
Aug. 11
Aug. 11
Aug. 11
Sept.
Sept.
Sept.
Sept.
Sept.
Aug. 18
Aug. 18
Aug. 18
Aug. 18
Sept. 8
Sept. 8
Sept. 8
Sept. 8
1
1
1
1
1
Aug.
Aug.
Aug.
18
18
18
Sept.
15
Sept.
15
Aug.
25
Sept.
22
Aug.
Aug.
25
25
Sept.
15
Sept. 22
Sept. 22
Lighting
Sept.
Sept.
Period
8 — Oct.
6
1 — Oct. 13
Aug. 25 — Oct. 2 0
Aug. 18 — Oct. 2 7
Aug. 11 — Nov. 3
Sept.
8 —
Sept.
1 —
Aug. 25 —
Aug. 18 —
Oct.
6
Oct. 13
Oct. 2 0
Oct. 27
Start Shade
no
no
no
no
no
no
no
no
Response Group
14
13
12
11
10
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
14
13
12
Week
Week
Week
no
11
Sept.
1 — Oct. 13
Aug. 25 — Oct. 2 0
Aug. 18 — Oct. 27
no
13
no
11
Aug. 25 — Oct. 20
Aug. 25 — Oct. 27
Aug. 25 — Nov. 3
no
12
♦For No Pinch Method:
no
no
no
Plant and Light on Pinch Date
12
11
10
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
BROOKS:
CHRYSANTHEMUMS
time pinching is an important part in accu
rately timing your 'mum crop. If the pinch
is too long before maturity, the result is sprays
which tend to sprawl and are difficult to dis
bud and bunch. A short pinch will produce
clustered sprays which results in a loss of
production due to the greater number of
stems required for a bunch.
This brief discussion by no means covers
the growing of 'mums in Florida for their
culture has become one of scientific, exact
procedure if one wishes to grow a profitable
crop for a given market. In closing, I would
like to point out some of the problems con
fronting the Florida growers which I have
observed over the past few weeks, and a few
of the things he must know in order to over
come them.
1—A good thorough knowledge of how the
'mum plant grows.
2—The local environmental conditions such
as rain, light (sunshine) wind and temper
ature.
3—Soils and how to prepare them in order to
obtain the best results under concentrated
culture conditions.
305
4—Provide adequate drainage which is suf
ficient to remove heavy rains quickly and
completely.
5—Provide a water source large enough to
maintain a constant supply for optimum
growth.
6—Knowledge of the daylength for the given
locality for all times of the year.
7—Provide protection from winds which dry
out and blow down plants, injure flowers
and chill the plants when temperatures
are low.
8—Provide a program of dusting and spraying
to control insects and diseases which are
so prevalent due to the combination of
high humidities and with high or low tem
peratures.
9—Manipulate lights and black cloth at the
proper times.
10—Work out growing procedures for each
variety as to the planting date, date of
"last pinch," time
for "lights
on" and
"lights off," how and when to combine short
and long day periods for interrupted shad-
VARIETIES IN RESPONSE GROUPS
14 week
13 week
s
WHITE
Snowcrest
P
Silversmith
Snowcap
Satellite
Cameo
Acclaim
Cotillion
Snowdrop
P
Yel. Snowcrest
Shamrock
Vibrant
Sunrise
Siren
Brandywine
Cameo
Goldtone
Yel.
Corsair
S
BRONZE
& RED
P
11
Chattanooga
Mefo
Ind.
Belray
Fortune
Monarch
Sculpture
Eskimo
Priscilla
Paramount
Shasta
Dynamo
Little America
Matchless
Snow Queen
S
YELLOW
12 week
B.
Riviera
Poinsettia
Harlequin
Holiday
Crist. Star
Br. Minstrel
Harvester
Yellow Mefo
Yellow Queen
Ind. Yellow
Goldenrod
Highlander
Omega
Nosegay
Thorobred
Lollipop
Pippin
Klondike;
Brigadoon
Crescendo
Yellow Shasta
P
Bojangies
Leaf
Indian Head
Amberina
Galaxy
S
PINK
Tnd. Bronze
Thelma
Bourbon
S
— STANDARD
Debutante
Minstrel
Princess
Heritage
Beauregard
Rubicon
Br. Masterpiece
Paragon
Red Rust
Festival
Thanks.
Riviera
Rosalind
Medallion
White
Gold. Pearson
Yel. Chat'n'ga
Oak
Topaz
Crist. Greeting
Merrymaker
10 week
week
Mermaid
Pink
Brocade
Grand Slam
Pinky
P — POMPONS
Ind. Pink
Dk. Orchid Queen
Orchid Queen
Soprano
Linda Lou
Pandora
Memorial
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1952
306
ing and lighting to control pompon spray
controls,
formation.
frost protection, etc.
The Florida 'mum grower is confronted with
several problems and situations, which make
growing interesting as well as difficult. Here
are some of the difficulties with which he
must contend:
1—Weather (rain, sun, wind, temperature).
There is not much that he can do about
regulating these factors, especially the tem
perature. If a minimum of 60° cannot be
maintained at the time for bud formation,
the result will be a maturing of the blooms
off schedule.
2—Insects and Diseases.
These two troubles
are very prevalent and some are not easily
and economically controlled.
Nematodes
are the number one headache. As for disdiseases, to date the growers have been, for
the most part, free from any serious trou
bles. This has been due to the veiy short
time that 'mums have been grown in the
same location.
It is amazing to see the
number of men who are now growing the
same crop in the same soil for more than
the second time without taking the precau
tion to sterilize the soil.
The near future
may bring some serious setbacks to many a
present day grower.
3—Hurricanes are not only a nuisance but a
calamity.
4—Torrential downpours can be as damaging
as hurricane winds.
5—Costs of production from the amount of
electric current consumed, growing struc
tures and equipment needed, such as sup
ports for the flowers, electrical wiring and
overhead
shading,
windbreaks,
6—A lack of trained labor capable of handling
such a specialty crop.
7—Transportation problems brought about by
the ever increasing shipping rates, restric
tions, bottlenecks, and handicaps of the rail
way express, trucking companies and air
lines.
8—Markets must be found that will consume
the flowers produced at a profitable return
to the grower.
We are still in the age
where the grower produces and produces
and does nothing to sell his product.
All of us have a little of the soothsayer in us
in that we like to dream and to peer into the
crystal ball of the future. I firmly believe that
the surface has hardly been scratched when it
pertains to the commercial production of cut
flowers in Florida. Many flowers will be pro
duced in the open without the benefit of glass
protection, but we are going to need green
houses specially designed for our climatic con
ditions if we are to grow many of these crops
economically and profitably for local or dis
tant markets.
Competition with northern greenhouses and
California outdoor grown stock will become
very keen. It has already reared its ugly head
in that large flowered standard 'mums are to
day being shipped into Florida to florists with
in sight of 'mum growers nearly at a cost less
than the locally produced flowers. However,
I believe that the future holds much for those
who will seriously study the requirements for
good cut flower production and who will not
leave success and fortune to mere chance.
SALT TOLERANT PLANTS FOR SOUTH
FLORIDA
Catherine Rae Ferguson
Sarasota
In the United States a set of unique ecolog
ical conditions is found along the sea coasts
of south Florida. The environmental situation
is so extreme that few ornamental plants are
able to successfully survive. This problem was
of no great concern until recent years when
many homes were built on the beaches.
As
more people began to construct permanent
residences, a need arose for grass, shrubs, and
trees that would give cover, stop erosion, pro
vide shade, windbreaks, and break the monot
ony of the long, hot expanses of sand. Little
has been written concerning the plants that