August 2020 - 14

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Tanya™
NEW!
Yellow
Very Easy, Very Early
Natural Season Garden Mums
Very early natural season garden mums have been an important
breeding goal for decades. In the 1970s and 1980s, natural season
garden mums were the only way garden mums were produced.
Then, in the 1990s, retailers wanted sales in August and even July.
Growers began blackclothing garden mums, as was done for pot
mums, to meet this earlier demand. And some growers found it
easier to keep blackclothing their mums for fl owering in late August
and September.
For growers who do not have a greenhouse equipped with an
automatic blackcloth system, it is necessary to manually put
blackcloth over the plants each night and take it off each morning.
This takes a signifi cant amount of time and effort, and some growers
would prefer not to do this at all. Natural season production is still
the best way to go, if there is no need for fi nished garden mums in
early or mid-August.
How to make Very Early also very easy
There are some varieties available today that can fl ower naturally in
mid-August. But these varieties require special treatment with Florel®
and Fascination®
plant growth regulators to get plant growth before
they fl ower. These varieties are also challenging stock plants
which makes cutting production diffi cult. Although the
varieties do not need blackcloth for fl owering in
August, they do require quite a bit of effort to
prevent premature fl owering to grow a decent
plant.
At Syngenta Flowers we have worked to
select varieties that can fl ower naturally
in the later half of August and are also
able to size up before fl owering without
special chemical treatments. In addition,
we look at stock plant production to
secure a reliable supply of cuttings to
growers. This perfect combination of
growth and early fl owering is not easy to
come by, but we now have a group of varieties that can be ready to
ship with bud color in Week 34 or 35 without blackcloth. We have
seen this occur from north to south in the United States and even
during the hot season of 2018.
What are the Very Easy, Very Early varieties
and how do I grow them?
There are several new, as well as some existing varieties, that create
the group for naturally fl owering in August. See the table below for
options in each color group, and some regionally specifi c additions
that can be used.
VERY EASY, VERY EARLY VARIETIES
Regions Yellow
Orange/
Bronze
Both
North &
South
North
South
Tanya™
Yellow
Brittany™
Yellow
Michelle™
Gold
Electra™
Amber
Keeley™
Orange
Hannah™
Orange
Red
Samantha™
Red
Purple
Arlette™
Purple
Pink/
Lavender
Demi™
Pink
Debbie™
Hot Pink
Edith™
White
Crop culture is very easy as well, utilizing standard mum propagation
with night interruption mum lighting plus one Florel®
application eight
to 10 days after stick. Transplant and put plants outside between
Week 24 and Week 26. Plan for one rooted cutting per pot in 8-inch
or 9-inch pots and three rooted cuttings in 12-inch or 14-inch pots.
Grow as you would any garden mum with standard fertilization and
no special growth regulators. Plants will size up and have color for
shipping in Week 34 or at least early in Week 35.
White
Shannon™
White
To learn more about mums from Syngenta Flowers, visit:
syngentafl owers-us.com/webcast/mums
All photos are either the property of Syngenta or are used with permission.
© 2020 Syngenta. Important: Always read and follow label instructions. Some products may not be registered for sale or use in all states or counties and/or may have state-specifi c use requirements.
Please check with your local extension service to ensure registration and proper use. Some or all of the varieties may be protected under one or more of the following: Plant Variety Protection,
United States Plant Patents and/or Utility Patents and may not be propagated or reproduced without authorization. The trademarks or service marks displayed or otherwise used herein are the property of
a Syngenta Group Company. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Electra™
Amber
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http://www.owers-us.com/webcast/mums

August 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of August 2020