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Pinks for 2000 By Fred Wynn

I am writing this article in mid-December and still taking Pink cuttings and intend to continue to do so until the end of February. The reason behind this is to still have some good pinks at the end of September.
Here is the plan of attack: I have a small propagator, electrically heated with the thermostat set at 70f. Il will take sixty cuttings in cells and since the end of October, I have been taking sixty a month.
What I am trying to do is take ten cuttings each of what I consider to be my best six varieties, men hopefully, each batch of cuttings will flower about three weeks to a month apart. The method of culture will more or less be the same as normal, the rooting compost is equal parls by volume Levingtons Fl, which is a peat compost. John Innes No. I and horticultural grit. All other composts are Chempak Carnation Base, mixed with five 2-gallon buckets of peat and three 2-gallon buckets of grit. This is then mixed in equal parts by volume with John Innes No. 1.
When the young cuttings are ready to pot on they will go in 9cm square pots and put in an unheated greenhouse. I try to pick a mild spell to pot on to try and give the young plants a chance to adjust to the new environment, as 1 do not like to water in the new plants as some growers normally do. When this pot is full of roots they will go into a six inch pot to flower, but will stand outside at all times until they begin to show colour.
The mother plants I am using at the moment are in seven inch pots and arc frozen solid, so what I have to do is bring in ten plants at a lime into the kitchen to defrost overnight, before taking the cultings.
Even at this time of the year you must be very wary of pests, aphids in particular are never very far away and as soon as there is a rise in lemperature they become very active. A heated propagator is, therefore, an ideal place for them to spring into action because the cutting once in the propagator with the perspex. or plastic top on, should be left undisturbed for about three weeks, or until you are certain they have rooted.
I am sure you can realise that if there are any aphids on the unrooted cuttings going into the propagator, there will soon be an infestation. It will be unlikely the cuttings will root and if they do the stock is ruined.
So, what is to be done? Spray all the mother plants at least once a fortnight, or at every opportunity. What I also do is make up half a litre of any good insecticide, as directed, in a shallow plastic container and dowse all the cuttings in this before putting them into the propagator.