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Trying to get it right with P.F.'s By Fred Wynn1999

My way of trying to grow P.P. Carnations may well be quite different to many growers as many of my methods are geared to fit in with my Dahlias and Spray Chrysanthemums. I do feel that many of the principles of growing chrysanthemums are compatible with carnations, particularly if you have grown chrysanthemums in pots either earlies or lates.

Firstly and in my opinion, STOCK SELECTION, the top cultivars for exhibition are well documented by both the B.N.C.S. and the G.N.C.S. therefore I shall not deal with that aspect in this article as this is often a matter of personal choice. During the flowering period, from July onwards if there are any blooms that are outstanding on a particular cultivar it is immediately marked, say Joanne A, Clara B, and so forth and these are the plants and cuttings that will get special attention for the rest of the flowering season. Particularly so for the most choice cuttings, which are between the 7th and 10th pair of leaves, but however good the flower is on the parent plant the cutting MUST be in good condition and have the right habit, clean short jointed and in prime condition before I would attempt to take it. This would be early in the morning when the plant is turgid. I never take cuttings after 11.00am as the increasing warmth of the day reduces the sap within the cutting itself making it more difficult to root with vigour, that means you may undermine the qualities that the parent plant was trying to pass on. Therefore in the main my growing year starts in late July with the preparations for the following years stock. The parent plants are kept free of pests and diseases with a regular spraying programme. It is best to spray before the pests have a chance to become established on a ten day cycle, say the 1st, 10th and 20th of each month alternating the type of insecticide each time, spraying only early on a morning. When damping down on warm days put Jeyes fluid in the water making sure not to put any on the plants or compost, the fumes given off masks the smell of the plants from the pests. Spray with a fungicide once a month, if you use a systemic fungicide I find this is adequate, when the plants are in full growth I only spray the bottom two-thirds as this area of the plant is where any diseases will start and where I need the cuttings. To achieve good results there are no short cuts and attention to detail is a must, and so we proceed to my methods and theories behind them.

The cuttings are rooted individually in Jiffy sevens, put in a propagator with mist irrigation and soil warming cables with the thermostat set at VOdegrees F – 20degrees C, the cables are in a five inch bed of sand. I am aware that you can root without heat in July and August but I prefer to keep the heat on as I wish to maintain the same temperature at night, these conditions create a vigorous and more even root system and a more rapid turnover within the propagator. So the majority of cuttings take 14 to 20 days in July and August and about 20 to 30 days in September and October due to the shortening daylight hours. The quicker you can get the cuttings into their first pot, usually three and a half inch and into as more buoyant atmosphere the better.Water the cutting in and shade during the day for the first 3 or 4 days if the sun is too bright, this reduces the stress factor, a point that is now taken into account in all aspects of horticulture. This is the only time I water a plant in. Subsequent pottings into five’s and finals I feel that if ihe plant and it’s compost are in the right condition and the new compost is of the right structure, waler should nol be needed for at least a week. A way to tell the new compost is of the right condition is to take a hand full and squeeze it, when you open your hand the compost should remain in one lump but when touched wilh the finger should crumble.
The first batch of cuttings are usually ready for potting in early August, into three and a half inch pots using Chempak Carnation Base. When I am happy the plants are settled in Ihe firsl pots they are stood outside 12 to a tomato box, (it is too warm under glass at this time of year), the young plants must not be mollycoddled at any time, close jointed well balanced plants are whal we are aiming lo achieve, but at all times spraying on a regular basis is very important Al Ihe beginning of September any young plants thai are outside are brought in under glass. By mid September the earlier rooted plants will be ready to be moved into 5-inch pols and stopped.

When stopping a plant I prefer the breaks to show some sign of development before I tackle the job. I have found in the past thai if you slop back lo 6 pair of leaves before the breaks have begun to develop the breaks tend to grow in an uneven manner and the leading break romps away at the expense of Ihe breaks further down the plant and the whole plant remains out of balance thereafter. I am never in a great hurry to stop a plant; the maxim I use is ‘the plant says when I say where’. I stop the plants early on a morning when they are turgid holding the sixth pair of leaves between my finger and thumb and cracking the break out with my olher hand. I’ll probably stop 20 or more plants at the same time then mix 2 pints Nimrod T’, then spray the newly stopped plants Ihoroughly paying special attention to the point where the stop has been made, as this wound is where diseases could enter the plants system.

The compost for Ihe 5-inch pots is again Chempak mix but this time half an inch of three-eighths gravel is put in the bottom of the pot The plant is never firmed in the pot is merely tapped a couple of times on the bench lo settle the new compost making sure that the compost from the three and a half inch pots is slightly proud of the new compost. As previously mentioned I never water in at this stage I want the young plant to hunt for moisture all the time, remember the shorter days are approaching and less water will be needed in any case. When I do have to water the pot is almost dry and then I only water around the edge of the pot the aim is to keep the base of the plant free from any moisture as this is the area where damping off or stem rot will start.

The plants are grown without any heat whatsoever, and if there is a bright Winters morning, I take the opportunity to spray with a fungicide or a dual purpose spray such as Hexyl Plus. The sun is never too strong to cause any damage but I want the plants to be completely dry by early afternoon. By the end of October I would expect 90% of my plants to be in 5 inch pots stopped and with nice even breaks evident. If I intend lo grow 15 of a certain variety for exhibition then I will have 18 or 20 in 5 inch pots Iherefore enabling me to select the 15 most suitable for the final pots, usually in late March. Yellow flycatchers are hung up in ihe greenhouse at all times and changed as required. I feel these are essential as they prevent most winged pests going anywhere near the plants and they are ideal against Thrips.

I begin to prepare the final potting compost in January and usually have sufficient mixed for all my carnations (about 250) by the end of the month. It is put in open topped plastic bags and kepi in the greenhouse at the same temperature as the plants and is therefore ready for immediate use when required. All Ihe final pots have been washed wilh Jeyes Fluid and have about one and a half inches of gravel for drainage put on the bottom then slacked in balches of 20. I use all plastic pots 7inch or 4 litre deep rose pots. The compost for the final potting is as follows: – 3 parts LEVINGTON C2, 1 part sharp sand this is mixed together thoroughly. I mix several bags of this and then I mix equal parts of this to equal parts of JOHN INNES No 3 and to each bushel of completed mix I add a 5 inch pot of Charcoal. The completed mix is put into bags and marked for their contents. I need to mark the bags as I have other mixes prepared for olher plants. When I start the final potting I put the pots in the position I intend them to stand during the rest of the season. I put the young plants in the 5 inch pots inside the final pots and they remain there for about a week during which time I double check that I have the right plants in the right place, I often change the plants until I am completely satisfied.

Final potting is a job I enjoy, so I take my time, I am expecting the root system in Ihe 5 inch pots to be just nicely into the gravel at the base of the 5 inch pot. While the plants are in 5-inch pots 2 or 3 feeds with CHEMPAK AFRICAN VIOLET fertiliser, as it is 12-36-14 the high phosphates help build a strong root system and this is the main thing I am interested in with any young plant. This is the only type of feed the young plants ever receive. About 4 inches of the prepared compost final compost is put in the final pot on top of the gravel, the young plant is knocked out of the 5 inch pot then when il is turned upright to be placed in the final pot the gravel at the bottom of the 5 inch pot falls away and the roots at the base of the 5 inch pot then spread nicely on the compost in the final pot without having to be teased if they are a little pot bound. New compost is put around the 5 inch pot up to the top of the original root ball no further, then the final pot is lapped a couple of times on the floor and this will leave the root ball in the 5 inch pot a little higher than the rest of the pot. As I have mentioned I root in Jiffy 7’s and when the plant is in the final pot you can still see the Jiffy 7, this is an excellent indication that all previous potting on has had the right treatment Once again the plant is not watered in wait until the water is really needed. The first watering is only around the edge of the pot wilh BENLATE This helps keep the plant and root system disease free and ensures a good clean start. A 4ft cane is put in the top of the cane is then fastened to a training wire, I continue with this procedure until all the plants are in their final quarters, any that are not quite ready are kept on shelves near the eaves until they are. I never move plants into the next pot until the root system needs it, doing so is detrimental and leads to over potting and the new compost going sour before the new roots can get into it.
When all the plants are in their final quarters water each individual plant as required and try to keep them on the dry side, treat each plant as an individual and water them accordingly, some varieties have a stronger root system than others and Iherefore the water uptake is greater. It is this kind of attention to detail that makes all ihe difference to bloom quality and plant performance. After about 6 or 7 weeks the plants will start to spindle from each growing point and a feeding programme can commence. I prefer a balanced feed a quarter strength at every watering. I believe that if you start with a balanced compost with a neutral pH then it’s best to try and maintain that, I feel that if you start using high potash or high nitrogen you stand the risk of the growing media locking in other fertilisers and trace elements and this is naturally detrimental to the well being of the plant and it can be very difficult to rectify. I often give the plants what I call a tonic, that is, MAGNESIUM SULPHATE at the rate of one level tablespoon to 2 gallons of water and stirred well, they get this usually when the first buds appear then once a month till the end of September, this brings out the colour on the flower and the bloom on the foliage. I prefer this to potash for the job, as potash can sometimes lead to coarseness in the blooms and make the guard petals gappy and uneven.

Take the side breaks off the flowering stem down to the 7th or 8th pair of leaves leaving the side bud immediately below the crown bud until you can crack it out comfortably, as you must not leave any small leaves at the point it is broken out, new growth would develop from this area if allowed to hindering the progress of the crown bud. Be very careful not to scar the main stem below the crown bud as this can cause the bloom to cock to one side and 12 months of lime and patience will be wasted. When I commence to take unwanted growth from the plants I use the following guidelines. IF IT IS NOT A POTENTIAL CUTTING OR POTENTIAL GRASS NEEDED FOR EXHIBITION PURPOSES, THEN IT IS REMOVED, removing unwanted growth is something that should be done gradually, what I try to do is to go around every morning. The aim is, to lake no more than one side shoot off a flowering stem at any one time, I know it is difficult but if you take too many off at one go the sudden upsurge of sap can cause can lead to coarse misshapen blooms, so it is worth taking your time during this period of the plants growth.

Keep spraying to a regular pattern as all pests will be very active at this time of year, as you should be commencing to secure buds in mid June pay special attention to the underside of the leaves and growing point. If you are using an insecticide that you have never tried before just mix a small quantity according to the directions and try it on a couple of plants first to make sure there is no scorch damage to the leaf tissue, then after a couple of days you can spray all the plants with confidence.

The greenhouse now needs to be shaded, damped down at midday if the weather is warm, it may even be necessary to take a couple of panes of glass out of the sides. It is a good idea if you have electric to install a fan to keep the air moving an extractor fan is a good investment.

As soon as the plants show a hint of colour put a calyx band on just below the base of the claw, for quite a few years I never seemed to have to do this but in the comparatively cold summer of 1993 the early buds were splitting by the dozen, so I immediately started to put the bands on and the buds settled down. I felt the main factor causing this was because of unusually low temperatures, the blooms were at a critical stage too long and the calyx was under maximum pressure for an unacceptable period of lime. Still, you learn from your mistakes but it is better to learn from other peoples if you can.

When the blooms are about half developed you can start to put the discs on, I make mine out of polystyrene tiles. The aim is to keep the guard petals at 90 degrees to the stem, when it is time to cut the blooms I feel the following points arc a must. Cut early in the morning, put in deep water ( I have drums 16 inches deep) and put in a cool place, try and cut the stems to the 7th pair of leaves if you can, wilh some close jointed varieties it is not always possible i.e. ‘Cromplon Princess’, the main reason for this principle is when the bloom has been cut subsequent cuttings on that stem will romp away and you need to have a guide as to the 7th to IOth pair of from the bud that has been cut.

It is at this lime at the plants stage of growth that stock selection is vital, I believe that next years stock is more important than this years blooms. It is not unusual for me to cut a variety back to the 7th pair of leaves as soon as the flower has shown colour and been identified, this induces callings from an otherwise shy variety and, rests the stock. If you take cuttings willy nilly your stock will deteriorate and you arc on the road to nowhere fast. With the advent of taking cuttings we are back to the beginning of the article and at the beginning of what is my carnation year.

Finally a few timely tips :. .

Spray on a regular basis – BE CONSISTENT – Use only tap water -Feed little and often.

Select only the best cuttings – Try and keep the temperature as low as possible during the summer months. Disbud gradually.

Read and digest the schedule, and arrive at the shows in ample time.
If you intend exhibiting do so with HUMOUR, if you can’t exhibit with HUMOUR. Buy a fishing rod!
ENJOY.