Belgian Mum Thera Red Rooted Cutting Liner

Belgian Mums© are the finest breed garden mum on the market today with over 30 years of breeding and testing. They grow well in any container size from a market pack to a half bushel. Belgian Mums© have a mounding habit, produces a multitude of blooms, branch better and more often than other mums. Propagation prohibited.

We recommend that the diameter of your finished plant be 1.5 to 2 times the pot size. On average, starting with a rooted cutting, a Belgian Mum will grow 1.5" per week. Knowing this, if you want your 6" Belgian Mum to finish with a 12" spread you would need to plant rooted cuttings 8 weeks prior to your desired finish date. You will need to pick your arrival date based on the bloom time of your variety and finished pot size.

Free Educational Content

How to Grow Garden Mums Video (30 min watch)

How to Grow Your Best Mum Yet Blog (7 minute read)

Summer Planting to Grow Your Profits (5 min read)

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General Growing Tips For Your Rooted Cutting Liner

Planting and Fertilization

Garden Mums© grow well in a well-drained, loose, soilless media. Peat based or bark based mixes work well. Be sure to plant rooted cuttings as soon as they arrive in moist media. Do not use any type of water retaining gel. This will create root disease. Begin liquid N-P-K fertilizer containing 200-300 ppm Nitrogen as soon as you plant your rooted cutting. You may consider using controlled-release fertilizer to ensure a steady supply of nutrients if your crops are grown outside with overhead irrigation. If you go this route, be sure to choose a CRF that contains trace elements, plan to use it at a high application rate, and keep a close eye on EC levels to supplement if low fertility occurs. We recommend drip irrigation and water-soluble fertilizer. Weekly soil tests are recommended for maintenance. Grow mums in full sun for best quality.

Garden Mums© require a considerable amount of well-balanced fertilizer. During the vegetative stage of development, we recommend using a balanced 20-10-20 fertilizer at 250-300 ppm with each watering. During flower development, switch to a potassium rich fertilizer like 15-5-30 or KNO3 at 300 ppm until flowers show color. Maintain a soil pH of 5.8-6.2. Once you see color, use clear water. Applying magnesium sulfate as a spray before first color will make plants stronger, enhance color and extend shelf life.

Some growers have trialed an alternative constant liquid feed program of 75-150 ppm N, 1-2 ppm Iron from a complete micronutrient fertilizer package, and 25-30 ppm magnesium sulfate. This program reduces costs and simplifies irrigation by using the same fertilizer throughout the plant’s growth. Doing a trial of this method is recommended before switching over, as it requires vigilant monitoring to succeed.

Irrigation

Irrigation is extremely important for producing high-quality Garden Mums©. Do not allow wilting during the early stages of growth, as it can restrict branching and overall growth and lead to premature budding. Late in the growth of your crop, some minimal wilting can help harden off the plants, control height, and contribute to uniform flowering. We recommend drip irrigation for uniform watering and because it keeps foliage dry, helping to prevent leaf spotting and foliar disease. If you do use overhead irrigation, be sure your plants are dry before evening.

Pulse irrigation can more fully irrigate pots with drip irrigation. Simply run the irrigation cycle in two or three segments with time in between. This allows the water and fertilizer to soak into the pot rather than just drip out the bottom. It also keeps pots from drying out. Do not apply extra water during hot periods, as this leads to overwatering, nutrient loss, and chlorosis. Instead syringe plants to reduce heat stress, or use 25-30% greenhouse shade to reduce heat (keeping in mind that this reduction in light will affect response).

Flowering

Garden Mums grown in full sun will have the best quality.

Premature budding occurs when plants initiate flower buds before they reach the reproductive stage due to stressful environmental and growing conditions. This will result in plants finishing short and flowering too early. The following steps could prevent premature budding even if you notice small initiated flower buds on your starting material:

• Never allow plants to dry during vegetative stage
• Light cuttings during rooting — 4 hours night interruption
• Avoid planting/moving outside too early in the North
• Feed with phosphor-rich fertilizer at 200-300 ppm right after transplanting to promote vegetative growth
• If unable to maintain proper temperature and lighting, apply Florel week before or after transplanting at 500ppm no later than June 20th to avoid flower delays.

Pinching

For the most part, Garden Mums© can be treated as no pinch varieties. If you choose to pinch your crop because you are in a low-humidity area or as part of a blackcloth crop, use the follow guidelines. Pinch when the plant have established roots and 1-1.5" new growth, usually 10-14 days after planting. Pinch out the top .5" of growth. A final pinch can be done in early July in cool areas, or as late as early August in warm regions. You generally do not need to pinch Garden Mums© and are better off starting plants in mid-June with no pinching than starting them earlier with multiple pinches. Pinching hard may delay flowering.

Spacing

Spacing will vary from grower to grower depending on finished pot size and your target sales market. For best results, the foliage should never touch. To calculate spacing, a good rule of thumb is to use the expected diameter of the plant plus 2".

Height Control

No growth regulators are typically needed. If most or all of the varieties you grow require PGRs to keep them from getting too big, consider a later plant date to reduce growing time and, therefore, size. Proper fertilizer and irrigation also contribute to plant size. If you need PGRs, B-9 sprayed at 2500 to 5000 ppm will slow the growth. A Bonzi spray at 30-50 ppm or drench at 0.5-2 ppm will almost completely stop all growth. A drench at the very end of the crop cycle can maintain plants at their finished size prior to shipping. The last PGR application should be no later than 4 weeks before first color. Excessive or late applications of growth regulators will delay flowering. Florel will not increase branching but is recommended as a foliar spray to prevent premature budding during rooting, about three days after planting rooted cuttings, and every 10-14 days until two weeks before short days. This treatment is not necessary for indoor finished crops. Florel may not abort existing buds but will prevent formation of new flower buds.

Pests

The most common pests drawn to this crop are Leafminers, Aphids, Mites, Caterpillars,and Thrips. Our supplier recommends a rotation of Avid, Citation®, Mainspring GNL and Conserve® SC; do a block rotation of three spray applications each of Avid and Citation and then move to the next product.

Disease

Bacterial Leaf Spot is the most significant disease for mums. The best treatment is preventative measures, primarily starting with cleaning cuttings, planting media, equipment, and cultural practices. If you are growing in the field, be sure to clear out any weeds and debris and level any low spots where water may collect. Flush the irrigation line with water plus 2-3 ppm chlorine. Check the lines for clogging and replace drippers as needed. A preventative fungicide rotation can be beneficial, especially if Fusarium Sp. has been a problem in the past. Our supplier recommends a rotation of Heritage® (0.9 oz/100 gal) or Mural® fungicides (2–3 oz/100 gal) as a drench four weeks after planting, followed by a Medallion® fungicide drench (2 oz/100 gal) four weeks later; then an application of Mural® fungicide spray (7 oz/100 gal) focused on the center of the plant three weeks after the Medallion fungicide treatment.

Treat Pythium root rot by closely monitoring EC and pH levels and maintaining the proper range. You can also use a rotation of the following products, one drench every 21-28 days: Subdue Maxx® 1–2 fl oz per 100 gallons, 3 Truban® 4–10 fl oz per 100 gallons, 21 Segway® 1.5–3 fl oz per 100 gallons, 11+7 Mural 2–3 oz per 100 gallons.

Planting Belgian Mum Thera Red Liners

1. Plant deep so the top of our ellepot is slightly below the soil level in your container. It is especially hard to plant deep in a growing media with a high content of pine bark. Slow down the transplant line, and do it right.
2. Plant in the center. This will eliminate any issue of lopsided, wobbly plants at finish. There is a chance you had 10-15% plugs planted off-center last season.
3. Do not pinch. Garden Mums© have the ability to self-pinch. None of the pinch techniques are perfect, and you will never achieve good uniformity from pinched plugs.

Rooted Cuttings

Cuttings vary in size between different plant families. These rooted starter plants will arrive ready to be transplanted in to your final container. If they are to be used in a landscape application, you will need to establish them in a 4 inch pot or an 1801 before planting outside.

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