Hi all --
Somebody needs to have a mum swap next spring, and if no one else wants to do it, then I will.
My preliminary thoughts are that each participant sends in 15 cuttings. There would be 16 participalnts. and each person get one of each(?) I suppose a person could double his entries and get double back -- I need to think how that would work.
They would be sent in a little baggie of peat with a tag on the stem as to color, height, variety, or whatever. I think it would work just fine, but an alternate is to pull off a rooted shoot from the side when they come up in spring.
The person hosting will make the rules, but the reason I am posting now is because I want you all to take copious notes on what is blooming now: the color, the height, the variety if you know it. If you think there is even a possibility you'd be interested in a big group swap of cuttings or rooted cuttings next spring, take photos or whatever you need to be able to identify it in spring when the red one will look just like the yellow one right next to it.
Suzy
This message was edited Oct 15, 2007 4:06 AM
Plan Ahead: Mum Swap Spring 2008
Hi Suzy
Count me in for the swap. I have several cuttings that I started from broken branches, thanks to the wind. They are easy to grow under lights also. All the parent plants are from Kings.
Mary
> I have several cuttings that I started from broken branches, thanks to the wind.
How did you go about doing that? I accidentally broke a branch off one of mine. It's still living in a vase, but one of the bottom leaves is getting yellow. It has 7 unopened flower buds on it. I'd like to save it.
Count me in...I may not know the name of mine but can include a picture if that is ok?
I have started several this year so if I lose any, I will have replacements. I just take my cuttings use a little rooting hormone and put them in potting mix for seeds (sterile), cover until they have roots.
Yes, I would think a photo would be just fine. (I don't have names for all of mine, either.)
Suzy
Myresortonahill, I'm sorry, I saw this right when you posted, but I was in a hurry and didn't answer right when I saw it. Your mums sound really great....I always wanted to buy from King's, but then I'd get sidetracked.
Spidra, Go to this thread and see if there aren't some directions -- basically you cut the tip off the bottom of the stem, you clip off any flowers or buds, then you put the base in potting soil up to the first set of leaves. It will root out the sides where the leaf junction is (except you've removed the leaves)
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/738689/
Suzy
Suzy
Spidra:
Sorry I haven't looked in lately. I took all the broken branches and stuck them in water until I could sink them in peat/bark/perlite mix, and then I used liquid plant starter to give them a jump start. It's the first time I tried it and all the little children are ok so far. Thank god for plant lights all set up in the garage...at least until we have freezing temps in January. Then they will go to the basement for a couple of months.
I carried over Iris this way in the winter (I have some rebloomers out there now in the garden) so I'm hoping that I'll be sucessful with the mums. What I have found with the little cuttings is that they do very poorly in the wind, since I lost those earlier this summer. But I have several now and will attempt to take more cuttings before the freezing temps next week.
Mary
P.S. Illoquin, we need all the help we can get.....glad for the suggestion of the plant swap!
This message was edited Oct 30, 2007 9:09 PM
I'd love to participate
Hi! Fancy seeing you here....sure, join the fun! LOL! I was just thinking about this today when I noticed the mums I grow that I took photos of a couple weeks ago have all changed colors!.
They have turned lighter, darker, more yellow, more pink...seriously, there are only a couple that open the same colors as they age. Now what??? I hate to send a photo and have people get mad because they aren't "as advertised".
I need to do some serious thought, but I also noticed I have a bunch, and I mean a bunch, of new growth at the base of all the plants. I should have enough to send every person in the swap like 8-10 different plants! Rooted plants, not just cuttings. These mums are amazingly prolific, and the younger they are, it seems the better shaped they are at bloom time.
I was visiting a friend in July - about the 10th of July, and she had a mum that I showed her how to propagate and I took 4 cuttings with me. They all grew and bloomed (plain yelow) and she had about a dozen plus the mother plant! This was July of 2007. 4 months ago? Sheesh!
Suzy
How are all my Zone 5 people doing? How are your mums looking for this swap? Have you looked at the base of the plants for lots of basal spring growth?
Just wanted to give this a bump and see if peole are still interested.
Anybody buy any from King's by any chance?
Suzy
Hi, none of my cuttings made it. I need to figure out what I am doing wrong....very disappointed.
I have seen a few tops of mine in the garden peeking up, we have had below normal temps so most things are pretty slow.
I am still interested if mine in the garden made it, but right now it is still too early for me.
How about you?
Joyce
Happ,
I had sort of a rude wake up call today...not all my mums made it through the spring!
I am not sure what I want to do -- postage would have to be in a bubble envie because the flat rate boxes will be going up in May -- again!
Let's wait and see how the plants do, it's still real early here, too. I think maybe we need to trade rooted cuttings and not just plain cuttings. They do best in the heat in June for me, but that woul dput the trade about 4 weeks later in July, right when you typically don't want to ship live plant material.
Whose dumb idea was this, anyway? LOL!
Suzy
Hi all
Many of my mum cuttings didn't make it. Around mid-January we went on vacation and the person taking care of the mums wanted to make sure they were watered. The remaining ones are still hanging on after a fierce war with the aphids. Now they are all back out in the garage under lights and a cooler temp. I can make cuttings and root them from Aoi and Yodi of Kings. I plan on ordering some more from Kings this year. Kings said to order now but in the Midwest here have them shipped around late May and early June to avoid a freeze of the cuttings.
Guess we better order if postage will be going up again!
I have started mums in the past and never had these kinds of problems.
I think this fall I will try bottom heat.
I did have one mum make it thru the winter. Only 1 I can't tell you how many starts I had taken!
My mums are coming up but it is still way below normal, in fact we had snow and 23 degrees this weekend.
I keep reading about "mums usually are treated as an annual" but I refuse to give up! LOL....