Why chrysanthemums do not bloom in open ground, how to speed up the process

The flowering period of chrysanthemums begins at the end of August and continues until October. Some varieties bloom later. Unfortunately, it happens that the long-awaited flowering never occurs. Beginning gardeners are often interested in why chrysanthemums do not bloom in open ground. This can be caused by various factors, each of which is worth familiarizing yourself with in detail.

Main reasons

Among the main reasons for the lack of flowering of chrysanthemums are errors in choosing a location, lack of space between seedlings, improper or insufficient care, diseases or exposure to pests. In each situation, you should find the right solution to the problem.

Closeness

Over time, chrysanthemum bushes grow greatly. When there is a shortage of free space, the volume of nutritious soil allocated for each plant decreases. The consequence of this is a lack of oxygen and nutrients needed by flowers. In addition, plant grounds become vulnerable to pests. To avoid this, you should not grow chrysanthemums in the same place for more than three years.

The problem of crowding will be solved by replanting the plant. The chrysanthemum quickly sprouts new shoots. After replanting, growth and flowering become more intense.

The best time for transplants is spring. In this case, a well-rooted plant will grow by next autumn and will delight with abundant flowering.

Wrong place on the street

Chrysanthemums run the risk of not blooming if they grow in too dark a place with high humidity. It is better to plant it on a hill, moderately illuminated by the sun and blown by the wind.

Insufficiently nutritious soil

A deficiency of useful nutritional components in the soil negatively affects the flowering of garden chrysanthemums. The soil becomes depleted if chrysanthemums grow in their original places for too long.Therefore, the supply of nutrients responsible for normal flowering is completely exhausted. The solution to the problem is to replant or feed the plant.

Abundant watering during bud formation

During the budding period, chrysanthemum needs a little water. If you water it too often and in large quantities, flowering will stop. Instead, the plant will noticeably lengthen its stem and enlarge its leaves.

Diseases

Despite the fact that chrysanthemums are characterized by resistance to most diseases, sometimes it is this factor that prevents the onset of flowering.

Fusarium is a fungal disease, the causative agent of which penetrates from the soil through the roots and prevents the flow of water into the plant tissue. As a result, the leaves turn yellow or brown prematurely, plant growth slows down, and flowers are unable to form. For treatment and prevention, universal fungicidal solutions are used.

Mosaic is a dangerous viral disease that leads to wilting and yellowing of leaves. Flowers can form, but they are too small and inconspicuous.

As preventive measures, it is recommended to use only high-quality planting material, plant flowers at a considerable distance from each other, and promptly destroy insects that carry the disease.

Unsuitable climate for the variety

Some varieties of garden chrysanthemums react painfully to changing climatic conditions. Exotic flowers brought from abroad may not feel well. Therefore, in order for chrysanthemums to delight with beautiful and stable flowering, it is better to give preference to those varieties that are well adapted to the conditions of the local climate.

The most favorable climate for chrysanthemums is a warm, not hot climate with moderate humidity.In such conditions, it blooms earlier and delights others with its beauty for a long time.

How to speed up flowering

There are several simple secrets of caring for chrysanthemums that will speed up flowering.

Choosing a place in the garden

When choosing a suitable place for chrysanthemums in the garden, you need to take into account criteria such as humidity level, degree of illumination and favorable conditions.

The quality and composition of the soil in the garden plot is of no small importance. She must be:

• moisture permeable;
• loose;
• rich in nutritional components;
• slightly acidic or neutral.

Illumination

The consequences of insufficient lighting are:

• stretching shoots;
• weakening of the plant structure;
• delay in characteristic flowering periods.

Chrysanthemums feel most comfortable in a sunny area located on a small hill.

Temperature

The most favorable temperature for the growth and flowering of chrysanthemums is:

• in sunny weather - from +16 °C to +25 °C;
• in cloudy conditions - up to +20 °C;
• at night - within +16-17 °C.

If +25 degrees is exceeded, chrysanthemum inflorescences burn out. The flowering period is shortened. At low temperatures, growth slows down, inflorescences form poorly, remaining soft and loose. In combination with high humidity, low temperatures increase the plant's susceptibility to powdery mildew, gray mold and other ailments.

Humidity

It is highly undesirable to plant chrysanthemums in shady places where there is a possibility of moisture retention. In conditions of excessive dampness, they have difficulty surviving the winter. Drought also adversely affects bud formation and subsequent flowering.

Which fertilizer to choose

Beginning gardeners often have the question of what to feed chrysanthemums for good flowering. Different means are used at different times of the year.

In the spring, it is necessary to enrich the soil with organic fertilizers. They need to be brought in to a considerable depth.

Of the mineral fertilizers at the initial stage of development, nitrogen-containing options are needed. They help accelerate the rise in height, increase the number of young shoots, and also provide rich color to the plant. When applying nitrogen fertilizing, it is necessary to avoid contact with the above-ground parts of the plant, as this can cause burns.

In summer, you need to reduce the use of nitrogen to a minimum so that the plant stems do not become too long and the flowers small. Give preference to potassium instead. The special regulator “Bud” is favorable for the flowering of chrysanthemums.

At the end of summer and beginning of autumn, it is necessary to completely eliminate nitrogen from the diet of chrysanthemums. During this period, the main emphasis should be on potassium and phosphorus. One square meter of garden plot requires 40 g of potassium and 25 g of phosphorus.

Treatment against aphids

Aphids are a dangerous enemy of chrysanthemums, feeding on plant sap. As a result, the flower is dehydrated and deprived of nutrients. This leads to drying of the shoots, deformation of the leaves and falling off of the buds. Typically, pests are localized on the lower part of the leaves of the plant, where their accumulation can be seen.

To combat aphids, there is a wide selection of special chemicals - “Aktara”, “Metafos”, “Karbofos”, “Fosfomid”, “Confidor” and others. The packaging of each product contains detailed instructions, following which you need to prepare the solution.

It is necessary to treat the chrysanthemum with the resulting solution from the root part to the tips of the leaves and the topmost buds.

In addition to ready-made chemical insecticides, there are many traditional methods of combating aphids. The following options are considered the most effective:

• Ammonia diluted with water in proportions 1:10. Fill a spray bottle with this solution and then use it to spray the plant. After 2-3 days, it is recommended to treat the plant again.
• Grind 2-3 garlic cloves, add 250 ml of hot water and leave for 1.5 hours. Then filter and dilute with water until the volume reaches a liter. During the day, use for spraying chrysanthemums at intervals of 3-4 hours.
• Dry and chop the citrus peel. Pour a liter of boiling water and place in a dark place to steep for three days. After this, strain the resulting infusion and use it to irrigate chrysanthemums.

Dividing the bush

The simplest and most effective way to propagate chrysanthemums is by dividing the bush. It is recommended to perform it every three years. This will give the seedlings vitality and improve flowering.

For division, you need to select only healthy bushes, without signs of disease or pest damage. From one three-year-old plant you can get up to 5-6 cuttings.

The mother bush must be dug up and divided into separate parts with shoots and formed roots. The resulting seedlings need to be fixed in open ground, having first filled the planting holes with humus. After planting, the plant is watered.

When dividing a bush in the autumn, it is necessary to cover the young seedlings with spruce or oak branches.

How to properly store in winter

A successful wintering of chrysanthemums is the key to their rich flowering next year.For different plant varieties, different winter storage methods should be selected:

• in open ground with shelter;
• in the basement;
• in the trenches.

Frost-resistant varieties are able to spend the entire winter period in open ground. However, for this they need reliable shelter, so in the fall you need to prepare dry leaves in large quantities. A leaf layer half a meter thick must be laid on the bushes as soon as the first frosts begin.

Additional cover needs to be placed on top of the leaves - this can be household plastic film, thin dried branches or a grapevine. This provides protection from gusts of wind.

Storage in the basement is optimal for most varieties. The place must meet the requirements:

• maintaining air temperature from 0 to +4 degrees;
• good ventilation and normal humidity;
• absence of pests and fungi.

If all requirements are met, you must do the following:

1. After flowering is completed, cut off the flower stalks, leaving no more than 10 cm. Treat the cut area with a fungicidal preparation or iodine to prevent infections.
2. Dig up the roots along with a lump of earth.
3. Leave them to dry in a dry, open place for several days.
4. If you suspect a pest infestation, treat with insecticidal preparations.
5. Cover the floor of the basement (or cellar) with a layer of soil, and then spread the rhizomes evenly over it.
6. Inspect chrysanthemums 1-2 times a month.

Plants are planted back into the ground in the spring, as soon as consistently warm weather has established.

Another way is wintering in trenches. The optimal width is from 50 to 70 centimeters, and the length is arbitrary and depends on the number of chrysanthemum bushes.The rhizomes must be carefully dug up and placed in a trench close to each other. Fill the remaining free space between the roots with nutritious soil. Once opened, plants can be stored until the first frost.

Then it is recommended to cover them with available materials, for example, pieces of slate. Place a layer of dry leaves on top and cover with film. This will create an optimal microclimate with the required temperature and humidity throughout the winter.

Plant pot

An excellent choice for chrysanthemums indoors would be a medium-sized pot made of clay or ceramic material and having a laconic design. This plant has a shallow root system, so narrow and tall pots are not suitable for it. You should not choose flat, low bowl-shaped options, since good drainage is necessary at the bottom.

How to choose the right variety

When choosing a chrysanthemum variety, compatibility with local climatic conditions and other factors should be taken into account.

The most popular varieties are:

• Regina White is an elegant snow-white flower with a stem height of up to 60 cm.
• Anastasia. Large-flowered variety with a rich range of colors. There are pink, lilac, white, yellow and green specimens.
• Crown chrysanthemum is a bush variety with small lush inflorescences that are white or light green in color.

Diseases and pests

Pests and diseases are dangerous for chrysanthemum flowering. Therefore, you need to deal with them in a timely manner, choosing effective methods.

Root rot

The causative agent of root rot in chrysanthemums is the parasitic fungal complex Rhizoctonia solani.The disease develops in conditions of close planting, excessive humidity and too high temperatures.

To combat infection, it is necessary to carry out a soil disinfection procedure with Bazamid or Formalin. For prevention, it is necessary to maintain a favorable balance of air and water regimes.

Baldness of buds

This problem can be caused by various factors - diseases, pests or violations of flower care rules. In any case, if the chrysanthemum buds develop poorly or are completely bald, all flower stalks must be removed.

Rust

Characteristic brown spots on shoots, flowers and leaves indicate infection with a fungal infection such as rust. All infected parts of the plant must be removed and treated with fungicidal preparations.

Septoria

Another dangerous fungal disease. Infected parts of the plant first acquire a brown tint, then turn black and begin to die. The solution will be to destroy the affected areas and then treat the plant with Fundazol or another antifungal agent. To prevent infection of other plants, the diseased specimen must be quarantined for two weeks. After the course of treatment, the flower should be washed with a warm shower and watered.

Aphids, scale insects, spider mites

To combat these pests, the drugs Antiklesch, Fitoverm, and Neoron are effective. You can also use folk remedies for spraying plants - an infusion of garlic and onion peels, a decoction of yarrow and dandelion roots, as well as a solution of laundry soap.

Artificial stimulation of flowering

If late chrysanthemum varieties do not have time to bloom, you can use methods to artificially stimulate flowering.

Special growth and flowering stimulants, available in gardening stores and departments, can force plants to bloom ahead of schedule. They must be used according to the instructions so as not to harm the chrysanthemum.

The second method involves periodic pruning of bushes. As a result, the buds will grow faster.