January 2009 Newsletter

HAPPY CHRYSANTHEMUM GROWING 2009
MEETING OF THE ECA – Our monthly meeting is Thursday January 8 at 7 PM at the Seattle Police Athletic Association Office (SPAA) site at 11030 East Marginal Way South, Tukwila. Wa.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Once again it is time to mark your yearly calendar for EVERY SECOND THURSDAY OF THE MONTH 7:00 pm for our Monthly Chrysanthemum Meeting. Please join us to exchange your growing experiences with all of us and lets learn from each other and have a fun evening out.
TELEPHONE COMMITTEE MEMBERS – Please contact your call lists early in the week of January 3rd.. If it is not necessary to give you a reminder call please call Jack Brandon and tell him to take you off the list.
2009 CLUB OFFICERS – Officers and trustees for 2009 are as follows:
President: Ron Elliott
Vice President: Sydney Ogilvie Secretary: Jill Aldrich Treasurer: Chris Brookes
TRUSTEES:
Immediate Past President: (1 Yr.) Mark Ross Trustees (3-Yr,) Jack Brandon, Steve Backstrom Trustees (2-Yr.) David Rhynes, Mas Tamekumi Trustees (1 Yr.) Bob Ewing, Larry Mayer
Cultural Instructor: Don Stark
CONGRATULATIONS
2009 CLUB DUES – Members are encouraged to pay dues for 2009. Annual dues are $15/member or $20/couple. Dues are paid to the ECA Treasurer, Chris Brookes. (Make Checks out to ECA)
CULTURAL NOTES and SUPPLIES – Cultural recommendations are attached for January and will be discussed at the meeting. Early season supplies including plant tags, 2½” plastic cubes (pots), and a limited amount of early season fertilizer and soilless potting mix will be available at the meeting. For those interested in the soilless potting mix, call Don Stark with your orders as soon as possible.
PROPAGATION OF NEW PLANTS/CUTTINGS
Bob Ewing will set aside time to show any member who is interested in how to take cuttings and generate new starts for 2009
For Help: Call, Bob Ewing
.
Members that prefer to receive future monthly newsletters by email only rather than USPS mail, please send your email address to that effect to Jill Alrdrich.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING EVERYONE AT THE MEETINGS NEXT YEAR
PLEASE BRING SUGGESTIONS TO THE MEETING ON HOW WE CAN INCREASE/IMPROVE ATTENDANCE AT THE MONTHLY MEETINGS.
Supplies available for the Jan meeting and prices are :
M&R soilless mix (1 cu ft.) $5.00
Five in. labels, (100 per bundle)white $1.75
“ Color $2.00
2 1/2 in cross bottom bands $0 .05 each
4 in. Twistems 3 bundles for $1.00
6 in. Twistems 2 bundles for $1.00
8 in. Twistems 3 bundles for $2.00
B-9 as marked
Don Stark
January to-do List – (Revised 1/2/06, DRS)
Success for the upcoming growing season begins with the taking of new cuttings needed for ourselves, other club members and for the upcoming public plant sales. Taking the cuttings and potting on the newly rooted cuttings are the major January activities. Hopefully we have kept last years’ stools alive and have added some 20-10-20.fertilizer. At 55 to 60 Deg room temp. our stools should now be producing the strong shoots we need.
Timing:
-Cuttings for classes #1 and #3 should be taken in late Dec. and all of January.
-Most #2 varieties are started throughout January: but Keith Luxford, Ivor Mace and
James Bryant should be started in Dec. or early January, if the stools are far enough
along to produce healthy cuttings.
-Cuttings of classes #4, #5, #14’ & #15 are usually started in late Jan. or Feb.
-Plants to be grown for Specimens (11 or more blooms) should generally be
started earlier, Nov. Dec, or Early Jan. for example.
– Spiders Quills and spoons are also good candidates for January starts.
The cutting bed
should be a flat four-sided box with heating cable, mat or other devices for heating the cutting medium. The box should be at least 18 in wide so that it can hold 1 or more of the 17 in by 9 in. flats. An overhead Fluorescent lamp such as a 4-foot, two-bulb shop light will provide needed light supplement for the new cuttings. Plantgrow or GrowLux bulbs are good but expensive and simple white bulbs seem to work adequately. Fill the box with 2 ½ to 3 inches of cutting media and provide heating controls to maintain the required temperature.
– Cutting bed media -A 50-50 mix washed sand and peat moss
– Cutting bed Temp -65 to 70 deg F.
Taking the cuttings:
We offer two different methods for handling the initial cuttings:
1. Place the cutting directly in the cutting bed media, maintain cutting bed heat at 65 deg
(In approximately 4 weeks the new cuttings will have roots 1 in. long and are ready to
be transplanted into 2 ½ or 3 inch pots.)
2. Fill the 2 ½ in cross bottom bands with our standard M&R growing mix. Set these
bands directly on top of the cutting media and insert your cuttings directly into the
M&R mix. Maintain cutting bed Temp at 70 deg. In 5-6 weeks the cutting should be
ready for transplanting into 4 in pots.)
The cuttings should be from 1 ½ to 2 inches long with the cut off or break at the bottom of a leaf node. It is recommended to dip each cutting into a mild insecticide/fungicide solution (1/4strength). Then dip the base into Rootone or other rooting hormone before setting the cutting into the growing media.
Cover the newly taken cuttings with a glass or clear plastic cover for up to 3 days after taking the cuttings. Leave some room under the cover so that air can get in and circulate around a bit.
Keep the cuttings moist. Don’t let the bottom of the bed dry out
Place a plant label with each cutting Label should contain the name and classification of the cutting, the date of the cutting and the grower’s initials. For example
Charlie’s Mum, (1Y)
DRS, 12/30/05