EVERGREEN CHRYSANTHEMUM ASSOCIATION
Seattle, Washington
Nancy Halleen
SHOWTIME!
MEETING OF THE ECA – is scheduled for THURSDAY OCTOBER 11, 2012 at
7:00 PM at the Seattle Police Athletic Association Office (SPAA) site at 11030 East Marginal Way South, Tukwila. This is an important meeting as we develop plans for our annual mum show and, confirm plans for our award banquet. Also on the agenda will be information regarding the NCS Portland Show and Convention.
ANNUAL FLOWER SHOW The E.C.A. annual flower show will be held at Furney’s Nursery, 21215 International Blvd. Pacific Highway (99). on November 2, 3, and 4, 2012. Set up will be Wednesday October 31 at 1 pm and takedown will be on Nov. 4 at 3 pm.
At our October meeting we will discuss details for setting up our show, entering blooms/plants and handling the mechanics of judging and staffing our event. We need all members to attend and volunteer to help with the Show even if you don’t have any flowers to enter. We need Judge’s Helpers and Hosting on Fri, Sat, and Sunday. The Show provides a great way to get to know Club members and learn more about Chrysanthemums.
If you have any questions about the show, please call Ron Elliott our Show Steward. We’ll have copies of the show rules, entry form and name tags for the show at Furney’s (and hopefully at our October meeting.)
TROPHIES
Last year’s Trophy winners please bring your clean trophies and give them to Ron Elliot who will prepare them for this year’s Awards Banquet. If you have not given him your trophy yet, please contact Ron.
ANNUAL AWARDS BANQUET The E.C.A. annual awards dinner is in lieu of the November meeting and will be held at Angelo’s, 601 SW 153rd, Burien, WA. Come at 6:00 PM for the Social Hour, Dinner at 7:00 PM. Everyone is welcome to enjoy an evening with good friends, good conversation and an excellent dinner. Put it on your calendar – THURSDAY NOVEMBER 15th 6-9 PM. Dinner choices this year are 6 oz. Sirloin Steak, Chicken Parmigiana, or a Vegetarian Lasagna. Dinner this year will cost $22/person and includes salad, bread, coffee or tea and dessert. A sign-up sheet where you list your meal preference will be available at the October meeting as well as at Furney’s Nursery during the Flower Show. Please pay the $17/person dinner cost to Chris Brookes at the October meeting (checks made out to ECA). All arrangements must be made by the end of the show (Nov. 4). No payments will be accepted at the banquet.!!. If you have any questions regarding the Banquet, contact Steve. Also: BRING your late maturing blooms for display at the ECA awards dinner.
69th Annual US National Chrysanthemum Society Convention and Show
October 27 – 28, 2012
Monarch Hotel and Convention Center
12566 SE 93rd Avenue
Clackamas, OR
REVIEW THE JUNE AND SEPTEMBER 2012 EDITIONS OF CHRYSANTHEMUM MAGAZINE
For those attending convention:
• Registration $40/per person postmarked 10/1/2012 (Registration form and mailing instructions in June Chrysanthemum Magazine)
• Late registration $50/person after 10/1/2012
• For design entries, space must be reserved by 10/1/2012
• Tours available of Lan Su Chinese Garden ($25/person), Portland Japanese Garden ($25/person) or Kings Mums ($20/person) between 9:30 am and 1:30 pm Friday October 26
• Symposia speakers from Longwood gardens Saturday 1:30 pm – 2:30 pm and 2:45 pm – 4 pm
• Awards Banquet $35/person Saturday evening (7 pm to 10 pm with 3 entree choices made with completion of registration)
• Hotel reservations at NCS rate of $125 per night plus tax available through October 11 for by calling 503-652-1515 or 1-800-492-8700 and requesting NCS rate for stay
For those interested in only attending show and not attending convention or showing blooms:
• Show open to public Saturday October 27 – 1pm to 5 pm
• Show open to public Sunday October 28 – Noon to 4 pm
• Show closes, sale of blooms to public – 4pm
• Show breakdown – 4:30 pm
For those interested in showing blooms:
• Convention registration Thursday October 25 (Noon to 6 pm) and Friday October 26 (9 am to 3 pm)
• Horticulture (cut blooms) and design entries accepted Friday October 26 (7 am to 8 pm). No horticulture entries accepted on Saturday October 27.
• Remember to use US cultivar classifications
• Show Schedule per pages 38 – 47 – NCS, Inc., USA Show and Judges Handbook and information from June and September editions of Chrysanthemum magazine
• Design entries accepted Saturday October 27 (7am to 9 am)
• Judging of show Saturday October 27 (10am to Noon)
• Notify Mark Ross or Ron Elliott if you plan on showing by no later than October 4 to allow them to contact Portland contact to complete a prelist of exhibitors to help save some time with the entry process and entering blooms
Plant culture The October meeting will be devoted to the care and how to prepare your mums for the show. Cultural recommendations are attached. With possible rain or showers, consider your sheltering options for your plants. Ronnie Elliott will have 18” long cedar stakes at the October meeting for those who need them.
December Meeting – ELECTIONS OF NEXT YEAR’S CLUB OFFICERS:
We’re rapidly approaching the time once again to vote for the 2013 ECA Board of Directors/Officers. Recent members are encouraged to fill positions and get involved; seasoned blub members will provide assistance. Members will vote on new Officers during our Dec. 13th meeting.
OCTOBER TO DO LIST drs 9-28-12
This month the focus is on finishing the blooms, preparing them for transport to the show and the grooming and presentation of the blooms for the show.
1. Care and feeding
.Get support sticks under the blooms to keep the blooms upright. A cocked bloom will be severely discounted by the judges. Keep raising the support stake up against the bottom of the bloom to prevent or correct cocking.
.Water and feed plants sparingly at this time (October timeframe). Feed with liquid fertilizer solution about 1 pint per watering, which turns out to be about 1 pint per day. See fertilizer recommendation below. It is good practice to make up a 30 gallon garbage can of fertilizer, and set this can out in the sunlight so that it will remain relatively warm. Then water/feed out of this barrel. Note. If you use fresh tap water instead, you would be feeding with a water temp of below 50 deg. That sets back the plant each time you water. Water/feed sparingly, preferably around 5 pm. Some prefer to water early in the day; but if you do, be sure you use the warm solution from the barrel.
.The recommended dilution of fertilizer is: 1/2 tsp of the20-9-20 Fertilizer plus ¼ tsp of sulphate of potash (0-0-50) per gallon of water. That’s essentially half the usual dilution of 20-9-20 you have been using plus the potash added to harden off the stems and petals.
Sheltering your plants is crucial. Get you plants moved into some sort of shelter where the blooms are protected from rain, wind, and direct sunlight. The blooms do not need direct sunlight but some filtered sunlight is desirable. In glass greenhouses, I have pinned white sheets under the clear roof panes. This filters the sun and additionally collects the dew that develops on the panes at night. Also provide protection from high winds, or else tie up the plants somehow. Also there are sun screen meshes available that can significantly reduce the amount of sunlight that gets through
If you move the plants into enclosed spaces then you must also provide lots of cool dry ventilation to protect against petal rot. Multiple fans blowing across the blooms are the usual solution.
Watch for Aphids. The Marathon Systemic insecticide you used in June or July should protect you very well from aphids; but if you forgot or used too high a dilution; it’s possible you could find aphids in your blooms. It’s possible but risky to spray your blooms with a very fine mist of liquid insecticide such as liquid Diazinon or Nicotine sulfate etc. . If you use this approach you need to repeat every 3-4 days for 3 sprayings. This could in some instances destroy your bloom but so could the aphids, If aphids are in the bloom at the show the bloom will downgraded, or if badly infested the bloom will be removed from the show.
2. Getting ready for the show
.As ShowTime approaches you may be able to speed up bloom development with supplemental heat (Electric heaters) in the in the finishing areas. But some varieties do not like the heat. Likewise, if the bloom is developing too early it may be possible to slow the development by placing it in a cool, darker area i.e., a basement. Of course not all varieties respond well to that either.
Cutting the blooms for the show. Typically we cut the blooms 1-4 days prior to judging.
.I cut #3s (Incurves) 3-4 days before judging. The centers will develop much faster in a vase or
bucket of mildly warm water they will on the plant. Most others I cut 2 days prior to judging.
.Water your plant the night before cutting.
.Start cutting flowers early in the morning. That’s when the stem cells contain the most water.
.Cut the stem approx. 20 in. long. Cut at a slant and immediately put the stems in water (Preferably luke warm). Remove any leaves that would be under water, then recut the stem under water. This removes the air bubbles that cling to the end of the stem and impede the water uptake. Let the cut stem set under water for a few seconds then remove to a vase or water bucket for transport to the show. Following this procedure, the cut bloom should hold up for 1 to 2 weeks. The key is the second cutting under water.
3. Show Materials
. Show materials will be available at the October meeting, and at the Show site. You will need -Entry Forms -Bloom tags-and a Show Rules Book which guides you as to how and where you can enter your blooms. Show vases are provided at the show site, but you must provide your own water born carrier system to get the blooms to the show site.
. Don’t be afraid to ask for help in getting your blooms ready and properly entered into the show.
SEE YOU AT THE OCTOBER 11TH MEETING
