Weather: Overcast, light drizzle.
All the first years took part in Christmas
decoration in the Great Glasshouse as a group.
Set up display in glasshouse corridor which will be open to the public. Moved large citrus trees in flower & with fruit. Put beads & baubles on two big Ficus
trees. Swathes of Chrysanthemum, with red & white cyclamens (red one: 'Winter Ice Scarlet'), including stands of them & Adiantum ferns in between (Photo 1). Some cyclamen were riddled with mealy bug, aphids & sooty mould as part of it, so removed affected leaves. Fake snow on palms, festive
bedding e.g. Schlumbergia.
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| Photo 1: Glasshouse corridor display. |
Paul having propagated or looked after the plants for the display, give a talk on two of the popular plants:
Euphorbia pulcherrima (Poinsettias)
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| Photo 2: Euphorbia pulcherrima |
- May - small plants arrive. Put in growing medium of Melco compost with added perlite.
- Fleece are put over them the first 1-2 weeks to help create a microclimate for them.
- Growing tips are pinched out.
- They are placed on heated benches for as long as possible.
- Are short day flowering plants so have energy spec. lightbulbs shining on them to lengthen their growing time. Auto-switched on 10pm - 2am. This is done until August.
- Late Oct allowed to go through natural phase.
- Watered approx. three times a week (based on checks on a few pots). In commercial production - they use the water flooding method.
Chrysanthemums (Mayfair collection - local Woking breed)
- Propagated in June. Rooted cuttings are bought in and then they make cuttings of them when ready.
- One large bloom per stem - all others are removed.
- Potential diseases - Aphids, poss. Whitefly & White rust.
- They are short day flowerers.
- A growth regulator called 'Dazz Eye' is used on them to give them stiff strong necks & a roughly even crop. Sprayed on 1st 6" of stem whilst in bud.