Update on Fertilizing Garden Mums
Friday, 08 August 2008 07:41
It is a good time to conduct a soil test and review your fertilizer program for your garden mums. Be sure adequate fertilizer is applied especially with recent rainy weather and if controlled release fertilizer is the only source of feed. Six to seven weeks after the cuttings were planted until the flowering plants are sold, feed levels can be reduced to 150 to 200 ppm twice weekly (depending on weather) until color, or even go bi-weekly with a Cal-Mag type feed. This will maintain foliage color without creating excess growth before flowering. Fertilization should be continued at least until the buds are just starting to show flower color.
For more information see the article on fertilizing on the Yoder website: Yoder
Here is a listing of the laboratories in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island where growers can send samples.
Massachusetts
University of Massachusetts, Amherst Soil and Plant Tissue Testing Laboratory
http://www.umass.edu/plsoils/soiltest
University of Massachustts, Amherst Extension Plant Diagnostic Laboratoryhttp://www.umass.edu/agland/diagnostics/
Connecticut
University of Connecticut Soil Nutrient Analysis Laboratory
http://www.soiltest.uconn.edu
Disease Diagnostics, Soil Testing
Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
http://www.caes.state.ct.us
Rhode Island
University of Rhode Island Plant Clinic
Phone: 1-401-874-2750
Tina Smith, University of Massachusetts
