Budded Cuttings
Garden mums are very reproductive. This is because they have 6- and 7-week responses to short days for flowering. However, their budding is not entirely dependent on the length of day. As many growers know, garden mums may set bud even when under long days.
At times, some buds may be present when cuttings are received. When producing garden mums, this must be expected. Keep in mind, the development of a small terminal bud is the basis of the No-Pinch program.
Anything that checks a cutting’s growth may push the plants into bud. To prevent garden mum cuttings from becoming prematurely reproductive, or budded, it is necessary to keep them actively growing. Therefore, it is essential to provide the plant with optimum moisture and fertility levels. Lighting cuttings during propagation and before the start of short days with shaded crops is recommended to prevent premature bud initiation. Using “mum lighting” during the night (10 footcandles of light from 10:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m.; see
Photoperiod Control section) even during natural long day periods is suggested to ensure a true long day effect.
Many areas of North America can experience very cool nights in June. With several cool nights in a row, garden mums can initiate many buds prematurely. This may seem serious, but by pinching off these buds, or in No-Pinch programs, simply by supplying adequate moisture and fertilizer, the plants will almost always continue to grow and develop into a quality fall crop. This is true for No-Pinch crops or if the buds are picked off after they develop. Also, extremely high temperatures on young plants in June produce a similar stress effect and induce budding.