Asters & MONTAUK DAISY
Henry ™ I Blue
Asters are a great companion crop to grow along with your garden mums but have some key differences. Asters have a very fast response time once their critical photoperiod has been reached. This means they need more long day weeks and fewer short day weeks when grown as a blackcloth crop. Asters also tend to be in flower in late August and September and will need day length manipulation for fresh flowers in October. Asters are very tolerant of high night temperatures and will come into flower faster in the South due to shorter day lengths. Late September flowering aster crops in the South will need manipulation to delay flowering.
The listed flowering response for asters is based on a plant with some partially open flowers. To ship plants with only colored buds, plant to ship approximately one week earlier than the listed response. See additional cultural details for aster scheduling and growing tips from our online technical library.
Henry™ I Blue
DISEASE CONTROL Asters are susceptible to some different diseases than garden mums, primarily powdery mildew and rust. Some varieties are more resistant to disease than others, but disease expression is also weather dependent and varies from year to year. These diseases generally do not spread to an adjacent garden mum crop. Good cultural practices can reduce the incidence of disease. For additional information on disease management, refer to the mum disease control tip sheet featured in the Syngenta Flowers Technical Document Library. For outdoor aster production, we strongly recommend a preventative spray program which includes a rotation of Daconil Ultrex ® and Mural ® or Heritage ® fungicides in rotation with a myclobutanil chemical such as Eagle ® 20EW or Hoist ® fungicide to control powdery mildew and rust. Scout crops regularly and apply protective fungicides when conditions are conducive for disease development. In a preventive program, sprays may be applied on a 14 day interval. Please note that applications of myclobutanil can have a growth retardant effect.
Pinch off the top to leave four to six leaves on the cuttings. Rooted cuttings naturally become taller during propagation than cuttings that are direct-stuck. The first pinch on rooted cuttings will be harder than for direct-stick unrooted cuttings. Although not suggested, if you pinch more than once, allow enough growth for three to four leaves to remain after pinching. Pinching can be done every two to three weeks. Be sure to pinch all shoots or there will be uneven growth and flowering. Pinching is not required on natural-season crops. Pinching natural season crops after mid-July is not recommended as the plants are too close to bud initiation and may flower too short after the pinch. SPACING As with garden mums, proper spacing is critical. Asters are generally smaller in size than garden mums and therefore can be grown tighter. HEIGHT CONTROL With today’s free-branching varieties, less growth regulators are needed to control height. B-Nine ® WSG and Bonzi ® plant growth regulators are used successfully and rates are similar to those for garden mums (see growth regulator section in the garden mum cultural information). A light B-Nine ® WSG application when new shoots are .75"–1" long is a key to creating full plants in greenhouse blackcloth crops. Skipping this application allows the primary branches to stretch in the warm and humid environment and the secondary branches are then not able to fill in the plant body. PEST CONTROL Whiteflies and thrips and occasional spider mites are the key insect pests. For additional information on products for insect management, refer to the mum pest control tip sheet featured in the Syngenta Flowers Technical Document Library.
Aster Culture Guide
GROWING MEDIA AND FERTILIZATION The same soilless media and the same 200–300 ppm N constant liquid feed program from a complete fertilizer used for garden mums will work for asters (see growing media and fertilization sections in the garden mum cultural information). The low N-P-K program also works for aster production. Maximum growth is attained when water and fertilizer are not limited, similar to garden mums. Asters are more sensitive to salts in the root zone. Be sure solution comes out of the pot with every irrigation. If you notice foliage tip burn, you may need to leach. Monitor the pot EC to prevent damage. Target should be approximately 75% of the garden mum target, or during the first half of the crop cycle EC values of 1.5–2.7 mS/cm (SME extract) or 2.0–3.5 mS/cm (pour through extract) should be maintained. FLOWERING RESPONSE Asters flower under short days, and tend to bud easier than garden mums. Be sure to use night interruption lighting year round for propagation, as well as the long day period for forced crops (See the photoperiod control section in the garden mum cultural information). Asters flower faster than mums once short days begin. Most varieties flower in five weeks, compared to seven for mums. Avoid blackout periods longer than 13 hours since some varieties can abort flower buds. Artificial short days should be used from March 15–August 15. We recommend retailing asters earlier than mums, when color is just starting to show, for better consumer longevity. In natural-season programs, asters are primarily driven to flower by photoperiod and are not affected as much by temperature. This means asters grown in the South flower seven to ten days faster than the same variety grown in the North. And for those in the deep South, varieties can be faster by two weeks or more than the same variety in the North. PINCHING Traditionally, fall aster crops have been pinched at least once and blackcloth flowering crops received two pinches. With the new, better-branching varieties, aster pinch requirements have been reduced. In blackcloth trials, multiple cuttings were used with a single pinch. Even in no-pinch aster trials under blackcloth, certain varieties produce good results. The natural season trials have been one cutting with no pinch for more than a decade. For blackcloth crops, the pinch should be given when roots are well developed. This is generally 10–14 days after planting a rooted cutting or 21–24 days after a direct stick. Having roots established in the pots before the pinch helps create the most branching.
Asters are the perfect companion for garden mums. Like garden mums, they can be used in summer, fall and West Coast programs. They also have similar cultural requirements. Asters use the same media and fertilizer as garden mums. Asters are grown with no pinch, just like garden mums. There are a few differences from garden mum culture, which are highlighted below. PROPAGATION Aster cuttings require more care than garden mum cuttings. Aster cuttings do not ship or store as well as garden mums so plan to stick unrooted cuttings as soon as they arrive. Propagation may take a few days longer than mums. Keeping the media too wet will delay rooting.
Aster Culture Sheet
Dragon Blue
Daydream™ Lavender
All photos are either the property of Syngenta or are used with permission. © 2024 Syngenta. Important: Always read and follow label instructions. Some products may not be registered for sale or use in all states or counties. Please check with your local Extension Service to ensure registration status. Some or all of the varieties may be protected under one or more of the following: Plant Variety Protection, United States Plant Patents and/or Utility Patents and may not be propagated or reproduced without authorization. Trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Blackcloth and West Coast
Pink / RP
Name
Purple
Blue
Lavender
White
Magic Group 4.5 weeks
Magic ™ Purple
Magic ™ Pink
Dragon ™ Blue
Daydream ™ Lavender
Puff ™ White
Royalty Group 5 weeks
Henry ™ I Purple
Henry ™ I Pink
Henry ™ I Blue
Fall
Pink / RP
Name
Purple
Blue
Lavender
White
Very Early Daisy
Magic ™ Purple
Magic ™ Pink
Dragon ™ Blue
Daydream ™ Lavender
Puff ™ White
Early Daisy
Believer ™ Purple
Hazy ™ Dark Pink
Days ™ Blue
Mid Daisy
Tiara ™ Royal Purple*
Tiara ™ Royal Pink*
Very Early Double
Henry ™ I Purple
Henry ™ I Pink
Henry ™ I Blue
Mid Double
Henry ™ III Purple
Henry ™ III Pink
Late Double
Showmakers ® Blue Bayou*
Showmakers ® Magenta*
Peter ™ III Blue*
Showmakers ® Lavender*
Showmakers ® Artic White*
*Needs a pinch
ASTERS & MONTAUK DAISY
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