How to Grow and Care for Mums
Long after most flowers have stopped blooming for the season, chrysanthemums burst into bloom. These brightly colored flowers are synonymous with autumn. They look great as centerpieces or in pots on the patio, at the mailbox or welcoming visitors at the front door. Grow them in containers or plant them in a garden bed. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Purchase chrysanthemums in early fall. Look for plants with closed buds that are just starting to open to maximize the bloom time.
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Choose a spot for the mums that receives at least six hours of sun a day. Mums that don't get enough sunlight grow leggy; they produce fewer and smaller flowers.
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Mums require well-drained soil. Repot the mums in pots containing planting medium of equal amounts of potting soil and perlite, or plant them directly in garden soil that has been enriched with compost and peat moss.
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Plant mums about 1 inch deeper than they were in the nursery pot and gently spread their roots when planting, being careful not to damage their delicate root systems.
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Water the newly planted mums thoroughly. Don't allow the plants to wilt; they may not recover. When the plants are established, water them at least once per week. If the bottom leaves go limp or start to turn brown, water more often.
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Chrysanthemums planted in the fall should not be fertilized at the time of planting. If you hope to overwinter mums, give your plants high-phosphorus fertilizer to stimulate root growth after the blooms are finished. If you plant mums in the spring, apply a 5-10-10 fertilizer once or twice a month until the weather cools to promote healthy growth. After new growth reaches about 4 inches in spring, pinch back the branches. Repeat this every two weeks until late June to encourage a bushy plant with lots of blooms.
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Tips & Warnings
Avoid soaking the foliage when watering - this encourages disease.
References
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