Plant in a sunny location with at least half a day of sun. Soil should be rich, fertile, high in organic material. Good drainage is very important for survival over winter.
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Plant Care
Garden Mum Care
Mums give us wonderful color in the garden during the fall months. They can be used as bedding plants and in containers and hanging baskets. coming in almost every color except blue. There are many flower forms available to enjoy, like pom-pom, cushion, button, daisy-like, spiders and spoon-petal. Mums are photo-tropic, their life cycle is greatly affected by day length. When the days slowly become shorter in the fall the Mum is triggered into developing flower buds. Planting
Watering
Mums prefer constantly moist, but not soggy, soil. Established plants in the ground should be fine with natural rainfall, but in droughts supplemental watering is needed. Newly planted mums should be watered 2 to 3 times per week. Plants in containers should be watered almost every other day. Mums will wilt from over-watering as well as from under-watering. So be sure to check them before watering, especially when planted in containers. Fertilizing
Incorporate into the soil a general purpose fertilizer close to 5-10-5 at a rate of 1/2lb. per 100 square feet. Monthly, from spring through August. Or, a liquid fertilizer once a month will also work well. If you are planting in the fall usually no fertilizer is needed. Pinching
To encourage branching and development of compact bush plants, it is very important to pinch back your mums in the spring. When new growth is 4-6", pinch 1/2 of the new growth from the top of every shoot. Repeat the pinching whenever new shoots reach another 5-6inches. Stop pinching around July 4th so that the plant will slow it's growth and start developing flower buds. 
Winter Protection
With some extra care mums can be saved for the next year. They must be planted early enough in the fall, September preferably, to have good root development before frost. As the first frosts approach make sure the soil is slightly moist. Mulch plants with straw or evergreen branches after several hard frosts. It is best not to remove dead plant material until spring. About April, as the plant comes alive, remove all dead mum material and straw and use a hardwood or cypress mulch after new growth appears. I have had good success without doing a winter mulch of straw. As long as we have an adequate snow cover to protect the plants from hard freeze - thaw intervals through the winter. Be careful that they don't sit too wet in the spring. If you have clay soil use a soil conditioner (such as aged pine bark) or Canadian peat to help drainage when planting. |
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