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Mums take up to four months to flower from seed, so it is best to give the seedlings a head start by sowing them indoors in early spring. Start the seeds roughly eight weeks before the last spring frost, which is mid-February within Mediterranean climates.
When should you start fall mums?
If you’re using a mum as a perennial, plant in early spring, or in the fall at least six weeks before the first killing frost. If you’re using chrysanthemums for a pop of fall color to boost your late season garden, plant them when they’re blooming in later summer or early fall and treat them as annuals.
How long does it take for mums to grow?
Place seed trays near bright south or west windows, or provide supplemental light using fluorescent grow lights. Suspend lights 12 to 15 inches above seed trays. Keep soil evenly moist until mum seeds sprout, which should occur in 10 to 15 days. Thin seedlings shortly after they have their first set of true leaves.
How long do mums take to bloom?
Garden mums are short-day plants and initiate flower buds in response to an interaction of day length, temperature and plant age. On average, garden mums will not start to set buds until the nights last about 10 hours long. Blooms follow in six to ten weeks.
How long do mums bloom in pots?
Each variety differs, but most mums will continue to bloom for four to eight weeks. There are many ways to extend the flowering of chrysanthemums. Deadheading spent blooms, fertilizing in the spring and avoiding overcrowding will help your mums produce more blooms over a longer period of time.
Will mums grow back every year?
You will have some buds on them by then, but don’t worry. They will grow back and your plant won’t look dead in the middle.” Many people buy mums in the fall thinking the plants are annuals. But if you buy hardy mums, you can get them to bloom year after year.
Can mums survive the winter in pots?
Mums can survive light frosts and cold fairly easy, but a hard freeze can kill roots in pots permanently. Once potted mums have endured a hard freeze, their chances for surviving winter are slim. Cut mums back to within a few inches of the soil line before bringing indoors.
Do mums multiply?
One of the simplest ways mums can be reproduced is through division. As a result, the mums do not produce as many flowers as in past years. Dig into your mum garden during spring when the plants grow actively.
Can you plant fall mums in the ground?
Technically, however, they can be planted in your garden any time before the first frost of fall. This means you can try removing the mums from your pot and planting them in the ground in the fall. Plant them at the same depth as they were in the pot and water them thoroughly after planting.
Do mums need lots of water?
Both florist and garden mums make excellent container plants. Chrysanthemums love full sun and all that heat means they also need plenty of water. Give them a good soak after repotting, then water every other day or whenever soil seems dry. Try to avoid allowing your plants to wilt.
Do mums bloom twice a year?
Chrysanthemums do not normally bloom twice. They put on foliage growth throughout the spring and summer, then produce buds in the late summer and fall. If you purchase these, it’s possible to get them to flower twice by pruning them back.
How long do mums live for?
With plenty of time to put down roots, garden mums can live for three to four years in USDA zones 5 through 9.
How long do potted mums last inside?
Mums are spectacular fall plants that can be brought indoors and used for decorating. Caring for mums indoors is easy and with only a few tips you can keep a mum plant healthy for three to four weeks. They are a big bang for your buck as they are less expensive than most bouquets of flowers.
Do mums come back in pots?
Potted mums are autumn classics, with late-season color that boosts curb appeal or brightens a Thanksgiving table. Treat your potted mums with care, and they’ll come back whether you maintain them in the pot or plant them out in the garden.
How do you care for outdoor mums in pots?
Although mums planted in a spring garden need 6 hours of sunlight, fall potted mums need bright but indirect light. Place them a few feet back from a south-facing window or anywhere in a bright location without direct sun. Keep the mums’ soil continually moist, but not soggy, by checking it daily with your finger.
How often do you water mums?
Mums don’t like to get dry between waterings, so make sure you water them at least every other day and especially if they start looking wilted. Just like potted mums, water them at the soil level instead of on top of the blooms. Watering the foliage can cause disease.
What do I do with my mums after they fall?
Shortly after Fall or in late winter, when the mum has finished blooming, ensure you cut the plant’s stem to 6 to 8 inches above ground level. However, if you find the dead stems of winter valuable to wildlife or of interest, you may choose to leave the stems intact until the spring growth develops.
