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Early in the season mums should be watered like your lawn, about one inch a week. As the plants increase in size and summer brings warmer temperatures, your watering should increase proportionately. By flowering time in September and October, watering three times a week would not be too much.
How do you care for potted mums in the fall?
How to Care for Mums and Keep them Blooming All Season Place your mums in a sunny area in your home. Keep the soil moist. Deadhead often for lasting blooms. Once your mums stop blooming, you can place them in the ground outdoors once the weather starts to warm.
Do you water mums every day?
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.
Can mums be overwatered?
Mums are photoperiodic plants that require long dark nights to bloom. Take care not to overwater your mums as soggy soil can prevent them from flowering and cause root rot. Signs of overwatering include yellow leaves that turn black and fall off. Keep mums evenly watered to ensure the best flowering.
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 need a lot 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.
How long will potted mums last?
Garden mums may be grown in containers, or planted in beds with existing shrubs and flowers. Flowers generally last about two or three weeks, depending on the outdoor temperatures and how far along the blooming process was when the plants were purchased.
Do mums like wet soil?
Shopping for Mums Look for plants with healthy foliage with no wilting leaves or blooms, and without signs of insect damage or disease. The plant’s soil should be moist and not dry. Garden or hardy mums endure cooler outdoor temperatures better than florist mums, which are raised as indoor plants only.
Do mums like sun or shade?
Chrysanthemums are sun-loving plants. Although they technically require only 6 hours of sunlight each day, the more light they receive, the better their growth, bloom and hardiness. Slight shade in hot, summer afternoons is appropriate in warmer gardening zones to prevent scorching.
How do you keep mums alive in the winter?
If you cut the mums back to the ground, fewer stems will grow next year. After this, when wintering mums, it is best to provide a heavy layer of mulch over the plant after the ground has frozen. The mulch for winterizing mums can be straw or leaves. This layer of mulch helps to keep the ground insulated.
How do you keep fall mums looking good?
Water Mums from Bottom: Protect your mums from rain, and water them carefully without splashing the foliage or blooms. This will help keep the blooms from spotting and browning. Keep Mums Cool: Warm temperatures also encourage blooming, while cool temperatures will help mums blooms last longer.
Can you save dying mums?
If you catch a problem early enough, you just may be able to save your potted mums from certain death and revive them to their full glory, especially if they are hardy in your location’s U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant hardiness zone.
Do mums need darkness?
Mums are “short-day plants,” which means they need the longer nights that accompany the fall season to trigger flowering. Mums start to set flower buds once they get at least 11 hours of darkness at night.
How do I save my potted mums for next year?
Keep mums indoors until one week before the last expected spring frost. At that time, take the pot outdoors to its summer location for two or three hours, then bring it back indoors to its winter location. Each day, bring the pot outdoors and leave it there for an hour or so longer each time.
Are fall mums annuals or perennials?
Garden mums, also known as hardy mums, are perennial mums. Cut-flower chrysanthemums, like spider mums or football mums, are perennials in Zones 5 to 9, and these types are becoming easier to find for sale online.
Do potted mums come back?
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.
When should I buy fall mums?
{two} Mums are a cool season fall flowering perennial so the best time to purchase them is mid-September when the temperatures start to drop. Many growers force the plants to grow early so they look pretty displayed in the big box stores.
Do chrysanthemums come back every year?
Early-flowering chrysanthemums can be planted in ornamental borders and will flower from late summer to autumn. For a reliable perennial chrysanthemum, choose hardy garden varieties that can be left in the ground all year round.
