Table of Contents
Most garden mums grow to 2 to 3 feet in size and require at least a 12-inch container for the best support. Rich potting soil with good drainage is essential. To encourage root growth, water container mums from the bottom of the container.
Do mums need a deep pot?
Garden mums need at least six hours of sun a day, along with fertile, well-drained soil. Dig planting holes twice as deep and wide as the container it came in. Mix in a generous spadeful of compost or packaged garden soil to give your plants an easy start. Surround the plants with a 2-inch blanket of attractive mulch.
Can mums be planted in pots?
Growing Mums In Containers: How To Grow Mums In Pots. Growing mums (also called chrysanthemums) in containers is extremely popular, and rightly so. The plants bloom well into the fall, and as you get later in the season, containers of them spring up for sale everywhere.
Should I plant mums or leave in pot?
—your best bet is to overwinter them in their containers in a protected space (above freezing, never letting the soil dry out). Then, you can plant them in spring, providing lots of time to establish strong roots before their first winter in the ground.
How long can mums live in a pot?
Avoid plants whose flowers have already begun to fade. 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.
What is the best potting soil for mums?
Mums grow successfully in soilless mixtures, such as one part peat moss, one part perlite and one part coarse builder’s sand. This mixture provides good drainage and aeration. When growing mums in soilless mixes, keep the pH between 5.8 and 6.2. You can also purchase soilless mixes in your local garden supply center.
Do mums come back every year in pots?
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.
What do you do with potted fall mums?
Bury the Pots One option is to try to overwinter the mums by burying the pots in the garden. Cut back the dead foliage to the surface of the soil and bury the pot up to the edge. This will help keep the roots warm. A layer of mulch on top of the pots will also help keep the roots warm.
Should I water mums everyday?
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.
When should I buy fall mums?
Mid-September is the earliest time you should consider buying mums. However, each year the longer and hotter summers are pushing that date later and later into September, even into the month of October. As a rule, we at Southern Living recommend “buying plants as they start to break bud. You’ll maximize bloom time.
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 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.
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.
Is Miracle Gro good for mums?
To get the most from your garden mums, place them in a sunny location and feed them every 7-14 days with an all-purpose water-soluble plant food like Miracle-Gro® Water Soluble All Purpose Plant Food. Or, you can feed and water your mums at the same time with Miracle-Gro® LiquaFeed®.
Are potted mums annuals or perennials?
There are potted florist mums, which look just like garden (hardy) mums and even share the same botanical name (Chrysanthemum x morifolium)—and they’re perennials, but their survival depends on when you get them and where you live. Garden mums, also known as hardy mums, are perennial mums.
