Learn everything that you need to know about caring for Chrysanthemums.
Who doesn’t love chrysanthemums? They come in all colors, sizes, and shapes and bring a beautiful splash of color to your garden. But did you know that they require special care to thrive? Chrysanthemums look great in the garden during their growing season but if you want to enjoy their beauty all year round then you must care for them properly. Whether you’re looking for tips on propagating chrysanthemums, deadheading them for reblooming, or saving your potted mums for the next year—you’ll find everything here.
In this article, we’ll provide step-by-step tips on how to best take care of your chrysanthemums. Learn everything from proper soil conditions and fertilizing techniques to proper pruning and propagation techniques that will help ensure that your flourishing blooms are with you year after year.
How Do You Take Care Of Potted Chrysanthemums?
Taking care of potted chrysanthemums is relatively easy, as long as the right steps are taken. The first step is to make sure they are in a pot with enough room for their roots to grow. The pot should be filled with a good potting mix that provides adequate drainage. It is important to maintain constant moisture and avoid drying out the soil and root system. To do this, temperatures should remain near 70-75 degrees Fahrenheit and water should be applied at the soil level rather than directly on the blooms.
Pinching back growing mums when new growth reaches 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) will help direct growth downward and ensure that flowers don’t bloom too early. This process should continue through June, and any cuttings from this material can be rooted for new plants. Chrysanthemums should also be planted into well-prepared, fertile soils where they get full early morning sun for at least five to six hours daily. When planting, dig a hole twice the size of the root ball and incorporate organic matter such as compost or peat to help with drainage.
Finally, it’s important to keep humidity levels higher when caring for outdoor chrysanthemums; however it’s still essential that they have space around them in order to receive adequate air circulation. To ensure healthy plants, regular checkups on soil moisture levels are recommended so that water can be added if necessary without overdoing it or allowing them to dry out completely between waterings. With proper care and attention given to these simple steps, potted chrysanthemums can thrive in any environment.
Should You Deadhead Chrysanthemums?
Deadheading chrysanthemums is an important part of keeping them looking their best and encouraging continual blooms. Deadheading is the process of removing dead or dying flowers from a plant, and it can be done by cutting the stem below the flower. It’s important to make sure to cut close to but not through the leaves, as cutting too deeply will cause damage beyond just removing the dead flowers.
In addition to deadheading, pruning and pinching chrysanthemums can also help keep them flowering throughout the growing season. Pinching mums early in the season will encourage continual blooms, while pruning any dead flowers away entirely at the end of the season helps maintain a healthy look for your plants. You can use cutters as well as your fingers to pinch mums.
When caring for chrysanthemums, good air circulation is also important for their growth, as is soil with a pH of about 6.5 and regular fertilizing during their growing season. Mums grow well in raised beds or containers; when planting them in containers, it’s best to dig a hole twice as wide as their root ball and add rich soil before adding mulch at its base to help keep soil moist. Watering mums from under their leaves helps prevent fungal issues when caring for container mums; if you wish, you can also deadhead them regularly for aesthetic purposes. Finally, houseplants should be kept where they have access to good air circulation and avoid excess humidity in order for them to thrive indoors.
In conclusion, there are many benefits associated with regularly deadheading chrysanthemum plants: not only does it help keep them looking vibrant throughout their growing season but it may even provide some extra comfort through its use in Chinese Traditional Medicine.
How Do I Save My Potted Mums For Next Year?
Propagating and caring for potted mums is a great way to enjoy their beauty for years to come. The best way to ensure that your potted mums will survive the winter and be ready for next year is by planting them in the spring. This will give them the best chance of surviving the winter, as well as providing you with beautiful fall color as annuals.
When propagating your mums, you can choose from seeds, stem cuttings, or division. Planting from seeds indoors is the most inexpensive method but propagating by stem cuttings in late spring or early summer is also an option. When planting in spring, it’s important to use good potting soil with good drainage and water from the bottom of the container. Additionally, weekly fertilization will help keep your mums healthy and strong throughout the season.
It’s also important to make sure that your potted mums are planted in containers large enough for their needs; at least a 12-inch container should be used when growing chrysanthemums in pots. This will give them plenty of room to grow and spread out their roots without becoming root-bound or overcrowded.
Finally, if you want your potted mums to last more than one season then they should be planted as perennials rather than annuals; this means planting them in spring so they have time to establish themselves before winter sets in again. With proper care throughout the season – including regular watering and fertilization – you can enjoy beautiful blooms year after year.
How Do You Get Chrysanthemums To Rebloom?
Chrysanthemums are a popular flowering plant that can be grown in many different climates. To get them to rebloom, there are several steps you should take. First, in early spring, the plant will benefit from liquid fertilizer and should be soaked in a bucket of water for a few hours. After the foliage of the plant has died back, you should cut it back to 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 cm.) above the ground and space 18 to 30 inches apart for best results. Additionally, when plants are six inches tall, pinch about 3/4 of an inch from each branch to promote more blooms and bushier plants.
To further encourage reblooming, you can also pinch off the tips of each stem or deadhead it regularly throughout the summer. Deadheading is when you remove spent flowers or flower buds so that energy is not wasted on producing seeds but rather directed towards creating new flowers instead. Additionally, using a high-phosphorus fertilizer will help encourage reblooming as well as planting them in a spot that receives full sun or partial shade depending on your climate and desired outcome.
Lastly, if your chrysanthemums have already flowered in fall then pruning them back by about one third their height will help promote new growth come springtime which may result in more blooms when summer arrives again. Tipping back is another method which involves cutting off stems just above where leaves emerge from them and this helps create fuller plants with more branches for flowering later on down the line. Taking these steps will ensure your chrysanthemums remain healthy and bloom again year after year.
How To Propagate Chrysanthemums?
Propagating chrysanthemums is an easy and rewarding process. The best time to take cuttings is during the spring or summer months when new growth is present. To begin, use a sharp, sterile knife to remove a 2 to 3 inch section of the new growth from the end of a stem. Be sure to pull off any leaves on the bottom 1 inch of the cutting before inserting it into peat moss or perlite. The cutting must always be moist but not soggy. It’s important to use fresh, healthy stems that are around 3 inches in length from as far down the plant as possible.
In order for successful propagation, it’s important to pinch back growing mums when new growth is 4-6 inches long by removing the stem above the second set of leaves and continuing this process through June. Before planting, it’s essential to improve soil by working in a couple of inches of compost or well-rotted manure along with a sprinkle of bone meal like Dr Earth all-natural fertilizer available on Amazon. To prepare a soilbed for planting chrysanthemums, dig and loosen soil up to 6 inches deep and break up all lumps before spading organic matter such as peat moss, compost or well-rotted manure into it. If soil is very poor then use 5-10-5, 7-6-5 or similar garden fertilizer about 10 days – 2 weeks prior to planting chrysanthemums for optimal results.
Once everything has been prepped and planted correctly you can look forward to seeing primary growth on your chrysanthemums in no time. With proper care such as keeping them watered regularly and providing them with plenty of sunlight they will continue growing strong until they are ready for harvesting.