by Jennifer Poindexter
Do you buy store bought mums each fall ? Do you have marvelous plans of ensuring these mums come through , so you wo n’t have to keep buy more each year ?
I conceive many people do this only to be disappointed when their mums die over the winter . My female parent is one of these mass .
If you settle into this class , take a deep hint , and translate through this article . I ’ll be sharing why some momma simply do n’t make it , how you could overwinter mamma in the priming , and how you could winter momma in a container .
When you ’re quick to end buying mums year after class , here ’s what you should screw .
Will All Chrysanthemums Overwinter?
Mums , officially known aschrysanthemums , are gorgeous later summer and autumn fuckup . They ’re beautiful when placed next to any Cucurbita pepo , scarecrow , or bale of hay .
Yet , they also shine beautifully in recurrent gardens . It ’s no wonder people cluster to the local nurseries to buy them each twelvemonth .
When you buy mums from the store are they all created equally ? Will all mommy get back yr after twelvemonth ?
In short , the solution is no . You must be deliberate of what eccentric of mum you buy . There are two unlike varieties .
One mixture of chrysanthemum is call a flowered mum . These are annual mums because they have such treat source system , they ca n’t wield the dip in temperatures over wintertime .
There are also garden mums . These are true perennial mums which are hardy in planting zones five through nine .
How do you have it off the difference between the two type ? First , checker the labels . Sometimes the sticker on the pot will specifically tell if the mama is floral or garden .
If not , you may look at the mickle and recount . When the momma is planted in a shallow container or planter and has small salad days , this is a flowered florist’s chrysanthemum . They do n’t postulate deep container because they have small , shallow roots .
Yet , if the Dendranthema grandifloruom is with child , in a bigger container , with larger blooms , it ’s good to assume this is a garden ma . These are your perennial mums , so they may come with a higher damage tag end at the fourth dimension of leverage .
Now that we have this substantial detail under our belt , allow ’s begin discuss how to keep recurrent garden mums active over the winter .
How to Overwinter Mums in the Ground
The first affair you should do with any store - buy mommy , when you get it home , is repot it . This is of import to ensure the plant life is n’t theme bound and that it ’s being provided adequate spring up conditions .
Mums should be provided with well - draining ground no matter where they ’re implant . They also care indirect sunlight . check these two thing are present wherever you use the Chrysanthemum morifolium for fall décor .
You may take to bequeath your storehouse - bought mamma in a container while it ’s decorating a sure area . However , you might choose to go ahead and plant it in the primer .
Either alternative is fine as long as you furnish what the works postulate . If you choose to get out the mama in a container , ascertain you found it in the ground close to one month before your first hoarfrost if you require to overwinter the mum in the flat coat .
This will give the plant enough time to establish its root system . When planting the mum in the ground , it must ( again ) be provided well - draining soil .
If not , the H2O will tolerate around the plant . As the temperatures cut down , it will freeze around the roots of the plant and kill it .
It ’s also a good idea to plant the mum where it will have some protection from eminent wintertime wind . This could be near your home , a shed , or near big plants .
As icing moves in , it will cause the plant ’s foliation to become discolored . Let it bump . After the leaf has die back course , it ’s now time for you to do a niggling more trimming of the industrial plant .
The mum should be pruned back to where there ’s only two to three inches of the stem turn sticking out of the terra firma .
This is where the novel growth of the flora will emerge next year . If you do n’t leave enough radical , there wo n’t be much newfangled growth the following year .
You ’ll be done caring for the mum for a while . Wait patiently until the ground freezes . Once it ’s frozen , it ’ll be clock time to add a mantle of mulch over the flora .
The idea is for the mulch to keep the ground freeze all wintertime prospicient , even when the temperatures vacillate . If not , the ground around the mums will melt and refreeze multiple times which in reality does more harm to the plants than most other things .
Once the conditions warms in the saltation , you may remove the mulch and practice proper care for this recurrent bloom until it bloom again in tardy summer or early fall .
Now that you make out how to overwinter an inground mum , it ’s time to discover how to winter a potted florists' chrysanthemum .
How to Overwinter Mums in a Container
overwinter momma in a container is a different cognitive operation than what we ’ve previously hash out . Where inground florist’s chrysanthemum can address frost , potted mum ca n’t .
alas , in a pot , mums do n’t have enough soil to insulate their root systems . Therefore , it ’s easygoing for them to freeze .
When the cold fall nights start to occur , bring your mums indoors overnight to protect them . As the frigid temperature become a lasting fixture ( around 32 - degree Fahrenheit ) you ’ll know it ’s time to start the overwintering process .
You might assume when the temperatures get insensate , you should embed the mum in the ground . This would be one of the sorry thing you could do . If you do n’t embed chrysanthemums in the ground at least a calendar month prior to cold temperature , you ’ll wipe out the plant .
It wo n’t have enough meter to form an accomplished root system before it must battle the cold component . or else , forget it in the container and convey it indoors for its first wintertime .
When you institute the plant inside , dress it heavily . There should only be approximately two inches of stem digest above the soil level .
Once this is done , opt a sullen location with milder temperature to store the flora all wintertime . This could be a drab W.C. , a basement , or even a heated up outbuilding .
The darkness and milder temperatures will encourage the plant to go sleeping . This is your goal when overwintering mummy in a container . However , be aware that wherever you choose to store the flora that the temperature are cooler but never to the point the industrial plant will freeze .
While the plants are take a breather inside your home you must care for it occasionally . It ’s wise to irrigate the mama once or twice per calendar month .
When in doubt , expend your digit to test the dirt . If it ’s dry to your 2nd knuckle , it ’s sentence to put on more water to the works .
As spring comes around again , it ’ll be time for the plant to wake - up . One week before the final frost , you should start inure the mum off by placing it outdoors for a few hours at a time each day . This will help the flora acclimate to the outdoors again .
Once all terror of rime is over , determine if you ’d wish to keep the mama in a container or transfer it into a repeated garden bottom .
If you wish well to localize the mummy in a recurrent garden secret plan , assure it ’s planted in well - debilitate land , and amend the soil prior to planting . The mum will be in demand of nutrient after a foresightful winter .
Yet , if you ’d prefer to keep the mum potted , you must remove it to a unexampled container with wise dirt . Again , this will give the works room to stretch out and will also provide nutrients .
Whichever planting method you choose , this is also an appropriate time to divide large ma . If you have a mammy that ’s huge , use a garden spade to divide the plant all the way down the center and through the root system .
graft the two new plants either in novel container or in a repeated garden patch . This is what you must know to winter a potted mamma .
If you pick out to keep your mum in a container , you must continue the same overwintering process each class .
Also , as the plant begin to blossom in late summer , be sure to rationalise the blooms away . This will prolong the plant ’s bloom cycle , so you could enjoy them in the fall .
Hopefully this information will help you to find winner in keep your store bought mums alive class after year .
I think where most people struggle with hold open mums alive is either they purchase the untimely character of mum , or they do n’t know the proper time for mulching an inground mum or how to keep a container mum alert .
This information should not only aid you find oneself success in new gardening techniques , but it should also save you money in the foresighted run as well .
Enjoy growing your mums , and we trust your home is gorgeous and full of color thanks to these beautiful plants .
Learn More About GrowingChrysanthemums
https://ag.umass.edu/greenhouse-floriculture/fact-sheets/growing-garden-mums-for-fall-sales
https://extension.psu.edu/chrysanthemum-care
https://extension.usu.edu/yardandgarden/research/growing-chrysanthemums-in-the-home-garden
