The dead growth insulates the roots. Some gardeners cut them back to 2 inches (5 cm.) Monica Milla, the Garden Faerie, is a master gardener volunteer, instructor, speaker, garden coach, and author of "Fun with Winter Seed Sowing." Weekly Wilson Bros Gardens $50 Gift Card Giveaway! Nature doesn't cut back garden mums when their blossoms fade in fall. Because it's considered invasive in some areas, cut back the spent flowers before seedheads form. If time gets away from you and you don’t start pinching back your mums in the spring, don’t worry. If you plant young mum plants in the garden in spring or grow mums from the previous season, then pinch off the tips on their new stems when they are about 6 inches long, using your fingertips or shears that you wipe with rubbing alcohol after each cut to prevent the spread of plant diseases. One of the many advantages of ornamental grasses are they extremely hardy and tolerant. Why Are The Tips Of The Leaves On My Azaleas Turning Brown or Black? If you want fall flowers on your mums, you will need to pinch the plants back periodically throughout the summer. Mums can be cut back in early summer to avoid early blooming such as this. To keep a uniform, neat appearance cut stems at approximately the same level. Repotting is the single most important thing you can do to increase the longevity of your mums. With just a few exceptions, the vast majority of late spring and early summer-blooming perennials take a fast nosedive after flowering, and can look fairly hideous later in the summer. Make cuts just above nodes to encourage new branching to occur. Both types come from the same original parent, a golden-yellow daisy-like mum from China. This means removing the early buds with pruners. Planting Mum Seeds. Ornamental Grass Care – Cutting Back In The Winter. Check your mums once a … You can try it. If you cut the mums back to the ground, fewer stems will grow next year. Why Are The Flowers On Autumn Twist Encore Azaleas Blooming Pink Instead of White? Her rule about cutting back mums was that starting in spring she would cut back the main plants about 4 inches....leave a good green base. Leaving a little bit of the stems will ensure that next year you have a full plant, as the new stems will grow from these trimmed stems. Why Are Some Of The Leaves On My Crape Myrtle Turning Red With Black Spots? To prune clump-forming perennials such as hardy geraniums, reduce clumps to the ground level in the fall. Cut back the mums to about 2". Cutting the plant back will force the plant to produce more branching stems, which will provide more places for buds to form. They will bloom again in the fall, but never as well as when you first bought them. Hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 2 through 10, mums flower best in full sun or partial shade. Mums generally come in two types: Florist mums (also known as cutting mums) and hardy mums (also known as garden mums). Even if they have already started setting flower buds you can still cut them back as late as July and still have blooms in the early fall. One of the first questions people have about mums is whether they're annuals or perennials, and the answer is, they’re both! If you plant young mum plants in the garden in spring or grow mums from the previous season, then pinch off the tips on their new stems when they are about 6 inches long, using your fingertips or shears that you wipe with rubbing alcohol after each cut to prevent the spread of plant diseases. Use a sharp soil knife or spade and use it to cut the root ball into three to five sections. Most fall mums are purchased and planted from late August into September. If you don't cut mums back in early spring, then they are more likely to produce a premature and disappointing period of poor bloom in summer and a lackluster season of poor bloom in fall. All Rights Reserved. You never know what you will get when you plant mum seeds. Most mums are completely root-bound when you get them. Pinch the stems between mid-spring and midsummer to promote bushiness. … What Causes Plant Leaves To Burn During Winter & How To Prevent It, How To Control, Kill & Prevent Spurge Weeds In Landscape & Garden Bed Plantings, How To Prevent Or Treat & Control Leaf Spots On Hydrangea Leaves, How To Determine The Number Of Plants Needed To Fill A Planting Area Or Space, How To Make Paw Paw Trees Produce More Fruit, How And When To Prune A Crape Myrtle Tree, How To Plant an Encore Azalea in Garden Beds or Pots. Why Wilson Bros Gardens Offers Only Large Size And Not Smaller Plants. Dig your rhizomes in the fall, and divide them. Remember mums are a cool weather flower and sometime in June or before even into July the need some heavy pruning to make sure all blossoms are removed and kept off. Water plants regularly. Both types come from the same original parent, a golden-yellow daisy-like mum from China. When Is The Best Time To Plant Shrubs & Trees To Avoid Cold Damage? Water chrysanthemums frequently, because they have a shallow root system that … Cut the top growth back to the next branching growth area and the plant will produce more stems and bigger, more profuse buds. When spring arrives and the threat of frost is over, pull back the mulch and watch your mums rapidly grow. Leave mums outdoors in areas with warm winters. Each one of these sections can be planted to make a new chrysanthemum. Encyclopedia of plants at fingertips. With other plants you don't want to prune too close to winter cause the new tender growth which results from pruning or pinching will be killed by frost. During the spring and summer growing season, you’ll want to pinch off any dead flowers with your fingers or garden shears so new flowers can grow back. Left to grow naturally in the garden, many varieties of garden mums will grow tall and become leggy by summer. Leaving a little bit of the stems will ensure that next year you have a full plant, as the new stems will grow from these trimmed stems. Plant in spring and divide every two years. Neither should you. The plant is not prone to problems with pests or diseases, and the basal foliage should remain fresh until spring. When cutting back be sure to leave these rosettes of green. To repot, choose a container that is a little bigger than the last container. I plant mums every September (150 this year) and cut them back in the spring. When planting, add in a bit of compost to help their root systems establish quickly. Step 4 Bring the mums indoors once the outdoor temperature drops below 60 degrees F. Place the mums in a sunny window. Once new growth is underway, you may prune back any remaining dead stems. Pulling old blooms off by hand is not recommended because it leaves the entire stem looking out of place, and it could also damage the stem. After your mums have finished blooming in the fall, and the foliage has gone completely dormant, you can cut the dead stems back to just above the ground. You can certainly contain the growth of sedum plants with careful pinching and trimming but it isn’t necessary to the plant’s healthy growth. What Causes Flower Buds To Fall Off Or Drop From A New Plant Or Tree? And in the end, results in a thicker, bushier plant with more shoots for blooms. It's easiest to cut back the fern in the spring before the new leaves emerge. If you choose to pinch your mums, below are some helpful tips. Cutting Back Hard. The daytime temp can exceed 50 degrees in the winter, but drop well below freezing at night. Remember mums are a cool weather flower and sometime in June or before even into July the need some heavy pruning to make sure all blossoms are removed and kept off. Cut off the dead stems and leaves when you see the first green shoots in spring. In spring when the mum begins to show signs of sprouting, dig out the entire root ball of the plant. No matter what region you garden in, for winter, it's a good idea to apply a 2-inch layer of pine straw or shredded wood mulch around the roots of your mums. That being said, northern gardeners can leave the dead stems there to help insulate the roots from severe cold weather during winter. Water and put the pot in a protected area (example: garage, cold frame). Spring-planted mums will have plenty of time for root growth. Cut away all the dead foliage. 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