Comments on: Hardy Mum

By: Aces

Aces — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:29:02 +0000

The pot mum, “Point Pelee” is it a perennal or annual flower? Should I plant it now or keep it indoors until spring if it is a perennal.
Thanks,
Aces

Hi Aces
It depends on where you live. Pelee Mum is hardy in zone 7-10 and can be grown there as a perennial. Otherwise, you need to protect it from freezing temperatures and keep it indoors. In colder climates it is usually treated like an annual and tossed after it is done blooming.

By: Sue Zimmerman

Sue Zimmerman — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:50:54 +0000

10/19/09

We received two mums as gifts yesterday. One is a cherry color; the other a “golden color”. We live in the Piedmont of NC. How do we take care of these plants through the winter? Thank you for your help.

Hi Sue
I would think you could plant them outdoors and they would survive the winter. Make sure they get enough moisture during the winter. Enjoy them now and plant them after they are done blooming. Remove any dead flowers and place 1-2 inches of mulch around the base of the plant. To further protect them, apply a loose mulch such as straw, evergreen boughs or shredded leaves after several hard frosts. (If you don’t get a frost then skip that step.) In spring remove the mulch and trim any dead foliage back to 2-4 inches above the ground.

By: Edie

Edie — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 23:19:51 +0000

Hi,
I live by Denver co. and i just bought 2 beautiful mums for Berlin OH (no tag of what kind) how do i know what zone they are for or what kind they are (hardy?). I guess I will try to winter them in my garage over the winter. Someone told me that they will not come back next year no matter what I do.. Is this correct.

Hi Edie
It is a gamble. If you winter your mums in the garage make sure the soil doesn’t dry out completely and the pots are not exposed to freezing temperatures. The article above on hardy mums explains why wintering mums doesn’t always work.

By: Antoinette

Antoinette — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:42:54 +0000

My orange mums or turning yellowish a drying out. If I pinch off the dying blooms. Will this make the plant look better or will it kill it.

Thanks in advance to all.

Hi Antoinette
Pinching off the dying blooms will improve the looks of the plant, it certainly will not harm it.

By: Deb

Deb — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:12:30 +0000

I live in the Shenandoah Valley and, for two years, have bought “starter” mums and grown them in plastic pots. I transplant them in September and they all are doing beautifully. The Mennonites in the area (some own the greenhouse I buy from) have a rule of thumb for cutting back mums: Mother’s Day, Father’s day and the 4th of July. This works like a charm, keeping the mums from getting two leggy and helping them produce an abundance of flowers.

Sounds like good advice! Thanks!

By: Claire

Claire — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:21:09 +0000

My mother brought home a pot of mums only 6 nights ago from Home Depot. I’m in New York, and I was surprised to see that almost every single blossom was in full bloom. They were a lovely dark yellow tinged with orange. I put them on a south-facing window sill that night, and the next morning at about 10am I went to water them, but half of the blossoms had died and the rest of the plant began wilting (in one night!). I watered them and moved them to another window sill, this time on an east-facing window, fearing that the building across the street was limiting sun from the first window. The next day the plants condition had gotten worse. Since, I have rotated it to windows around the house and nothing has helped. We haven’t turned our heat on yet, so days have been reaching 70F degrees maximum inside, with nights creeping to 50 at lowest. I have almost no experience dealing with flowering potted plants. Can you tell me what I have done wrong, and if they can be saved, what I should do? I’ve read through the comments and realized that I should remove the dead material, so I have just done that.

Hi Claire
Here is my guess as to what happened to your mum. When you buy them in full bloom, you don’t know how long they have been that way. They could be at the end of their blooming cylce and any little stress will push them right over the edge. These fully bloomed mums have a big root system that doesn’t have enough soil to help support the moisture they require to maintain all those flowers. If you pop out one of the plants out of the pot and look at the roots you will see lots of roots and hardly any soil. It’s been used up. (This also happens with potted hanging baskets). Watering is important is this case. When you water and it immediately drains out, then the roots are not getting enough water, so you need to soak the plant for 1/2 hr. to be sure that they are watered enough. A cool, humid environment is best. You can keep them outside as long as there is no frost, they can tolerate temperatures in the upper 40’s. Indoors, keep the mum away from direct sun, this will also shorten their life span.
The best way to care for a blooming plant is give them bright indirect light, cool temperatures and adequate moisture. Of course, this varies with certain plants.

By: RAMONA RUSSO

RAMONA RUSSO — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:08:58 +0000

MY MUM IS IN A POT. JUST GOT IT YESTERDAY. HOW OFTEN DO I WATER?

Hi Ramona By the time they get to the market, hardy mums are usually pot bound and will dry out faster because much of the soil is used up. When the top inch feels dry, water your mum so that the water drains from the bottom. You can also test for watering by lifting the pot, if it is light, then it needs water. Watering frequency will also depend on weather conditions-on sunny, warm days you will have to water more often.

By: CM

CM — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 21:14:53 +0000

I recently purchased 2 mums that were full of blooms..some had openend but most were just beginning to open. After bringing them home, many of the blooms began to open, but now, all of the buds are turning brown and dying before they open up. I have them in the sun and keep them watered. I live in south GA. What am I doing wrong?

By: mari gardener

mari gardener — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:56:13 +0000

I have a lot a bees and flies flying around my flower bed since I planted mums. Why is this happening? I thought flies would be gone with the fall tempertures at 50 degrees. How do I get rid of the flies without killing the mums?

See Aliison comment 9/9/09 above. The bees are attracted to the pollen.

By: SB

SB — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:19:42 +0000

Hello
I just bought a few mums today. I live in the Northeast and its the 1st of October.
Is it too late to transfer them into the flower bed ??
Do i need to water them in winter ??
Any other advice and tips are greatly appreciated .
Thanks a lot.

HI SB
Transferring them into a flower bed is a 50/50 chance. See article above. Instead of throwing them out, it is worth a try to plant them to see if they survive. They may not have enough time to establish a good root system to winterover with. Be sure to mulch the plant after the ground freezes to protect the roots.