How to Grow Mum Plants
- 1). Locate a well-draining spot in your garden or yard exposed to at least 6 hours of sunlight every day. Chrysanthemums thrive in slightly acidic soils enriched with organic matter. Incorporate 2 to 4 inches of manure or compost in the soil and mix well. Plant smaller varieties in spring, after the danger of frost has passed, and larger varieties in spring or fall. Depending on the mature size of the selected variety, space individual plants 1.5 to 2 feet apart.
- 2). Water the mums thoroughly immediately after planting so the soil around them settles. Irrigate the soil until evenly moist once a week during the growing stage. Water the soil to a depth of 6 to 8 inches in the summer. Avoid over-watering the soil or creating pools of water around plants.
- 3). Spread 2 to 3 inches of coarse mulch around the plants in the end of November or early December, when the ground cools. Space the mulch a few inches away from the stems of the mums to prevent burn.
- 4). Pinch or cut off the top half to 1 inch of each new shoot to help the plant become well-branched, compact and bushy. Left to themselves, mums grow tall, leggy and produce fewer blooms. Pinch each plant two to four times, starting from when it grows 6 inches high until the end of June or early July. The growing points that are left intact develop into blooms.
- 5). Feed spring-planted mums a water-soluble fertilizer every month through July. Stop feeding plants by mid to late July to prevent late season growth. Do not fertilize chrysanthemums planted in fall.
- 6). Pinch off smaller buds on each shoot, leaving the largest one intact. This practice encourages the plant to produce one large, showy bloom on each shoot instead of multiple smaller ones.
- 7). Inspect the upper and lower sides of leaves and flowers of mum plants for pests such as caterpillars, spider mites and aphids. Spray infestations with a spray made from soap and water or insecticide. Pick caterpillars off the plants with tweezers.
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