Mum Planting and Care

Plant your mums in fertile, well-drained soil with fairly equal parts of sand, silt and clay. Good soil is made up of a series of "crumbs" or particle sizes. If the soil feels hard and doesn’t crumble in the hand, add compost, peat moss or other organic matter. Spread about two inches on top of loosened soil and mix it in with a shovel. Planting Mums thrive in sunny areas. They should receive at least a half-day of sun. Avoid areas of standing or flowing water such as under eaves or below downspouts. For luscious plants year after year, avoid areas where they will be exposed to frigid winter winds. Plant so that the center crown of the plant is at least two to three inches above the soil level. Planting in Containers For gardening in window boxes, urns, barrels or other decorative containers, avoid using soil from the yard (it’s often too heavy and doesn’t drain well). Instead, use a commercially prepared potting mix. Spacing Dig a hole for each mum plant, making the hole slightly larger than the container. Depending on the size of the plant, mums should be spaced 15 to 20 inches apart from the center of one plant to the center of the next. Put the plant in the hole and gently firm the soil down around it. Watering/Fertilizing Thoroughly water the freshly planted mums. Add one to two gallons of water to the soil around the plants. Water growing plants only as needed to prevent wilting. Normal garden watering and fertilizing is fine. A balanced fertilizer (10-10-10 or 20-20-20) is recommended. Reduce or stop fertilizer when buds show color. Winter Protection Mums planted outdoors in the fall do not need any fertilizer until they begin to grow the following spring. In northern areas, mums often struggle to survive through the winter. To help your mum’s chances of survival, try the following tips: Keep soil moist as winter approaches. There is no need to prune back plants until the following spring except in warmer climates where plants are likely to continue growing though the winter. Mulch plants after the ground begins to freeze, not before, with leaves, straw, peat moss or other organic matter. In the spring, remove any old mum stems and gradually remove mulch. Pinching "Pinching" back early growth encourages branching, helps prevent legginess, and creates an attractive round shape. Use your thumb and forefinger to remove (or "pinch off") about one-half-inch of new growth at the top of each stem. Re-growth in the spring can be trimmed until the middle of July (pinching later than this can delay flowering). Newer varieties, such as Belgian Mums, are naturally round and don’t require pinching in the garden. Insect Protection Insects are not usually a problem with mums, but you’ll want to treat them as part of your regular garden-spraying program.