Tips and Tricks to Not Kill Your Mums This Fall
Spooky season coincides with mum season, and while ghosts and ghouls are a fright, nothing is scarier to a fall gardener than the ghosts of mums past. The good news is that it just takes a little know-how to keep these late-season champions happy and thriving. So don’t be a mum murderer this fall. Follow these care tips to extend the lives of these colorful blooms throughout the season (and maybe even into next year).
Know Your Mums
First thing’s first. You can purchase either florist mums or garden mums. Florist mums are primarily grown for single blooms and are intended as annuals, while garden mums are bred for hardiness and treated as perennials. Garden mums can withstand colder conditions thanks to their strong root systems. Both types are sold in the fall in garden centers, floral shops, supermarkets and other retailers. However, many experts suggest that garden mums be planted in the spring, not fall.
If you acquire a garden mum and want to try to overwinter it, plant it earlier in the fall to give it a better chance of establishing a strong root system before winter. Overwintering mums can be especially suited for gardeners living in the warmer zones of the American South and Southwest.
Beyond that, mums come in all sorts of colors, including bright pumpkin oranges, yellow, lavender and pink. Some mum varieties look like they have spider’s legs or tentacles, while others keep that classic tidy “pom pom” look.
See more: Mum Varieties and Growing Tips For Your Fall Garden
How to Choose the Best Mums
Don’t fall for the first mum plant you see at the nursery. First, consider shape. You’ll want to look for a full, round plant with dense, dark green foliage to achieve that classic look. Many experts also advise shoppers to opt for a plant with many tightly closed buds, which will help extend bloom time (if you’re impatient, grab one that’s already in bloom). Make sure to avoid plants with yellowing or browning leaves, crispy leaf edges, early leaf drop or wilting leaves and stems. These are signs of under-watering.
If you really want the cream of the crop, ask an associate when they get new shipments so you can have first dibs. Many suggest that the best time to shop for mums is in mid- to late-September or early October.
Planting Your Mums
Once you’ve selected the perfect plant, it’s time to repot it or plant it in your garden. This is perhaps the most important thing you can do to extend the life of your mums, as they often come extremely root-bound. If you want to keep it as a container plant, select a pot that’s just a tad bigger than what it came in. After breaking up the roots gently, place it in the new pot with fresh potting soil and water.
Keep in mind that mums do their best in well-drained soil. You can improve drainage by adding compost to the soil.
See more: 12 Flowers to Beautify Your Landscape This Fall
Location Is Everything
Mums love the sun, so place your container in a spot that gets plenty of it – these plants crave at least four to six hours of direct sunlight per day. If you’ve decided to plant your mum straight into the ground, the same rule applies.
Make sure to observe the spot where you plan to plant or place your mum throughout the day, as fall days are shorter and your garden’s sunniest spots may have shifted from their summer positions.
Give Them a Drink (But Don’t Drown Them)
As with many plants, watering can be a delicate dance between too little and too much hydration. That said, mums dislike dry soil, and they will turn on the drama pretty quickly if you let the soil dry too much, drooping their leaves. Try to water your mums before they get to this point. To monitor moisture, check the top inch of soil daily with your finger. If it’s dry, water thoroughly from the bottom or the base of the plant, avoiding foliage to help prevent fungal diseases. The soil should stay consistently moist but not waterlogged. If you have a drip tray, empty it of any standing water to avoid root rot.
See more: 8 Gardening Projects You Can Do This Fall
Deadheading
This fall, take a cue from the Headless Horseman and chop off your mum’s flower “heads” after they’re done blooming. Deadheading, or removing dead flowers, will keep your plant looking fresh and tidy and will likely encourage new blooming as the season wears on. The frequency of these little “haircuts” will depend on your plant, but many experts recommend deadheading once every one to two weeks during the blooming season.
To deadhead your mums, grab a pair of gardening shears or pruning snips. Cut the stem a couple of inches below the wilted flower, just above the plant’s main foliage. Cut at a slight angle if possible. You can also achieve this with your fingers by pinching the flowers off. Be careful not to snip off any other little buds, which sometimes form below a wilted flower.
Dealing With Frost
As days start getting colder, you’ll want to keep an eye on the forecast. Your mums will likely be able to withstand a simple frost, but most will need a hand for more extended cold periods. If your mum is potted, you can simply bring it indoors overnight to avoid hard freezes. A garage is another good option – just make sure the temperature doesn’t dip below 32 degrees. Only return your mum outdoors when the temperature is above freezing. If you have to bring your mums inside for a few days, make sure to place them near a window to give them that daily dose of sun. Watch out for overwatering, as they likely will not dry as much indoors.
If you have ground-planted mums or prefer to keep them outside, you can protect them during a lighter frost by covering them with an old sheet or frost blanket. Adding a layer of mulch during the planting process can also help outdoor mums better deal with cold weather by insulating their roots from freezing and thawing cycles. This extra “blanket” can consist of organic materials such as dry leaves, straw or shredded wood.