Chrysanthemums

Q. I have a pot of mums from last year. Will they come up again this year? If they will do I need to cut the dead leaves and stems? If I do what do I cut them with? I'm new to gardening.

A. Mums are generally hardy enough to go through winter and grow and bloom the next year though I do not know your climate zone. A particularly harsh winter might kill it. You will find out soon enough if there are any green sprouts popping out with the warm spring temps.

Cut back all old stems and leaves down to the soil if they are indeed totally brown. Your neighbors have not got around to their spring cleaning so you go show them! There is no advantage in keeping the old dead wood on mums or any other plant once it has come through the winter and ready to put forth the spring growth.

One should always be aware that dead tissue is a great harbor for disease and insects especially where they love to lay their eggs. You can avoid many problems in your gardens by keeping them clean well-pruned and healthy.

Give the mums a good helping of fertilizer once you see new growth. A basic gardening fertilizer is fine for mums and almost all your other perennials. Maintain this program coupled with good watering throughout the entire season especially when the heat is harsh on the plants and you are not experiencing rainfall. Help out Mother Nature and your plants will be all the more happy.

Q. I have just planted 2 flats of fall mums. They are in bloom now. The mum lady at the store said not to cut them back now for fall blooming but rather wait and cut them back this fall. Will they get leggy only flower now or should I ignore her and prune them now?

A. She is correct but it is a combination of her response and yours! You should let them bloom now and of course plant them into your well-worked garden beds. Add a bit of mulch around them and make sure their location will have at least half day sun full being even better. Enjoy the flowers.

Then as the flowers fade you will cut the heads off and discard. Use clean sharp shears. This will force vegetative side shoots so that you will not have leggy stems throughout the summer. I would not pinch back anything except an errant branch which seems out of kilter with the rest of the plant. All pinching will eliminate any chance of flowering this fall.

Since they were forced to bloom now by tricking them with short days in a greenhouse you probably will not get much in the way of flowers this fall. It could be sporadic at best. But you must keep them green and growing all season with ample water and fertilizer to build up the root system and get them established in their new home.

Q. I have 14 mum plants in my garden. How do we care for them to keep them coming back each year? They are dying now. Can we cut the flowers now? They are very heavy and beginning to split.

A. You should cut off all old flowers which are brown and faded. After all the blooming is over for the fall cut the entire plants back to about 6". Mulch them with bark or dried leaves and ready them for the dormancy of winter.

A flowering mum should remain full of color approximately 4 to 6 weeks. When flowering has ceased remove dead blooms. Allow the foliage to remain until it is time to prepare them for winter. Around Thanksgiving it is time to provide some winter protection for your mum. Cover the mum completely with sphagnum peat moss and water thoroughly. Many people use leaves straw or soil as a mulch.

In the spring after the danger of frost is past remove the peat moss mulch. Remove any dead stems at this time. If the plant survived the winter short green shoots of new growth should be seen by May 1. A conscientious effort to provide this care will result in a lifetime enjoyment of mums.

Mums require pinching to insure a compact full plant. In the Midwest garden mums will naturally set buds anytime after mid-May for flowering about 4 to 6 weeks later. So pinch no later than July 4 for blooms in August. In the spring allow the mum to grow to 6" tall then prune to 3". Continue pruning 2 to 3 inches off of each new 6" growth until July 4.

Mums need fertilizer for strong foliage growth and good root development. Fertilizer will also promote blossoms and keep them lasting longer. We suggest you fertilize throughout the spring summer and fall. Use a water soluble fertilizer.