How Should A Mother Plant Be Maintained?

Mums, also known as chrysanthemums, are a popular fall flower that can be grown indoors or in the garden. To care for mums, ensure they are in a pot with adequate room for their roots to grow and filled with a good potting mix. Mums thrive in bright, indirect light and need at least six hours of direct sun in most areas. They should be planted about 2 feet apart in bedding areas and given nutrients to help them grow.

For indoor mums, give them about an inch of water per week, and more frequent watering when the bottom leaves look limp or turn brown. They need at least six hours of direct sun in most areas, with some shade during the hottest part of the afternoon. Plant them in a sunny location in fertile, well-drained soil, which can be improved by adding compost or peat moss. Space garden mums in flower in the fall and ensure they get six to eight hours of direct light.

To ensure the best growth and appearance of mums, it is essential to provide them with proper care and support. By following these tips, you can ensure your mums remain vibrant and healthy throughout the season.


📹 Complete Fall Mums Bloom Care Guide- Mums That Keep On Giving

It’s fall time and we know what that means! Mums! If you’ve seen my last video on mums that were taken out of storage. This video …


Why do my potted mums keep dying?

Mums, being shallow-rooted, are susceptible to drying out, making them less likely to survive winter. To ensure their survival, they should be planted in moist, well-drained soil, avoiding low spots and heavy soils. Mums require full sun for at least 6 hours and should be placed in a protected location. Planting mums in open areas exposes them to extreme conditions and is more likely to be damaged. Mulching helps retain soil moisture and ensures a healthy environment for mums.

Why are mums so hard to keep alive?

Mums, due to their shallow root system, are susceptible to heaving during winter due to repeated freezing and thawing of the soil. To prevent this, apply 4 inches of mulch when the ground begins to freeze. They are also prone to drying out, which can be less likely to survive than well-watered plants. To plant mums outdoors, ensure they are planted in an area with moist, well-drained soil, avoid low spots and heavy soils, and receive at least 6 hours of full sun. Mulching helps retain soil moisture and prevents heaving.

How do you keep mums alive?

To maintain the health of your mum plant, it’s essential to repot them every year to prevent crowded roots and loss of vigor. To ensure optimal growth, keep them in full sun for at least six hours daily. Deadhead them regularly to prevent them from stopping blooming and to prevent damage to their roots. Additionally, bring your mums indoors at night to protect them from freezing temperatures during frost or cold weather. By following these tips, you can ensure your mum’s longevity and maintain its beauty throughout the fall season.

Should I remove dead mums?

The text encourages a variety of daily activities, including phone calls, music listening, grilling, and lounging by the pool, with the objective of enhancing the perceived beauty of mothers.

How long will potted mums last?
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How long will potted mums last?

Mums bloom for a specific duration depending on their planting time. They prefer cooler temperatures, which can be challenging if purchased during hot weather, as the flowers will fade quickly. Waiting for cooler temperatures allows for up to 8 weeks of blooms, and if warm days occur, they can be stored in the house or garage until temperatures drop again. The type of chrysanthemum and its intended use also play a role. If you want to use mums as an annual in a potted display or garden bed, opt for florist or cutting mums, enjoy them until the blooms die off, and compost them.

Hardy mums, or garden mums, are perennials if planted correctly and given proper care, making them ideal for brightening your fall garden. They are best planted in spring, allowing them to establish roots in the soil before they become knockout bloomers in the fall.

How to water a mum?

In order to maintain the health of your mother’s plant, it is essential to ensure that the soil is kept consistently moist. This can be achieved by removing all of the plant’s foliage and allowing the soil to become completely saturated. It is crucial to perform this maintenance task on a regular basis, with a frequency of every two to three days.

Do mums clean the air?

Chrysanthemums, also known as ‘Mums’, are a beautiful and colorful plant that can provide air purification and remove chemicals from paints and glues. They thrive in bright, direct sunlight-filled rooms. English Ivy, a houseplant, also helps cleanse the air by reducing airborne fecal matter, which can spread diseases if left untreated. The Snake Plant, also known as the Mother-in-Laws Tongue, emits oxygen during the night and can remove air pollutants, including carbon dioxide, through transpiration. These plants are ideal for the bathroom and can help maintain a healthy environment. Keeping these plants in bright, well-lit areas can help them thrive.

Do mums need to be in the sun?
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Do mums need to be in the sun?

Mums require at least four hours of direct sunlight daily to ensure their growth and bloom. Planting them in full sun for four to six hours a day is the best way to maintain their growth and hardiness. Pots without drainage holes can cause root rot, which can lead to the death of roots. To ensure proper drainage, avoid planting in overly dense or clay-like soil. If the soil feels too hard, mix in potting soil to promote better drainage.

Overwatering mums can lead to mold issues and root rot, while not watering them enough can cause issues. Water under the foliage and on top of the soil to maintain moisture. Ensure that the soil stays moist to prevent the foliage from dropping and the blooms from falling off.

Is chrysanthemum an indoor or outdoor plant?
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Is chrysanthemum an indoor or outdoor plant?

Chrysanthemums thrive in indoor temperatures between 10-18℃ and prefer slightly cooler areas to extend their flowering period. They require moist soil and frequent watering. The night’s darkness is symbolized by the first rays of light, signaling our bodies to join the waking world. Chrysanthemums burst with brightness and come in various shapes and sizes, adding a subtle spark of life to any room.

Their variety of colors, affordability, and easy care instructions make them an ideal choice for anyone. Chrysanthemums have long-lasting blooms, making them suitable for indoor enjoyment and garden planting. While enjoying them indoors, follow these guidelines for their care:

  1. Water regularly.
  2. Avoid direct sunlight, as it can extend the flowering period in cooler areas.
  3. Water Chrysanthemums regularly to maintain their health and longevity.

Can you keep mums indoors?

To keep your mum plants alive for next year, bring them indoors by cutting off the brown foliage and stems, wrapping the pot, and bringing them to an unheated garage or shed between 32 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit. If the plants are in the ground, move them to a pot before freezing or heavily mulch the surrounding area. Add potting soil and organic fertilizers to the pot for a good start in spring.

In warmer areas like New York, overwintering mums can be done outdoors by using heavy mulch, such as straw, leaves, or grass clippings. Remaining frozen during winter is less damaging to the plant than repeatedly freezing and thawing. Mums can even stay in the ground, provided they receive enough mulch. Cut off dead stems and bury them in mulch shortly after the first frost. By following these steps, you can continue using your mums year after year, ensuring they grow bigger and lusher each year.

How long do indoor mums live?
(Image Source: Pixabay.com)

How long do indoor mums live?

It is recommended that the plant be watered once a week, with the water soaking into the soil and creating small holes to prevent the soil from drying out. With appropriate care, these plants can survive for approximately three to four years when cultivated indoors. Conversely, with inadequate care, they may only survive for a period of three to four weeks.


📹 Mum Selection and Care

Learn all about Mums in this video, including selection in stores and how to care for Mums when you get them home.


How Should A Mother Plant Be Maintained?
(Image Source: Pixabay.com)

12 comments

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  • I bought my Mums at the end of July partially open.I left them in the pots. They opened a week later, and died 6 weeks after that. They turned an ugly brown. I deheaded the plants, water them and left them outside. They are blossoming right now ! I cant believe it! They look brand new, and its the almost November.

  • Thank u so much for the information on how to care for Mums.It was my first time buying this plant. The plant came without instructions. Besides I didn’t even know the name. But I loved it so much! So I promised myself to google it. However, u furnished me with just the information I needed. Thanks again!

  • I bought 5 mums last September. Planted them in my garden. After they bloomed out I placed them in a raised bed filled with dirt I got from my sisters old hog wallow. They kept all their foliage through the winter. Even a one week period in January where the temperature remained below freezing for 5 days straight. That was pretty much all the winter we had. My purple mums budded out in early April and are now in full bloom. And have been for a month. The other 3 are healthy and growing rapidly and I have to pinch them regularly. They are getting really big. Just west of Little Rock AR.

  • I bought a mum plant from the Amish last year I set it on my top step through you fall I took it off my step set it on my patio all through the summer of this year it was blooming through the summer I have it on my front step now and their flowers on it, so hopefully it’ll come back next year I don’t know we’ll see but I’m happy to see flowers this year I don’t have to go out and buy a new one. 😁

  • Thanks! I just brought some mums for my deck last week. And tomorrow is the first day of Autumn. One was fully open and the others have small buds and a few started to open. My deck gets full sun! Good to know about the watering everyday. I also play two small mum plants last week.. So I hope they come back next year! We are under a front warning tonight. So I cover them with plastic bags. I don’t know if that will help or not, but I take care of my babies I call them…. So glad I found your website! Thank you for all the advice!!!!🌻😊

  • It sounds like it was either storming or it was about to storm…thanks for helpful hints here. I love mums but don’t know much about flowers…we’re about to have our front yard garden done so this was very helpful. I’m wondering if they do well on the ground, where direct sunlight is present most of the day…we do have two trees that provide for some shading over the front yard garden…but it’s usually pretty hot when the sun is out during warm months. I like the burgundy/maroon color but all mums look great as far as I’m concerned…

  • Good info here thanks. Question: If I buy a Mum, keep it in it’s pot and bring it indoors before it freezes, can it be kept till Spring and be put back out on my porch, will it come back in Fall? I really have no place to plant it, I live in Nova Scotia, so leaving it out over winter will kill it I believe, but I hate to spend $15.00 (the going price here for potted Hardy Mums) just to have a plant for a few weeks at the most.

  • Thanks for the article. And I got couple questions: Does mum spread their roots or they spread seeds? I put mums in my flower bed and I have a small walk path in the middle, this is the second year and I found they growing crazy and a lot of new grown from the walking path. Second question; how and when to shape the mums? I like they looks round but afraid if I cut too much will hurt they bloom the flowers Third: what type of soil or mums like, or what fertilizer I should use? I only grave some cows poop last winter and watered a lot Thanks

  • Planted mum plants late August from a reputable nursery. OUr condo landscapers completely cut them back where I couldn’t see a stem. It’s late June, and I can’t see a green sprout or a trace of my mums. OUt of frustration, I cleared off all the mulch of where I planted them and watered and fertilized in hopes of finding “something”. Any advice?

  • Hi There, Please if you can guide me…I just ordered 350 of mum plugs. (cuttings) I also have the mum pots.( Does the pot size matter? The bigger the pot the bigger the mum? ) What is the trick to growing them as big as yours in the article? Will the 20-10-20 help grow them to the size in your article? Also what type of grass is behind you in the article? Thank you

  • Dont buy from big box stores in August? I do all the time. They sell them at that time in the early bud stage. You just have to pick the right ones. And SAVE money compared to garden centers. Garden Centers are great for knowledge base. But to expensive for my taste. So box stores are great. SAVE SAVE SAVE. But you do not get the selection at BB stores as you do garden centers.

  • Not helpful. Do I dead head during bloom cycle? what is the after- care!!??. Wait until frost then cut them to the ground? Then what to do in spring to give them the best grow cycle for fall rebloom? Did you shear it in the nursery to give it that mounding shape for market and now that it is “naturalized” in my garden it needs to be clipped to recreate the effect each year? Will it come back each year or is it a short lived at best a pseudo ” perennial” ??