Fall Mums

As Fall approaches we look forward to outdoor decorating with mums, fodder shocks, and pumpkins. Who hasn’t wondered why they can’t seem to salvage those beautiful pots of mums after they pass their prime bloom time? If you have had trouble raising mums experiment with the following tips.

Fall Chrysanthemums can be displayed in pots and will hold their blooms for two to three weeks or more. They will not bloom much more than this initial flush of blooms for the season at hand. However they can be planted and enjoyed for a few years to come. Be sure buy plants that are designated ‘hardy’. Water every other day when they are in containers. If you buy plants with buds they will open in a few days.

Keep in mind that the mums bought locally in Kentucky are bred for container life and not all are hardy. They have more foliage than root, which does not support fall planting. To make them grow in the ground it is necessary to realize two mum preferences. First, mums like to be planted in the Spring. You can try fall planting, I have had reasonable success. Or the mums can be over-wintered in the basement or garage and planted in the spring. In spring they have a better chance of survival. To over-winter, trim back the spent foliage in late October or early November and place in the garage with exposure to daily light. Water enough to keep the roots moist, once a week should be plenty. Plant in April, fertilize monthly and pinch back when the shoots get about six inches long. Continue pinching or trimming back until late July. Two major trims are adequate.
Second, regardless of when you plant them, mums do not like wet roots in the winter. That is a problem in Kentucky, much more so than any cold temperatures. We have very wet winters and locally we have a lot of heavy, clay soils that don’t drain well. This is particularly true close to houses and front porches, where mums are often planted. The disturbed soil from the digging of home foundations and basements contributes to root rot.

To compensate for this drainage problem, try planting mums in raised beds of very well drained soil. Mums will even grow in raised beds of fine mulch alone. What won’t work as well is filling a hole with good top soil and planting your mum in the amended hole. You just created a bowl that doesn’t drain well. Instead, dig a shallow hole, about half the depth of the root ball. Keep half the plant a few inches above the original soil level. Mound a small bed of loose soil around the plant, if not using a raised bed. This gives the plant raised, loose soil to spread its roots. Do not take the mulch above the crown (where the plant meets the roots) if drainage is going to be a problem. It is not necessary to mulch the mum heavily to keep them warm or moist. Your goal is good drainage. If you have had trouble with mums it is probably because they were smothered with mulch and clay in an effort to keep them warm. Forget that! Keep them drained.

Armed with this knowledge, you can safely decorate with potted mums and still have a strategy for growing them the following year. So decorate your lamppost or mailbox with fodder shock. Tuck in some pumpkins and gourds –and fall mums!