How To Overwinter Potted Florist Mums?

Can potted mums be kept over winter?

You can leave your garden mums in the ground during winter, especially with a layer of mulch in the cooler zones. However, because potted plants are more susceptible to cold damage, bring your mums indoors for winter safekeeping. Move the plant indoors to a dark area that is between 32 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

How do you keep potted mums alive in the winter?

Choose a mostly dark cool area, such as an unheated garage shed or basement, which has temperatures between 32 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit. If temperatures could fall below freezing, wrap the pots with several layers of newspaper to protect the roots. Water your mums so that the soil is slightly moist.

Will potted mums come back next year?

They will grow back and your plant won’t look dead in the middle.” Many people buy mums in the fall thinking the plants are annuals. These people toss the mums in the trash once the blooms have faded. But if you buy hardy mums, you can get them to bloom year after year.

What to do with potted mums after blooming?

After they finish flowering, garden mums should be cut back far enough to remove all of the faded flowers (about one-quarter their height). If the winter stays very mild, some mums will produce a few more flowers. In late January or early February, garden mums should be cut back to about three inches from the ground.

How do I save my potted mums for next year?

Cut mums back to within a few inches of the soil line before bringing indoors. Before bringing indoors, cut the mum back a few inches above the potted soil line. Next, for best success, store in a cool corner of the basement or a semi-heated garage. The goal is to allow them to go dormant without freezing.

Can you keep mums in pots?

Mums do best in well-drained soil so use a potting mix (Vigoro All Purpose Potting Mix, $7, The Home Depot) in your container. If you are growing mums in pots for a single season, you can mix them in with other plants in a large container.

Will mums grow back every year?

Because people often think that mums (formally called Chrysanthemums ) are at best a finicky perennial, many gardeners treat them as annuals, but this doesn’t have to be the case. With just a little winter care for mums, these fall beauties can come back year after year.

How long do potted mums last inside?

Caring for mums indoors is easy and with only a few tips you can keep a mum plant healthy for three to four weeks. They are a big bang for your buck as they are less expensive than most bouquets of flowers.

Why are my potted mums dying?

The flowers may wilt and die quite suddenly. These diseases live in the soil and attack the roots, so they are hard to avoid. Finally, poor environmental conditions such as overly wet or dry soil weaken the mums, which can lead to the plants becoming more susceptible to fungi, diseases and insects.

Do mums like sun or shade?

How Much Sunlight Do Mums Require? Chrysanthemums are sun -loving plants. Although they technically require only 6 hours of sunlight each day, the more light they receive, the better their growth, bloom and hardiness. Slight shade in hot, summer afternoons is appropriate in warmer gardening zones to prevent scorching.

What do you do with dead mums for Christmas?

The idea is easy peasy. Simply spray paint the dead mums and then decorate them with Christmas tree decorations. Voila! Since the plant is already dead, it’s sure to last the whole holiday season long.

Do potted mums bloom more than once?

It’s possible for chrysanthemums to bloom twice a season. But it’s uncommon, because it usually takes some serious human intervention to force blooms twice.

When should I trim my mums?

It’s always best to cut mums back every spring shortly after they first begin to grow. Timing is everything. If you don’t cut mums back in early spring, then they are more likely to produce a premature and disappointing period of poor bloom in summer and a lackluster season of poor bloom in fall.

When should I buy fall mums?

Mid-September is the earliest time you should consider buying mums. However, each year the longer and hotter summers are pushing that date later and later into September, even into the month of October. As a rule, we at Southern Living recommend ” buying plants as they start to break bud. You’ll maximize bloom time.