Chrysanthemums, commonly known as mums, are beloved for their bright and cheerful blooms, particularly in the fall. These flowers bring vibrant colors to gardens and patios, but to ensure they keep returning each year with the same vigor and beauty, proper pruning and care are essential. If you plan to keep your mums around in pots or garden beds for the long haul, understanding the right pruning techniques will help you maintain their health and ensure they produce impressive blooms season after season.
While mums purchased for seasonal decoration usually require minimal maintenance during the current season, if you want your mums to thrive for years to come, follow these guidelines on when and how to prune and pinch them.
Deadheading Mums for Continuous Blooms
One of the most important tasks for maintaining mums throughout the growing season is deadheading. Although the mums you buy for fall color don’t need to be pruned immediately, removing spent flowers is critical. Deadheading helps the plant focus its energy on producing new flowers, rather than spending resources on seed production. By regularly cutting off old and faded blooms, you encourage the plant to continue flowering, ensuring a prolonged period of color and preventing the plant from becoming leggy.
Deadheading also promotes better air circulation, reducing the chances of fungal diseases. Furthermore, removing old flowers helps keep the plant looking neat and tidy throughout the season, enhancing its overall appearance.
When to Prune Mums for the Best Results
Proper pruning will help your mums thrive and remain healthy. The best time to prune them is in spring, just before the new growth begins to emerge. After the cold winter months, mums may have dead foliage that needs to be removed. At this point, you should trim the plant back to a couple of inches above the soil level, cutting away any dead, brittle stems. Be careful not to trim healthy growth – if the stem is flexible and doesn’t snap when bent, it’s still alive and should be left intact.
Pruning in the spring gives your mums a fresh start and allows them to regenerate effectively. It’s important to do this before the plant begins producing new shoots, as cutting back at the wrong time could stunt growth or damage emerging stems. Ensuring that all dead material is removed reduces the chance of pests and diseases settling in, providing the plant with a clean slate to grow from.
The Importance of Pinching Mums
Pinching is another key technique in caring for mums, especially for those who want a compact, bushy plant with an abundance of blooms. Pinching involves using your fingers or scissors to remove the tender tips of the stems early in the growing season. This simple practice prevents the plant from becoming tall and leggy and encourages a fuller, more compact shape. When done correctly, pinching results in more side shoots, which, in turn, means more blooms.
Without pinching, mums can develop weak, floppy stems that tend to lean or fall over as the plant grows. Pinching also helps control the size and shape of the plant, making it easier to fit into garden beds or containers. By encouraging bushier growth, you create a fuller, more attractive plant with a mound-like shape, which is a signature characteristic of well-maintained mums.
Here’s how to pinch mums for optimal results:
- Start when the plant is about 6 inches tall: Gently pinch off the existing buds or growth tips. This encourages the plant to focus on developing new stems rather than flowering prematurely.
- Remove non-budded growth tips: When you pinch back the tips of the stems, you encourage the plant to fork at the pinch point, resulting in two new stems replacing the one that was cut. This creates a fuller plant with more branches and, ultimately, more flowers.
- Repeat every 2-4 weeks: Continue pinching back the growth every few weeks until midsummer. This will allow the mums to develop a well-rounded shape and a dense, compact form that maximizes the number of blooms.
However, it’s important to stop pinching after mid-July. By then, your mums should be preparing to flower, and any further pinching could delay blooming. Allowing the plant to start its blooming cycle on time ensures that your mums will produce a beautiful display of fall flowers.
Shaping Mums in Containers
If you are growing mums in containers, pinching can help you achieve the perfect round shape, making them an ideal choice for adding vibrant color to patios, porches, or balcony gardens. To shape mums in pots, make sure to train the foliage to form a ball that is about twice as wide as the top of the container. This technique not only maximizes the plant’s visual appeal but also promotes even growth throughout the season.
For container mums, make sure they are watered regularly and the container provides good drainage. A well-shaped mum in a pot will enhance the overall design of your outdoor space, providing color and structure to your garden decor.
Additional Care for Healthy Mums
In addition to pruning and pinching, mums also benefit from proper watering, fertilization, and pest management. Mums thrive when provided with well-drained soil and regular watering. Avoid over-watering, as this can lead to root rot and other issues. Fertilize your mums with a balanced fertilizer in early spring to support their growth, but be careful not to over-fertilize, as this can cause the plant to become too leggy.
Mums are relatively low-maintenance, but they do need occasional attention to ensure they stay healthy and vibrant. By following these guidelines on pruning, pinching, and general care, you can enjoy beautiful mums that bloom year after year.
Conclusion
Pruning and pinching are simple yet effective techniques that can help your mums thrive and produce stunning blooms. By following these tips on when and how to prune and pinch your mums, you can ensure they grow strong, vibrant, and full of flowers for years to come. Whether you are growing mums in the ground or in containers, proper care will guarantee they remain one of the most beloved flowers in your garden, delivering vibrant color each fall season.
