Looking for a few secrets and tips to keep your mums blooming longer than ever this year?
With their thick, dark green foliage and massive canopy of flowers, mums are nothing short of spectacular. Especially when they are in full bloom. But one thing is for sure, it can certainly be frustrating when those blooms have trouble lasting long enough to justify their cost.
Let’s face it – mums can be extremely expensive. Unfortunately, they continue to get more so with each and every passing year. And they can cost even more when you have to replace them during the same season!
But here’s the good news, armed with just a few simple tips, it’s actually very easy to get mums to last longer than ever. Here is look at 3 simple secrets that will help keep your mums around longer than you ever imagined – along with a little advice on how to save them over the winter to grow again next year!
3 Secrets To Keep Your Mums Blooming Longer Than Ever!
#3 Watering Mums For Success – How To Keep Mums Blooming
If there is one chore that can make a huge difference in how long your mums last – it’s watering. And that not only means keeping your plants well watered, but also making sure you are watering them with a method that helps to extend bloom life, not shorten it.
Let’s first take a look at how often you should be watering your mums, which is a big culprit for mums dropping blooms early. The lower humidity in fall can quickly dry the soil in potted plants. Especially a plant that is using additional moisture to produce blooms.
Mums require a consistent supply of water to keep their bloom cycle as long as possible. Unlike many other plants, you do not want the plant to completely dry out between waterings. Unfortunately, if they are allowed to dry out for extended periods by infrequent and inconsistent watering, it will greatly reduce their overall bloom cycle.
Check the soil daily with the tip of your fingertips. If the soil is dry an inch or so down, it’s time to water. Most potted mums will require water at least once a day, even more if it is exceptionally hot.
How You Water Makes A Difference! 3 Secrets To Keep Your Mums Blooming Longer Than Ever
Here is another huge tip about watering – how you water your plants can also make a huge difference in how long their blooms last!
For starters, never water your mums from the top down or by spraying the blooms with a shower of water. When the blooms of a mum become saturated with water, it weakens and fades them quickly. Just as water will bleed natural colors, rain will do the same to the color in the bloom. It also can weaken the flower. In fact, hard rain or watering can cut a bloom’s life span in half!
Instead, water around the edges of pots and containers or place your hose or water can nozzle below the blooms. The important part is to keep the blooms from becoming saturated. This is exactly why keeping them protected from hard rains can also help extend the overall bloom life.
#2 Locating Your Mums For Success – 3 Secrets To Keep Your Mums Blooming Longer Than Ever!
Did you know that where you place your mums will have a huge impact on their blooming life span? Mums can certainly handle full sun, but all of that heat and light greatly reduce their overall bloom cycle time.
Although mums need sun to develop their buds, once they have them, they will still flower out strongly in indirect or partial sunlight. Choosing partial shade over full sun locations can make a big difference in how long your blooms stay strong. In fact, it can extend their healthy look by as much as a full two weeks or more!
That is why porches, patios and even underneath the canopy of bushes and trees are all excellent choices. Not only do they keep the sun’s rays at bay, they also protect mums from hard rains as well.
#3 Buying Mums For Longer Blooms – 3 Secrets To Keep Your Mums Blooming Longer Than Ever
The 3rd and final secret is making sure you buy your mums for long lasting blooms right from the start Unfortunately, mums that are already showing their blooms are not the best choice to bring home. In fact, if they are in full flowering mode, they most likely have less two weeks or less of prime color left.
Mums that are already covered in blooms might be the ideal choice for an instant display of color at a wedding or special fall event, but if you are looking for plants that can last all through the autumn season, avoid any that are already flowering.
Even partial blooming mums in stores should be avoided if at all possible. Instead, look for plants that are full of buds but have not yet flowered. And the tighter the bud – the better!
Mums at this stage will not only last longer, they can be managed better to extend their bloom period to their maximum ability. And one last final note when purchasing mums, always try to purchase hardy mums.
Hardy mums can be saved and planted to grow again the following year, making your purchase even more economical! For more on that, be sure to check out our article How To Save Mums! Simple Secrets To Overwinter Your Hardy Mums
Here is to getting the most out of your mums this year and to keeping them blooming longer than ever! Happy Gardening, Jim & Mary.
Old World Garden Farms
Jim and Mary Competti have been writing gardening, DIY and recipe articles and books for over 15 years from their 46 acre Ohio farm. The two are frequent speakers on all things gardening and love to travel in their spare time.
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