Mums (chrysanthemum)
When left in pot, the mum should be watered lightly daily and a small amount of fertilizer (5-10-5) added weekly. If covered or brought in during frost, the mum may still be beautiful at Thanksgiving in the Midwest.
If planted for a permanent flower, the mum should be planted at the same soil level as in the pot. It should be watered 3 times a week and fertilized as if still in the pot. Although considered hardy, care is needed to establish the first winter.
The soil should be loose and if not, then compost should be added. The plant should be put in the soil as soon as possible to allow the roots to establish before winter. One should mulch with straw-(leaves not recommended for mums)-about 6 inches deep. After a couple of hard freezes, the mulch should be added almost covering the entire plant. In the spring, the mulch should be pulled back and the plant cut to about 6 inches.
From this point on, adding grass in the summer time to the mulch will probably take care of fertilizer needs. One can point the discharge chute from the mower to the flower bed to achieve this purpose without added effort.
When the plant has grown 6 inches of bud stems, pinch or cut the stems back about 3 inches. Continue this until about the middle of July and then allow the plant to bloom. It will bloom around the first of Sept. Deadhead the flowers as they wilt by cutting at the base of each flower stem.
Prepare for the following winter with straw mulch. Many times the plant will last for years and new plants can be started by taking cuttings
Pete
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