how to care for potted mums

Those vibrant pots of red, yellow, and burgundy mums are a sure sign that autumn has arrived. While they’re often treated as temporary decorations, with a little know-how, you can keep your potted mums thriving long after you bring them home. Learning how to care for potted mums is the key to extending their brilliant display from a few weeks to a full season of color.

Giving Your Mums the Perfect Spot

Potted mums are sun lovers. To encourage the most blooms and prevent them from becoming leggy, place them in a location that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight each day. Morning sun is ideal, as it dries the dew from the leaves, helping to prevent disease. They also appreciate good air circulation, so avoid cramming them into a crowded corner.

How to Care for Potted Mums with Proper Watering

Watering is often the trickiest part. Mums don’t like to dry out completely, but they also hate having wet feet. The goal is consistently moist soil. A good rule of thumb is to water deeply when the top inch of soil feels dry to the touch. Water at the base of the plant, avoiding the leaves and flowers, until you see it running out of the drainage holes. This encourages strong roots and keeps the foliage healthy.

Keeping the Blooms Coming

To get the most out of your mums, a little feeding goes a long way. Since they are heavy bloomers, they use a lot of energy. Use a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer every one to two weeks while they are in their active flowering period. This will support continuous blooming and keep the plant’s foliage a vibrant green.

A Simple Trick for a Fuller Look

If you want an exceptionally bushy, flower-covered plant, a practice called “pinching” can help. In the early growing season, before buds form, use your fingers or clean shears to pinch off about an inch from the tip of each stem. This encourages the plant to branch out, resulting in more stems and, ultimately, more flowers. For potted mums you’ve just purchased, this step is usually already done for you.

What to Do After the Flowers Fade

Once the blooms have faded, you have a choice. You can compost the plant or try to overwinter it. For a chance at blooms next year, cut the stems back to about two inches above the soil after the first hard frost. Move the pot to a cool, sheltered location like an unheated garage. Water it very sparingly throughout the winter, just enough to keep the soil from turning to dust. In the spring, you can repot it and move it back into the sun.

With these simple steps, your potted mums can be more than just a fleeting autumn decoration. They can be a reliable source of vibrant color that celebrates the season in style.