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How to Grow and Care for Fall Garden Mums As our summer draws to a close and cooler temperatures begin to prevail, we know the growing season is nearing its end. But is it really the end... or time for a new beginning? We've all heard the saying "Fall is for Planting". Planting: Fall mums prefer to be planted in an area that receives full sun, but most cultivars can get by with a half-day of direct sunshine. For ultimate growth, plant your new fall mums in fertile well drained soil. Poorly drained soil is the leading cause of winter mortality. Young plants... that is those in small containers should be planted 18" to 24" apart. Mature plants can be planted at any desired spacing providing they are planted no closer than just touching its neighbor. Fall mums in above ground containers need to be planted in a flower bed before the first hard frost! (but earlier is better) Watering: Fall mums should never be allowed to wilt... especially newly transplanted plants. Be sure to thoroughly water-in your new transplants. Fertilizing: Newly planted fall mums will not require any fertilizer this season. During the next growing season begin feeding your fall mums as new growth emerges, with the plant food of your choice. Over-wintering... getting them to come back again: Most fall mums are winter hardy in Ontario. One of the most important tips in over wintering fall mums is to keep the soil moist as winter approaches. If you're the tidy type... after several hard frosts have blackened the plants, cut them back to near soil level. If not, just leave the plants until the next growing season and cut them back then. Mulching your fall mums to a depth of 3" - 4" after the soil has frozen will help to ensure their return the following spring. The purpose of mulching your fall mums is to keep the soil frozen. Re-growing... the following spring: Once your fall mums start re-growing... remove the old stems if you haven't done so previously. To encourage branching and compact bushy growth, pinch your fall mums in early spring. Once your plants have reached 4" - 6" remove about 1" to 2" of new growth on every shoot (we take the scissors and give them a "haircut"). After the plants have grown 3" - 5" shoots from the first pinching... its time to pinch again. Stop pinching your plants around mid July. This may seem like a drastic measure... but come fall you'll be rewarded with compact bushy plants that are robust with flowers like you find at the ranch! That's it. As you can see fall mums are very easy to grow. They'll provide you with constant color until the first hard freeze. |