How to Keep Your Potted Mums Alive this Year

How to Keep Your Potted Mums Alive this Year

Did you know there are more than 160 species of mums? Some varieties bloom in spring and summer, but one type stands out for its bright autumn colors: florist's chrysanthemums!  Their quaint Dutch name "bloemkuiltjes also know them, " These beautiful flowers work especially well in pots on your porch or windowsill where they can be admired!

So, how do we keep our beloved potted mums alive this year? Here are 5 tips from Turf Titan.

1. Choose the Right Mum Plant

Success starts with choosing the best plant you can. Although just about every grocery store and big box store will offer mums, buy with caution during the fall. These plants can be overwatered, which stresses them so they won't perform as well for you. Look for dark green, full, symmetrical plants with no signs of wilting or yellowing foliage: the fewer buds that are showing color, the better. You want enough to check the color you're buying.  For best results, ask when a store is getting a new shipment in and go first thing that day to get the cream of the crop.

2. Repot Right Away

Always repot your mum plant immediately when you get it home. They are usually root-bound, meaning that the roots are taking up the majority of the pot. Replant the mums in a container larger than the one it came in, so the roots have room to spread out and breathe. Gently loosen tangled roots before repotting to encourage them to grow outward again.

3. Choose the Right Location

Mums need at least six hours of sunlight a day, so skip shady locations and make sure to place mums in spots that get plenty of sun! Remember that as the days become shorter, the position of the sun changes. A spot that was sunny in the summer may no longer be sunny. Just be mindful of the changing sun position during the fall. If you get your fall mums early in the season, you may need to move them to a new location as fall progresses.

4. Water Mindfully

Mums do best in well-drained soil so use potting mix in your container. Water your newly potted mums thoroughly, and never let them wilt. After they are established, water your mums whenever the soil feels dry. If you notice that the bottom leaves look limp or start to turn brown, water more often. Avoid soaking the foliage, which encourages leaf diseases.

5. Add Microbes to your Soil

Give your plant the help it needs with all-natural probiotics. Adding nutrients into your soil will ensure the plant's best chance of survival! Consider Root Booster from Turf Titan. Root Booster is a team of beneficial microorganisms specifically designed to make more nutrition available to the plant's root system. Why is this important? Making more nutrition available will enable faster growth and create stronger plants.