I need help planting mums in pots?

Question

About 10 days ago, my wife and I went to Lowes and bought some Mum's. We took them home, put soil in a pot, dropped in the flowers and then added some more soil around the plant (the pot we used is kind of bottle necked and it was tough to add extra dirt/soil). It appeard that we were a little low on soil, so I used regular dirt from an empty lot to top off the pots. We put them on our covered porch and watered them and everything was great.

The next day we noticed that some of the flowers were wilting and now, about 10 days later, 1 of the two plants is completely wilted and the other is about 60% wilted.

How do I know if I added enough water or too little? My first impression was that I added to much, as the water spilled out of the hole in the bottom of th plant, but maybe it wasn't enough.

This is really our 1st time planting anything. How often and how much water should be used.
Are these things lost causes or is there still hope.

Any help/tips would be great!

I live in the Houston, TX area. As of right now, the temp is between say the high 50's and the high 70s / low 80's.

Answer 1

If water came out of the bottom it was enough. Did they get frosted from being outside?

Answer 2

I have several concerns. First, I wonder why you potted them. Most mums are sold in the appropriate sized pot.
Second is the soil you added "from an empty lot." I wonder was this dirt, loam, sand, perhaps contaminated with something....
When plants wilt it is usually from either underwatering or overwatering. Sometimes when water runs out the bottom of the pot immediatey, it's because the soil is too dry to accept water. Here's how to be a savvy waterer:
Place the pot in a bowl or saucer. Water till water comes out the bottom. Wait about 15 minutes; if the water has all been sucked up, add more and wait 30 minutes. When the plant appears to be taking in no more water, discard the rest and replace the plant. Now you know that your plant has been thoroughly watered. You can generally wait a week before watering again. This time you need not be so excessive, but do water JUST until water comes out the bottom hole. Some houseplants can tolerate drier conditions; some need to be kept more uniformly moist. Follow the directions on the plant tag.

My final concern is that you bought your plants from a mass marketer. Often these plants are grown under restrictive specs from the retail chain and are not well cared for on site. If you have one in your area, I highly recommend doing business with a local greenhouse or nursery that produces a quality product and will stand behind it.

Answer 3

Mums are probably the easiest plants to care for. You say the top of the pot was bottle necked? Mums need ROOM. Also remember that Mums do not flower all year round. I have a variety in my front flower garden some I bought solely for planting there and other were gifts that were potted first. In the summer I water them at the root every other day, by July they are trying to bloom and I pinch off the buds at least once a week by Fall they are quite large and bloom beautifully. I'm not sure what is wrong with yours. I wouldn't think that overwatering would affect them that much but they may be too crowded. Every Spring I have to divide most of my Mums up. Good Luck. By the way I am in the Midwest.
But remember Mums do need a doormat period so yours may just be going into that.