JUST PLANTED Black Eyed Susans and MUMS?

Question

PLEASE Help?
How can I keep them from dying? I just planted them in a partly sunny area in the front of my house. We've been watering them once a day but they say they do not need that much maintenence.

How do I take care of them so they will thrive???

We have mostly clay soil. Basically, HOW do we establish this plant so that we don't have to worry about them dying?

Answer 1

I assume you got "hardy" mums and not florist mums....If so, they will be OK... you should amend your soil with compost though, to "fluff" it up a bit and add some nutrients...... and remember with the mums, To keep them nice and bushy and compact, with perfect shape, like when you see them in the nursery all lined up and pretty..... Cut the plant in half anywhere from June 1st to the 15th and then do it again on July 1st thru the 15th ... but no later than the 15th, or you will loose the flowers for that fall. so, thats 2 trimmings a season, 1 in June, and 1 in July....Add compost to your clay soil,Feed them with a manure based plant food and mulch them to keep weeds away.

Answer 2

Mums & Black-Eyed Susans need soil that drains well & is rich in organic matter. When I first planted my hardy mums they died from not getting enough oxygen in the waterlogged clay soil. Their roots suffocated. When I improved the soil with Gypsum, compost & leaf mulch, I didn't lose any plants. I used Gypsum rather than lime to make my soil drain better because it doesn't change the Ph of the soil like lime does.

By the time I planted my Black-Eyed Susan, the soil was ready for it. This spring I got a bumper crop of new seedlings from just one plant that was planted 2 yrs ago. I had to dig some up & transplant because they were overtaking my other plants.

Water enough so they don't dry out (once a week if it doesn't rain). Add some Gypsum & compost into the soil around your plants to help with drainage. Put some composted leaf mulch & pine needles around your plants to maintain moisture & protect them. If you do this now they'll thrive (as long as your mums are hardy for you area) ;)
Good luck! Hope this helps.

Answer 3

I'm assuming that you planted plants and not seeds. So, to begin with if they are in the ground you do not need to water them every day. Every three or four days will be fine unless it is super hot where you are. It is pretty much the same for the mums. There is only one thing. Both the black eyed susans and mums prefer full sun to preform their best.

Clay Soil Amendment:
Either till your soild or turn it with a shovel.
Add:
Peat
Manure
sand
dried grass clippings
leaf litter
After you've added the amendments, then turn or till again. Make sure you add amendments to your garden bed yearly. Just work them in around established plants. Soon your clay soil will be a thing of the past.

Answer 4

Mrs B What you need to learn is the USDA Zone System This is for perennials based on a 5F difference in the worst winter low temperatures I live in Zone 4b where the winter lows 'might' get down to -31F My Peonies, Hollyhocks, crocus, rhubarb and chives can survive these temperatures THen once you have that concept then you can go to Wal_MArt or Home Depot for cheap plants

Answer 5

if you have the flowers,,,,, they may die out this year(JUST THE FLOWERS) not the roots.. they have been shocked... they will come back next year. only water about 1 time a week. after the plant has been established. any kind of aster flower, such as daisies donot need a alot of water, and they like poor soil.

Answer 6

Might just be going thru a transition period. I would water every other day till roots take hold. Both plants are very hardy, so just give them their adjustment time.