I just bought some mums from the store and plannted them in a plannter at home, thinking they were annuals. my mother in law told me that mums are perennials.
i read on the internet that next year if i "pinch off the stems" this will help the plant to grow fuller with more blooms. what part of the plant am i pinching off??
2007-08-06 01:28:36 · 10 answers · asked by tootisepie 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Garden & Landscape
The hardiness of the plant depends on which USDA hardiness zone you're in.
Part of the confusion is in how they are retailed. Most garden mums are sold in the late summer/ fall. They are perennials, but in my hardiness zone (5) there isn't enough time for the plants to reliably root in, before winter. So to keep customers from becoming disappointed, we sold them simply as 'Garden Mums', not as 'Hardy Mums' or 'Perennial Mums'. Many of my customers threw them out at the end of the season or used them as patio/ porch decor.
If you do grow your mums as perennials, you'll be pinching back the first set of flower buds. Mums want to bloom in June/ July, but we like them in the fall. By pinching them, you delay their bloom, and also make the plant more compact, with more flowers. Ofcourse if you're growing them like an annual, no pinching is needed. You should remove faded flowers, to help prolong the bloom time.
I hope that this helps
2007-08-06 02:29:53 · answer #1 · answered by Kevin C 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
some mums are hardy to overwinter... others are hothouse mums that are not perennials....
as for 'pinching off'.... I pinch off the top growing part of the leaves (right where new leaf growth is coming at the top most growing part of the plant) but only do so up until the middle of July because then it still has time to make the blossoms. I keep them 'pinched' to about 4" high until the mid-July time.. they will be healthy thick plants with lots of blooms!
do you still have the tags that came with the mums you bought? you can check to see if they are hardy in your area, meaning they will overwinter and grow again next year.
2007-08-06 02:06:37 · answer #2 · answered by livinintheword † 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The hardy mums are perennials. The less hardy mums are used as annuals in colder areas starting at zone 5.
Pinch off the first flower buds to allow the plant to fill out & trim upward growing branches to give the plant a fuller more rounded look.
You can later "deadhead" the spent flowers to encourage more flowers & plant growth.
Good luck! Hope this helps.
2007-08-06 01:34:53 · answer #3 · answered by ANGEL 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Your not the only one confused, so are the mums. I was once told by an old gardener that mums are an annual with nine lives and a perennial with none. I have found that pinching them back also has something to do with winter hardiness although I've never read anything to support my own observations. I find that if I let them get tall and leggy they are more likely to winter kill. RScott
2007-08-06 02:18:55 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
most mums are perennials!
what they mean by pinching is if you pinch some of the new growth it will do like a tree and two branches will sprout from there!
instead of the one!@
so look for the weaker part of the plant the more bending part and pinch that! but i'll be honest i never had to pinch mine they go crazy!
2007-08-06 02:37:52 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
HI,
Some mums are perennials(hardy mums) and some are "hot house" or "Florists mums".... They will not survive The winter if placed out doors.....Ask your local nurseryman which you are purchasing.or have purchased.
To keep your mums compact and beautiful like when they were purchased you have to cut them in half 2 times a year, June 1st and July 1st... If you fail to do it on the 1st, no big deal, can be done up to the 15th... but not past the 15th of July or you will loose out on the current years blooms.
This will keep them nice and compact with a rounded or mound type shape, just like the ones all lined up at the nursery. and they will get bigger and bushier each year.....good luck and happy gardening.
2007-08-06 02:30:30 · answer #6 · answered by T-pot 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They are perennials. At the end of this season, just cut them off at the soil and next spring start watering them and they will sprout.
2007-08-06 01:36:39 · answer #7 · answered by Sane 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Perennials...
Pinch off the flower heads after they start to lose color.
2007-08-06 01:38:35 · answer #8 · answered by Alex 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mums are perennials
2007-08-06 01:33:14 · answer #9 · answered by cin_ann_43 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They are perennials...
2007-08-06 01:36:46 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋