How to Grow Chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemums grow best when planted in full sun. Chrysanthemums small, shallow roots can’t compete with larger roots, so don’t plant them too close to trees or shrubs. Make sure the planting site has good water drainage.

Prepare the soil.: Chrysanthemums will cultivate in presently about any soil. Before you plant, dig in profusion of organic material such as composted manure or garden compost around the area where you will plant your chrysanthemums.

Chrysanthemums need a lot of nitrogen. You can provide the needed nitrogen and other nutrients by via a reasonable fertilizer (10-10-10) sprinkled over the roots of the plant or by using a generous amount of organic fertilizer (garden fertilizer or compost). Carefully follow compost make guidelines in order to prevent over-feeding the plant and cause nourishment run-off.

Choose your plants carefully.: Plants that go in the soil healthy require less care in the long run. When you are looking at plants to buy, make sure you get plants without diseases or insects. How will you know if there are diseases or insects? Look at the dark green leaves for signs of disease (spotted or wilted leaves) and signs of insect damage (holes, strangely shaped leaves, or winding trails inside the leaves). Also look at the flowers, if many of them are lopsided then there are either insects on the plant now or there were insects at one time.

Plant your mums.: Remove the plant from the pot and check if the roots are wound around the inside of the pot. If they are wound around then the plant is cause spring and you should make a few cuts to break up the root ball or rough up the root ball by your hand to tease out some of the roots.

Space your mums 18 to 24 inches apart.

Plant the mums in the ground at the same depth as they were grown in the pot. Do not put soil on top of the existing root ball.

Care for your plants as they grow.: Mulch the mums with about 2 inches of natural mulch, but not pasture tops. Mulch the source area of the plant but attempt to keep the mulch from stirring the plant stem. Why must you mulch? Because mulching cuts down on the amount of watering you need to do, controls weeds, and makes the garden look nice.

Water the plants for the first few weeks following planting. Water the plants slowly and deeply to avoid a shallow watering which will not do the plant as much good. Watch how dry the soil is because mum roots are shallow and the plants may dry up quickly.

Look for insects and diseases; usually treat diseases and insects by removing infected leaves and destroying them. Healthy plants are less likely to get very bad disease or insect problems.

If you want to keep your mums over the winter for next year then prepare the plants for the long cold period ahead by:

Making sure there is good drainage of water away from the roots. If the roots stay wet then they will probably freeze and die before spring. If you chose your planting site well to begin with, you are already on your way to successfully over wintering your mums.

Cutting the plant back to 2-3 inches high once the ground has become frozen.

Putting a layer of mulch (such as evergreen boughs, shredded leaves, or straw) over the tops of the plants.