Why are my mums preparing to bloom? Should I cut them back?
ericinin
13 years ago
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
13 years agoRelated Discussions
Mum, can I prune them back?
Comments (6)If you're growing under HPS or halide lights, you could divide now w/o much in the way of potential difficulties. If you're not, you still CAN prune and divide if you wish, but it doesn't make good sense, looking at it from the perspective of what's best for the plant. The question raised is: why cut off the plant's food-making machinery AND disturb the energy storing roots as the plant is just about to enter the most trying portion of its growth cycle? Odds are, you'd just be setting yourself up for more difficulties than if you simply put them in a cool dark place (where they'll become quiescent for the winter) which will conserve energy in the roots until spring. You'd then undoubtedly end up with much more robust plants in the spring than if you tried to nurse the splits through the winter. Al...See MoreWhy is my Mum blooming now?
Comments (7)Thanks Bonnie for the kind words. I've had quite a few life changes and I hate to admit it but I've become somewhat addicted (a lot addicted) to using my computer time on World of Warcraft. But I still have the same garden - and boy is it full. Out of necessity, I have come to consider myself a layering and pruning expert, but even I am having trouble adding new stuff, so I don't tend to drag out the camera very often. This spring I had a tree company come out and thin, trim, shorten, topiary or espalier just about every tree and bush in the place. I think I shocked their staff, but I knew what I wanted and surprisingly the garden looks even more lush this year than usual. I only bought a couple of new perennials this season and spent about half my usual budget on annuals. I've got a bulb order coming this fall - with absolutely no idea how or where to squeeze them in - ah hah - that's gardening as usual around here now !!!...See MoreShould I cut down my iris after it blooms and flowers die?
Comments (1)Cutting back the foliage on beardeds is done strictly for cosmetic purposes. It is not beneficial to the plant. Some people snap the bloom stalk off at its base after bloom finishes. I remove spent blooms and let the stalk turn yellow before removing. The FAQ at the top of the page has info regarding foliage under transplanting....See MoreWhat should I do with roses to prepare them for winter?
Comments (5)Hi Marlene, Im not much of a rose grower either, but IÂve had surprisingly good luck with the five that were in at this house when I bought it. Mine are all teas, and IÂve already cut mine down for this yearÂto about knee height. In spring IÂll trim out any dead wood and give the canes a fresh cut. The year we got all the snowstorms, I hadnÂt gotten mine cut down, and I had serious damage to my favorite one, a yellow, when the snow piled up on top of it and broke a couple of the main canes. Now I try to be sure I get them done before weÂre likely to get any heavy snows. But if yours are climbers, and they bloom on old wood only, you wonÂt get any flowers next year if you cut them down before they bloom, so when you cut them down would really depend on if they bloom on old or new woodÂand if youÂre willing to cut them down short and let them start over again. With the mildew, I can give you all the canned answers from when I was in the green industry, but the ONLY thing IÂve found to help prevent mildewÂand rustÂand black spotÂetc., is to keep them really well watered. Every year IÂve been better and better about making sure they stay well watered, and this is the first year I havenÂt had a problem with any of the funguses. And when I first moved in (the people who were here before me thought they were taking care of the few plants that were here, but they didnÂt know ANYTHING about plants) two of the roses were badly infected with rust and mildew. I never used any type of treatment, other than picking off badly infected leaves (to the point of defoliating those two a couple times) and throwing them in the trash. I donÂt know what the oils doÂIÂve never used them and have never heard of them being recommended for fungus, especially in summer, but the fungicides you can buy, along with things like baking soda (milk is supposed to help too) donÂt actually "kill" the fungus. I donÂt think thereÂs anything that does that. They just help slow it down somewhatÂsometimesÂor help keep if from starting if theyÂre not infected yet. And, since I rarely get rain, the leaves on mine tend to stay pretty dry, but I donÂt make any special attempts to keep them dry. As a matter of fact, I water my grass after dark and IÂm sure the mist gets blown onto the roses and they probably stay wet much of the night when IÂve watered. I donÂt believe, anymore, that that makes any difference! They seem to get better and better, the more, and more thoroughly I keep them watered. IÂve also noticed, when IÂm in Illinois visiting family, or any of the other very humid places I get to, that I rarely notice mildew on roses, or anything elseÂyet, here in Colorado it seems to run rampant. Since high humidity and wet foliage is supposed to promote mildew, that seems just a teensy bit backwardsÂand I think that theory is bunk! Just my personal opinion! I have come to the conclusionÂrightly or wronglyÂthat stress (the plant--not you!) is the primary cause of fungus! If you decide to wait till spring to cut them down, I do recommend putting on a pair of leather gloves and cleaning off as much of the foliage as you can, and picking up whatever is around the base of the plants. Getting as much of the mildew as you can out of the area is always a good idea. With the mums, I cut mine down in fall or over winter when the weatherÂs nice. I got one of mine cut down a little over a week ago, and the new growth at the bottom will pretty much just sit there smiling at me till spring. Actually, my plants are getting old, and next spring IÂm gonna dig them up and replant new sections of the plants. If they knew that, they might not be smiling!!! The rest of them IÂll be cutting down as soon as I find timeÂso I can see that "new foliage smile!". And I cut the individual stems all the way downÂless than an inchÂto the new growth at the bottom. But I donÂt really think it makes a whole lot of difference if you leave the old growth on over winter, or cut it off! I just like everything to look "neat" over winter, and, also, if I wait till spring and donÂt get around to it until after theyÂve started to grow, itÂs harder to cut them down without damaging the new growth. With the Diascia, IÂm not sure what to recommend! I was at PaulinoÂs the year that one was introduced thru Plant Select, and at that time we were never able to decide for sure if it was reliably hardy. If IÂm not absolutely sure something is gonna come back, I usually donÂt cut it all the way down till I can be pretty sure of the weather in spring. So you may want to leave it just as it is, or cut it halfway down, but leave at least some of the stems/foliage on over winter. IÂve never grown it myself? I like winter interest too, David, but I guess my "interests" just fall along different lines! ;-) Skybird...See Morediggerdee zone 6 CT
13 years agoericinin
13 years agojuliebw
13 years agocalliope
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13 years agohortster
13 years ago
prairiemoon2 z6b MA
13 years agoken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
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13 years agocalliope
13 years ago
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