Help with my new mums (deadheading)
9 years ago
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Comments (12)
9 years agoRelated Discussions
Mums about Mums: Propagation and All that
Comments (4)Cut off the dead blooms. This is called dead heading. The stem they were on is going to die anyway. This is true of all perrenials (as opposed to shrubs). They die back and send up new growth. Ripening blooms drain energy from the plant by producing seed which won't be true to the parent, when it's a hybrid. Side shoots may produce additional bloom. So the existing blooming stems on your mum have done their job by producing progeny via flowers. And it's ready for a rest. Put it into the garden now. The roots need to get into new soil to continue the mum's growth/rest cycle. If you don't have a garden, buy a 12-inch deep pot for it with new soil (ie. potting mix). The time to fertilize is spring, when new growth starts. In new soil it may not need any fertilizer. Potting mix comes with built in fertilizer. In spring the new shoots indicate it's alive and well. To prevent the plant from getting too tall, when new growth is 6-8 inches high cut off half of it. This is top pruning. The plant will be bushier as it forces side growth. Again in June you may pinch off the growing tips to force side growth. Exhibitors don't do this as they want the one perfect large bloom and does not matter if the stem is 4 feet tall. They pinch off side growth so the plant's energy goes into the one bloom. As to whether the root mass is bigger on top pruned versus non top pruned, I don't know. If the cuttings have turned completly brown they are goners. Cuttings need to have shade and humidity. The growth hormone is called 'auxin' if you want to research. I strip the mum cutting only of its lower leaves and push into firm shady soil about an inch, water thoroughly and put a jar over it to create its own little greenhouse. The soil must be in firm contact. Then leave it alone for weeks. Roots form at buried leaf nodes. Most hobbyists root cuttings from spring growth because the growing tip is full of auxins, hence greater success. If after 2 weeks your cuttings are all brown, tug gently. They will come out of the soil easily if dead. They will look like dead twigs! If your parent plant is still looking green (now), you may be able to detach a stem with some root on it. One more thing. Professionals use a chemical spray to keep mums short and uniform. How this affects rooting a cutting I am not sure. About 8 years ago I could not get a cutting to root and the 4-inch (pot) mum would not establish in the garden either. Just died! I read there was a chemical being used to prevent propagation of stems. Maybe someone knows if this was rumor or fact....See MoreBuddleia - To deadhead or not to deadhead?
Comments (27)Well, I've learned in reading this thread that heavy pruning is essential in late Winter or before Spring growth. But I've seen two messages: the buddleia dies back to nothing in Winter, or, I keep it like a tree. I'm closer to the later. I want the buddleia to be about 6 to 9 feet. This is my buddleia's first season and it grew to a large 4 feet fettered some by my constant deadheading and some shaping on the way. So for a 6 to 9 foot bush/tree it sounds like for my first Winter I should NOT trim it back to 12"? Maybe just a very heavy pruning that leaves some heavy center wood tall and ready to increase size this coming year???? Does that sound like a good approach? (this is purple knight I think, looks like the above picture in this thread)...See MoreNew gardener, wanting advice about deadheading/ pruning
Comments (5)"That dark mulch you have is helping to cook the roots. It looks black. Is it?" Yes it is. I thought it was good to add mulch so that the soil doesn't dry up? And also to help insulate in the winter? I went ahead and deadheaded just below the flower, and also removed leaves that had a lot of brown on them. I'm not sure of my zone, but I'm in the Huntington area, bordering Ohio and Kentucky. Thank you all for your feedback!...See MoreExtreme Deadheading, a new approach...
Comments (13)I have two electric hedge trimmers and they work great in the fall/spring for cutting back certain perennials/grasses and trimming boxwood, etc. that outgrows its area. I'm amazed at how thick of a woody branch they'll go thru! Yes, the evergreens might look like crap a while but they look glorious after they fill in. I've known people that cut back their gardens (perennials) in the fall and leave it lay in the bed to rot --called 'chop and drop'!...See More- 9 years ago
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