water logged Mums- any chance they will live

16 years ago

Last year, a girlfriend of mine gave me a flat of mums her job was going to toss. I have never grown them before.

They struggled before winter took hold and seemed to hang in. This spring, the growth was healthy and then we got the freeze....they rebounded. Then they started to give me blooms and we got 20+ days of rain. They happen to be at a location where rain water stands if we get too much(usually this is not an issue!!!!) like all the waterlogged plants in the yard....they are fading away fast...their leaves wilted like they were dying off for winter. Now that we have some sun...they look even more "dead". My question is, can I give them a severe pruning and manage to salvage the plants....or are they just goners?

Is it normal for mums to bloom in spring? do they last all summer into fall? Do you dead head mum blooms too?

Thanks for any advice- callie

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Comments (6)

Okiedawn OK Zone 7
16 years ago
Mums aren't crazy about being waterlogged, so they could be dying. Sometimes, though, waterlogged plants will appear to be dead, but they will rebound and resprout after the soil dries out sufficiently.

I would prune off all the damaged foliage and see if they resprout. Whether they do or not will depend on how much damage was done to their roots. Some mums do bloom in the spring and then re-bloom in the fall. Once they have bloomed in the spring, cut them back hard so they will make lots of new growth. Then pinch then back periodically until about mid-July to encourage them to branch out. Otherwise they tend to get tall and lanky and fall over. I always deadhead mum blooms the same as any other flowering perennial or annual,

Dawn
impatience_7
16 years ago
I was told by a nursery person to cut back mums by 1\3 on May 1, June 1 and July 1. They will bush nicely and will bloom in the fall right on time. I have done that for several years and the mums have just flourished.

(I need to add that I haven't been able to get out to do the 2nd and 3rd cuttings this year so they are sorta blooming already).
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I don't think it was the screen that made the difference. It was probably the volume of peat in relation to bark, and I'm wondering how micro the micro bark is?? It's not unusual for soils bade from fine materials to support 6" or more of perched water that won't drain on its own. To see if it was actually the screen, use a tall container (12" or more) filled with the soil and with a drain hole covered by screen. Completely saturate the soil and see if it drains. I bet it will. I think the water the OP is talking about is simply perched water. There is a threshold level of large particles that must be maintained; otherwise, the ht of the PWT and aeration of the soil above the PWT will be the same as that of only the fine ingredients. The threshold level changes when there is not enough fine material in the soil to fill all the air spaces between the chunkier material. From that point, the less fine material you have, the better will be the aeration and the lower will be the ht and volume of perched water. Once there is enough fine material to fill all the air spaces between the coarse material, you essentially have all the unwanted properties of just the fine material. This is why growers who tell you to mix your potting soils with 50% perlite aren't doing anyone a favor. If the perlite isn't coarse and it doesn't meet the threshold standard, you might as well not bother. One thing perlite DOES do is reduce the volume or perched water a soil can hold - but it does little for drainage or aeration unless it meets or helps to meet the threshold standard. What perlite does for soils in bark bases soils is, it gets lodged between the often flat bark particles, which opens up a LOT of additional air space in the mix. Other particles would work just as well in that regard, and some even hold water internally, which can add to water retention w/o sacrificing aeration or drainage. Eg, substituting Turface or calcined DE for perlite can make a significant change in water retention, which in some cases can be a good thing, but in others a not so good thing. Keep in mind that what's most convenient often comes at a price paid in the form of something not in the best interest of the plant. It's always up to the individual to sort that part out, but the grower who demands a week-long interval between waterings shouldn't be trying to convince others that it's best for their plants. Soo many problems erupt when one grower is viewing the growing experience from the perspective of what's best for the grower, while someone else's view is focused on what's best for the plant. Very often the two are mutually exclusive. Al
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okwriter
16 years ago
I've always found mums to be fairly hardy - otherwise, I couldn't grow them! :) Just prune them back and I'll bet they rally. Some varieties will bloom in spring but I don't think they last all summer. Mine don't normally bloom until fall, but two of them are in full bloom right now! I usually whack 'em back severely July 4, but this year I am going to just enjoy the blooms.
susanlynne48
16 years ago
Blooms schedules are off this year in my yard. My asters are sending up bloom stalks, and they normally don't do that until late August-September.

I'm not surprised there are some fall-blooming plants that are starting to bloom right now.

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callie_k
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you everyone!
My friend gave me that flat of mums and 2 asters. I had never grown either before. Both asters are blooming their butts off....so this is not typically thier seasonal time to bloom?
When the asters stop blooming, should i cut it back? If I continue to deadhead the asters to promote new blooms, am I hurting myself for a fall display? I would like to know for the next, more normal season.

I severely pruned the mums. The entire plant above was slowly dying and I knew the plant must be struggling to try to revive itself. Some had small clusters of new leaves way down low...others did not. The stems at least proved green on most of them when it was cut off, so I will pray for some sunshine and recovery.

This area is typically like a west facing desert- now it is more like a bog. crazy.

We got 5 more inches of rain last night! UGHHHH!!! The only positive thing is my HIDDEOUS Goat head sticker problem has been DRASTICALLY reduced. And, I picked the best year ever to order 20 trees [ er- i mean sticks :) ] from the arbor society. I haven't had to drag a hose yet!

Thanks for all the helpfull tips! This forum is always so helpfull!
callie
Okiedawn OK Zone 7
16 years ago
I have noticed that even some of our fall-blooming wildflowers are blooming ahead of schedule, and I just think it is the crazy weather.

Most commercially cultivated asters bloom more in the fall than in the summer, Callie, (at least in our hot climate)so in future years I think you usually will see the blooms later than you are seeing them this year.

I only have wild asters and not the cultivated varieties, so I don't know if cutting them back in mid-summer after they bloom will give you more blooms in the fall, but it should.

water logged Mums- any chance they will live

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Okiedawn OK Zone 7

impatience_7

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water logged Mums- any chance they will live

Comments (6)

Okiedawn OK Zone 7

impatience_7

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okwriter

susanlynne48

callie_kOriginal Author

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callie_k
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