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Pennsylvania Gardening

Are my potted mums doomed?

8 years ago

Just bought 2 beautiful fall mums this week and realized that if I plant them in the ground now, they won't have enough time to root before the cold sets in so they may fully die over the winter. What can I do to save these mums? As the blooms die off, should I move the potted plants to the basement and continue to water over the winter in hopes of saving the plants. Should I put them in larger pots so they can root better while in the basement? Perhaps I should take a chance of planting them in the garden and hope they come back next year? This is my first time owning mums.

Thoughts? Thx.

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Comments (3)

C F
8 years ago
Totally depends on where you live. I grew up in West Tennessee and we always considered mums short-lived annuals. I would buy them in the fall for their short-lived yet brilliant color, leave them in the pots they came in, and then throw them away when they died.

I just moved to northeast Oklahoma last year and I planted some mums in the ground alongside my pansies, totally expecting them to die off. Sure enough, those suckers came back 10x as big and beautiful this fall. (Their green foliage has been growing since the spring). Turns out they are perennials in this part of the country.
debo_2006
Original Author
8 years ago
Hummm, posting in the Pennsylvania Gardening section is an indication of where I live or so I thought. But, Thank you.
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Make sure you acclimatize any plant to outside - light is much stronger than indoors. You don't want to fry them. So start with dappled shade, moving into stronger light gradually. It is best to leave plant outdoors rather than bringing it in and out. So, if nighttime temps are reasonable, put it outside and leave there. It is important for succulents to be potted in well draining mix. If your mix was damp and compacted, I would get rid of it and use new mix with lots of inorganics in it. If it doesn't drain well, you may have problems if it rains. I don't know what is weather like in Oregon, so consider your conditions.
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
8 years ago
Most mums ARE perennial regardless of where you live. The problems with them not wintering over is that they are typically sold in fall (bloom season!!) and so do not have sufficient time to establish a good supporting root system before cold weather arrives. Planting earlier in the season will help but hard to find then.

I would winter them over the same way you winter over any other non-hardy plant. Wait until flowers die and the plant goes through a good frost, cut everything back to just above ground level and store in a cold area (but above freezing). Light is not a requirement but cold temps (around 40F - not much higher or lower) and some soil moisture is. Then next spring you can plant them out in the garden and they should be fully established enough to winter over inground next season without concern.
debo_2006 thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

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