| After being advised that I could plant the mums I had bought for last fall, my question is how do I make sure they bloom in the coming spring? I went ahead and planted them around our deck and I don't know if I should cut them back or what to make sure they bloom. Thank you. |
| The top foliage will die back during the winter months and should be cut away at ground level. In the spring new shoots will appear. These should produce new flowers. As they develop, you'll notice a cluster of buds at the ends of each stem. For the biggest mums, carefully pinch out all but one or two of the buds as they form. The remaining one or two buds will produce larger flowers because they won't have to compete with a whole host of buds for water and nutrients. Keep your plants watered regularly during the growing season, and lightly feed with a balanced fertilizer (5-10-10 or 10-20-20) after the flower buds form. |
