Caring For Fall Mums

Even though the growing season is over for the most part, you can give your garden a reprieve with a splash of fall color. Fall mums are an excellent choice to revive your outdoor spaces. They are an excellent choice for this time of year. Very few gardening options are care-free like chrysanthemums. You base your selection on color, size, and type of blossom, without worrying if it will do well. Fall mums are usually grown and sold for instant and in-place color. You can’t do much wrong with these plants.

Most chrysanthemums sold this time of year are generally categorized as “fall mums.” The term hardy is not used much anymore as the plants are grown for color and blooms rather than their perennial characteristics. Consumer preferences mean they purchased them for their color now, with planting and caring for them as a permanent fixture in the garden far from anyone’s mind.  We buy them for what mums give now, lots of color and don’t expect them to come back in the spring.

Gardeners rarely have easy decisions to make but mums for fall are about as easy as it gets. The choices ride solely on your tastes. You can purchase small plants, in six inch pots, but those are generally not as popular as the larger ones, even though they cost less. The next step up, and the most popular, is mums in eight to ten inch pots. And then there are grand ones, twelve inch pots or in pre-planted decorative containers. The choice is yours. No matter the size, mums can be set out as is, and look beautiful.

Look at the leaves, which should be green in color, not mottled with yellow, ragged or dead edges, which can be signs of a diseased or distressed plant. Read the plastic stake inserted in the pot. It gives the best recommended care for that particular variety. Plus, it gives you an idea of what the plant will look like in full bloom. For the most impact, choose plants in bud stage, and these will give you the longest color display.

Once the chrysanthemums are home, you can leave them in their pots. Most of the original containers have large drainage holes so be mindful of that. When you water, a lot will come out of the bottom. If you place the plants in another container, make sure it has good drainage. Mums do not like wet roots. If you are energetic this time of year, you can re-plant the mums in the ground. They prefer moist, but well drained soil. Add compost, gently loosen any roots that are bound, and plant at the same height as it was in the original pot.  You will get better blooms if the mums are not near street lights. Mums are day length sensitive so exposure to lights at night will inhibit blooming.

For more information on fall mum care, please contact the Penn State Master Gardeners in Lackawanna County at 570-963-6842 or email LackawannaMG@psu.edu and ask for the mums fact sheet.


Steve Ward
Master Gardener Coordinator
Penn State Extension Lackawanna County