Hine Herbary

It wouldn’t be fall without hardy mums! And they are called hardy for a reason! Mums are an easy flower to care for during the fall season and they will bloom till frost. Though they are typically annuals, they will come back each year in some zones, including here in Missouri. We’ve heard from several customers who have told us theirs come back every year.

Mums are photoperiodic which means they do not bloom in the typical spring or summer months like other flowers. They bloom when the days get shorter and the nights get longer. Did you know a bright porch light or a street light can keep your mums from reaching their full blooming potential? You can also trick your mum into blooming early by using a shade cloth or putting it in a dark basement or garage, allowing it to get less sunlight.

Mums are also fast growers. If you water them every day and fertilize them each week, they can grow as much as 1.5 inches per week. We use a 20-20-20 based fertilizer and fertilized twice a week when we first planted them.

We started our mums in 8″ pots at the end of July and they were just at about 2 inches in height. The picture below is how they look now and you can see that most of them have filled their pots. If left in these pots, they’d grow to about 16 inches. If planted in the ground, they can grow to about 20 inches.

Mums grow in a natural dome shape, so they do not have to be pinched back or trimmed. Cutting off any spent blooms will prolong blooming, as well as switching to a potassium-based fertilizer once they start blooming.

Mums look great on the porch or in the yard sitting on some hay bales with some pumpkins and gourds or other fall decorations around them. They are great way to bring some bright fall colors to your garden in the Autumn months.