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Chrysanthemums have been
cultivated by people since as early a 500 BC in
China.
The genus name in Greek means something like "golden
flower" which relates to the early flowering types.
Today, of course, there are many, many different forms
and colors of mum flowers available for the home
landscape.
In general,
chrysanthemums fall into two categories in the
horticultural world. They are
herbaceous perennials that
bloom in late summer and into fall. The type covered
here are the ones that are hardy in
temperate zones and
may be grown year around in the home landscape. The
other type which we will not cover are the non-hardy
types that are grown in greenhouses and sold through
florists outlets. They are meant to be enjoyed as a
houseplant and will generally not survive in the
landscape.
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Chrysanthemums
perform best in a full sun situation although they
will survive with partial shade but not flower well.
They are known as a "short-day" plant which means
that flower buds are triggered when the length of
the night is longer than the day. It is really the
night darkness that is the trigger. When grown in
the greenhouse, a short period with the lights on in
the middle of the night will prevent them from
developing flower buds.
In addition to
sunlight, they prefer a well drained soil but do not
like droughty conditions.
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Generally, hardy chrysanthemums should be planted in
a similar fashion to other perennials. Beds or
borders should be prepared to allow an adequate
level of organic matter and to assure proper
drainage.
For best survival
rates, chrysanthemums should be planted in the
spring as new plants from cuttings. Planting mums in
the fall may be a problem
where winters are cold.
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Chrysanthemums bear their flowers at the tips of
branches. So, it one plant that needs to be pinched
in the spring to encourage the development of more
branches. Generally this occurs around Memorial Day
and again before the 4th of July. After that date,
mums begin to set flower buds so it is too late to
pinch.
Mums are also known
to have an above average use of nutrients during the
growing season. They will often benefit from an
additional application of fertilizer during the
summer.
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Some people have
difficulty growing mums and keeping them coming back
from year to year as they should. One reason for
this is that many people buy chrysanthemums in bloom
in the fall around Halloween. After the holiday,
they plant them in the soil and are often
disappointed when they do not make it through the
winter. One reason for this may be that, planting
them so late in the season in full bloom, they may
not have time to establish a proper root system to
survive heaving and thawing of the soil during the
winter.
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If the plants are the
type of mum that is truly hardy for your
USDA Hardiness Zone, they should not need
additional winter cover. Late
planted mums may have difficulty overwintering
properly.
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Commercially, most chrysanthemums are propagated
by soft-wood cuttings which are fairly easy to do.
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