I was always jealous of the folks who had those beautiful big round mounds of chrysanthemums. Until I found out their “secret.”
Tell me! Tell me!
Well, it’s not big deal really and you may cringe when I tell you.
The Big Secret
Chop ’em in half! Yes, you read me right! Chop ’em in half! Like the common cry of the French Revolution “Off with their heads!”
Timing is everything
The time to do the chopping is late June through mid-July here in the Treasure Valley.
Off with their heads does two things:
- The plants will respond with more shoots with more blooms
- The stems will be sturdier and less likely to just lay over in a limp way.
You’ll still have to bind them up because there will be so many more blooms. Here are a couple of pics of some of my mums from last summer. I did a rough domed cut and you can see how the plants responded.
Don’t forget to feed each plant after you trim it. Feed with some 16-16-16 granular fertilizer. It doesn’t have to be some fancy mum food or mixed with any special mixture. I buy the big bags of triple 16 and use a yogurt cup or small cottage cheese tub to scoop and sprinkle. Make sure to follow the directions on the bag for how much to sprinkle.