On Saturday, Sept. 14, the Clinton County Master Gardener Volunteers will be selling mums at the Clinton County Farmers Market. The farmers market is held from 8:30 a.m. – noon at the Clinton County Courthouse square (81 W. Main St., Wilmington).
Mum sale proceeds go to the Clinton County Master Gardener Volunteers to provide plantings for Habitat for Humanity homes built throughout Clinton County.
Although it doesn’t feel like it, summer is on its way out and fall is just around the corner. Aside from cool weather and pumpkins, the Chrysanthemum or simply “mum” is a must- have when it comes to autumn time decorations. Mums are an easy to grow perennial that are flowering well after most of our garden plants have stopped for the season. There are a lot of different varieties that offer different color, height, size, and time of bloom. Mums can be propagated by seed, cuttings, or dividing, although most people buy them in pots from a garden store.
Mums need to be planted into fertile loamy or sandy soil and enjoy full sun. Mums do benefit from fertilization after germination and before blooming, discontinue fertilization when blooms start. It is important not to grow your mums in the same location for more than three consecutive years, as mums are susceptible to disease and pests. Mums are most susceptible to aphids and mildews, so it is important to keep plant foliage dry and only water the base of the plant.
If you plant your own mums, make sure that they are spaced 18 to 30 inches apart. When plants are six inches tall, pinch about three-fourths of an inch from each branch to promote more blooms and a bushier plant. You should follow the same pinching method after plants have reached one foot tall. If you are propagating mums, remove the lower half of the leaves from a six-inch healthy cutting, dip the stem into rooting hormone and then one inch deep into sand, vermiculite, or sphagnum moss.
To grow from seeds outdoors, sow two months before first frost or start indoors over the winter. Keep the soil or planting medium between 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit and expect seeds to germinate in one to three weeks. After a hard frost has killed the foliage, you can cut the mums back to the ground or you can dig them up and bring them inside for over wintering.
After blooming fades and you have dead-headed the last of the flowers, you can simply move the mums indoor to a well-lit area to live out the winter months. Making sure not to over water during this time is crucial. Only water when soil is dry three inches below the soil surface.
Please join the Clinton County Master Gardener Volunteers on Sept. 14 to help support our programming.
Brooks Warner is the extension educator/agriculture and natural resources at the OSU Extension Clinton County.
