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Ok, my mums which were a housewarming gift (in big pots) have finally died back. I'm told they will come back following winter but what do I do in the meantime? I've cut back the flowers and dead parts, but where do I store the rest? It will get very cold here... don't have alot of room inside to store dormant plants. But they are such beautiful flowers I'd love to see them grow again.
I have a related question that I hope someone can answer for me. I have mums and Shasta daisies that are outside in a planter. These were just put in over this past summer and fall. How far back do you cut them so that they will bloom again in the summer? Do you cut just below the bloom or all the way to the base of the stem? Thanks for your help!
I have a related question that I hope someone can answer for me. I have mums and Shasta daisies that are outside in a planter. These were just put in over this past summer and fall. How far back do you cut them so that they will bloom again in the summer? Do you cut just below the bloom or all the way to the base of the stem? Thanks for your help!
No worries, they really don't care how you do it. They will completely regrow next spring.
Just hack off most of the brown plant parts. You can leave a couple of inches, no need to get right down to the ground.
The 2 main reasons for cutting them back:
1) the brown dead stuff is ugly
2) leaving the decaying foliage and plant parts invites rot and bugs and molds and mildew.
So you just want to tidy up the dead parts and get rid of decayed debris. The plant will come back next spring whether you clean it up or not. (well, most of the time)
I have grown shasta daises a few years now and they are neat little flowers. Each winter mine die back and each spring come back out of the ground. It's neat watching them spread as they grow each and every summer. Really makes a nice ground cover.
Sometimes mums grown in pots won't winter well outside, they're babied in warm greenhouses and the shock can kill them.. You can cut them back to about 1-2" left of the stem bases and just put the pots in the basement for the cold months. When it starts to warm up, bring them out and start watering, they'll start growing again all on their own. Another option is to dig small holes in a flowerbed or garden, just big enough for the pot to sink into, leaving about 1" of pot sticking up above ground level and winter that way. Cover with leaves and wait for spring. I do this with wisteria plants that I have growing in pots (the buried in the garden thing) and they thrive every year when I lift the pots for summer.
I have some plants that died as well. I haven't cut off the dead stems yet, but I will, now that I've the responses. But I still water the roots once a week. Is that ok, or should I wait till spring to do that? I'm assuming that the roots need water during the winter. I've been keep it it my livingroom near that window so that I could still get some sun.
So, does it still need sun and water? I treat it as it it's still alive to "maintain" the roots. Please tell me if I'm doing the right thing!
I have some plants that died as well. I haven't cut off the dead stems yet, but I will, now that I've the responses. But I still water the roots once a week. Is that ok, or should I wait till spring to do that? I'm assuming that the roots need water during the winter. I've been keep it it my livingroom near that window so that I could still get some sun.
So, does it still need sun and water? I treat it as it it's still alive to "maintain" the roots. Please tell me if I'm doing the right thing!
This plant is in your living room?
Perennial temperate zone plants that go dormant in the winter.....do so outside.
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