Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Why do the mums I buy at stores die as soon as I get them home. I mean like, days. I leave them in the original container, dont over or under water them, but they are in full bloom when I buy them, then the flowers die like in two days and the whole plant turns brown.
It could be a fungal disease. Mums in my garden seem to like well-drained sunny locations. Well...caveat. All of the information below is applicable to the supermarket/big-box hardy mums.
Yellow/Orange Mums -- For some reason, these seem to be way more robust in my garden than the pink/red ones. I put mine in the ground, btw.
Moisture and Drainage - The mums I have planted seem to dislike (as in will die in) moist areas. Maybe they're prone to fungal diseases.
So...what does this mean? I suggest you get some pots made of clay (cheap at Ikea) without the saucer, but with drainage holes and a bag of good potting soil. Put the mums into the new pot with a little extra soil, and site them in a sunny area. Clay/terracotta wicks away excess moisture, and the drainage hole also helps. The plants should be healthier, and hopefully survive.
BTW, if it freezes where you live, terracotta pots may crack outside, so you may want to bring them in for the winter. I'm assuming you are going to compost the mums when it gets cold.
Why do the mums I buy at stores die as soon as I get them home. I mean like, days. I leave them in the original container, dont over or under water them, but they are in full bloom when I buy them, then the flowers die like in two days and the whole plant turns brown.
I believe you have purchased greenhouse mums. Look for field grown mums. I buy mine from the Amish who've dug them out of their fields. They come back year after year, and I don't even take them out of the pots.
Why do the mums I buy at stores die as soon as I get them home. I mean like, days. I leave them in the original container, dont over or under water them, but they are in full bloom when I buy them, then the flowers die like in two days and the whole plant turns brown.
It's hard to say specifically what is the cause without knowing where you live and what the conditions are that the plant has been placed in.
How often has this happened and are you getting them from the same store or putting them in the same pot? Sometimes they are about to finish blooming and you will find yourself with a spent mum but this sounds like the entire plant is dieing and quickly. You are describing what happens with one of several diseases that mums are susceptible to. Some of the diseases can stay in a contaminated pot that is not cleaned and sterilized between uses so if you had an infected plant in it and placed a new in it the new one can be infected. Either clean the pot carefully with a bleach rinse or discard it an get a new one if that is the case.
Are you placing the mum in the sun or in complete shade? Many times the mums we find at the stores have been pampered in greenhouses in optimal conditions of warmth and sun, are transported and then sit on nursery shelves and on hot pavement in lots which weakens them a little. If you then bring them home and place them in a low sun or no sun situation they will very easily succumb to diseases, often dropping their flowers first.
When you water do you wait for them to look wilted? Do you water using an overhead sprinkler of watering can? All of these can help make for good growing conditions for mum diseases. Water potted mums deeply in the morning and water them at the soil line, not on the leaves. If you live where there is a lot of rain or high humidity this is even more important. Potted mums are more easily damaged from lack of water, especially in a shallow pot. While a wilted mum will recover it will have flowers that turn brown shortly afterwards and it is more likely to succumb to diseases.
Why do the mums I buy at stores die as soon as I get them home. I mean like, days. I leave them in the original container, dont over or under water them, but they are in full bloom when I buy them, then the flowers die like in two days and the whole plant turns brown.
bgmv90 - Here's where I go to buy my field grown mums in Delaware - always healthy, organically grown by the Amish. I've had some of mine 5-6 years. Maybe there's a similar farm near you ???
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
taken from here:
taken from here: 
from here: 
