Quote:
Originally Posted by angelvine
 This is my first time planting. I am gardening in pots. I planted chrysanthemums and the last of my buds won't open. I water lightly, they are in the sun shall I feed them more often then every 2 weeks? |
There can be several things that can cause what you seem to describe. Without knowing your current weather conditions (has it gone well below freezing several times at night?) and which kind of mum you are growing I can't say for sure that those are the cause. Several severe freezes can stop the very last buds from fully forming and opening. A florist type mum will begin dying if exposed to cold temps, a garden mum will be damaged if it gets cold enough.
Watering lightly doesn't describe the actual amount of water the plant is receiving. If it is drying out to the point of wilting or near wilting the last buds will open. Mums need to be watered deeply at least once a week (this depends on your local weather as well) but that water must also be able to drain well or the roots will rot and other diseases can take hold.
Over fertilizing will also create problems for the mum. Feeding with a basic and balanced fertilizer more than once a month is probably overdoing. If the mum was green house grown it was already heavily fertilized before you bought it and doesn't need more.
If the haven't been overfed or under-watered, the most common reason for buds to brown and fall of is a bacterial disease called "bud blight" another called "ray blight" and fungal infection that cause "bud rot" that can also infect several other plants in the garden.
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