PLANTING

• Plant  young plants in a sunny location with at least a half-day of sun shine.

• Plant in fertile, well drained soil. Soil can be improved by adding compost, peat moss or other organic matter.

• Flowering plants can be placed in any location where a splash of color is desired, but mums will grow best in a sunny location.

  WATERING

• Rainfall in many areas is sufficient to keep your garden mums growing well. During dry spells, water as needed to keep plants from wilting.

• Always thoroughly water-in any freshly planted garden mums.

• Garden mums planted outdoors in the fall do not need any fertilizer until they begin to grow the following spring.

• When in bloom, never let the plant wilt, as this will decrease the length of bloom time.

FERTILIZING

• During the growing season, incorporate into the soil a general purpose fertilizer such as 5-10-5 at the rate of 1/2 -1 pound per 100 square feet of bed area. Repeat monthly until August. Liquid fertilizer may also be used.

• If planting in the fall, no fertilizer is needed.

WINTER PROTECTION

• Keep your garden mums' soil moist as winter approaches.

• There is no need to prune back plants until the following spring.

• Mulch the plants after several hard frosts with straw or evergreen branches.

• In the spring, remove any old garden mum stems and gradually remove the mulch as your plants come alive again.

PINCHING

• To encourage branching and development of compact bushy plants, it is very important to pinch back your young garden mums in the spring as soon as the new growth is 4-6 inches tall. Use your thumbnail to remove or "pinch" about 1/2" of the new growth at the top of each shoot. Repeat this procedure through the summer whenever new shoots are 3-5 inches long. In the northern states, stop pinching around July 4th. In the southern states, stop pinching around August 1st.