How to tame leggy chrysanthemums - Ask Extension
Hello--We planted these mums about nine years ago. They return with good strong booms and lovely fragrance every Fall. But, as you can see in the phot...
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How to tame leggy chrysanthemums #369317
Asked October 11, 2016, 12:29 PM EDT
Hello--We planted these mums about nine years ago. They return with good strong booms and lovely fragrance every Fall. But, as you can see in the photos, they have grown long, long 'legs'. I read that they can be divided in the Spring. Please advise how we can tame them: Divide, replant etc. When and how. Thank you.
Howard County Maryland
Expert Response
Chrysanthemums are full sun plants. If the amount of shade they receive has increased, this will cause legginess. Also too much nitrogen in fertilizer will contribute to legginess.
Many types of mums need to be divided every few (2 is recommended) years to keep them vigorous. Yes, you can do that in spring. April is a good month for transplanting.
The most common way to make mums more compact is to tip prune. You can start "pinching" off the tips when they reach about 6" in spring, and repeat about every 2-3 weeks. You'll have to experiment with your mums to see how often works best for them. After the last pruning, it will take several weeks for them to produce buds, so don't prune for several weeks before you expect blooms. Stop in mid-July to mid-August.
ECN
Many types of mums need to be divided every few (2 is recommended) years to keep them vigorous. Yes, you can do that in spring. April is a good month for transplanting.
The most common way to make mums more compact is to tip prune. You can start "pinching" off the tips when they reach about 6" in spring, and repeat about every 2-3 weeks. You'll have to experiment with your mums to see how often works best for them. After the last pruning, it will take several weeks for them to produce buds, so don't prune for several weeks before you expect blooms. Stop in mid-July to mid-August.
ECN
Thank you. What is the method for dividing?
We also have ligularia Desdemona which is tall. stems 20" or so. It is in partial shade. 8 years in. Can we pinch this as well?
Thanks
We also have ligularia Desdemona which is tall. stems 20" or so. It is in partial shade. 8 years in. Can we pinch this as well?
Thanks
For this plant you could actually cut all the stems back to the ground in the late winter/early spring, and fresh new growth will come. (You could do this every year).
Once the new sprouts appear, either dig up the whole plant and cut it into sections to plant where you like, or simply dig down and cut off pieces of the plant and replant elsewhere or give them away.
For your ligularia, no, they grow differently, and you shouldn't pinch them.
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Once the new sprouts appear, either dig up the whole plant and cut it into sections to plant where you like, or simply dig down and cut off pieces of the plant and replant elsewhere or give them away.
For your ligularia, no, they grow differently, and you shouldn't pinch them.
cm
