hi mamas, just a quick question tonight. my mom and aunt have told me, to get great blooms on my mums through the fall, pinch off the buds until july 4th and then let them go. well, i didn't have ANY blooms before july 4th! i thought i had one or two, but mostly i think it was just a ton of baby leaves. these are in two huge pots that i planted them in last year - i didn't expect them to come back this year because i planted them VERY late (end of september which is late here, in fact i think we had a light frost a week later), but they did, and they're gorgeous and huge and thick - but NO buds at all! should i be worried? think it's because it's been so hot? (100's all summer and draught conditions- although they have been watered)? what do you think wonderful mamas? thanks in advance! (we are in a suburb of kansas city, if that helps. dead center of the us)
thanks ladies! yeah, i get that they are fall plants (one of my favorites, i'm so glad to have some finally) but i wonder why two very seasoned gardeners would tell me to pinch off "buds" if they are not going to produce buds until the fall??? i deliberately did not pinch off anything because, as i said, they weren't buds, they were leaves/foliage. there are two on one of the plants now that are pink so i have left those alone (being after 4th of july ya know lol) but they have been there for almost 2 weeks and haven't opened. just odd to me. maybe it's just a mum thing....lol. i am very happy with how happy and healthy they look so i'm not complaining! as long as they do EVENTUALLY bloom....:) thanks!
Umm... mums are usually an autumn plant, blooming Aug-Sept or so. We plant them for 'fall color' here. Give that plant a little more time!
Huh? Mums don't bloom until September (at least in my climate). They're a cool weather, fall plant. Planting them in September isn't at all late, that's a normal planting time.
What you're pinching through July 4 isn't buds (because they're aren't any). By pinching the stems, you're causing them to generate more stems, then you pinch those and those multiply etc. until you have way more stems than what you started with. Then those will all set buds and bloom in the fall. If the buds started earlier, you would have been pinching off all of the flowers. Sounds like you're on the right track.
Some plants, if you just leave them alone, would be just a stick or stalk.
You have to pinch growth back in order to get a bushier plant.
Basil is like that - the more you pinch it, the bigger the plant gets, and I always end up with a bush sized basil plant - the neighbors can not believe how big mine get.
By pinching mums, you'll get more flowers later
There IS a point when you stop -
in cooler areas = 1st week in July, in warmer areas = last week in July.
After that the plant is setting up buds that will appear and eventually bloom in Sept.
I'd think it is because of the heat. I just planted a whole bunch of roses a few months ago, and was really worried because of the heat, and I wanted them to have a great start so they'd be nice next year and come back full. Anyway, I have been watering all of them 2-3 times a day most days, and putting Miracle Grow on them occasionally as well. They are really beautiful too, just in the last few weeks and growing like crazy. So make sure you are watering them, and give them some extra food - it just might jump start them, so in the fall they will flourish!!!! Good luck!!!!
Pinching self pollinates, in a way. They allow for more stems to produce. pinching will also prevent any flowers that might be brave enough to try and bloom in the heat. If they were to bloom in the hot season, it would deplete the nutrients in the rest of the plant. Not good!
They will bloom in the fall, it sounds like you're on track.
