Tips & Tricks for Keeping Mums Alive

Today, we’re sharing simple tips and tricks for keeping Fall mums alive.

If you had a chance to check out our Fall Front Porch Tour you likely saw the different layers of mums that flank either side of the front door. The front porch runs the length of a good portion of our home and it takes a lot of mums to make the porch look full.

Fall is without a doubt our favorite season and I know it is for so many of you as well. The day we head to the nursery to pick up mums is always an event. We meet for an early dinner, fill the backs of our cars with mums, grab a pumpkin spice latte from the drive thru at Starbucks and then head home to unload and plant.

Decorating the front porch with mums has always been a special tradition for us and year after year it’s something we add to our calendars first thing!

No matter what the season, flowers of any kind can be an investment especially if you need a lot of them. I know a lot of you guys love mums too, so I thought I would share simple tips and trips for keeping mums alive.

Here’s a look at all the details…

Tip #1: Make Sure Your Mums Get Enough Sunlight

Your mums will likely come with a tag letting you know how many hours of sunlight your specific kind of mum will need. Most mums need at least 4-6 hours of daily sunlight.

Tip #2: Water Appropriately 

The easiest way to tell if your mums need water are signs of droopy leaves. That being said, I would try to keep them on a regular watering schedule, so they don’t even get to that state. Water when the top 1 inch of soil is dry.

Tip #3: Deadhead 

While it sounds like a tedious chore, deadheading (pinching off spent flowers) mums will help them last longer and may improve their blooming time.

Tip #4: Repot 

We usually buy a mix of mums in various quart sizes and replant them in pots for our front porch.   Taking them out of their original container will help them last longer because most of the time mums are already root bound by the time they get to a local nursery. Breaking up the roots, replanting your mums in a bigger pot, adding a fresh layer of soil and a good watering are all ways to help them last longer.

Tip #5: Mind the Humidity 

Mums can be easily fatigued by humidity and prefer cooler temperatures. Make sure you’re buying the right species of mum for your specific zone, so your mums can be successful from the beginning.

Tip #6: Take Care of Pests Immediately 

I didn’t realize slugs love mums until this year. This year was the first year we’ve ever had a problem with slugs eating our mums and honestly, we’re still trying to figure out why. There are a lot of different ways you can handle any slug issues, so I’ll let you choose whatever method is best for you. As always, taking care of pests immediately is another way to help your mums last throughout the season.

Decorating your front porch, patio or front stoop with mums is a quick and easy way to bring pops of Fall color and texture to a space that welcomes you home every single day. Protect your plants and your investment so they will last until it’s time to start pulling out the evergreens.

I hope these tips and tricks have helped! Let us know if you guys have any tips we should be adding to this list!

Don’t miss our next post, as we share an easy way to enjoy a Fall snack favorite, quick and easy caramel apple slices. Until next time, I’ll see you on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Many blessings,

CoCo