About
Mums flower in the fall months, and their prolific blooms make them a staple in many gardens and fall porch displays alike.
While they don’t require much upkeep, deadheading is the simple task that will regularly encourage better, more long-lasting blooms in your fall mums.
Here’s everything you need to know about deadheading mums, including how to do it, when the best time to deadhead is, and things to avoid.
Benefits of Deadheading
One common misconception about mums is that they are annuals, often sold in planters during the late summer for autumnal displays. However, with the proper care, mums can return year after year and provide an endless display of fall color.
Aside from planting your Chrysanthemum in the ground (versus keeping it in a planter), deadheading is one of the best ways to ensure your plant develops strong growth and establishes itself for overwintering.
Regular deadheading provides the following benefits to chrysanthemums:
Encourage the plant to produce more blooms, extending the flowering period.
Redirect energy from spent blooms to the roots, which helps to establish the plant.
Prevent disease by clearing away dead and dying blooms and foliage.
When Is the Best Time to Deadhead Mums?
Deadheading should take place during the flowering season once blooms are spent. The trick is to deadhead the flowers once the color has faded, not when they have already turned brown and crispy. Waiting for the flowers to dry out means the blooms have already started setting seeds, wasting valuable energy and resources for the plant.
Since mums can bloom for up to 10 weeks, deadheading is an ongoing task that should be tackled once every week or two. Luckily, when done regularly, deadheading your plant(s) should only take you a few minutes at a time—a small yet important task.
How to Deadhead Mums
Using your fingers or a pair of clean garden shears, remove spent blooms a couple of inches below the flower head. This will result in the cut stem being hidden by the plant’s foliage for a more attractive and healthy-looking plant. Repeat this process regularly during the blooming period.
Pinching Back vs. Deadheading Mums
‘Pinching back’ (or simply ‘pinching’) and deadheading are not the same thing, although they are often confused with one another.
While deadheading involves removing spent blooms from the plant to encourage more prolific flowering, pinching involves removing the growing tip of a shoot or stem to encourage it to branch. It’s a conservative form of pruning that creates a bushier, fuller, and healthier plant. Left to their own devices, mums will grow tall and leggy, so pinching is essential to creating the mounding shape we associate with these fall flowers.
Pinching should be done in the spring or early summer once the plant is about six inches tall. Use your fingers to remove any existing buds and non-budded growth tips. Remember that the plant will fork off wherever you pinch, which is how you can control your plant's final size and shape. Pinch your plant every two to four weeks until midsummer, and then stop so it can develop buds and blooms in time for fall.
