Planting:

• Plant young plants in sunny location (a least a ½ day of sun).
• Plant in fertile, well-drained soil. Soils 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 will grow best in a sunny location.
• Space garden mums in flower in the fall, based on plant size. Young garden mums planted in the spring should be space 18 to 24 inches apart.

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.

Fertilizing:

• During the growing season, incorporate into the soil a general purpose fertilizer such as 5-10-5 at the rate of ½ to 1 pound per 100 square feet. Repeat monthly until August. Liquid fertilizer may also be used.
  If planting in the fall, no fertilizer is needed.

Pinching

• To encourage branching and development of compact bushy plants, it is very important to pinch back your garden mums in the spring as soon as the new growth is 4-6 inches tall. Use you thumbnail and index finger to remove or “pinch” about ½ of the new growth at the top of each and every shoot. Repeat this procedure through the summer whenever new shoots are 3 – 5 inches long. In Southern Ontario, stop pinching around July 10th -15th In southern states, stop pinching around July 20th to August 1st.

Winter Protection

• Keep your garden mums’ soil moist as winter approaches.
• There is no need to prune back plants until the following spring. The dried stems work well to catch snowfall, which helps to insulate the plants from hard freezing.
• Mulch the plants after several hard frosts with evergreen branches.
• In the spring, remove any old garden mum stems, and gradually remove any mulch.