As summer approaches, gardeners around the world begin to prepare their gardens for a new season. One of the most important things you can do to ensure your garden looks its best is to prune your plants and flowers. In this blog post, we will be discussing how to prune mums in summer.
What are Mums?
Mums, also known as chrysanthemums or simply “mums,” are a type of flower that blooms in late summer and fall. They come in a variety of colors and sizes, making them popular among gardeners everywhere. Additionally, they’re easy to grow and care for – perfect for beginners or those with less gardening experience.
Why Pruning is Important
Pruning is an essential part of maintaining healthy plants and flowers. By removing dead or diseased parts of the plant, we create more room for new growth while also preventing disease from spreading throughout the plant.
When it comes to mums specifically, pruning helps promote bushier growth which can result in more blossoms later on. It’s also essential for controlling size – if left unpruned, some mum varieties can grow quite tall and leggy which may not be ideal depending on where they’re planted.
How To Prune Mums
Now that we understand why pruning is necessary let’s dive into how you should go about pruning your mums:
1) Timing: The best time to prune your mums is early summer right after they’ve finished blooming as opposed to waiting until fall when they stop flowering completely.
2) Cutting Technique: Use sharp bypass pruners or scissors rather than dull ones because blunt tools tear stems instead of cutting them clean through which could be harmful especially with delicate mum branches. Cut off any spent blooms first before moving onto other areas; then cut back all remaining foliage by half so there’s only two sets per stem sticking out perpendicular from each side at full length (the leaves closest towards the ground can be removed entirely).
3) Light Requirements: Mums require a lot of light, so it’s important not to prune them too heavily. If you cut off too much foliage or remove buds that haven’t fully developed yet, you could damage the plant and reduce its overall ability to photosynthesize.
4) Watering: After pruning your mums, make sure to keep them well-watered for several weeks while they recover from the shock of being trimmed back. This is especially important if you live in an area with hot summers where plants dry out more quickly.
In conclusion whether you’re a novice gardener or an experienced one, pruning your mums is simple and easy! Remember timing and cutting techniques are key when it comes to successful mum pruning – so take care when following our tips on how to prune mums this summer. By doing so, your garden will surely look amazing in no time at all!
