How to Care for Mums in the Ground

Water the mums before the soil starts to dry out, especially just after planting. Check the soil every day or every other day with your finger. If you feel that the soil is beginning to get dry several inches deep, then water it so the soil is well-moistened but not muddy. You can water the mums with a simple watering can or a garden hose, depending on how many mums you have planted. If using a hose, be careful not to overwater.

Apply a high-nitrogen, well-balanced fertilizer that has a rate of 200 to 250 parts per million of nitrogen content every other watering. This encourages the garden mums' vibrant flowering.

Pinch the garden mums approximately three weeks after they begin actively growing. When cuttings reach 1 1/2 inches, pinch back or remove 1/2 inch of each cutting. Make clean cuts with either your fingers or with a small pair of garden shears. Pinching is essential to stimulate blooming.

Remove all dead or dying flowers and leaves whenever you notice them by pulling them out and away from the plant by hand or by cutting off leaves and flowers with a small pair of garden shears. If cutting off damaged leaves or flowers with shears, cut immediately under the part that is damaged to preserve the rest of the shoot.

Cover all the mums with several inches of mulch, such as straw or evergreen branches, in the late fall after several consecutive frosts. Mums planted in nutrient-rich soil can survive freezing temperatures outdoors.