Nothing says autumn like brightly colored mums adorning front porches and filling patio planters. Knowing how often to water mums is key to getting the longest life out of your plants. The answer to that depends on several factors, such as if your mums are in pots or garden beds, and your weather conditions. This guide on how often to water mums explains the best techniques to use to ensure your plants get enough water, wherever they are growing.
Watering Different Types of Mums
The mums available in garden centers in late summer and early fall are either garden mums or florist mums. Both are the same species, Chrysanthemum morifolium. However, cultivars or varieties within this species have different appearances and characteristics in color, form, and cold hardiness.
The easiest way to tell the difference is to look at the label. If it doesn’t specify, a quick online search of the variety name usually provides the answer. While garden mums can be planted as perennials and florist mums are usually grown as annuals, watering is similar for both. The difference in how often to water mums lies in where these types are planted.
How Often to Water
How often you need to water your mums depends largely on the weather and whether they’re planted in the ground or in containers. Mums planted in the ground won’t dry out as quickly and may only need watering once a week. Plants in containers may need watering every other day or daily. In either case, work your finger into the soil under the mum. If the soil feels dry below the surface, it’s time to water.
Chrysanthemums do best in evenly moist soil, and underwatering potted mums can lead to their decline. Because potted mums tend to dry out more quickly than garden-planted mums, they often need watering daily to avoid wilting. A large mum in a small pot is especially vulnerable to dehydration.
Mums purchased in late summer or early fall are often rootbound in their pots, worsening the watering problem. A rootbound plant may dry out even faster. If your mum needs water every day, and you have difficulty working your finger into the potting soil, consider repotting the mum in a container 1 or 2 inches wider.
By repotting your mums into slightly larger containers, you’ll provide extra potting soil that can hold additional water. Plus, the plant can spread out its roots to access more water than it could in a smaller pot. Repotting for less frequent watering is especially helpful for those times you are unable to water for a few days, like when taking a quick weekend trip.
Watering Techniques
Whether your mums are planted in garden beds or containers, water them from below, not overhead. Mums are susceptible to foliar fungal diseases, and wet leaves worsen the problem. While rain will still fall and wet the leaves, you can minimize issues by providing any supplemental irrigation below the foliage directly to the soil.
Garden-Planted Mums
In the garden, use a watering wand or a drip irrigation system to water each plant at the base. When using a wand and hose, water slowly or in several small increments to allow the water time to soak in. Don’t assume that the plant has been adequately watered because the soil surface looks wet.
Do a trial run by watering for a count of ten, and then wait a minute before checking how deeply the water penetrated with your finger. If the entire length of your finger isn’t damp when you check, water for another count of ten and check again. Eventually, you’ll have a feel for how long to spend at each plant to ensure a deep, thorough watering. You can use the same method to determine how long to run a drip irrigation system.
Container-Planted Mums
Watering mums in pots is a little different from watering those planted in garden soil. Not only do they dry out faster, but overly dry potting soil becomes hydrophobic, meaning it resists absorbing water. An easy way to bottom water potted mums, especially if the soil has dried out, is to let the container sit in a tray or bucket of water. Thirty minutes is often sufficient.
Like watering seedlings from the bottom in a tray, the pot will soak up water through the drainage holes and diffuse it to all portions of the soil. It’s a simple way to ensure the mum is thoroughly watered, and it provides enough water for several days or a week, depending on the weather and the size of the mum in relation to its pot.
Mums in pots can still be watered with a wand or watering can, but take care to water under the foliage at the base of the plant.
If you are using a watering can and have difficulty getting under the plant’s foliage, remove the head on the end and use just the spout.
Overly dry potting soil may reject water at first, so revisit and water a second time a couple of minutes later. Lift the pot up a little bit when it is dry and again after watering to get a feel for the difference. It should be noticeably heavier after the plant has been thoroughly watered. If it isn’t, it means you should add more water until the pot feels heavier.
