It takes two steps to learn how to grow mums from cutting. In general, there are three propagation methods for mums, but using cuttings offers an easy way to clone these plants. You can also divide mums to create copies of the parent plant, but understandably, some gardeners would have a more comfortable time using cuttings.
The great thing with mums is that they are generally hardy plants, so there are fewer chances for mistakes or problems when growing them. They are best for growing zones 5 to 9, and you can also cultivate them in the greenhouse to avoid harsh weather if needed. It’s worth noting that using a stable environment like the greenhouse can help the cuttings establish themselves and get vigorous enough for transplanting outdoors.
How To Grow Mums From Cutting For Beginners
It’s safe to say that propagating mums from cuttings is beginner-friendly. More so, mums will bloom within months if you root them from cuttings. You can guarantee that the resulting plants are exact copies of the parent you chose, which is a great way to have more of your favorite varieties in the garden.
Step #1. Collecting and preparing cuttings
Preparing the parent plant
Regardless of the species, you should always make sure that your parent plant is healthy before propagation. This will prevent stress, and it can recover quickly after you collected the stems. If you live in a challenging location, it would be sensible to grow the parent plants in the greenhouse so they’ll be strong enough when you take the cuttings.
Additionally, don’t forget to prepare the parent plant by watering it as much as 4 inches deep at night for cutting the next morning. When is the best time to collect cuttings on mums? You want to check for the absence of buds and flowers in late spring to early summer.
Gathering cuttings
A 3-inch section should do well for planting as long as it is leafy and not woody. Use a sharp and sterilized pruning shear and cut at ⅛ inches below a pair of leaves at the stem’s end. Then, remove all the leaves at the lower half of the cutting, leaving only those at top.
Preparing the cutting
An excellent characteristic of a mum cutting is that you can use a rooting hormone or not, but it will still root. Of course, treating the cuttings with hormones will make the establishment faster. Check the specific instructions of your rooting powder and always practice sanitary measures to prevent diseases among the plants.
Step #2. Planting and maintenance
What’s the best medium for growing mum cuttings?
According to Pennsylvania State University, you can choose from vermiculite, sphagnum moss, or moist sand as the medium for mum cuttings. Some gardeners also use perlite, but regardless of the medium you choose, they should possess a significant trait. Before even taking the cuttings, prepare the rooting containers with the medium for them.
The medium should be moist to encourage the cutting’s growth, so you can saturate the medium with water and let it drain from the bottom of the pot as preparation. You can then insert the cutting an inch deep or up to the lowest of leaves. It can take as fast as a week or four for the mums to root, but the emphasis is necessary on maintaining the medium’s moisture without overwatering.
How to care for mum cuttings to encourage rooting?
You can mist the cuttings to prevent overwatering and continuously check the surface if it’s dry and need watering. The greenhouse also makes an excellent location for the rooting pots because their cuttings will grow well with bright yet indirect sunlight. Much like all cuttings, please make sure the mums don’t receive harsh and direct light that will dry them out.
To check if the cuttings have grown roots, you can gently tug the base for resistance. It’s also essential to always pinch the top 1.5-inch growth from them every two weeks or so if you want your mums to grow bushy. You can stop this practice in the middle of summer to encourage budding.
Transplanting Mums
A good tip to know if mums are ready for transplanting is if their roots are around 1.5 inches long. You can space the mums 18 to 24 inches apart at a hole twice the size of their roots and plant them in early spring after the danger of frost has passed. You can also plant six weeks before any extreme climate conditions or continue growing them in the greenhouse to avoid damage from these challenges.
Outdoor or not, mums should get 6 hours of light in a fertile and well-draining loam or sand. Afterward, you don’t need to do much maintenance besides watering as needed and fertilizing in the growing season before they form buds. You can also prune them from late spring and deadhead to encourage healthy growth and blooms.
Conclusion
Do you want a beautiful yet easy-to-grow flowering plant? If so, you might get interested in how to grow mums from cutting. These low-maintenance flowering plants allow cuttings in late spring to early summer.
They will root easily without the need for a rooting hormone, and given that the medium and environment are optimal, they should grow within weeks. There are no other specific maintenance requirements to encourage rooting, and transplanting them is easy as long as the climate isn’t harsh.