A Chrysanthemum is really an outdoor plant that has become a popular floral gift and flowering plant for home and office. It is second only to the rose as the most popular cut flower in the world. Mums are members of the Asteraceae Family which includes over 20,000 flowering species. Chrysanthemums were brought to Japan by Buddhist Monks in 400 AD and have remained a very important part of Japanese culture to this day. Mums last 3-4 weeks indoors with very little care and in almost any environment before needing to be replaced. The blooms which come in various shapes and colors can be daisy-like, pom-poms, or buttons, and may be yellow, burgundy, pink, or white. NASA has listed the Chrysanthemum as a plant that cleans the air of benzene, formaldehyde, and carbon monoxide. You may also enjoy sipping Chrysanthemum tea to relax.
LIGHTING REQUIREMENTS: Mums stay in bloom longer when placed in medium light and away from heating vents, air conditioners, and direct sun.
CARE INSTRUCTIONS WATER: Mums last longer as an indoor plant if you allow the top few inches of soil to dry out a little before you water. You can even let the green leaves become soft and droopy before watering.
FERTILIZER: Indoor mums do not need to be fertilized because they only last about six weeks.
TEMPERATURE: Cool temperatures help the blooms on a Mum last longer and high temperatures cause the blooms to quickly fade. 70 degrees during the day and not below 60 degrees at night are best for a Mum.
HUMIDITY: Mums last longer and grow better in high humidity but will do fine in basic household humidity.
FLOWERING: There are two different kinds of Chrysanthemum plants, florist Mums and winter hardy fall Mums. Florist Mums don’t do well when planted outside; you can try but don’t blame yourself if they die. If you’ve been enjoying a winter hardy Mum indoors, once the blooms die you can cut the plant back to 4”-5” above the soil line and plant it outside. It is almost impossible to get a Mum to bloom again indoors.
PESTS: Watch out for Aphids and thrips.
SOIL: Use a rich fast-draining slightly acidic soil.