Yes, pinch them back.

I think they usually require pinching to get them to bloom in the fall. I've had to pinch mine, as well as my asters, two or three times already. Fortunately I only have a few of them.

Totally Confused

I always pinch my mums on May 15th and July 1st, regardless of rain, weather, temps ect.

The first time back to 6" and the second time back to 9"

They always come back and put on a beautiful show for me in the fall.

Keriann~

Thanks. I pinched all of them back. Actually a couple of these plants were farther along than I had remembered. They had buds almost open.

So once again, why the early blooming?

Kevin

What makes sense to me.....

They prefer to bloom now but we (I) pinch them back to delay their flowering so I have color in the garden in the fall and they hold their color/flower heads longer in the cooler temps.

Most are not a 'fall bloomer' per-say... just a flower we associate with fall.

Keriann~

My last pinching back is always July 4th :>)

One of my six mums always blooms throughout the summer. The others wait until fall and grow into huge flower-filled mounds. I have never pinched any of them, although I've heard that's common practice. Somehow, I've always hated pinching off things that are growing nicely.

There was another similar mum question posted recently but I can't find it. Not that this really answers your questions but it does address the need to pinch or not pinch certain mums.

Last year when I had a question about my mum, someone explained to me that there is a variety called a cushion mum and it has been bred to NOT require pinching to keep it from getting leggy and tall. It just stays compact. I remember doing a search and did find such a thing called a cushion mum -- I guess because it stays mounded and looks like the top of a pin cushion.

This being the case, I've never had to pinch mine. But I've not wanted to delay blooming either. However, mine is getting ready to bloom now too, and I just may cut it way back so that it reshapes itself, since it's been hidden under a bush I recently trimmed back so only half of it grew and it looks funny. Also, even tho it stays mounded, by the end of blooming season, it begins to fall open in the middle (being top heavy) and doesn't look very pretty.

I contacted the grower and asked them the question. If I receive a response I'll post it here.

Kevin

Boy that was quick. Here's the message I received from the grower:

"Dear Kevin,

Our grower says to give the mums a hard pinch-pinch the stems back at least half way not just picking off buds-then give the plants a big dose of commercially produced fertilizer such as miracle gro or Peters and that should break them of their premature budding. Sometimes shade or real cool night time temperatures can make them bud earlier as well. Hopefully this will help.

Twyla
Faribault Growers, Inc."

So it looks like the really cool night temps we experienced this spring can trigger the bud formation. I've included a link to this grower. If you're looking for a variety of mums at really reasonable prices, I highly recommend them.

Kevin

Here is a link that might be useful: Faribault Growers

It is the short days and cool temps. Christmas cactus will bloom out of season too if the daylength and temps are correct.

Mums are usually pinched back to keep them more compact and promote more flowers regardless of whether or not they are budded. Otherwise they will grow tall and have fewer but bigger flowers.

July 4th here too. Had I not already trimmed them back in May they would have since bloomed and gotten too leggy.

I usually cut mums in half on July 4th. This year, I had to do it early because they were budding. Question for totally confused - you say you pinch asters too? Sorry to hi-jack the mum thread. Explain how to do the asters as mine get toooo tall and floppy.

I have a rather short cushion-type of creamy white buttom mum that was growing at my parents house for over 20 years. I brought some rooted cuttings here last year and this year I have a nice sized plant. The first flower opened on it today. I never remember it blooming this early. Once all the flowers are finished, I will shear it and I hope to get a whole second bloom this year, since it's only the end of June.

Linda

I generally don't pinch back the ones at my folks' place and they bloom in August. This year, however, they're trying to bloom now. Very odd. The info which Faribault provided Kevin as to the affect of cool temps would seem to explain it though.

I thought there was another thread about this that I posted to a couple of weeks ago? Mine were very tall and starting to form buds, even two weeks ago, so I cut them all back. Asters too. My asters are full of bushy new growth. One is already getting tall and the other is short now. I think I cut one back shorter than the other. The Mums, some of them look much better but some are not filling in as I had expected. I will wait and see I guess. I'm thinking about cutting them back just a tiny bit more to make sure they go to at least late August before they bloom.

i'm new at gardening and to this forum so here goes. not sure what kind of mum i have, it's maroon. anyway i live in minneapolis and planted it in the ground last fall, about sept 15. it did very well. i didn't expect it to winter over but i figured mulch the heck out of it and cross my fingers. to my surprise it came out this spring and has been growing by leaps and bounds. i never pinched it even though i was told to. it's truly gigantic. 4ft wide and a little over 3ft tall. i wonder if that's normal for my area?