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| I brought pots of mums indoors after the first hard freezes because I want to over-winter them. These are not established plants but rather tip cuttings that I took in mid summer and planted in pots. I thought I was supposed to just leave them alone, but they are completely dry now and I think maybe dead. Should I have watered them some? Can I still? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sat, Dec 22, 12 at 18:05
| what else can you do??? water them ... but i dont understand why they didnt stay out doors ... please understand.. you may have killed them.. with TOO MUCH love ... but i will keep my fingers crossed for you ken |
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- Posted by mistascott 7A VA (My Page) on Sun, Dec 23, 12 at 0:01
| Is there new growth at the base of the plant under this year's growth? There should be. Most mums looks pretty miserable this time of year, but new growth tells you all is well. They should be dormant so they don't really need much water. They were cuttings though, so the root systems may be fairly weak. Just wait and see what happens in the Spring... |
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- Posted by sandyslopes zone 5 UT (My Page) on Sun, Dec 23, 12 at 2:44
| It's hard to know if they're dead. Some mums are more hardy than others. I bring pots of established mums into my unheated garage BEFORE a hard freeze. About 4 out of 5 make it. They look like dead sticks until spring and then send up new growth from the base. I water about every 4-6 weeks if they look dry. Because yours were new cuttings I don't know if they came through the hard freeze, but I'd wait for spring and hope for the best. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sun, Dec 23, 12 at 9:32
| mums root freely.. and quickly.. i put no stock in the suggestion that a mid-summer cutting.. was too immature to winter over outside.. presuming the mum itself was hardy ... in my z5 MI ... ALL MUMS die to the ground in winter ... coming from what i think is called basal shoots.. right at ground level.. that is where OP should be looking for life ... and next time.. bring them in BEFORE the first hard freeze.. not AFTER ... what i would have done.. was take additional cuttings in mid fall.. before frost.. and started those indoors.. and cycled thru few generations of cutting during the cold winter.. shooting for a few young vigorous plants.. come time for them to go back outside ... and.. as noted above.. MANY of the mums 'forced' for retail.. are not fully hardy in many areas ... and you dont find out.. until they dont came back .. lol.. [in other words.. you never know about that store that ships all its plants from ARKANSAS ... whether they will live in z5 over winter] ... ken |
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| mistascott hit the nail on the head with the question, "Is there new growth at the base of the plant under this year's growth?" Keep 'em out of winter rains & protect from slugs come spring. Slugs will nibble any new growth, so you won't be able to see if plants made it through winter. Inspect sides of pots for slug eggs (white or transparent). Use a popsicle stick or tongue depressor to pop the slug eggs against the side of the pot. Every egg hatches you know... Don't water without poking your finger in the pot. The roots rot if too wet. We bought up a bunch of display mums in November & put them out of the rain. You can't beat 29 cents for 6" square pots. If the mums don't make it the 18" oval pots as well as 12 inch squares were only $1.29 and will make display pots for herbs or annuals. Hubby laughed at us buying the dead looking things, but there was new growth at the base. Corrine |
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