Table of Contents
- When we ship our mums
- What you will receive
- What to do when you receive your mums
- Planting
- Trellising
- Pest control
- Trimming, propagation and disbudding
- Color change from temperature
- Frost protection
- Harvesting
- Overwintering
- 2026 Mum Cuttings Catalog
- FAQ's
When We Ship:
We will begin shipping our mums in late Winter through the Spring in 2026. Your plants' ship date will be specified on the product page. If you live in a colder region, we recommend that you choose a ship date later in the Spring with frost in mind.
What you will receive:
Mums are easily propagated from cuttings, so by growing these out in pots and propagating from them, you have a great opportunity to multiply your stock.
Each variety selection comes with 3 rooted cuttings. We do require a minimum of 12 total plants to place an order.
These Heirloom Chrysanthemums are perfect to add to your garden for Fall blooms! We have selected these heirloom varieties because they are our absolute favorites as cut flowers that give you both unparalleled beauty, high yields, excellent vase-life, and strong stems!
Watch the video at bottom of page for more details.
What to do when you receive your Mums:
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Repot
Remove your mums from the plant-based compostable bags immediately. Repot your plants as soon as they are received and give them a good drink of water. We fertilize our seedlings regularly with an organic, fish based fertilizer to ensure your plants are strong and healthy. Upon arrival, they will be ready for more food and will want room to grow. Repotting with a good soil mix, organic fertilizer, and compost will ensure they’re off to a great start in their new home.
Stress of transport may cause yellowing in some lower leaves. This is common and does not indicate unhealthy plants. Yellow leaves can be left or removed without issue.
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Check For Pests and Disease
Inspect all new plants thoroughly for pests and disease.
Like every organic greenhouse grower, we do deal with aphids and fungus gnats. They are unavoidable pests and are just a part of growing organically. Controlling populations with the most eco-friendly yet effective approach possible is the best reality we or any grower can achieve and we provide detailed solutions below for your reference.
That said, we strive to provide you with healthy plants and we do treat them with organic pesticides and fungicides the day before shipping to give you a clean slate. Your plants should arrive with no pests or disease. If you find any issue with your plants after inspection, please contact us within 48 hours of reception and provide photos. We guarantee healthy cuttings from our door to yours. We are not responsible for pests or problems that arise weeks or months later.
Planting:
Once plants have adjusted to your climate, you can plant them in a sunny part of the garden or in high tunnels for Fall flower production. Flowering plants will need protection from frost once blooming so find your planting site with that in mind.
Prepare well-drained soil with an all-purpose fertilizer and compost according to what your soil test recommends. Mums are moderate feeders. If a slow release fertilizer is used at planting, you will likely not need to add additional fertilizer. Address your soil fertility as you see fit.
Spacing for the Gardener: Mums should be spaced about 1 foot apart depending on the size of the plant when planting out. Plant mums in clusters of 3 plants, 1 to 1.5 feet apart. It is best to pair varieties together as they will have the same height and habit. This will look like a shrub when mature and if left to perennialize, they will be larger and stronger the following year.
Spacing for Containers: We recommend 1-2 mum plants per 12" pot. We recommend these more compact varieties for container gardening: Bess Witt, Bronze Fleece, Pink Fleece, Mancetta Sunset, Saga No Yuki, Kermit, Purple Light and Vesuvio. It's important to follow trimming instructions to keep your plants more compact in containers. Plants will still get tall in pots and will likely have to be staked to stay upright. Plant stakes or tomato cages are great options to keep your plants upright!
Spacing for the Farmer: If care and attention is given throughout the growing season, space 6" (if planting small plugs) to 9" apart depending on the size of plant when planting out.
Be sure to supply the plants with plenty of water until they get established in your garden. Once established, water as needed.
Trellising:
Most varieties do get very tall even after cutting them back/pinching so we highly recommend adding horticulture netting.
Once mums are transplanted, it is important to install a trellis. Mums need support to achieve strong, straight stems and to maintain quality. We use Hortonova netting with stakes (rebar stakes from Tractor Supply) and add bailing twine along the outsides for additional support. The bailing twine is used at a lower level than the netting, to help prevent our aisles from being overgrown with side branches. We shuffle the netting up weekly to keep it in position to provide best support for the plants - this is easiest with 2 people. The net should stay ~1’ below the blossoms once they begin to form. If the trellis is not adjusted with plant growth, stems will begin to bend and curl and this can’t be undone. Additionally, they will fall and crowd which creates the perfect environment for pests and disease. Diligence here breeds best results.
Pest Control
Maintain a pest control program. Aphids LOOVE mums as much as they love your spring ranunculus. Have a plan in place!
At 3 Porch, we will spray weekly with a mix of Insecticidal Soap, Venerate, Serenade, and Carb-O-Nator. Sometimes we’ll rotate out soap for azadirachtin, or Grow Safe. This approach keeps aphids and powdery mildew in check.
Identifying Pests and Disease:
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Aphids
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- Aphids are the most common insect you’re likely to encounter while growing mums. They are slow moving, soft bodied, and come in many colors including green, brown, and black. They like to live in new tender growth and on the underside of leaves. Look in these areas on your plant while inspecting. They should not be on your new cuttings, but if you find some while plants are small enough, wash them all off in the sink to completely eliminate them.
- When plants are bigger, they are easily managed using organic products and regular treatment. Aphids can become a problem if left untreated. They multiply quickly in greenhouses and grow rooms.
For Farmers: Right before flowers start to bloom, do a very intensive spray with Pyganic to kill every single aphid possible. If you spray with Pyganic every week, aphids will develop a resistance (not good), so we reserve this tool for one heavy spray right before bloom. This gives us almost zero aphids on our bouquets. After that heavy Pyganic spray, we rotate back to the original mix for the next few weeks until harvests are finished. Pyganic will ruin flower petals. Azadirachtin will too. Insecticidal soap is safe to use on open flowers. Avoid spraying anything in full sun on hot days if possible. Pictured below is the perfect stage to spray Pyganic.
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- To learn more about Aphids, Click Here.
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What 3 Porch Uses:
- Pyganic
- Venerate
- Insecticidal Soap
- Azadirachtin
**3 Porch Tip: It is important to rotate your products so your insect populations won’t build up resistance to certain chemicals!
Reminder to always follow the label for application rates and wear PPE.
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Fungus Gnats
- Fungus Gnats are small dark flies that enjoy moist areas. They are weak flyers and lay eggs in wet media. While common, chronically wet conditions in a greenhouse or soil can allow populations to establish. Large populations will affect growth, as the larvae will steal nutrients from the plant's roots.
- The best treatment for fungus gnats is letting the soil dry in between waterings but there are a few predatory insects, like nematodes, and organic products, like BTI, that can be effective management tools.
- To learn more about Fungus Gnats, Click Here.
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What 3 Porch uses:
- BTI, such as Gnatrol or Aquabac
- Stratiolaelaps scimitus (predatory mite)
- Insecticidal soap
- Beneficial nematodes
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Powdery Mildew
- Powdery mildew is a white mildew that grows on the leaves and stems of a plant. It looks like flour was spilled on the plant and can be wiped off with touch.
- It is common on dahlias and chrysanthemums. It will begin in dense foliage during humid weather.
- The best way to prevent powdery mildew is to have plenty of airflow and ventilation. While powdery spores are all around us, they cannot establish unless they have the right conditions. Powdery mildew is rarely life threatening to plants but can slow growth and production substantially if left untreated.
- Clean plants regularly by removing old growth and dense foliage. This allows airflow into your plants.
- To learn more about Powdery Mildew, Click Here.
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What 3 Porch Uses:
- Oxidate
- Serenade
- Bi-Carbonate
**3 Porch Tip: Rotate these sprays to not build up resistance. For heavy pressure, treat with oxidate and follow up with serenade. Target the foliage when treating.
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Root Rot
- Rot is a general term for root and stem infections in plants. There are many pathogens that cause similar behavior such as fusarium, botrytis, and pythium.
- While they have similar symptoms, it is nearly impossible to know without testing the infected plant what specific pathogen you have. Regardless, the treatment for plant diseases is generally the same.
- Cultural methods like good cleaning and sanitation are important. Do not handle new or infected plants and then handle your existing ones.
- Remove all plant debris from grow areas.
- Clean tools like shears, trays, hands, and gloves after working with new or infected plants.
- To learn more about disease identification, Click Here.
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What 3 porch Uses:
- Oxidate
- Serenade
- Bi-Carbonate
**3 Porch Tip: For soil borne disease, heavily water the soil with the fungicide. For foliar diseases, spray the leaves.
Reminder to always follow the label for application rates and PPE.
Trimming:
Once your mum plants are established and begin growing, we recommend trimming the plants back multiple times. When the plants get to 6-9" tall, cut them in half. Do this 2-3 times if time allows. Plants can be cut back as late as mid June for most regions and up to mid July in southern regions. If left untrimmed, plants can become very tall and unruly and will lack sufficient side branching resulting in significantly diminished flower production.
This is also important for home gardeners to prevent long, floppy stems and to create more compact growth.
The trimmed piece of the plant can be turned into more cuttings if you are early enough in the season. Keep in mind it will take 4-6 weeks for cuttings to root and mature.
Propagation:
The easiest way to propagate mums is to take cuttings. Cuttings can be taken until June when the days start to become shorter. You want to give your cuttings sufficient time to develop vegetative growth (leaves and stems) before they start to shift their energy to flowering. Chrysanthemums do this based on day length. Once the days become shorter after the summer solstice, plants begin to send their energy to flower development.
- Allow your plants to establish until there are several long stems with foliage.
- Leave any small sprigs coming from the soil for later cuttings.
- Cut the matured stems in 2-3” sections.
- Remove leaves until there are 1-3 leaves on top of the stem.
- Place the cuttings into soil.
- Put the cuttings in a shady area and water or mist them 2-3x daily (frequency depends on weather conditions).
- After about 1-2 weeks, the cutting will develop roots and can be moved to a sunnier area and watering can be reduced.
- Allow the cutting to fully root before transplanting. This takes around 6 weeks but can vary based on conditions.
You can view how we take cuttings here!
Disbudding:
If you want a larger, showier bloom, disbudding is an option. We do not do this at 3 Porch Farm but it is popular among many growers, particularly people who competitively show chrysanthemums. Disbudding is the process of strategically removing branches and buds so the plant focuses its energy on a few very large blooms. Not every variety is good for disbudding. There are several types of disbudding that range from leaving 1 single stem to leaving a few stems. It is best for varieties with large showy blooms and strong stems like irregular incurved varieties. Avoid varieties with weak stems and small blooms. Many growers still perform an initial trim when disbudding to promote strong stems.
Syngenta Bud Removal Tips Sheet
Color of Blooms:
Mum color is determined by temperature and they require some cold to develop to their full color. While mum blossoms will be damaged if exposed to frost, they require several days in the 40s to develop their full color. This is most notable with pinks, reds, and deeper colors. A warm Fall could result in different colors for a few varieties than a cold one would.
Evan's Dream BEFORE cold...
Evan's Dream AFTER cold...
Annie Girl BEFORE cold...
Annie Girl AFTER cold...
Frost Protection:
Be prepared ahead of time for frost protection so weather does not sneak up on you. We use frost cloth to cover our plants when needed. We highly recommend frost cloth no matter your zone! If you're caught off guard....you can always cover with a tarp and throw a shop light, heat lamp, or space heater underneath to add heat and protect the blooms. Supporting the frost cloth or tarp so that it doesn't sit directly on the flowers is recommended as well.
Harvesting:
Expect flowering to begin in early to late October and continue through November. Harvest when flowers are mostly open. Mums do not continue to open much after harvesting. As with any flower you harvest, make sure to cut during cool parts of the day. Place stems in clean water in clean vessels. Protect blooming plants from frost in the Fall as they are usually in full flower during frost conditions.
Overwintering:
In order to overwinter these varieties, plants will need to be protected from deep freezes. We highly recommend digging them up and storing them in pots in a greenhouse, garage, or other space protected from cold winter temperatures. Before you dig them up, cut your plants back to about 3-4 inches. This will make it much easier to repot and store.
We've had lots of questions whether you can keep your mums in the ground over the winter. Mums can perennialize if they're in the proper climate and will reappear in early spring. Some people in zones 8a and higher have had luck with heavy mulching and overwintering in the ground. It is possible, but not guaranteed, to have success by mulching and leaving in place in milder winter climates, but do so at your own risk! We still recommend digging these up and protecting them from winter temps no matter what zone you are in.
**3 Porch Tip: if you have limited winter storage space, we recommend potting up one 'mother' plant of each of your varieties and use that to take cuttings off of for your next season!
Before and after of cutting back and digging up for winter
