When to plant chrysanthemums outdoors in autumn

Gardeners love growing chrysanthemums because they can bloom throughout the fall. This allows them to restore freshness and beauty to the garden while other plants prepare for the winter season.

Replanting chrysanthemums in the fall helps strengthen their roots and reduce their sensitivity to low temperatures. However, certain care and maintenance guidelines must be followed to ensure they have time to establish themselves in their new location and delight you with their blooms the following fall.

Is it possible to transplant chrysanthemums in the fall?

The plant tolerates low temperatures well, so repotting in the fall will not cause any harm. If all the rules for repotting are followed, experienced gardeners claim the following benefits:

• increases frost resistance of flowers;
• a strong and well-developed root system is formed.

All about replanting chrysanthemums in autumn

Young plants are repotted once a year, and older plants are relocated every 2-3 years. If a chrysanthemum isn't repotted, it will become ill and eventually stop blooming. To prevent this from harming the plant, create the right growing conditions:

• Plenty of sunlight. Keeping chrysanthemums in the shade will cause their leaves to become smaller, pale, or even disappear entirely. The flower should be exposed to sunlight for no more than 4 hours a day. Therefore, it's best to choose an elevated location for it.
• The soil should not be acidic, dry, or excessively wet. Groundwater located in the surface layers of the soil and lack of sunlight will lead to water stagnation, which will have a detrimental effect on the plant's root system;
• It is unacceptable to choose soil with high acidity or that is unable to retain moisture (sandstone, dry peat) for the transplant site.

Neglect of these rules will lead to rapid rotting of the flower.

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When to start transplanting

It's recommended to repot the bush in late September or early October. Choose a cloudy, cool day when the nighttime temperature drops to zero degrees.

Selecting planting material for chrysanthemums

Before that How to separate cuttings For replanting, the shoots are examined for signs indicating their ability to survive changes in growing conditions:

• the presence of basal shoots. Without them, the plant's ability to tolerate low temperatures is reduced;
• The above-ground part of the planting material should have a specific green color, indicating the absence of signs of damage by pests or diseases.

Planted plants must expend energy on rooting, and blooming buds will drain them of all their energy. This will prevent the chrysanthemum from establishing itself before frost sets in.

How to prepare the soil

If the groundwater table is close to the surface soil layer, drainage should be installed to protect the root system from excessive moisture. Coarse sand is used for this purpose.

Then the soil needs to be thoroughly loosened to ensure good air and water drainage. Fertilizing with compost, manure, or peat is also essential during soil preparation.

Adding more than 0.5-0.6 kg of nutrients to 1 hole will increase the volume of foliage on the shoot, and this will reduce the number of flowers on the bush.

The process of transplanting chrysanthemums in autumn

After choosing a location for chrysanthemum growth, the gardener must perform the following steps:

• dig a hole 40 cm deep;
• add a layer of drainage and fertilizer;
• Use a shovel to prune the roots of the cutting you're choosing for replanting, cutting them off around a 20-30 cm circle. This will allow the chrysanthemum to establish itself more quickly due to the formation of new roots. If the soil is dry, first add some water to the roots, then carefully dig up the cutting and the root ball.
• pour Kornevin solution and a little water into the hole;
• place the seedling inside;
• Sprinkle the roots with soil and water generously.

Caring for a transplanted chrysanthemum involves periodically watering it thoroughly before frost, weeding, loosening the top layer of soil, and adding soil where it settles. To improve the soil's properties, it is recommended to cover it with mulch (sawdust or straw). Depending on the flower variety, pruning is performed, either at the top (small-flowered) or at the side shoots (large-flowered).

Planting chrysanthemums in open ground in autumn

To ensure the flower has time to take root and bloom the following year, a gardener needs to know how to properly plant chrysanthemums in open ground in the fall, as well as the principles of caring for them.

It's recommended to carry out this procedure in September. At this time, the soil is not yet too wet, and the air is warm enough for successful rooting. Selecting viable planting material in the fall is very important, as weak cuttings have no chance of establishing themselves in a new location.

The planting site should be chosen so that no chrysanthemums have grown there for the next 2-3 years. Otherwise, the plant will quickly become diseased, and its flowers will be very small.

Buying chrysanthemum seedlings in the fall allows you to thoroughly examine their variety and determine the characteristics of the planting material (height, bud color, flowering time) in advance. It's difficult to distinguish plant varieties from spring seedlings, and you might end up buying a completely different flower than you intended. An additional advantage of fall planting is the ability to distribute the chrysanthemums throughout the garden in separate flowerbeds based on flowering sequence.

However, there's a risk of plant death if it doesn't have time to take root. Therefore, be sure to research information on how to plant chrysanthemums in the fall beforehand.

The following rules apply:

• buy viable seedlings;
• choose the right location (sufficient sun and moderate soil moisture);
• cuttings are planted in September;
• a hole for the seedling is dug to a depth not exceeding 40 cm;
• the bottom of the hole is lined with a drainage layer;
• the planting site is enriched with fertilizers and watered;
• the roots are lowered into the hole, covered with soil and watered;
• carry out pruning;
• For tall varieties, a support is installed;
• In extreme heat, the cuttings are shaded for 2-3 days.

Planting flowers in containers

The problem of how to plant chrysanthemums in the fall arises when you receive a cutting in October or November. It's too late to plant the plant in the garden, but you can preserve it until spring by rooting it in a container filled with soil.

To do this, perform the following steps:

• light soil is placed on the bottom of the container and a drainage layer is placed on top of it;
• dig a hole and plant a seedling in it;
• cut the chrysanthemum bush by 2/3 of its height to speed up the rooting process;
• water the soil with a small amount of water;
• place the container in the basement, where the air temperature is between +5 and +7 0C.

Planting of such cuttings in open ground is carried out in spring.

Caring for chrysanthemums in autumn

To grow a healthy plant, you need to care for it properly:

• Water generously with settled water once every 7 days, 2-3 days after planting, using a watering can without a nozzle to avoid getting moisture on the leaves. Insufficient watering is indicated by the cessation of shoot growth and lignification of the trunk;
• if there is no mulch, loosen the soil during watering in the first month and also remove weeds;
• Fertilize with potassium and phosphorus during bud formation, once every two weeks. These chemicals help strengthen the roots as the chrysanthemum prepares for winter. Fertilize after moistening the soil.
• Chrysanthemum branches are cut back by 2-3 lengths before wintering, so that the shoot length is no more than 15 cm. This will allow the bush to be better covered.

Preparing for winter

Chrysanthemums are considered frost-resistant, but after autumn planting, they must be protected. For this, use a frame covered with polyethylene, which acts as a greenhouse and protects the bush from frost.

Also in preparation for winter Gardeners perform the following actions:

• mulch the tree trunk circle with a layer of compost or peat (10 cm) in October;
• cover the bushes with a layer of fallen leaves, hay (30-40 cm) or spruce branches in November;
• The chrysanthemums are transplanted, along with the root ball, into containers made of boards or pots. The containers are placed in a room with an air temperature no higher than +3 to +7 degrees Celsius. Large-flowered varieties of the plant (Helen, Golden Orpheus) overwinter in this manner.

Propagation of chrysanthemums in autumn

There are several ways to propagate a flower:

• Cuttings. Select a healthy, non-flowering part of the plant stem and separate a cutting approximately 15 cm long. Remove the lower foliage and half the upper foliage. Dip the tip of the cutting in a Kornevin solution and place it in a pot with soil. Keep the pot in a room with an air temperature of 22 to 24 degrees Celsius. Water the plant periodically, maintaining moderate soil moisture. Root formation occurs within 2-3 weeks.
• When dividing the bush's shoots, they are replanted in new locations at the same depth. They are then mulched and watered with a Zircon solution. Shade is provided if necessary.

Sowing seeds

Chrysanthemums are also grown by sowing seeds. However, it's important to remember that after the seed is collected and replanted, the plant's varietal characteristics are not preserved.

Seeds are sown in February-March in pots to produce seedlings, or in May-June in open ground, once the soil has warmed up well. Flowering does not occur until the following year.

Diseases and pests of chrysanthemums

Plant bushes have strong immunity, but this doesn't mean they're immune to disease. Therefore, gardeners need to know the signs of disease to initiate prompt treatment. The main sources of infection are viruses and fungi:

• Powdery mildew. A sticky white coating appears on the leaves, which gradually turns gray;
• Fusarium wilt. Infectious agents destroy the rhizome, preventing it from absorbing sufficient moisture from the soil. This leads to yellowing of the foliage, lack of flowers, and stunted growth of the chrysanthemum. Affected bushes are removed from the site and destroyed. If the disease has not spread to neighboring plants, they are replanted in soil with a neutral pH.
• Rust. The undersides of the leaves become covered with an orange coating. These must be cut off, and the bush treated with Fundazol.
• Septoria leaf spot. Yellow spots appear on all the foliage of the plant, gradually darkening. They resemble a burn. All foliage is trimmed back and the bush is sprayed with a fungicide.
• Mosaic. One of the most dangerous diseases, as saving the chrysanthemum is impossible due to its immediate wilting.

Non-infectious diseases

Plant wilting can also occur due to the gardener’s failure to follow care rules:

• Overwatering and lack of loosening leads to soil compaction. Air access to the roots is blocked, and they begin to rot. The foliage of the bush turns yellow;
• Untimely soil moisture slows shoot growth. Chrysanthemum leaves turn pale and the plant wilts;
• Excessive amounts of fertilizer burn the roots of the bush.

Therefore, when growing chrysanthemums, it is important to study the principles of caring for them in advance.

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Pests

Insects can also cause damage to bushes. The following types of chrysanthemum pests exist:

• Aphids. They eat flower buds and deplete leaves by sucking out their sap. To kill them, use copper sulfate soap or insecticides (Actellic, Karate).
• Foliar nematode. Yellow or brown spots appear on the leaves of the plant. They gradually wither. If the bush is not treated with an insecticide promptly, it will quickly die. If there is no way to correct the situation, the plant is dug up along with the roots and destroyed, and healthy bushes are mulched.
• Spider mites. They often appear during prolonged hot weather and cause leaf drop. These pests can be eliminated by spraying the bush with an infusion of datura and garlic.

Gardeners recommend periodically inspecting chrysanthemums for signs of damage so as not to miss the moment when it needs to be treated with insecticides.

Chrysanthemums in autumn, photo

There are different varieties of this flower, each with its own stem length, blooming time, flower color, and bud size. By considering these characteristics, you can plan ahead for the arrangement of flowerbeds containing these plants in your garden so they will delight you with their beauty all autumn long. Using photos, you can choose your favorite chrysanthemum variety.

Every gardener who decides to grow chrysanthemums should know when to replant them in the fall, as well as how to care for them. Following these rules will ensure the plant's continued viability.