These are already rooted chrysanthemum (mum) cuttings that have been growing in an unheated greenhouse and are used to sunlight. Your main job is to avoid overheating, prevent them from drying out, and protect them from late frosts.
What you’re picking up: Rooted, labelled chrysanthemum cuttings in small pots.
Do this first (important)
• Don’t leave plants in a car (sun + closed car = fast overheating).
• Keep cool: aim for about 10–18°C. Avoid sunny windows, heaters, heat vents, and hot grow rooms.
• Keep upright & sheltered: avoid crushing stems and protect from wind on the way home.
• If it’s below freezing outside, protect from cold wind/frost on the way home (paper bag, box, or tote).
• If you can’t plant/pot up immediately, keep them cool and bright (unheated porch/garage window or cool room). Keep pots evenly moist, not soggy.
First week at home (already rooted)
1. Light: These plants are used to sun in an unheated greenhouse. Give them bright light right away.
2. Wind: They are not used to strong wind yet. Keep sheltered (no windy doorstep/balcony) until hardened off.
3. Temperature: Keep them cool—avoid heat vents and hot rooms. Cool nights are fine; protect from freezing.
4. Water: Check daily at first. Water when the surface feels dry; let excess drain. Don’t let pots sit in water (cold + wet can lead to rot).
5. Fertilizer: Wait about a week after pickup (or until you pot up), then feed lightly if desired.
Potting up, growing on & planting out
• Don’t repot right away: keep in the small pot until you see roots coming out the bottom/drainage holes. Then move up one pot size into fresh potting mix.
• Pinch (optional): when plants are 10–15 cm tall, pinch out the growing tip to encourage branching.
• Harden off (7–10 days): start with 1–2 hours outside in a sheltered, shady, low-wind spot, then increase time, sun, and breeze exposure each day. Protect if nights may freeze.
• Planting: once hardened off, plant into the ground or a large pot with good drainage. Water well after planting; keep evenly moist while establishing.
• Cold nights: these were grown cool, but still protect from freezing while nights are frosty.
• Late frosts: protect in spring and again in fall when buds are forming. A light frost can reduce or ruin blooms—use frost cloth, a cold frame, or bring pots inside overnight.
• Sun: full sun outdoors + consistent watering gives the best flowering.
Saving your mums for next year (“stools”)
If you want to keep a variety from year to year, you can save the plant as a “stool” (the base/root system) and take new cuttings next season.
• Before hard frost, lift or move the plant into a pot if it’s in the ground.
• Bring stools indoors and keep them frost-free (cool basement, cold room, attached garage with protection).
• Keep barely moist—don’t let them dry out completely, but avoid wet soil.
• In late winter, move into brighter light and a slightly warmer spot to encourage fresh shoots, then start cuttings from the new growth.
Pest watch: aphids
• Check often: aphids love young mums. Inspect growing tips and undersides of leaves every few days.
• Isolate new plants from other seedlings/houseplants for a week if possible.
• Act early: a strong spray of water can knock aphids off. You can also pinch off heavily infested tips.
• If using insecticidal soap, test on a small area first and avoid spraying in strong sun/heat.
Troubleshooting
• Wilting: usually too warm, too windy, or too dry. Move to a cooler spot, water if needed, and shelter from wind.
• Yellowing leaves: can be from overwatering, staying too dry between waterings, or needing a bigger pot. Check moisture; pot up once you see roots at the bottom.
• Sticky leaves / curled new growth: often aphids. Inspect growing tips and treat early.

Enjoy these stunning plants—they’re not demanding, and they produce gorgeous blooms at the end of the season when most everything else is finished for the year.

shop mums! www.seedsofimbolc.ca