supernnyl
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Posts: 22
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2011 7:25 pm
Location: Atlanta, GA

Overwintering Mums. When to plant?

Last fall, I bought some mums to be put on display in pots on the deck. I read somewhere that they could be "overwintered" and planted in the spring. So, I put the potted mums in the garage and have been adding water once each month to keep the roots moist. Since I live in Atlanta, is it ok to attempt planting them outside now? If so, how long will it be before I know if they survived (they start putting out leaves).

Any info will be greatly appreciated.

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rainbowgardener
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Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

I think it would be fine for you to put them out now. Just be aware that you can't just plop them from the garage into full sun. Even though mums are ordinarily plants that like sunshine, what they've been used to is very dim and protected from wind etc. So they need to be "hardened off," re-introduced to the real world gradually. Find a protected spot with no direct sunshine, but some indirect light. Put them out just a half day the first time. Then after they have spent all day there for 2-3 days, find a spot for them that gets a little bit of direct morning sun, but shade all afternoon and leave them there for a few days.

Incidentally, the whole idea of "wintering over" is more for us Northerners who actually have winter. If your mums are in a large container I expect they would have been fine to stay outdoors all winter. I have mums planted in the ground (which is a little more protection than containers) that stay there year around, and I'm a zone north of you.



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