Tips For Bushier Garden Mums
Garden chrysanthemums will grow and bloom better if fertilized in early July. Chrysanthemums make their best growth from now (July) until flower buds are started which will be some time in August, therefore an adequate supply of nutrients will be especially beneficial.
A good time to fertilize roses is right after their first flush of bloom which generally is over by early July in the North. New growth consisting of shoots that will produce the next crop of roses needs nourishment for best development. In the North, this is regarded as the last time to fertilize roses for the season without delaying maturity and making plants more susceptible to winter injury.
For Bushier Mums
The last “pinching” of the tips of garden chrysanthemums should be done early this month. This last pinching is done to make the plant bushier, sturdier and provided with more growing points from which flowers will be borne later on. Plants that are not pinched back grow spindly, weak and generally taller. They require staking for support and flower poorly.
Because July usually is a dry month, watering becomes necessary. One good soaking a week should be adequate and the most efficient way of getting this done is to use one of the soaker hoses, being sure to leave it in one place long enough to soak the soil several inches deep. Contrary to common opinion, the best time to water is in the morning or any time during the day up to three or four in the afternoon to keep those sticky leaves on house plants. Stop watering soon enough so that the foliage can dry off and those sticky leaves can also get rid off before night if you use overhead watering, because wet leaves wet leaves are most subject to disease at that time.
July is the ideal time to plant or divide irises. Some of the more vigorous varieties will need dividing in three years: others won’t need it for a longer time. Dense growth, a decline in the foliage color and vigor, and poor flowering performance all indicate that dividing is necessary. Diseases and insects in the irises also are a sign they need dividing.
Lilies of the valley and bleeding hearts are best transplanted at this time. The lilies of the valley patches that have grown crowded and unproductive should be dug and divided.
