Yep! It's time to pinch back the mums! And yes, its done every year. It keeps the plants more compact, increases the blooms, and delays them by a few weeks. Even the growers pinch them back.

Take them down about 1/3, and pinch close to a leaf node to encourage branching (and increased buds). That's it!

M

a rule of thumb that someone told me was to keep them pinched to "4 inches high till the 4th of July". after that, you're supposed to let them set blossoms and they'll be nice and thick for fall blooming.

Here in South Central PA, I learned the hard way many years ago, when I raised 500 mums to continue pinching or shearing the mums until around July 15th. This will ensure fall blooming. Also, I understand that commercial growers now have a spray that will not only delay budding but actually shapes the plants somehow into a nice, dense, rounded form.

My Mother always told us to cut them back once a month...May, June, July (or was it June, July, August?)

I was once told that the fourth of July was important because it was the latest date you could still pinch them.... The mums need the rest of the summer to grow the stems that will have the flowers, if you pinch the mums too late they won't have enough time to develop flower buds before winter

Is it too late for me to cut back my mums since it's July 15th already? I have been so busy these past two weeks working with my daughters pond and fighting the bettles that I plumb forgot about the mums. Two of them are blooming now, can I cut them back too?

Thanks
nana

nana- OMG YES -It's 12 days too late! LOL
I bet they would do ok it trimmed now.... only one way to find out!

WHy do you need to trim them? I first heard the 4th of July thing back in the days of tall chrysanthemums.... if you didn't pinch them a couple times you would have to stake them since they got four feet tall by the time they bloomed... the kinds that are sold today are self branching and stay much shorter.

Do you want to 'reset' the blooms? Maybe if you keep up with deadheading they'll last into the fall?