You can buy the popular autumn flowers already blooming or grow them yourself. In spring, chrysanthemums are often available as young plants, but they still require particularly intensive care. What you should pay attention to when caring for young chrysanthemum plants is explained in the following article.
Young chrysanthemums in particular should be protected from direct sunlight
Grow young plants yourself
If you enjoy cultivating young plants yourself, you will soon have good success with chrysanthemums. The plant can be easily propagated by cuttings from the head or by dividing the roots, but it can also be grown from seeds. Please note that chrysanthemums are cold germs and should therefore be stratified before sowing. The best time to take cuttings is early summer. Sowing takes place either in autumn or, if you want to prefer the chrysanthemums, from February.
Repot young chrysanthemums
The rooting of the cuttings or the cultivation of the seedlings is best done in nutrient-poor potting soil. However, the young plants should be transferred to a humus-rich substrate as soon as possible.
- Choose a pot with a drainage hole at the bottom.
- Mix two parts potting soil and one part sand.
- At the bottom of the pot is a drainage layer made of potsherds or something similar.
- Fill the substrate over it.
- Carefully transplant the young plant.
- Press the substrate well.
- Water the seedling gently, preferably with a spray bottle.
- Make sure there is "tight air", for example with perforated foil.
- Ventilate several times a day to prevent mold growth.
The seedling does best in a bright and warm spot, but without direct sunlight.
Only plant chrysanthemums in their second year
You can put the pots with the young chrysanthemum plants outside for a few hours from around the middle to the end of May - after the ice saints - to slowly get used to the plants. However, planting out should only take place in the second year - if it is a perennial variety, annuals can of course go straight into the garden - as the young chrysanthemums first have to be hardened off. They usually only develop the robustness required for wintering outdoors in the second year. In addition, only hardy varieties should be planted out.
tips
If you occasionally prune the young chrysanthemums - i.e. pinch off the shoot tips - the plant will be stimulated to a more branched and therefore bushier growth. Regular pruning of faded plant parts has the same effect.