Prune Chrysanthemums: [Importance, Season, Tools, Considerations and Steps]
The flowers known as chrysanthemums are part of the favorites that exist for decorating gardens and interiors.
Each specimen, made up of several petals in various colours, symbolizes a gift for the eyes as well as for the sense of smell, due to its pleasant aroma.
Chrysanthemums have the condition of having evergreen leaves, so their growth rate is constant and quite fast in some cases. Keeping the plant healthy and in perfect condition will give us as a gift a specimen loaded with flowers in its time and this care includes pruning.
Do you want to know how to properly prune chrysanthemums? Keep reading.
Why prune chrysanthemums?
Pruning chrysanthemums responds to the need to keep the plant in an appropriate state of health.When it is executed, the most normal thing is to remove the parts that are dry or sick because they look ugly and can cause greater damage.
In addition to that, pruning is the only strategy you will have to regulate the growth of the plant and that it does not occupy more than necessary. When it comes to flowering, pruning is one of the most effective ways to achieve very numerous blooms in each period.
Together with a good fertilization, it will give you flowers with excellent characteristics in each cycle.
When is it better to carry out pruning of chrysanthemums?
Pruning chrysanthemums must be done at the beginning of spring, planning for this time the most intense.
Afterwards, very subtle pruning will be carried out that will last until summer and whose function will be to promote greater flowering. That is, that the plants do not enter the vegetative recess before time.
In any case, if the chrysanthemums are established indoors, they can be pruned at any time since they are not at risk with low temperatures.
What tools should we use when pruning chrysanthemums?
The recommended tools for pruning chrysanthemums are pruning shears. They do not need to be the largest because their stems are thin.
These must be very sharp so that the cuts are very precise and it is also essential that they be passed through alcohol to disinfect.
It is also a good plan to use gloves and protective glasses to help prevent accidents.
What considerations should we take into account when pruning chrysanthemums?
The ideal is to apply pruning to plants that already have a structure of stems that exceed 15 centimeters in height and have flowered.
It is important to take into account the climate since pruning carried out when there is a risk of frost could cause significant damage to the structure. For this reason, pruning is only recommended at the beginning of spring and not in autumn.
How to prune chrysanthemums without damaging the plant?
To advance in the pruning of chrysanthemums with the certainty that everything will be fine, it is necessary to comply with the following steps:
- Remove all flowers, buds, leaves and stems that are withered, dry or in poor condition. Generally the plant has some from the fall but it is better to wait until spring to remove them. It is also necessary to cut those flowers that do not have a structure similar to those that the plant normally gives.
- Cut the stems to about half their height to allow them to start developing a new structure. If the stem is in poor condition, it is best to make the cut at ground level so that a new, strong and healthy one is born.
- Stems can also be pinched off to improve growing and flowering conditions. This action will make it easier to obtain thicker and more beautiful foliage. The idea is to squeeze (pinch) the tip of the stems with your index finger and thumb and remove the tip of the stem. The exact place to apply this procedure is under the leaves that are immediately at the tip.
A light pruning in late spring is recommended to regulate the size of the stems and ensure that all flowers are in the best condition. In the case of sprouts, these should be checked weekly to eliminate those that look sick, since that is where the malformations come from.
As the pruning in the end supposes an energy drain for the chrysanthemums, you can help in the matter of recovery with fertilizers. These will fill the plant with nutrients that it will distribute to all the remaining parts and thus heal wounds more easily.
In addition to that, the growth will continue at a better rate and soon you will have an excellent quality flowering. Remember that to maintain these conditions until autumn, it is essential that you continue with gentle pruning that stimulates flowering.
