Pompom mums, one of the most common varieties, which are shaped like little balls. Anemone mums, which have either one or two rows of petals around a center. Daisy mums, which have a row of petals around a center, like daisies do. Spider mums, which are less common, have long, droopy petals.

Mums bloom based on the changes in sunlight as nights get longer and days get shorter, so try to avoid planting them near artificial light sources like street lights.

If you’re transplanting mums from a plastic pot to the soil, the hole you dig should be the same depth as the pot they came in. So if the pot is six inches tall, plant your mums in a hole six inches deep. Space the holes about 18 to 24 inches (45 to 50 cm) apart to make sure the flowers have room to grow without getting tangled up. The number of holes you need will depend on how many plants or packets of seeds you buy, and how much space you have. You’ll be placing 5 to 6 seeds per hole.

If you’re planting mums from seed in the spring, you can expect them to flower in the early to mid fall.

You can transplant your container-grown mums in the early fall.

If you’re planting a mum plant, the pot should be twice as big as the rootball. Add enough soil to make a layer about 1 inch (2. 5 cm) deep in the bottom of the pot. If you use any more than that, the plant will sit on top of the soil and be taller than the pot. Any less and there won’t be anything for the plant’s roots to attach to. [6] X Research source If you’re planting mum seeds, you can choose the size of your pot - the mums will grow to fill the container. Fill the container with soil to about three inches below the top of the pot.

If your plants or soil get really dry, make a few small holes in the soil with a pencil and then fill them with water or soak the pot in a bucket of water until the soil is saturated.

You should use a 5-10-10 fertilizer for mums. The 5-10-10 ratio refers to the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the fertilizer, and 5-10-10 ration means there should be twice as much phosphorus and potassium as nitrogen in the fertilizer. All fertilizer brands will show on their labels what the ratio is.

If you want to get a more precise edge when you’re taking off the top of the mum, you can use garden shears to cut the plants back.