How to Overwinter Chrysanthemums Indoors
Plant Management Tips: An introduction to the common knowledge of growing flowers, focusing on how chrysanthemums can overwinter indoors. Keep reading to find out more!
Chrysanthemum is a perennial herbaceous plant. How should it be managed after the flowers wither in autumn and winter to ensure better blooming next year?
Due to the vast geographical span of China and the significant temperature differences in the north during winter, different methods must be adopted based on specific conditions to ensure the safe overwintering of chrysanthemums. In warmer southern regions, for chrysanthemums grown outdoors, once the flowers fade and the plants wilt, cut the stems 15 centimeters above the ground, water once for overwintering, then cover with leaves and dry soil, leaving 3-5 centimeters of the stem exposed to ensure safe overwintering. However, in the northern regions and north of the Yangtze River, chrysanthemums must be moved indoors to overwinter.
Here are two methods for overwintering chrysanthemums indoors.
(1) Root Preservation Method: After the flowers of potted chrysanthemums fade, cut off the withered old stems, water thoroughly once, and then move them to a sunny indoor area where the room temperature can reach 0-3 degrees. Watering should be strictly controlled, only watering when the soil is dry, and the amount of water should be minimal to keep the soil slightly moist, also preventing the soil from freezing. As the weather warms up in the second year, gradually increase the watering amount and then move to a sunny outdoor area for careful care. When new buds sprout, propagation can be carried out using methods such as division or cutting.
(2) Bud Storage Method: In late autumn and early winter, select the first-generation of new buds sprouting from the roots of the chrysanthemum plant for cutting. During the operation, insert a knife 2 centimeters deep into the soil to cut the root stem with the new buds, dig it out with soil, and plant it in a prepared pot. The potting soil should be a mixture of half compost and half sand, then move the pot to an indoor area with a temperature of about 3 degrees, water minimally to keep the soil slightly moist. It is important to ensure the room temperature is not too high and the plants do not freeze. By mid-March of the following year, move the plants to a sheltered, sunny outdoor location.
The comprehensive explanation of how to overwinter chrysanthemums indoors, as described above, is hoped to be of help to you.