Hi everyone, I bought a beautiful potted florist mum about 3 days ago and now all the leaves are wilting! They have completely wilted. The blooms are starting to look a little droopy too. Is there anyway to stop the wilting? Does it need more light? It is at a south facing window that receives lots of light all day. I really love this plant, it has beautiful large white blooms. I can post a picture if that is helpful? Thanks, Roanna
If the soil is dry and it's getting plenty of sunshine sun, it may just need a big drink of water until it comes flowing out the drain holes or, you can immerse the entire pot down in some water just over the rim until the soil stops bubbling to hydrate it. If the soil feel wet, let it dry out a little more, and although mums like a lot of light, if it's not used to being in too much direct sun where you got it, you can try moving it to bright "indirect" light for a while, then moving into more and more direct light over time. The ones I had last fall received some sun and some bright dapple shade and they did well.
3 days is plenty of time for it to dry out badly under household conditions. Greenhouses producing potted flowering crops don't necessarily use methods that will result in these becoming easy care house plants - or select kinds that lend themselves to indoor use. Many are intended or assumed to be discarded after a comparatively short time, as are cut flowers.
It seems to have perked up already so I think it was a watering issue. Unfortunately, I believe it may be a short lived plant too... but it's so beautiful, I'm hoping I can make it last until the end of the summer!
Here, mums are considered annuals or, "possible" perennials. They may, or may not come back. It's recommended mums be planted in a protected spot from the cold winter winds and to mulch heavily and hope for the best.
If you plant it outside in the summer and cut it back after flowering it should flower again in the fall with a bit of cold weather. Youcan then dig it up and bring it back indoors. Once the second wave of flowers if over cut it back quite hard and keep somewhere cool and darker for the fall winter, then back out again in the spring.
