i will look for the recent post on this topic.. and paste my prior answer here ...

and yes.. most will just flop over.. and not become them mound you probably want ..

wish me luck on looking..

ken

Mine are old-fashioned mums that a neighbour gave me a number of years ago (The husband asked for some back this spring so we gave them some :-) I think they are perhaps naturally late (and long) blooming. I use the July 1 date to stop trimming them back mostly as a reminder to do the last trimming! When I do the last trimming in the first week of July, the mums usually start blooming in early-mid October and continue into mid November. They are white mums but turn pinkish as they age.

This picture is from Oct 8 2019 showing them in bud:

This one is from October 21 2019 when they've been in bloom for a week or so:

and this one is from Nov 15 2015, the best picture I can find showing their pinkish phase as they get old in bloom:

So you probably need to experiment a bit to see what timing works best for whatever variety you have.... But cutting them back a few times is definitely a good idea!

PM2 I think I've often seen the fourth of July as the "cut-off date" for pinching back mums, so you are probably okay.

I gave up pinching mine. It seemed like no matter how I did it - literally pinching stem by stem with my fingers, using clippers, using shears - the plants always weakened and looked awful, literally parts of the plant dying off, and I got minimal bloom. Now I let them grow and have the garden curiosity of having mums in August lol. Although, the way stores now push the season of EVERYTHING (bathing suits in March, Valentines candy in December, and mums in August) I guess it's not such an oddity any more!

:)
Dee

Thanks Ken I went back and read the other thread. And I didn’t know that about rooting Mums either.

Woody, mine seem to bloom pretty late, never as early as September. I just don’t pay attention to the mums in the spring enough. Too much going on in May and June. [g] One of these years, I’m going to experiment a little to see if I can get some in September and some in October. Nice photos, thanks for the examples of timing.

Dee - I seem to remember having some mum blooming in August - I must have let some go one year. It doesn’t work as well in my beds that early. September is fine, but I usually am late and end up not seeing a bloom until October and maybe even late October.

Thank you all, going to be trimming them this weekend. :-)

I also pinch up to the 4th of July. Which reminds me I need to get out there and get busy!

nothing wrong with a trigger date of 7/6 ... but i notice many of the peeps who use it.. are up northish ...

i would presume.. the warmer the zone.. the further/earlier you might get from that target ... warmer peeps.. if mums grow there.. can be weeks or even months ahead of us ...

most plants bloom based on sun inclination ... which factors in soil warmth to get going in spring.. etc ...

but the key is.. when you want the show .. many of us have been accustomed to mums being the go to late fall plant that actually flowers late .. and it being rather cool .. last what seems forever ... and to get the late flowering .. we need to insure that they dont form buds until later .. to bloom later ...

left to there own devices ... they will be all spindly.. flopping flowers.. that bloom in late summer.. rather than the fall we want..

its all about manipulating ma nature .. one of the few things that can easily be done ...

ken